Team Lowe’s Building Momentum After Second Win

CHARLOTTE, N.C. (June 4, 2002) -- Jimmie Johnson, driver of the No. 48 Lowe's Home Improvement Warehouse Chevrolet, is continuing to build momentum heading into June following a victory in Sunday's MBNA Platinum 400 at Dover (Del.) International Speedway. Team Lowe's has dominated the last three races, including NASCAR's all-star showcase, The Winston at Lowe’s Motor Speedway, leading the most laps in all three events. Johnson has posted a victory, one pole position and two additional top-10 finishes in less than a month. Just prior to winning the race at Dover, Johnson and the No. 48 crew had a two-day test session at Pocono (Pa.) Raceway, the site of this Sunday’s Pocono 500. While testing times were not available, Team Lowe's crew chief Chad Knaus believes that Johnson more than held his own for his first time on 2.5-mile superspeedway. Johnson himself is also confident. "Team Lowe's is really looking forward to racing at Pocono following our test session there last week,” he said. “Obviously, this will be my first race there, but we're confident that we can have success on that racetrack. “Pocono Raceway will be a tough test for us, but we have the tools in place to run well there. The track demands a lot from the race car with a combination of speed and handling. History has shown that Hendrick Motorsports has a strong speedway package and Chad (Knaus) and the crew have proven they know how to build an ideal Lowe's Chevy for this type of racetrack.” If history is any indication of how well Johnson will fair this weekend, fans of Team Lowe’s Racing will be happy. On racetracks 1.5 miles or greater, the No. 48 is averaging a qualifying position of eighth and a finishing place of sixth, including a victory at California Speedway and three pole positions -- Daytona (Fla.) International Speedway, Talladega (Ala.) Superspeedway and Lowe's Motor Speedway. With a victory last Sunday, Johnson jumped three places to second overall in the NASCAR Winston Cup Series championship standings, 136 points behind leader Sterling Marlin, and built his lead in the Raybestos Rookie of the Year competition to 26 points.