nascar banking 500 souvenir race program

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LOWE’S MOTOR SPEEDWAY

Trust CARQUEST to give you the highest quality products and knowledgeable

help from our friendly staff. We specialize in the products, services and

advanced technology necessary to keep today’s vehicles moving.

This community is where we all live, work and play, so let’s get acquainted.

Stop by your nearest CARQUEST store, and let us show you why we are

proud to be your neighbor.

CARQUEST ®

Keeping your world in motion.

For a CARQUEST location near you, call1-800-492-PART or visit us at CARQUEST.com

Open an account today at your local banking center or go to: bankofamerica.com/RacePoints

Earn RacePoints®with every purchase made using your NASCAR®credit card or debit card

Redeem your RacePoints for licensed team apparel, race tickets and unique NASCAR experiences like meeting your favorite driver

Choose from more than 25 NASCAR driver credit cards and 12 NASCAR driver debit cards

Conveniently manage your accounts online, at over 6,100 banking centers and more than 18,000 ATMs coast to coast

Your debit card. Your credit card. Your driver.™

Choose your driver cards and start racking up NASCAR RacePoints.®Yes, it’s this rewarding:

Credit subject to approval. For information about the rates, fees, other costs and benefi ts associated with the use of the NASCAR RacePoints® credit card or to apply, visit bankofamerica.com/RacePoints or one of our banking centers. This credit card program is issued and administered by FIA Card Services, N.A. Visa is a registered trademark of Visa International Service Association and is used by the issuer pursuant to license from Visa U.S.A., Inc. NASCAR® and NASCAR RacePoints® are registered trademarks of the National Association for Stock Car Auto Racing, Inc. ©2009 HGL, LLC. Not all NASCAR drivers available. Car-number credit card design only available for select drivers. All trademarks shown are used with the permission of their respective owners. ©2009 Hendrick Motorsports, LLC. The name, likeness and signature of Mark Martin and the likeness of the #5 HMS Chevrolet are used with permission of Hendrick Motorsports LLC. ©2009 Jeff Gordon, Inc. The name, likeness and signature of Jeff Gordon and the likeness of the #24 DuPont Chevrolet are used with permission of Jeff Gordon, Inc. ©2009 Hendrick Motorsports, LLC. The name, likeness and signature of Jimmie Johnson and the likeness of the #48 Lowe’s Chevrolet are used with permission of Hendrick Motorsports LLC. ©2009 Hendrick Motorsports, LLC. The name, likeness and signature of Dale Earnhardt, Jr. and the likeness of the #88 Amp Energy/National Guard Chevrolet are used with the permission of Hendrick Motorsports, LLC and JR Motorsports, LLC. ©2009 Dale Earnhardt, Inc. Dale Earnhardt, Martin Truex Jr., Dale Earnhardt, Inc. and Richard Childress Racing trademarks, trade dress, names, likenesses and copyrights are used under the authorization of Dale Earnhardt, Inc. ©2009 Evernham Motorsports, LLC. The stylized E with checkered fl ag® and 9® are registered trademarks and service marks of Evernham Motorsports, LLC, used under license. Kasey Kahne likeness and signature are trademarks of Kasey Kahne Inc., licensed by Evernham Motorsports, LLC. Dodge is a trademark of Chrysler LLC. The name, likeness, voice, signature and image of Rusty Wallace are registered trademarks of Rusty Wallace, Inc. Used Under License. ©2009 Chip Ganassi Racing with Felix Sabates, Inc. All rights reserved. The stylized #42 is a trademark of Chip Ganassi Racing with Felix Sabates, Inc. ©2009 Target Stores. The Bullseye Design and Target are registered trademarks of Target Brands, Inc. All rights reserved. Bank of America, N.A. Member FDIC. NASCAR credit cards are issued and administered by FIA Card Services, N.A. Platinum Plus is a registered trademark of FIA Card Services, N.A. “Your debit card. Your credit card. Your driver.” is a trademark, and Bank of America and the Bank of America logo is a registered trademark of Bank of America Corporation. ©2009 Bank of America Corporation. AR71209 AD-08-09-0323.B

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Welcome to Lowe’s Motor Speedway . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .4

Welcome to the NASCAR Banking 500 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .6

Dollar General: On Track for a Cause . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .8

Weekend Schedule of Events . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .10

Lowe’s Motor Speedway Information . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .12

NASCAR Banking 500 Probable Entries . . . . . . . . . . . . . .14

Chase for the NASCAR Sprint Cup Drivers Photo . . . . . . .16

Richard Childress Racing: 40 Years and Counting . . . . . .18

NASCAR Sprint Cup Drivers and Cars . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .26

Stewart-Haas Racing: Chance of a Lifetime . . . . . . . . . . .68

The NASCAR Ballet: Anatomy of a Pit Stop . . . . . . . . . . . .72

Benny Parsons: Driven by Passion . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .76

Smokey Yunick Award: Robert Yates . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .80

Richard Petty: The Man Who Would Be King . . . . . . . . . . .82

“Speedy” Thompson: Opportunity Knocks . . . . . . . . . . . .88

NASCAR Banking 500 Former Winners . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .94

Wood Brothers: All in the Family . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .106

Buddy Baker Has a Way with Words . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .110

Bojangles’ Pole Winners/Speed Chart . . . . . . . . . . . . . .114

Dollar General 300 Probable Entries . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .116

NASCAR Nationwide Series Drivers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .118

Dollar General 300 Former Winners . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .138

Driver Memories: No Place Like Home . . . . . . . . . . . . . .140

LMS Employee of the Year: Lindsay Spiegel . . . . . . . . . .142

Eight First-Time Sprint Cup Winners at LMS . . . . . . . . .144

NASCAR Hall of Fame: Racing to the Finish . . . . . . . . . .148

Fans Share Their Memories of . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .150Lowe’s Motor Speedway

LMS Car Shows: Horsepower and Chrome . . . . . . . . . . .154

Two LMS Employees Have Seen It All . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .158

World of Outlaws Topless Showdown . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .162Probable Entries

Josh Richards Eyes WoO Late Model Title . . . . . . . . . . .164

May Race Winners Photos . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .168

Advertisers’ Index . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .175

Lowe’s Motor Speedway’s 2010 Major Racing Events . .176

Managing Editor Annette Randall

Associate EditorKeith Waltz

Advertising ManagerNathan Yang

Graphic DesignChristopher Smith,Tathwell Printing

Cover ArtistSam Bass

Contributing Writers - Monte Dutton, Jack Flowers, Megan Johnson, Joshua Joiner, Bob Margolis, Jim Utter, Keith Waltz, Deb Williams

Contributing Photographers - Harold Hinson, LMS Staff Photographer; Harold Hinson Photography – Rusty Burroughs,Gregg Ellman, Bridget Grubb, Alan Marler and Erik Perel; Other Contributors – Sam Cranston, David Griffin, Dorsey Patrickand Lowe’s Motor Speedway Archives

Printing - Tathwell Printing Co., Charlotte, N.C.

About the Cover Motorsports artist Sam Bass’ painting, “The Homecoming Game,” captures the intensity of a gridiron-style face-off at the 50-yard line as top combatants prepare for NASCAR’s version of an October homecoming. The drivers form a tunnel through whichthe cars must pass in order to reach their destination, the Lowe’s Motor Speedway finish line. Bass has created the coverartwork for each Lowe’s Motor Speedway event program since May 1985. To see more, visit sambass.com.

Become a card-carrying fan.Show your Team 48 spirit by applying for your new Team Lowe’s Consumer or Business Credit Card. There’s no annual fee and low monthly payments. Plus, you’ll get special credit promotions throughout the year, and free membership to Team Lowe’s Racing fan club, including quarterly issues of Track Record magazine. Apply today in store or at Lowes.com/Credit.

© 2009 by Lowe’s. All rights reserved. Lowe’s and the gable design are registered trademarks of LF, LLC. © 2009 Hendrick Motorsports, LLC.

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October 2009

Dear Valued Race Fans:

Welcome to Lowe’s Motor Speedway, the heartbeat of the NASCAR Nation! We hope you enjoy these

four nights of action with us, culminating with the 50th NASCAR Banking 500 only from Bank of America.

There is always something special about a homecoming celebration and NASCAR’s version is no

exception. After five months on the road, the NASCAR Banking 500 is truly an October homecoming,

NASCAR style, as drivers and teams race at home for the final time this season.

And just like during the big homecoming game, a victory in the NASCAR Banking 500 or the Dollar

General 300 comes with plenty of bragging rights for the entire team.

The NASCAR Banking 500 is also a milestone event for Lowe’s Motor Speedway as it brings down the

curtain on 50 years of NASCAR racing at this legendary 1.5-mile track. From Joe Lee Johnson’s surprise

victory in the inaugural Coca-Cola 600 to Saturday night’s 500-mile battle in the Chase for the NASCAR

Sprint Cup, fans at Lowe’s Motor Speedway have experienced some of the most dramatic and exciting

moments in NASCAR history.

Auto racing is about creating memories – the memories of a young boy or girl attending their first

NASCAR race; the memories of longtime fans cheering their favorite drivers to victory or the camaraderie

of family and friends on their annual racing adventure. Over the last year many of you have shared your

special memories of Lowe’s Motor Speedway with us and we are extremely proud that our speedway

plays such an important role in so many lives.

You have a choice for your motorsports entertainment and we value the opportunity to demonstrate that

Lowe’s Motor Speedway is the place where race fans are appreciated and have a great time.

On behalf of our entire staff, thank you for visiting and we look forward to seeing you again next May.

Enjoy the races!

P.S.: If there is anything we can do to deliver a better race-going experience for you, please e-mail us at

[email protected]. We look forward to hearing from you.

