Johnson 'Tooling Around' Busch Series in 2005

CONCORD, N.C. (Feb. 10, 2005) - Lowe’s and Hendrick Motorsports announced that Jimmie Johnson, driver of the No. 48 Lowe’s Chevrolet in the NASCAR NEXTEL Cup Series, will run select races in the NASCAR Busch Series in 2005. Johnson will bring his No. 48 Chevrolet to the series with additional sponsorship from Kobalt, a line of tools and accessories available exclusively at Lowe’s. “Kobalt Tools has been associated with the No. 48 Lowe’s Chevrolet and Hendrick Motorsports in the NASCAR NEXTEL Cup Series since 2002,” said Bob Gfeller, Lowe’s senior vice president. “We consider Jimmie Johnson and Team 48 the cornerstone of our racing program. With Lowe’s expanding its line of Kobalt tools, it seems a natural progression to expand that relationship at the track as well.” Johnson is scheduled to run six races in the No. 48 Lowe’s/Kobalt Chevrolet with unique paint schemes that represent the breadth and depth of the enhanced Kobalt line. Chad Knaus, Johnson’s crew chief in the NEXTEL Cup Series, will also lead the team in the Busch Series events. "Hendrick Motorsports is very proud of this opportunity to further represent Kobalt and the employee-owners of Lowe's in the NASCAR Busch Series," said Marshall Carlson, Hendrick Motorsports' general manager. "Jimmie Johnson fans throughout the country are going to have six very exciting Saturdays this season." Johnson is scheduled to begin his limited Busch Series run at Atlanta Motor Speedway on March 19, followed by runs at Chicagoland Speedway on July 9, California Speedway on Sept. 3, Texas Motor Speedway on Nov. 5, as well as both events at Lowe’s Motor Speedway. “This is a great opportunity on many levels for Chad and me,” said Johnson. “We had a good time when we ran the Busch race last October at Lowe’s Motor Speedway. I think our fans will like it as well. It’s fun to mix it up a little bit, and I’ll enjoy seeing the tweaks to our paint scheme each time.” ABOUT TEAM LOWE’S RACING: Lowe’s enters its fourth year as primary sponsor of the No. 48 Lowe’s Chevrolet Monte Carlo, driven by Jimmie Johnson in the NASCAR Nextel Cup Series. In 2005, Sta Green, Spectracide and Hitachi Power Tools join Lowe’s and returning vendor partners Shop-Vac, Briggs and Stratton and Pella in supporting the No. 5 Lowe’s Chevrolet driven by rookies Blake Feese, Boston Reid and other drivers from Hendrick Motorsports in the NASCAR Busch Series. Lowe’s, the second largest home improvement retailer in the world, also operates one of the largest fan clubs in the sport. For more information on Team Lowe’s Racing, visit Lowesracing.com. ABOUT HENDRICK MOTORSPORTS: Hendrick Motorsports has won nine NASCAR championships in the last decade and currently fields teams in the sanctioning body's top two divisions -- the NEXTEL Cup Series and Busch Series. Drivers include Kyle Busch, Jeff Gordon, Brian Vickers, Terry Labonte and Jimmie Johnson.