Three memorable moments at Charlotte
CONCORD, N.C. – Home sweet home.
This weekend, Hendrick Motorsports drivers will return to NASCAR Sprint Cup series’ “home” track -- Charlotte Motor Speedway -- for 500 miles of night racing.
Hendrick Motorsports drivers certainly seem to feel at home at the North Carolina oval. The organization owns 18 wins at the track, ranking first all-time among teams. Jimmie Johnson also holds the record for the most individual all-time wins at Charlotte with seven, after taking the checkered flag there in May earlier this season.
As the second race in the Contender round – and last event before the wild race at Talladega – the night promises tension, excitement and fast race cars.
Before heading to the track, let’s take a look back at three Hendrick Motorsports moments at Charlotte.
May 29, 1994: Jeff Gordon was only 22 years old when he strapped into his rainbow-colored No. 24 Chevrolet for the 600-mile event at Charlotte Motor Speedway in May 1994. But neither age nor the longest race on the Cup circuit could deter this young driver. After starting from the pole position, Gordon led 16 laps en route to not only his first win at Charlotte Motor Speedway, but also the first Cup victory of his budding career. “I’m speechless, man,” Gordon said in Victory Lane immediately after his win. “I mean, this is the greatest day of my life.”
Oct. 15, 2005: Jimmie Johnson was on a Charlotte hot streak. He had won both races at the North Carolina oval in 2004 and followed those up with a trip to Victory Lane in May 2005. Now the driver of the No. 48 Chevrolet was looking for his fourth straight win at Charlotte Motor Speedway – and he got it. Johnson began the race from the third position and led 13 laps to secure his fifth career win at Charlotte.
May 27, 2012: Kasey Kahne was nearing the halfway point of his first season with Hendrick Motorsports when the spring race at Charlotte Motor Speedway rolled around in 2012. The driver of the No. 5 Chevrolet had already won two pole positions and was searching for his first win of the season. Six hundred miles later, he got it. After rolling off the grid seventh, Kahne led 96 laps en route to his fourth Cup win at Charlotte. He would go on to finish fourth overall in the 2012 NASCAR Sprint Cup standings.