Marcus Smith

President & General ManagerO. Bruton Smith

Founder & Chairman

P.O. BOX 600 • CONCORD, NC 28026-0600

A DIVISION OF SPEEDWAY MOTORSPORTS, INC., A NYSE COMPANY

© 2009 by Lowe’s. All rights reserved. Lowe’s, the gable design, Kobalt, and the K design are registered trademarks of LF, LLC.

TO SOME IT’S A TOOLBOX, TO OTHERS IT’S A SURVIVAL KIT. Be prepared for your toughest projects by choosing Kobalt® tools. Durable and ready to go at a moment’s notice, Kobalt tools have the comfortable hex grip design so there’s less wear and tear on your hands. To see all the essentials, go to Lowes.com/Kobalt.

Available only at

October 17, 2009

Dear Fans, Drivers and Guests,

Welcome to the 2009 NASCAR Banking 500 only from Bank of America at Lowe’s

Motor Speedway. The drivers, teams and sponsors of this year’s race are participating

in a tradition of excellence in racing, sportsmanship and community support that

continues to attract the sport’s finest and captivate fans from all across the country.

This is also an important event for our local and regional communities. One of the most

important ways that we participate in the lives of our customers is through community

outreach, and the NASCAR Banking 500 only from Bank of America provides a

wonderful opportunity for us to work with local partners to maximize the impact of our

community activities. This year, through our Students at the Speedway program,

Charlotte-Mecklenburg middle school students will have the opportunity to learn about

professional NASCAR applications of science, math and technology during the school

year, helping bring to life the rich opportunities that the racing industry has to offer our

future leaders.

We wish to express our thanks to the many people who are committed to the success

of this race: the NASCAR drivers and teams competing this week, the employees and

management of Lowe’s Motor Speedway, the many dedicated volunteers and our

broadcast partners at ABC. We pay special tribute to the fans for your ongoing passion

and dedication to racing.

Thank you for your participation as we continue this important tradition of sporting

excellence and community support. Enjoy the race.

Sincerely,

Kenneth D. Lewis

Chief Executive Officer and President

Bank of America

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Ticket locations are subject to Bank of America and race track discretion and availability. Tickets available while supplies last. Race time and date to be determined by NASCAR and may be subject to change. Participants may also opt for 5,000 NASCAR RacePoints, which can be redeemed for NASCAR experiences, merchandise and other prizes. To register and redeem RacePoints, participants should visit nascarracepoints.com. No substitutions or cash equivalents will be allowed. Bank of America is not responsible for lost, stolen or destroyed tickets. Bank of America assumes no liability for any cancellation of the race and in the event of a cancellation, the terms and conditions on the back of the ticket shall govern. Use of race tickets received under this offer shall be subject to the terms and conditions on the back of the ticket as well as requirements by the host track. Recipients are responsible for all other rules, regulations, charges, costs and expenses associated with acceptance of the ticket. See bankofamerica.com/racepoints for more information. Car-number credit card design only available for select drivers. ©2009 Evernham Motorsports, LLC. The stylized E with checkered fl ag® and 9® are registered trademarks and service marks of Evernham Motorsports, LLC, used under license. Kasey Kahne likeness and signature are trademarks of Kasey Kahne Inc. licensed by Evernham Motorsports, LLC. Dodge is a trademark of Chrysler LLC. ©2009 HGL, LLC. The name, likeness and signature of Jeff Gordon and the likeness of the #24 DuPont Chevrolet are used under license granted by HGL, LLC. ©2009 HGL, LLC. The name, likeness and signature of Jimmie Johnson and the likeness of the #48 Lowe’s Chevrolet are used under license granted by HGL, LLC. ©2009 Hendrick Motorsports, LLC. The name, likeness and signature of Dale Earnhardt, Jr. and the likeness of the #88 Amp Energy/National Guard Chevrolet are used with the permission of Hendrick Motorsports, LLC and JR Motorsports, LLC. ©2009 Dale Earnhardt, Inc. Dale Earnhardt, Martin Truex Jr., Dale Earnhardt, Inc. and Richard Childress Racing trademarks, trade dress, names, likenesses and copyrights are used under the authorization of Dale Earnhardt, Inc. ©2009 Chip Ganassi Racing with Felix Sabates, Inc. All rights reserved. The stylized #42 is a trademark of Chip Ganassi Racing with Felix Sabates, Inc. ©2009 Target Stores. Target and the Bullseye Design are registered trademarks of Target Brands, Inc. All rights reserved.* Tickets available in all Bank of America banking centers franchise-wide while supplies last and will be delivered via Federal Express to customer’s address approximately 4 to 6 weeks prior to the race event. This offer is available only to new customers who open a new personal NASCAR checking account and apply for a NASCAR credit card. The minimum deposit required to open a new personal checking account and receive this offer is $125 or more. The new customer is not eligible for this offer if they were a signer on a Bank of America checking account that was closed within the last three months. All accounts are subject to our normal approval process. Limit one offer per household. Offer does not apply to current checking customers or student checking accounts. Reproduction, purchase, sale, transfer or trade of this offer is prohibited. For Tiered Interest personal checking accounts, the APY is as follows: less than $5,000, 0.05%; $5,000-$9,999, 0.05%; $10,000-$24,999, 0.25%; $25,000-$49,999, 0.25%; $50,000-$99,999,0.25%; $100,000-$249,999, 0.40%; $250,000 and over, 0.40%. APYs are accurate as of 08/13/2009. The APY may change after the account is opened. Fees may reduce earnings. Please consult a banking center associate, visit bankofamerica.com or see our Personal Schedule of fees for more information. For information about rates fees, other costs and benefi ts associated with the use of the NASCAR credit card or to apply, visit a Bank of America banking center. This credit card program is issued and administered by FIA Card Services, N.A. Car-number credit card design only available for select drivers. NASCAR® and NASCAR RacePoints® are registered trademarks of the National Association for Stock Car Auto Racing, Inc. © 2009 HGL, LLC. Visa is a registered trademark of Visa International Service Association and is used by the issuer pursuant to license from Visa U.S.A. Inc. Platinum Plus is a registered trademark of FIA Card Services, N.A. Bank of America and the Bank of America logo are registered trademarks of Bank of America Corporation.Bank of America, N.A. Member FDIC ©2009 Bank of America Corporation. All rights reserved. AD-08-09-0323.A

Reward yourself with these features:

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Get your credit card.Get your debit card.

Earn RacePoints® with every purchase made using your NASCAR credit card or debit card.

Redeem your RacePoints for licensed team apparel, merchandise and unique NASCAR experiences.

Conveniently manage your accounts online, or at over 6,100 banking centers and more than 18,000 ATMs coast to coast.

Choose your driver cards today and get two tickets to a NASCAR Sprint Cup Series™ Race.

To learn more, visit a Bank of America banking center or bankofamerica.com/RacePoints

when you open a NASCAR checking account and apply for a NASCAR credit card.*

Get two tickets to your next NASCAR® race—

8

David TehleHonorary Starter

Kathleen GuionGrand Marshal

Sarah FisherGrand Marshal

Susan LaniganGrand Marshal

To support the fight against breast cancer, the Nos. 32 and10 Dollar General race cars will sport pink paint schemes ratherthan the traditional yellow-and-black colors during Friday night’sDollar General 300.

Dollar General recently partnered with IndyCar Series driverand car owner Sarah Fisher to launch On Track for a Cause.This program’s goal is to raise awareness and funding for breastcancer research and community outreach programs in conjunc-tion with Susan G. Komen for the Cure®.

In support of this initiative, Dollar General will make adonation to Susan G. Komen for the Cure. Dollar General hasalso partnered with IMS and MainGate Apparel to sell SarahFisher pink commemorative hats with all proceeds benefittingSusan G. Komen for the Cure. Hats can be purchased atwww.dollargeneral.com through Oct. 31.

Dollar General would like to recognize several of its leadersand friends who are committed to serving others and champi-oning the fight against breast cancer.

The grand marshals for the Dollar General 300 are KathleenGuion, Dollar General’s division president of store operationsand store development; Susan Lanigan, Dollar General’sexecutive vice president, general counsel; and Sarah Fisher,IndyCar Series driver and owner of the No. 67 Dollar Generalcar. The honorary starter is David Tehle, Dollar General’sexecutive vice president and chief financial officer.

According Susan G. Komen for the Cure, breast cancer isthe most frequently diagnosed cancer among women. A womanhas a one-in-eight chance of being diagnosed with breastcancer in her lifetime. This year, more than 200,000 men andwomen will be diagnosed with breast cancer in the UnitedStates. Susan G. Komen for the Cure reaches millions of peopleand raises funds for breast cancer research, education,screening and treatment each year through donations andpartnerships.

“Many of our family, friends and customers have battled thisdisease,” said Guion. “We are committed to supporting the fightagainst breast cancer and hope that lives can be saved throughcontinued research and education.”

To learn more about breast cancer or how you can supportthe cause, visit www.komen.org.

Dollar General® providesa quick and easy way

to buy just what you need!© 2009 Dollar General Corporation. All rights reserved. “Dollar General,” the Dollar General logo and “Save time. Save money. Every day!” are registered trademarks of Dollar GeneralCorporation. The Dollar General Racing logo is a service mark of Dollar General Corporation. All rights reserved. Name, likeness, signature, and all associated rights of Brian Vickers areproperty of BVLLC and used under license granted with permission. Braun Racing logo used with permission from Braun Racing, LLC.

