Johnson Completes ‘Sponsor Sweep’ with Lowe’s Win

CONCORD, N.C. (May 30, 2004) – Pole-sitter Jimmie Johnson dominated Sunday’s 600-mile NASCAR NEXTEL Cup Series event at Lowe’s Motor Speedway, leading an even 500 miles en route to Victory Lane. Johnson’s win gave team sponsor Lowe’s a weekend sweep of events at its home track after Kyle Busch won Saturday’s CARQUEST Auto Parts 300 NASCAR Busch Series event in the No. 5 Lowe’s-backed Chevrolet. In his 87th start, Johnson scored his eighth career Cup Series victory and his second consecutive win in May’s 600-mile event at LMS. Driving the No. 48 Chevy, he became the first driver to win from the pole in 2004 and the first since Jeff Gordon in May 1998 to win from the pole at Lowe’s Motor Speedway. The performance put Johnson within five points of Dale Earnhardt Jr. in the 2004 NEXTEL Cup championship standings. Brian Vickers moved to 22nd in points after starting fifth in the 43-car field and driving his No. 25 GMAC Financial Services Chevy to a 15th-place finish Sunday. Behind the wheel of the No. 24 DuPont Monte Carlo, Gordon finished 30th after qualifying third. The four-time Cup Series champion is fourth in the standings, just 144 points behind the leader. In only his second NEXTEL Cup start, 19-year-old Kyle Busch started 27th and came in 32nd in the No. 84 CARQUEST Chevy. He will next enter a Cup-level event at New Hampshire International Raceway in July. Thanks to a broken brake line, two-time champion Terry Labonte was 37th in the No. 5 Kellogg’s Monte Carlo after starting 35th. He is 25th in points after 12 events in 2004.