Proud

Sponsor of the

Wednesday, Oct. 14 Admission: Adults $25; Children 12 and Under $5

Free Parking in Designated LMS Lots

1:00 p.m. Pit Gate Opens5:00 p.m. Spectator Gates Open

Driver Autograph Session (concourse)6:15 p.m. World of Outlaws Late Model Series Hot Laps6:45 p.m. World of Outlaws Late Model Series Qualifying7:15 p.m. Opening Ceremonies7:30 p.m. World of Outlaws Late Model Series Heat Races8:50 p.m. World of Outlaws Late Model Series Last Chance Races9:35 p.m. World of Outlaws Topless Showdown Feature

(50 laps, $30,000 Possible to Win)

Thursday, Oct. 15Admission: $12 Adult Advance/$20 Adult Day of Event

Children 6-12 $1; Under 6 FreeFree Parking in Designated LMS Lots

1:00 p.m. Spectator Gate 5a Opens for Early Entry1:15 p.m. NASCAR Nationwide Series Practice2:30 p.m. Spectator Gates Open3:00 p.m. NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Practice4:40 p.m. Legends Car and Bandolero Racing

(frontstretch quarter-mile oval)6:00 p.m. NASCAR Nationwide Series Final Practice7:10 p.m. Bojangles’ Pole Night Qualifying

NASCAR Sprint Cup Series (2 laps/all positions)

Friday, Oct. 16Reserved and General Admission Seating Available


12:00 p.m. Gate 5a Opens for Early Entry1:00 p.m. NASCAR Nationwide Series Driver Autograph Session

(1 hour on pit road – enter through Turn 1 tunnel)2:30 p.m. Spectator Gates Open3:05 p.m. Dollar General 300 Qualifying

NASCAR Nationwide Series (2 laps/all positions)5:00 p.m. NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Practice6:20 p.m. NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Final Practice7:30 p.m. Dollar General 300 Driver Introductions8:10 p.m. Dollar General 300

NASCAR Nationwide Series Race (200 laps/300 miles)

Saturday, Oct. 17Reserved and General Admission Seating Available


9:45 a.m. NASCAR Foundation Track Walk2:00 p.m. Spectator Gates Open Pre-Race Concert (apron inside Turn 4)5:45 p.m. Pre-Race Entertainment7:00 p.m. NASCAR Banking 500 only from Bank of America

Driver Introductions7:25 p.m. NASCAR Banking 500 only from Bank of America

NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Race (334 laps/501 miles)

10VISIT WWW.LOWESMOTORSPEEDWAY.COM FOR SCHEDULE UPDATES

During the race, visit Bojangles’ concession stands located within Lowe’s Motor Speedway and outside at the Main Entrance.Bojangles’ Restaurants is proud to be the official POLE NIGHT sponsor at Lowe’s Motor Speedway, October 15, 2009

Before the BIG RACE, stop by one of our Charlotte area Bojangles’® and pick up a box of our Famous Chicken ‘n Biscuits or a delicious breakfast biscuit anytime of the day!

www.bojangles.com

Nationwide Race Information StationsWeekend schedules, fan guides, Nationwide On Your Side golf cartrides and other services are provided at the Nationwide Race In-formation Stations located outside Gates 3, 4, 8, 18 and 31; in-be-tween Gates 6 and 7; and in the gravel display lot across from thespeedway where the team merchandise haulers are parked.

Bank of America ATM LocationsThere are several Bank of America ATMs located in and around thespeedway. They can be found at the Ticket Office on the secondfloor of Smith Tower; near Gates 2 (Toyota Fourth Turn Terrace/Chrysler Grandstands), 3 (Chrysler Grandstands), 4 (intersection ofGM section C and GM section D), 7 (Ford Grandstand lower level)and 18. ATMs are also located on the concourses near Gates 5A, 8(under First Turn Condos) and 12 (Diamond Tower); alongside theBojangles’/Domino’s building in the infield; and in the souvenir loton Bruton Smith Blvd. A mobile Bank of America ATM unit is alsolocated to the right of the main entrance.

EarplugsEarplugs can be purchased at any souvenir stand located through-out the grandstand concourses or in the Lowe’s Motor SpeedwayGift Shop on the second floor of Smith Tower.

ScannersScanners may be rented at either the Racing Radios or RacingElectronics trailers located outside the speedway. Racing Electron-ics also rents the very popular NASCAR Sprint FanViews.

Radio BroadcastPerformance Racing Network’s race broadcasts can be heard onlocal radio station WSOC-FM 103.7. PRN will present flag-to-flagcoverage of the NASCAR Banking 500 only from Bank of America,the Dollar General 300 and Bojangles’ Pole Night. Award-winningmotorsports broadcasters Doug Rice and Mark Garrow will anchorthe coverage.

Exit and Re-EntryFans leaving the speedway who plan to return the same day, mustkeep their ticket so it can be scanned when exiting and re-enteringthe speedway gate. One hour after the green flag is waved, fansmay not exit the speedway and re-enter with a cooler.

First Aid and Rescue ServicesTo contact first aid or rescue services, please call 704-455-4028 or704-455-3220. First Aid facilities can be found in the following lo-cations: Toyota Fourth Turn Terrace concourse level (Gates 30, 31and 2); Ford Grandstand concourse level and upper deck

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(Gates 6 and 7); Diamond Tower Terrace concourse level (Gates17, 18 and 20); on the frontstretch at the water tower; and at the Carolinas Medical Center Infield Care Center, located insideTurn 4.

Child Find WristbandsFamilies with young children can take advantage of the NationwideChild Find Wristband. Wristbands are available at all informationbooths around the speedway. Parents are encouraged to stop byone of the information booths to fill out one of the wristbands withthe parent or guardian’s seat location. They will help LMS staff re-unite the child with their parent or guardian in the event they areseparated.

Security InformationThe Lowe’s Motor Speedway Security Headquarters is located onthe speedway perimeter road near Entrance P off of Morehead Rd.The direct phone line to the Security Headquarters is 704-455-3220 or 704-455-7911.

Trams and ShuttlesThe Nationwide On YourSide golf cart service offerstransportation to and fromparking areas and admis-sion gates. Staffed by localvolunteers who know theirway around LMS, the blue-canopied golf carts areavailable for all race fans,especially the elderly,physically challenged andfamilies with children. Stop by the Nationwide Race InformationStations outside Gates 3, 4, 8, 18 and 31 to arrange a ride.

The NationwideOn Your Side Rideis a tram that takesfans around theoutside of thespeedway. A num-ber of tram stopsare locatedthroughout the fa-cility, includingGates 2, 3, 4, 7/8,

12, 18, 26 and 30. The trams run in a clockwise direction on theperimeter road between these stop-off points and operate fromnoon on qualifying and race days until the start of the action onthe track.

Automobile AssistanceTow trucks are on-site during race weekends to provide assistancewith lockouts and other automotive problems. Call speedway se-curity at 704-455-3220 for assistance.

In the event a vehicle is towed, the owner may retrieve it at no costin the Nursery Parking area (see map). The owner may also con-tact speedway security at 704-455-3220 or speak to a speedwayCustomer Service Representative who will assist with directions ortransportation to Security Headquarters.

Lost and FoundLost and Found is located in the Lowe’s Motor Speedway TicketOffice on the second floor of Smith Tower during and after events.Questions about lost items may also be directed to 704-455-3200or 1-800-455-3267.

Smoking PolicySmoking is permitted in all areas except sections 245 through 249in the Diamond Tower grandstand, but fans are encouraged to becourteous to those around them.

TelephonesPay phones are located throughout the main concourse.

Property MapsLarge property maps are located at Gates 2, 3, 4, 7, 15, 16, 18, 20and 30/31. These maps are on the blue and red pylons where thegate numbers are posted.

Key Speedway Phone NumbersAdministration . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .704-455-4423Events . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . ..704-455-3205Guest Services . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .704-454-4718Performance Racing Network . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .704-455-3228Communications . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .704-455-3209Corporate Sales . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .704-455-3203Security . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .704-455-3220SMI Properties (souvenirs) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .704-455-3236The Speedway Club . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .704-455-3216The Speedway Club Sales . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .704-455-3240Ticket Office . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .704-455-3200Gift Shop . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .704-455-3202Lost and Found . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .704-455-3200

Speedway Regulations• No drink coolers larger than 14 inches in length or width

in grandstands• Only one cooler per ticket holder• No umbrellas• No stadium seats with armrests• No glass containers allowed• No infield fires of any kind, including charcoal and gas grills,

during on-track activities• No ground fires• No flags more than 12 feet tall in the North Infield or 7 feet, 8

inches tall in the South Infield• No personal ATV-type vehicles (three or four-wheelers) or golf

carts permitted

Enjoy theRace!

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Car Driver Hometown Sponsor/Car Owner00 David Reutimann Zephyrhills, Fla. Aaron’s Dream Machine Toyota Michael Waltrip07 Casey Mears Bakersfield, Calif. Jack Daniel’s Chevrolet Richard Childress08 Terry Labonte Corpus Christi, Texas Carter-Simo Racing Toyota John Carter09 Mike Bliss Milwaukie, Ore. Miccosukee Resort Dodge James Finch1 Martin Truex Jr. Mayetta, N.J. Bass Pro Shops/Tracker Chevrolet Teresa Earnhardt2 Kurt Busch Las Vegas, Nev. Miller Lite Dodge Walter Czarnecki5 Casey Mears Bakersfield, Calif. CARQUEST/Kellogg’s Chevrolet Mary Hendrick6 David Ragan Unadilla, Ga. UPS Ford John Henry7 Robby Gordon Orange, Calif. Jim Beam Toyota Robby Gordon9 Kasey Kahne Enumclaw, Wash. Budweiser Dodge George Gillett Jr.

11 Denny Hamlin Chesterfield, Va. FedEx Toyota J.D. Gibbs12 David Stremme South Bend, Ind. No. 12 Penske Racing Dodge Roger Penske13 Max Papis Como, Italy GEICO Toyota Bob Germain14 Tony Stewart Columbus, Ind. Office Depot/Old Spice Chevrolet Margaret Haas16 Greg Biffle Vancouver, Wash. 3M Ford Jack Roush17 Matt Kenseth Cambridge, Wis. Carhartt Ford John Henry18 Kyle Busch Las Vegas, Nev. M&M’s Toyota Joe Gibbs19 Elliott Sadler Emporia, Va. Stanley Dodge George Gillett Jr.20 Joey Logano Middletown, Conn. The Home Depot Toyota Joe Gibbs21 Bill Elliott Dawsonville, Ga. Motorcraft Ford Glen Wood24 Jeff Gordon Vallejo, Calif. DuPont Chevrolet Rick Hendrick25 Brad Keselowski Rochester Hills, Mich. Go Daddy.com Chevrolet Rick Hendrick26 Jamie McMurray Joplin, Mo. Crown Royal Ford Geoff Smith29 Kevin Harvick Bakersfield, Calif. Shell/Pennzoil Chevrolet Richard Childress31 Jeff Burton South Boston, Va. Caterpillar Chevrolet Richard Childress33 Clint Bowyer Emporia, Kan. Count Chocula Chevrolet Bobby Ginn III34 John Andretti Indianapolis, Ind. Taco Bell Chevrolet Teresa Earnhardt36 Mike Skinner Susanville, Calif. Tommy Baldwin Racing Toyota Tommy Baldwin Jr.37 Tony Raines LaPorte, Ind. Long John Silver’s Dodge Brad Jenkins39 Ryan Newman South Bend, Ind. U.S. Army Chevrolet Tony Stewart42 Juan Pablo Montoya Bogota, Colombia Target Chevrolet Teresa Earnhardt43 Reed Sorenson Peachtree City, Ga. Super 8 Dodge Richard Petty44 A.J. Allmendinger Los Gatos, Calif. Richard Petty Motorsports Dodge George Gillett Jr.47 Marcos Ambrose Launceston, Australia Kingsford/Clorox Toyota Rob Kauffman48 Jimmie Johnson El Cajon, Calif. Lowe’s Chevrolet Jeff Gordon55 Michael Waltrip Owensboro, Ky. NAPA Auto Parts Toyota Michael Waltrip66 Dave Blaney Hartford, Ohio PRISM Motorsports Toyota Phil Parsons71 David Gilliland Riverside, Calif. TRG Motorsports Chevrolet Kevin Buckler77 Sam Hornish Jr. Defiance, Ohio Mobil 1 Dodge Bill Davis82 Scott Speed Manteca, Calif. Red Bull Toyota Dietrich Mateschitz83 Brian Vickers Thomasville, N.C. Red Bull Toyota Dietrich Mateschitz87 Joe Nemechek Lakeland, Fla. NEMCO Motorsports Toyota Andrea Nemechek88 Dale Earnhardt Jr. Kannapolis, N.C. National Guard/Amp Energy Chevrolet Rick Hendrick96 Bobby Labonte Corpus Christi, Texas Ask.com Ford Jeff Moorad98 Paul Menard Eau Claire, Wis. Johns Manville/Menards Ford Max Jones99 Carl Edwards Columbia, Mo. Aflac Ford Jack Roush

16HHP Photo by Harold Hinson

17

The 12 drivers battling in the 2009 Chase for the NASCAR Sprint Cup are (front row, left toright) Juan Pablo Montoya, Ryan Newman, Kasey Kahne, Kurt Busch, Denny Hamlin, Brian Vickers, (back row, left to right) Tony Stewart, Carl Edwards, Greg Biffle, Mark Martin,Jimmie Johnson and Jeff Gordon.

There is a select group of men in the NASCAR SprintCup Series garage area whose role in stock car racingtranscends all others and they enjoy the status as both alegend of the sport and a current participant.

Richard Childress is a member of that small fraternity.During his 40 years in racing, Childress has risen from

humble beginnings to become a leader, a trendsetter and achampion. He’s enjoyed great personal achievement, buthe’s also endured the kind of heartbreaking tragedy fewmen have ever known.

As a young boy in the late 1950s, Childress watchedstock car racing at Bowman-Gray Stadium in Winston-Salem, N.C. He first attended the races with his stepdadand then as a worker, because he knew that during theraces he could sit and watch the action for free.

Childress got to know the drivers, often running errandsfor them. He watched them enjoying the kind of life –carefree, wild and racing fast cars – that a teenagernaturally found very attractive.

“I just wanted to race,” said Childress. “I wanted to beable to go out and drive race cars, have fun and enjoymyself; and that’s what I did. Once I got my race cars andstarted doing it, I enjoyed every minute of it.

“It wasn’t a rock-star life. It was more…driving the racecar, getting everything done and just enjoying yourselfbefore the race and after the race, then getting to the nextrace. It was a neat deal to drive race cars and do the thingsI did in my time.”

Childress’ success as a driver, racing in an era fardifferent from today, can best be described as modest.

“I did pretty well for an independent driver that didn’thave the money and the stuff it took to really race in those

days,” Childressexplained. “Wewere racing ona very, verylimited budgetand used tires. Iprobably neverbought a newset of tires. Wewould just buyall the tires thatthese otherteams wouldturn in.

“I felt goodabout the waywe ran for themoney we hadand what wecould accomplish.”

This was a time when drivers worked on their race carsand traveling from track to track involved pick-up trucksand trailers instead of airplanes. It definitely wasn’t aglamorous life, but for Childress, determined to forge hisown destiny, it was exactly what he wanted.

“It sure beat working a 9 to 5 job,” he said. “I wasalways my own boss from about ’69 on. If it meant being indebt, then so be it. To be your own boss back in those daysthere were sacrifices you had to make.”

In those early years, Childress found two men whomade lasting impressions on him and whose style, mannerand knowledge played major roles in shaping his future.

18

By BOB MARGOLIS

Photos by HHP/Harold Hinson, HHP/Erik Perel, HHP/Rusty Burroughs and Dorsey Patrick

One was Bill France Jr., the son of NASCAR founderWilliam H.G. France, who was in the midst of shaping thefuture of the sport.

“I always admired the way he handled a situation,”Childress said.

The other was a former driver who made the transitionto team owner, Junior Johnson. The two men developed afriendship while Childress was still driving and it wasJohnson who encouraged Childress that he could make itas a team owner.

Childress saw team owners like Rod Osterlund and J.D.Stacy bring big money into the sport, the kind of moneythat attracted the top drivers.

“All these guys came in with moneyand I could see the sport was going tochange,” said Childress. “And I couldsee that I wasn’t going to have themoney to compete with these peoplecoming into the sport.”

As a driver, Childress’ talent didn’twin races or championships, but it wasgood enough to earn sufficient moneyto keep him racing for nearly a decade.But Childress knew he couldn’t get thekind of sponsorship needed to

continue.“I knew I couldn’t make it as an

owner-driver,” Childress said. “I had tobe one or the other. If I could put theright driver in the car, I felt I could getthe sponsorship.”

Walking away from driving wastough, but in the end, it was the rightdecision.

In his new role as just the teamowner, Childress partnered with a manhe first raced against at Lowe’s MotorSpeedway in 1975. That man wouldeventually become his best friend andwhose name has become synonymouswith his – Dale Earnhardt.

Despite his best intentions,Childress knew he couldn’t giveEarnhardt the level of equipment tomatch his driving skills. After only 11races during the 1981 season, Childresscut Earnhardt loose and handed the

driving chores of the No. 3 to a young, up-and-comingRicky Rudd.

In 1984, Earnhardt returned to Richard ChildressRacing and over the next 17 seasons the duo becamethe most formidable combination in NASCAR history,winning 67 races and six championships.

Lowe’s Motor Speedway was the scene of severallegendary Earnhardt moments, including the infamous“Pass in the Grass” during the 1987 NASCAR SprintAll-Star Race.

“Lowe’s Motor Speedway has always been a greatplace for us,” said Childress. “It’s the place where youwant to win in front of your family and friends.”

20

With his best friend, Earnhardt, behind the wheel,Childress experienced the highest of the highs. It wasEarnhardt too, who sadly was the cause for his lowest ofthe lows.

Childress readily admits that after Earnhardt died in2001 it was the most difficult time of his life. He thoughtabout quitting the sport. After all, he’d accomplishedeverything there was to accomplish. He seriously contem-plated shutting down Richard Childress Racing.

But he was reminded of the conversations he hadshared with Earnhardt, the kind of moments only two closefriends can have,where they talkedabout their hopesand dreams.

They had built adynasty, one that hadgrown bigger thaneither man haddreamed of.

“There were too many jobs,too many people depending onus,” Childress said.

It wasn’t to be an easy job.With the heart and soul of theorganization gone, Childresstransformed himself into itscompass, its driving force andinspiration.

He hired a young Californianto replace Earnhardt and laterbrought in a veteran driver whommany had written off to helprebuild his organization. Withdrivers Kevin Harvick and JeffBurton on his roster and with Childress recalling thestrength and style of the mentors from his youth – FranceJr. and Johnson – he rebuilt RCR into the potent racingorganization it is today.

“Richard’s passion for the sport is unbelievable,” saidBurton. “He has watched and witnessed this sport growinto what it is today and his drive and determination to

continue his presence inmotorsports speaks volumes. Icouldn’t ask for a better carowner because of that.”

Remarkably, there has beenan RCR entry in every NASCARSprint Cup race since 1972, astreak that is unequalled.

As he approaches a time inhis life when other men thinkabout retiring, Childress willhave none of it. He has nodesire to make another transi-tion, this time from owner tospectator, leaving behind thesport that has given him

everything he currently enjoys.“I don’t have any intentions of retiring,” said Childress.

“I do want to spend more time with my grandsons. And Iwant to do a little more traveling and I want to be able to doa few more things for myself that I’ve always wanted to doand do with my family.”

Over the past decade, while rebuilding his racing

22

organization, Childress has also enjoyed great success inhis non-racing businesses. He’s been able to explore

his passion for wine through the building of one ofNorth Carolina’s most recognized wineries,

Childress Vineyards.Even more deep-rooted is his love of

the outdoors. As a lifelong hunter and conservationist, Childress has turned

his energies to raising money forcharitable organizations that supportwilderness conservation. He’s mostproud of recently being appointed to

the board of directors of the NationalRifle Association.“I really enjoy the outdoors,” said

Childress. “I want to be able to givesomething back to the outdoors. It’s beenso great to me and been the source for somany great memories.”

Childress also has another philan-thropic project that’s close to his heart.After learning that traumatic injuries toyoung children contribute to more deathsthan all other causes combined,Childress and his wife, Judy, establishedthe Childress Institute for PediatricTrauma at Wake Forest Baptist MedicalCenter in Winston-Salem, N.C. They

envision it becoming the nation’s leadingcenter for pediatric trauma care.

Having transcended his original role in the sport of stock car racing,

Childress today stands as one of its mostenduring icons and a sure bet to be among

the early inductees into the NASCAR Hall of Fame.

“Richard Childress is a great example of theAll-American success story,” said NASCAR

Chairman and CEO Brian France. “He startedracing in NASCAR when he had very little other than

a passion and desire to race. His hard work andcommitment to excellence have made him one of the

sport’s most successful and popular car owners. Henever gave up.”

Bob Margolis is a veteranmotorsports journalist and television producer. He’s coveredeverything that goes fast, fromNASCAR to powerboat racing.Having chosen to free himself from the bonds of daily and weeklydeadlines, he currently works as a freelance producer, writer and author.

24

Richard and Judy ChildressRichard Childress and Grandson Austin Dillon

26 Photos by Harold Hinson Photography

KURT BUSCHNo. 2 Miller Lite Dodge

Hometown:Las Vegas, Nev.

Born:Aug. 4, 1978

Team:Penske Racing

Crew Chief:Pat Tryson

Fast Fact:A lifelong Chicago Cubs fan and hisfavorite athlete is Ryne Sandberg.

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MARK MARTINNo. 5 Kellogg’s/CARQUEST Chevrolet

Hometown:Batesville, Ark.

Born:Jan. 9, 1959

Team:Hendrick Motorsports

Crew Chief:Alan Gustafson

Fast Fact:The Mark Martin Museum inBatesville, Ark., features an exten-sive display of racing memorabiliaalong with several significant racecars, including the No. 6 FordMartin drove to victory in the2002 Coca-Cola 600.


KASEY KAHNENo. 9 Budweiser Dodge

Hometown:Enumclaw, Wash.

Born:April 10, 1980

Team:Richard Petty Motorsports

Crew Chief:Kenny Francis

Fast Fact:A product of the open-wheel ranks,Kahne competed in the Toyota At-lantic Series and the Formula Ford2000 Series in 2001 before mov-ing to the NASCAR NationwideSeries the following season.


DENNY HAMLINNo. 11 FedEx Toyota

Hometown:Chesterfield, Va.

Born:Nov. 11, 1980

Team:Joe Gibbs Racing

Crew Chief:Mike Ford

Fast Fact:Collected five championships and127 go-kart feature victories whilecompeting in three classes overtwo seasons.

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TONY STEWARTNo. 14 Old Spice/Office Depot Chevrolet

Hometown:Columbus, Ind.

Born:May 20, 1971

Team:Stewart-Haas Racing

Crew Chief:Darian Grubb

Fast Fact:His vast portfolio of motorsportsholdings includes the World of Out-laws sprint cars driven by DonnySchatz and Kraig Kinser and theUSAC midgets, sprint cars andSilver Crown machines wheeled byLevi Jones and Tracy Hines.

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GREG BIFFLENo. 16 3M Ford

Hometown:Vancouver, Wash.

Born:Dec. 23, 1969

Team:Roush Fenway Racing

Crew Chief:Greg Erwin

Fast Fact:Delivered Roush Fenway Racing’sfirst NASCAR title by winning the2000 NASCAR Camping WorldTruck Series championship.

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JEFF GORDONNo. 24 DuPont Chevrolet

Hometown:Vallejo, Calif.

Born:Aug. 4, 1971


Crew Chief:Steve Letarte

Fast Fact:Named NASCAR Nationwide Seriesrookie of the year in 1991 and alsocaptured the USAC Silver CrownSeries championship that sameseason.


RYAN NEWMANNo. 39 U.S. Army Chevrolet

Hometown:South Bend, Ind.

Born:Dec. 8, 1977

Team:Stewart-Haas Racing

Crew Chief:Tony Gibson

Fast Fact:Started racing quarter-midgets atage 4 and is now a member of theQuarter-Midget Hall of Fame.

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JUAN PABLO MONTOYANo. 42 Target Chevrolet

Hometown:Bogota, Colombia

Born:Sept. 20, 1975

Team:Earnhardt Ganassi Racing with FelixSabates

Crew Chief:Brian Pattie

Fast Fact:Set a rookie record by leading 167of 200 laps during his Indianapolis500 victory in 2000.


JIMMIE JOHNSONNo. 48 Lowe’s Chevrolet

Hometown:El Cajon, Calif.

Born:Sept. 17, 1975


Crew Chief:Chad Knaus

Fast Fact:Won six off-road racing champi-onships, including two MTEG Su-perlite titles and two SODAWinter Series overall crowns, be-tween 1992 and 1997.

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BRIAN VICKERSNo. 83 Red Bull Toyota

Hometown: Thomasville, N.C.

Born: Oct. 24, 1983

Team: Red Bull Racing Team

Crew Chief: Ryan Pemberton

Fast Fact: Missed his high school prom be-cause he was racing at BristolMotor Speedway.

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CARL EDWARDSNo. 99 Aflac Ford

Hometown:Columbia, Mo.

Born:Aug. 15, 1979

Team:Roush Fenway Racing

Crew Chief:Bob Osborne

Fast Fact:Was a college student at theUniversity of Missouri and apart-time substitute teacherprior to signing with RoushFenway Racing.

50

DAVID REUTIMANNNo. 00 Aaron’s Dream Machine ToyotaHometown: Zephyrhills, Fla.Born: March 2, 1970Team: Michael Waltrip RacingCrew Chief: Rodney ChildersFast Fact: Son of East Coast racing leg-end Emil “Buzzie” Reutimann, who was in-ducted into the DIRT Motorsports Hall ofFame in 1997.

CASEY MEARSNo. 07 Jack Daniel’s ChevroletHometown: Bakersfield, Calif.Born: March 12, 1978Team: Richard Childress RacingCrew Chief: Todd BerrierFast Fact: Finished third in the 2000Indy Lights Series point standings, scoringhis first series victory at the Grand Prix ofHouston.

MARTIN TRUEX JR.No. 1 Bass Pro Shops/Tracker Boats ChevroletHometown: Mayetta, N.J.Born: June 29, 1980Team: Earnhardt Ganassi Racing withFelix SabatesCrew Chief: Kevin “Bono” ManionFast Fact: Won back-to-back NASCARNationwide Series championships in 2004and 2005, his only two full seasons in theseries.

Photos by Harold Hinson Photography

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52

DAVID RAGANNo. 6 UPS FordHometown: Unadilla, Ga.Born: Dec. 24, 1985Team: Roush Fenway RacingCrew Chief: Jimmy FennigFast Fact: Secured a NASCAR CampingWorld Truck Series ride with Roush FenwayRacing through the organization’s “GongShow” competition in 2005.

ROBBY GORDONNo. 7 Jim Beam ToyotaHometown: Orange, Calif.Born: Jan. 2, 1969Team: Robby Gordon MotorsportsCrew Chief: Kirk AlmquistFast Fact: First job was working in hisfather’s feed yard where he raked chaffwhich are strands leftover from bales of hay.

DAVID STREMMENo. 12 Penske Racing DodgeHometown: South Bend, Ind.Born: June 19, 1977Team: Penske RacingCrew Chief: Roy McCauleyFast Fact: First stock car victory cameat age 15 behind the wheel of the streetstock normally driven by his mother.


MAX PAPISNo. 13 GEICO ToyotaHometown: Como, ItalyBorn: Oct. 3, 1969Team: Germain RacingCrew Chief: Robert “Bootie” BarkerFast Fact: Competed in seven FormulaOne races for the Footwork Hart team dur-ing the 1995 season with a best finish ofseventh at the Italian Grand Prix.

MATT KENSETHNo. 17 Carhartt FordHometown: Cambridge, Wis.Born: March 10, 1972Team: Roush Fenway RacingCrew Chief: Drew BlickensderferFast Fact: Started racing at age 16 andwon 10 late model features in his first twoseasons on the short tracks of his nativeWisconsin.

KYLE BUSCHNo. 18 M&M’s ToyotaHometown: Las Vegas, Nev.Born: May 2, 1985Team: Joe Gibbs RacingCrew Chief: Steve AddingtonFast Fact: Graduated with honors fromDurango High School in 2002, a year early,to accelerate his racing career.

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54

ELLIOTT SADLERNo. 19 Best Buy/Stanley Tools DodgeHometown: Emporia, Va.Born: April 30, 1975Team: Richard Petty MotorsportsCrew Chief: Wally RogersFast Fact: Earned a scholarship to playbasketball for legendary coach LeftyDriesell at James Madison University, but aknee injury forced him to pursue a “sit-down job.”

JOEY LOGANONo. 20 The Home Depot ToyotaHometown: Middletown, Conn.Born: May 24, 1990Team: Joe Gibbs RacingCrew Chief: Greg ZipadelliFast Fact: Has 11 career feature victo-ries in Lowe’s Motor Speedway’s SummerShootout Series, seven in Bandoleros andfour in Legends Cars.

BILL ELLIOTTNo. 21 Motorcraft FordHometown: Dawsonville, Ga.Born: Oct. 8, 1955Team: Wood Brothers RacingCrew Chief: David HyderFast Fact: His 13-year-old son, Chase,is a rising star in the late model stock carranks.


56

BRAD KESELOWSKINo. 25 Go Daddy.com ChevroletHometown: Rochester Hills, Mich.Born: Feb. 12, 1984Team: Hendrick MotorsportsCrew Chief: Tony Eury Jr.Fast Fact: Lives in a home owned by hisNASCAR Nationwide Series team ownerDale Earnhardt Jr.

JAMIE MCMURRAYNo. 26 Crown Royal FordHometown: Joplin, Mo.Born: June 3, 1976Team: Roush Fenway RacingCrew Chief: Donnie WingoFast Fact: One of 10 Americans se-lected to represent the U.S. at an interna-tional karting event in the former SovietUnion during 1989.

KEVIN HARVICKNo. 29 Shell/Pennzoil ChevroletHometown: Bakersfield, Calif.Born: Dec. 8, 1975Team: Richard Childress RacingCrew Chief: Gil MartinFast Fact: Won the International Raceof Champions title in 2002, his rookie sea-son in the four-race series that featuredchampion drivers in identically preparedcars.


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58

JEFF BURTONNo. 31 Caterpillar ChevroletHometown: South Boston, Va.Born: June 29, 1967Team: Richard Childress RacingCrew Chief: Scott MillerFast Fact: Began racing go-karts at age8 and captured two Virginia state champi-onships before graduating to pure stockcompetition.

CLINT BOWYERNo. 33 Count Chocula ChevroletHometown: Emporia, Kan.Born: May 30, 1979Team: Richard Childress RacingCrew Chief: Shane WilsonFast Fact: A huge Elvis Pressley fan,one of Bowyer’s off-track highlights came in 2005 when he met Pressley’s daughter,Lisa Marie, during a race weekend in Memphis.

JOHN ANDRETTINo. 34 Taco Bell ChevroletHometown: Indianapolis, Ind.Born: March 12, 1963Team: Front Row MotorsportsCrew Chief: Steve LaneFast Fact: Advanced to the semi-finalsduring his NHRA Top Fuel drag racingdebut in the 1993 Southern Nationals atAtlanta Dragway.


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REED SORENSONNo. 43 Super 8 DodgeHometown: Peachtree City, Ga.Born: Feb. 5, 1986Team: Richard Petty MotorsportsCrew Chief: Sammy JohnsFast Fact: Drove to victory in the onlyAmerican Speed Association late modelrace ever run at Lowe’s Motor Speedway inOctober 2004.

A.J. ALLMENDINGERNo. 44 Richard Petty Motorsports DodgeHometown: Dec. 16, 1981Born: Los Gatos, Calif.Team: Richard Petty MotorsportsCrew Chief: Mike ShiplettFast Fact: Dominated the Toyota Atlantic Series in 2003, claiming nine poles and seven victories in 12 races.

MARCOS AMBROSENo. 47 Kingsford/Bush’s ToyotaHometown: Launceston, AustraliaBorn: Sept. 1, 1976Team: JTG/Daugherty RacingCrew Chief: Frank KerrFast Fact: Captured back-to-back V8Supercar championships, winning 27 racesin the Australian road racing series during2003 and 2004.


62

MICHAEL WALTRIPNo. 55 NAPA Auto Parts ToyotaHometown: Owensboro, Ky.Born: April 30, 1963Team: Michael Waltrip RacingCrew Chief: Gene NeadFast Fact: Lived with Richard and LyndaPetty when he first moved to North Car-olina in order to establish himself inNASCAR Sprint Cup racing.

DAVE BLANEYNo. 66 Prism Motorsports ToyotaHometown: Hartford, OhioBorn: Oct. 24, 1962Team: Prism MotorsportsCrew Chief: Bill HendersonFast Fact: Won sprint car racing’sbiggest event, the Knoxville Nationals, enroute to the 1995 World of Outlaws cham-pionship.

DAVID GILLILANDNo. 71 TRG Motorsports ChevroletHometown: Riverside, Calif.Born: April 1, 1976Team: TRG MotorsportsCrew Chief: Slugger LabbeFast Fact: Son of 1997 NASCAR Camp-ing World West Series champion ButchGilliland.


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SAM HORNISH JR.No. 77 Mobil 1 DodgeHometown: Defiance, OhioBorn: July 2, 1979Team: Penske RacingCrew Chief: Travis GeislerFast Fact: A three-time IndyCar Serieschampion (2001, 2002 and 2006) andwinner of the 2006 Indianapolis 500.

SCOTT SPEEDNo. 82 Red Bull ToyotaHometown: Manteca, Calif.Born: Jan. 24, 1983Team: Red Bull Racing TeamCrew Chief: Jimmy ElledgeFast Fact: Made 28 Formula One startsin 2006 and 2007, becoming the first Amer-ican to compete for the World Driving Cham-pionship since Michael Andretti in 1993.

JOE NEMECHEKNo. 87 NEMCO Motorsports ToyotaHometown: Lakeland, Fla.Born: Sept. 26, 1963Team: NEMCO MotorsportsCrew Chief: Philippe LopezFast Fact: His career started on twowheels in 1983 and he won more than 300 trophies during six years of motocrossracing.


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66

DALE EARNHARDT JR.No. 88 AMP Energy/National Guard ChevroletHometown: Kannapolis, N.C.Born: Oct. 10, 1974Team: Hendrick MotorsportsCrew Chief: Lance McGrewFast Fact: A 2006 Corvette Z06, a2001 Intimidator SS Camaro, a 1996Hummer, a 2002 Mini Cooper and aChevrolet Z-71 pickup truck are among hislarge collection of personal vehicles.

BOBBY LABONTENo. 96 Ask.com FordHometown: Corpus Christi, TexasBorn: May 8, 1964Team: Hall of Fame RacingCrew Chief: Ben LeslieFast Fact: A renowned “Parrot Head,” anickname given to fervent fans of musicianJimmy Buffett.

PAUL MENARDNo. 98 Johns Manville/Menards FordHometown: Eau Claire, Wis.Born: Aug. 21, 1980Team: Yates RacingCrew Chief: Larry CarterFast Fact: An accomplished road racer,he had four top-five finishes in five Trans-Am Series starts in 2002.


68

There were many who thought Tony Stewart had losthis mind.

In July 2008, Stewart announced he was leaving JoeGibbs Racing, the powerhouse team with which he won 33races and two series championships, to assume anownership role in Haas CNC Racing, a struggling operationthat had not found success in six years of NASCAR SprintCup Series competition.

Stewart was presented with an unprecedented opportu-nity and 15 months later Stewart-Haas Racing is achampionship contender with two cars in the Chase for theNASCAR Sprint Cup.

But how did this race team, housed in a 140,000-square-foot facility in Kannapolis, N.C., and affiliated with HendrickMotorsports, go from struggling to stay in the top 35 inpoints to a legitimate challenger forthe sport’s biggest prize?

It all started with a ratheroutlandish idea.

“Well, I have to give that creditto Joe Custer,” team co-ownerGene Haas said in May, shortly afterbeing released from federal prisonwhere he served nearly 16 monthsfor tax fraud related to his primarybusiness, Haas Automation, one ofthe world’s leading CNC machinetool manufacturers.

“I really didn't hear too muchabout what was going on with theteam, but Joe approached me alittle over a year ago and said he

had this idea,” Haas added. “His idea was that we had tomake a change. Obviously, Haas CNC Racing had been inbusiness for six years and we really were just struggling.

“Like any other businessman, you know you have to dosomething. We needed to do something in a big way. I toldJoe that I didn’t need to be coming to these races to berunning 35th in points. So I told him either we make achange or we turn the place into a truck stop.”

Custer, who was general manger of Haas CNC Racingand is now vice president of Stewart-Haas Racing, had theunique idea of giving Stewart 50 percent ownership of thetwo-car team.

“Having the opportunity to be a car owner in this seriesdoesn’t come around very often unless you are a multi-millionaire or a billionaire,” Stewart explained. “To have that

opportunity with an existing teamthat offered us half of theirorganization is something thatdoesn’t come around very often.But we spent a lot of time makingsure that even though it wasoffered to us, that it was the rightoffer and the right opportunity.”

Stewart, who has enjoyed agreat deal of success as theowner of open-wheel race carsand dirt race tracks, immediatelywent to work assembling anexperienced management teamthat formed the foundation uponwhich the revamped racing teamwas built.

Tony Stewart and Gene Haas

69

He hired veteran motorsports executive BobbyHutchens as director of competition and brought in TonyGibson and Darian Grubb as crew chiefs. He also workedout a deal for fellow Hoosier Ryan Newman to drive theteam’s second car.

“It’s all been hard, but it’s all been fun at the sametime,” Stewart said. “I don’t know that I would havechanged anything. It was fun going through the processbecause it was like starting my open-wheel teams andopening my race tracks and hiring people for those. It wasjust 10 times bigger.”

Even though Stewart was the primary architect of theteam’s transformation, he says Haas deserves much of thecredit for giving him the opportunity.

“Everybody's given us all the credit for this, but you reallyhave got to give him(Haas) the credit fortaking the gambleand trusting us tomake some prettybig decisions andpersonnel changes,”Stewart said. “That'snot something that a

lot of people in that position are willing to do and give up thatkind of control to let a totally different group of guys come inand all of a sudden start changing things around.”

But Haas says he is more than happy to have Stewart andhis group guiding the team.

“What I'm really good at is basically finding people whoknow what they're doing and letting them do their thing,” Haassaid. “I've never really been a hands-on manager myself. Idon't put my fingers in things. I put a lot of faith in the people Ihave and then let them run with what they have and see whereit goes. For me, personally, that's been pretty successful.

“I really think that Tony and Ryan are two of the bestdrivers on the circuit today. And I think they know what

they're doing. We have great crew chiefs, we have goodmanagers, and it's been well thought out,” Haas continued.“When I sit in on the driver meetings, I'm really just learningand that's probably the fun part for me. I don't think I canreally interject a lot into the business because I don't livethis on a day-to-day basis. But I have a lot of faith in thepeople that I see.

“Winning our first race in seven years was something

that was a long time coming and we'll have to see where itgoes from there,” Haas concluded.

That first victory came in May during the NASCARSprint All-Star Race at Lowe’s Motor Speedway and it wasa momentous occasion for everyone involved.

“The best part for sure was watching the guys when wewon the All-Star Race at Charlotte, seeing guys that hadnever been to Victory Lane before,” Stewart said. “Watchingthe expressions on those guys’ faces and the celebration inVictory Lane, that’s definitely been the best part.

“It’s been a fun process of watching different guyscome from different organizations and everybody kind ofwas in a pattern of how they did things. So weekly, it

Stewart-Haas Racing’s Bobby Hutchens, Darian Grubb, Tony Stewart, Ryan Newman and Tony Gibson

HHP Photos by Harold Hinson, Gregg Ellman and Rusty Burroughs

was an adjustment for these guys, but now they’re in theroutine week in and week out and it is fun just to watchthese guys have fun. We’ve got a really good group of guysthat I’m really proud of.”

The performance of Stewart’s No. 14 Office Depot/OldSpice Chevrolet and Newman’s No. 39 U.S. Army Chevyhas been one of the biggest stories of the NASCAR SprintCup season, but Newman says fans shouldn’t be surprisedbecause the team was built on a solid foundation.

"We had a defined backbone. Everything was there,”

Newman pointed out.“It wasn't like we builta building or like wehad to figure outwhere we were goingto put the set-up plateand things like that.Gene Haas and JoeCuster and thoseguys did a great job ofgetting all thosethings done.

“The backbonewas there. We justhad to branch out.Our new branches were new people. We had tobuild new cars and we had to bring in somedifferent situations, whether it was how the teamswork together and things like that, communication-wise, to try to make things better from where they were.”

On the surface, the transformation of Haas CNC Racinginto Stewart-Haas Racing appears to have been rathereasy, but Stewart says there were a lot of sleepless nightsearly in the process.

“The hardest part for me was last fall,” he said. “Thatwas the most stressful part of it, getting these key people inplace. Last year, there were a lot of sleepless nights and alot of headaches going to bed. It was hard to get it alltogether, but once you get it together and you get a good

group like this and you've got a group that's as hungry asthis group is, they feed off of each other. It makes it towhere all I have to do is walk in there and pat those guys onthe back, because they are all a lot smarter than I am.

“So my hard part was, like I said, in the fall and it doesmake this year seem a lot easier because these guys arethe ones doing the work every day. You know, I've just gotto spend the time being the cheerleader during the weekand I've got great race cars and a great team behind me onthe weekends.”

And Stewart’s confidence in his team isinfectious.

“There's something to be said when Tonywalks into the shop and he has that confidence,”Grubb noted. “He pats everybody on the back.They know he's putting everything he's got intoit. And same thing with Ryan Newman, theyknow they have two of the best drivers out there.

They know they are part of this team and they are in it for the long haul; that makes everybody want to work that much harder to go out there and give them what they needto win.”

Keith Waltz has worked as a motorsports journalist andpublic relations practitioner since 1983. He currentlyserves as a columnist and correspondent for NationalSpeed Sport News and is the copy editor for PolePosition magazine.

70

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73

While NASCAR pit stops may resemble organized chaos, they are actuallypoetry in motion. Seven highly trained athletes routinely go over the wall and anormal pit stop consists of changing four tires and filling the car’s fuel tank withSunoco unleaded gasoline.

An average four-tire pit stop can take anywhere between 13 and 15 seconds.The number of pit stops that will take place during the NASCAR Banking 500

only from Bank of America will be influenced by several factors, including thenumber of caution flags, each car’s fuel mileage, tire wear and pit strategy.

At times, NASCAR will allow an eighth crew member over the wall and he isonly allowed to clean the car’s windshield and assist the driver.

Below is a look at each crew member’s responsibilities during a routine pit stop.

1. REAR-TIRE CARRIER – Assists the rear-tire changer by handing him anew, right-side tire he has carried from behind the pit wall. He may also

adjust the rear jack bolt or the track-bar bolt to change the car’shandling.

2. JACKMAN – Operates a 20-pound hydraulic jack that is usedto raise the car for tire changes. After new tires are bolted on to the

right side of the car, he drops the car to the ground and repeatsthe process on the left side.

3. REAR-TIRE CHANGER – First removes and replaces theright-rear tire using an air-powered impact wrench to loosenand tighten the five lug nuts holding the wheel in place. Hethen moves to the opposite side of the car to change the left-rear tire.

4. FRONT-TIRE CARRIER – Assists the front-tire changerby handing him a new, right-side tire that he has carried frombehind the pit wall. He repeats the process on the left side ofthe car with a tire rolled to him by another crew member frombehind the pit wall.

5. FRONT-TIRE CHANGER – First removes and replacesthe right-front tire using an air-powered impact wrench to

loosen and tighten the five lug nuts holding thewheel in place. He then moves to the

opposite side of the car to changethe left-front tire.

6. CATCH-CAN MAN –Holds a small metalcan that collectsoverflow gasoline fromthe fuel cell as it isbeing filled. He alsosignals the rest of theteam that therefueling process isfinished by raisinghis hand.

7. GAS MAN –Empties two 12-gallon

dump cans of Sunocounleaded gasoline into the car’s

17.75-gallon fuel cell. When full of gasoline,each dump can weighs 81 pounds.

8. SUPPORT CREW – Assists members of the “over-the-wall”crew by rolling them tires, handing them cans of gasoline andretrieving air hoses and wrenches. Support crew members mustremain behind the pit wall during all pit stops.

HHP Photo by Erik Perel

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Phil Bickley, of Wausau, Wis.,redeemed his NASCAR RacePointsfor the opportunity to be the honorarystarter for the NASCAR Banking 500only from Bank of America. As part ofhis duties, Bickley will wave thegreen flag to start the NASCARSprint Cup Series race.

An avid race fan for 52 years anda NASCAR Banking customer,Bickley is the owner of ElectronicInnovations, a local satellite televisiondealer.

He and his wife, Helen, ownedand operated several Wisconsin racetracks, including Golden SandsSpeedway, Madison InternationalSpeedway and State Park Speedway,before retiring from motorsports in2005.

During the Bickleys’ tenure asauto-racing promoters, severalnotable drivers competed at theirrace tracks, including Ted Musgrave,

the Sauters, Bobby Allison, PaulMenard, Matt Kenseth and KylePetty.

Coincidentally, one of Bickley’sfavorite racing moments took placeseveral years ago at Lowe’s MotorSpeedway when he drove to victoryin a Legends Car race.

The Bickleys will celebrate their40th wedding anniversary this winter,a marriage that started with ahoneymoon to Daytona. This is onecouple that considers racing a majorpart of their lives.

NASCAR Banking customersearn RacePoints by using theirNASCAR credit card or NASCARdebit card to make retail purchases.RacePoints can be redeemed forexclusive NASCAR merchandise andonce-in-a-lifetime experiences, suchas serving as the honorary starter forthe NASCAR Banking 500 only fromBank of America.

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76

With the laps winding down in the 1980 Coca-Cola 600,Benny Parsons and Darrell Waltrip were engaged in a torridduel, oblivious to the darkness creeping in over Lowe'sMotor Speedway.

The 600-mile race, the longest on NASCAR's Sprint Cupcircuit, had been halted twice by rain and now the 120,000fans who had survived the dismal weather were beingtreated to one of the best battles in the event's history.

Five times in the final 25 laps, the mild-mannered 38-year-old Parsons traded the lead with the brash 33-year-oldWaltrip. Leading Parsons' crew was David Ifft, a congenial

and often comic man who had been Waltrip's crew chief theprevious year.

Buddy Parrott, one of the best race-day strategists, wasWaltrip's crew chief. A pit-road accident earlier in the dayhad cost Parrott the tip of his index finger. However, thatwasn't the issue now. All that mattered was who would getto the checkered flag first. The race had started at noon andit was now closing in on 6:30 p.m.

When the checkered flag finally waved at 6:40 p.m.,Parsons had edged Waltrip by less than a car length for theonly Coca-Cola 600 victory of his career.

77

After the race, Parsons watched replays of his final pitstop several times, and it was what he saw in the footagethat resulted in him placing a telephone call to Ifft sometimearound 2:30 a.m. on Monday. Ifft, who was at home inSavannah, asked Parsons what he was doing up so late. Itwas then that Parsons asked who had gassed his car onthe final stop.

“I started explaining it to him,” Ifft recalled. “He said,‘David, I don't want to cheat to win races. If I have to wincheating, I don't want to do it.’

“I said, ‘Benny, I have been cheating different ways sinceyou've been in that car. I just don't tell you.’ Back then youcould get away with more stuff.”

Today, Ifft doesn’t hesitate to talk about that afternoon’sevents. He knew that in order to win his crew had to getParsons off pit road ahead of Waltrip on their final stop. It hadalready been determined that tires that had undergone two tothree heat cycles were better than new ones that hot MemorialDay weekend. Ifft said crewman Barry Dodson rememberedcrew chief Harry Hyde still had a set of those tires due to hisdriver having exited the race. Dodson acquired the tires duringthe first rain delay, which lasted 48 minutes.

Now, Ifft was trying to figure a way to get Parsons off pitroad ahead of Waltrip following his final stop, but withenough fuel to go the distance. Regulation fuel cans held 11gallons and Ifft knew Parsons needed 1½ cans of gasolineto make it to the checkered flag.

That's when another one of Ifft's crewmen steppedforward with information about a 14-gallon gas can in teamowner Junior Johnson's possession. Johnson's driver, CaleYarborough, was experiencing overheating problems withhis car and was no longer in contention. There was achance Johnson might let the M.C. Anderson crew use the14-gallon fuel can. Ifft walked to Johnson's pit andexplained his reason for needing to get Parsons off pit roadquickly. Johnson told Ifft to take the 14-gallon fuel can andgasman Henry Benfield with him.

“Henry was one of the best gas guys there was backthen, and I don't think Junior wanted to give us the cananyway,” Ifft commented.

Ifft's plan worked. Parsons had received the scuffedtires during the caution flag for rain that turned into a 47-minute delay. Waltrip needed tires on the final stop, butdidn't take them. Parsons received only fuel and due toParrott's injured finger Waltrip's team felt it would take toolong to change tires.

Today, Ifft describes Parsons as “one of the nicestpeople.”

“As far as all the drivers I've worked with, and I'veworked with Cale, Darrell, (David) Pearson, all of them,Benny was probably the nicest,” the 61-year-old Ifft said. “Ialways said if you want to make money racing, get TerryLabonte or Benny Parsons, because they won't knock thefender off it. They'll take second place before they'll tear upyour car.”

Parsons' passion for the sport didn't end with hisdriving career. In fact, it probably became more intenseonce he moved into his broadcasting career, which beganwith a qualifying show on WFMX-FM in Statesville, N.C.From there it progressed to the show “Fast Talk with Benny

Parsons” on Perform-ance RacingNetwork, ESPN andfinally NBC/TNT.

Having workedwith Parsons on thequalifying show, PRNPresident Doug Riceknew Parsons hadthe ideal personalityfor a show that wouldallow him to conversewith the fans.

“He cared aboutpeople and he caredabout the sport immensely,” Rice said. “I'm not saying thatrhetorically. He wanted the sport represented in the bestpossible light.”

The popular PRN radio show lasted 15 years and Ricenoted it was a success because the “show was all abouthim as far as people calling, wanting to talk to him, wantinghim to address what issues he thought were important.

“Even when he was ill he came in every Monday that hepossibly could to do it,” Rice continued. “He dearly loveddoing it.”

Deb Williams is a veteran motorsports journalist andpublic relations practitioner. She was one of the firstfemale journalists to cover NASCAR racing on a regular basis and, for many years, served as editor ofNASCAR Scene.

Photos by HHP/Harold Hinson, Dorsey Patrick and from LMS Archives

Benny Parsons and David Ifft in Victory Lane

Darrell Waltrip and Benny Parsons in 1978

78

Benny Parsons Rendezvous Ridge Produces Award-Winning Wines By DEB WILLIAMS

No matter whether Benny Parsons was driving a racecar or working as a broadcaster, the Wilkes County, N.C.,native always strove for excellence.

A vineyard and winery that exuded excellence, buteliminated the stuffiness from wine tasting rooms was on theNASCAR champion and Emmy award winner's agenda whenhe died unexpectedly on Jan. 16, 2007. His dream, however,didn't die with him thanks to his wife, Terri.

Terri Parsons forged ahead despite being told by herattorney and her accountant to forget about thevineyard, which still had thousands of grapevines tobe planted, and not to finish the Wilkes Countydream house that Benny had so meticulouslyplanned.

“When the attorney and the accountant told meI couldn't do it, that just made me want to do it allthe more,” Terri said in explaining why sheproceeded with her late husband's plans for BennyParsons Rendezvous Ridge. “I remember saying tothem in the hallway, ‘If you can't figure out a waythat I can do this, get out of the way, I'm going tofind somebody that can.’

“In my heart, I did not want this to be Benny'sbiggest folly.People rememberthe last thingthey've heard, notthe first. I wasbound anddetermined the last thing theywould hear wasthat his wine wonawards, his winetasting room wasopen and hismuseum waswonderful. That'sall I wanted wasto complete it.”

Terri Parsons succeeded.Now, 2½ years after his death, Benny Parsons

Rendezvous Ridge wine has garnered nine medals,including a silver for its 2006 barrel fermented Chardonnayat the International Women In Wine Competition in SantaRosa, Calif.

The winery produces 2,000 cases annually and hostsweddings, senior prom dinners and other special gatherings.Before the year ends, plans call for the introduction of twonew wines.

“While trying to maintain price competitiveness in thiscurrent economy, our wine maker, Mark Terry, is working ontwo new wines soon to be released – one red and one

white,” Terri said. “We are trying to come up with a couple ofuncommon names. One offered up as a suggestion that gotshut down fast was Racing Rubber Red. I guess it conjuredup unpleasant thoughts as to what might actually be in thewine. I told you I am new at this.

“Winston White is one I am currently leaning toward forone. Winston was the name of our dog of 17 years, but, ofcourse, Benny was also the 1973 Winston Cup champion,so people can see it for whichever they like.”

For Terri, the last two years have been among thetoughest in her life, but she hasn’t made the journey alone.Angie Whittington, general manager of Benny ParsonsRendezvous Ridge; Tasting Room Manager Denise Kent andEvents Coordinator and Wine Distributor Pennie Sawyerhave been with her every step of the way. An award-winningstaff that Terri admits was instrumental in her accomplishingher goals.

“God brought me together with them,” Terri commented.“My general manager and my wine maker are both race fans.”

For Terri, the vineyard business has allowed her to onceagain use her creativity, something she enjoyed tremen-dously as the assistant director of tourism for DaytonaBeach, Fla. It also has been a way for her to keep Bennyclose to race fans and in their hearts, just as he is in hers.

To learn more about Benny Parsons Rendezvous Ridge and its award-winning wines, visitwww.rendezvousridge.com.

Fulfilling Benny’s Dream

Photos by Deb Williams

Terri Parsons

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80

Robert Yates, whose accomplishments as a NASCAR car ownerinclude three Daytona 500 victories and the 1999 Sprint Cupchampionship, will receive the Smokey Yunick Award prior to theNASCAR Banking 500 only from Bank of America.

Legendary car owner and mechanic Smokey Yunick, whopassed away May 11, 2001, instituted the award in 1997 toannually recognize an individual who rose from humble beginningsand through hard work and dedication made a major impact on themotorsports industry.

“The ideals upon which Smokey Yunick based this award arethe same ideals upon which Robert Yates built a championshipcareer,” said Marcus Smith, president and general manager ofLowe’s Motor Speedway. “Robert started as a mechanic and,through hard work and dedication, went on to win 57 races and achampionship as a car owner. He is a most-deserving recipient ofthis prestigious award.”

Yates dabbled in drag racing as a youngster and earned amechanical engineering degree from Wilson Community College.His professional stock-car racing career started at Holman-Moody in 1968 and by 1971 he was working for car owner JuniorJohnson where the engines he built provided power for driverssuch as Bobby Allison and Cale Yarborough.

From 1976 to 1986, Yates built engines for DiGard Racing,which captured the 1983 NASCAR Sprint Cup championship withBobby Allison, and Yates became a team owner late in 1988when he purchased Harry Ranier’s stock-car operation.

The team’s debut season was an indication of things tocome as Davey Allison drove Yates’ No. 28 Ford Thunderbird tovictories at Talladega and Daytona.

With a roster of drivers that included Davey Allison, ErnieIrvan, Dale Jarrett, Kenny Irwin, Ricky Rudd and Elliott Sadler,Robert Yates Racing won at least one NASCAR Sprint Cup Seriesrace every year from 1989 to 2004, including five at Lowe’s MotorSpeedway.

Robert Yates Racing claimed 57 victories and capturedthe 1999 championship with Jarrett before Yatesrelinquished leadership of the team to his son DougYates and Max Jones prior to the 2008 season.

In addition to his role as a NASCAR team owner,Yates co-founded Roush Yates Engines prior to the2004 racing season when he merged his engine-building operation with that of fellow car owner JackRoush. Today, Roush Yates Engines is the exclusivesupplier of Ford engines for NASCAR’s topseries and it also produces a wide variety ofFord engines and performance parts for othermotorsports applications.

Previous winners of the Smokey YunickAward include Junior Johnson, Ken Squier,Bill Simpson, Ralph Moody, Banjo Matthews,Bud Moore, Cotton Owens, Junie Donlavey,Roger Penske, Jim Hunter, Dale Inman andGlen and Leonard Wood.

Photos by HHP/Harold Hinson and LMS Archives

82

A pivotal moment in Richard Petty’s unparalleled career occurredMay 24, 1964, at Lowe’s Motor Speedway, and it was a tragedy.

The most popular stock car racer of his time, Glenn “Fireball”Roberts, died later from injuries suffered in a fiery crash that

day. Roberts left a void that Petty was destined to fill.Petty Enterprises won the Coca-Cola 600 that day,

but it was Jim Paschal who crossed the finish line first.Petty finished a distant second, followed by Rex Whiteand Fred Lorenzen. Nothing else that happened thatday mattered, though. The sense of loss wascomparable, in its day, to the cataclysm of DaleEarnhardt’s fatal crash nearly 37 years later.

The year of Roberts’ death was also the yearof Petty’s first championship. Petty had finished

second in what was then the NASCAR GrandNational points in both 1962 and ’63. In 1964,

Petty won nine races and finished in the top10 in 43 of the 61 races he ran.

“You can look back at history, and itdoesn’t matter what it is you’re talkingabout,” said Petty. “George Washington,Abraham Lincoln … they all came alongat a time and rose to meet thechallenge their time required. There’s

not anything different about racing.”Petty became NASCAR’s

biggest star, and three years later,he would win a record 27 races in asingle season.

“Looking back now, ‘Fireball’s’death left a void,” said Petty. “Thedeal was, the top guy went away,

and somebody else had to be putup there. The general public getsbehind him, and that’s one of thethings, one of the things I regret,but one of the things that focusedattention on what I was doing.

“Another thing was the Ford-Chevy rivalry. Ford fans hated

Chevy. Chevy fans hated Ford. I wasdriving a Plymouth, and getting caught

in the middle wasn’t a bad thing. WhatI’m trying to say is that very few fans

disliked me. If they pulled for Fords – and Fordsdidn’t win – they didn’t mind it when I won, and vice-

versa. I didn’t have that many folks who were against me.”Photos by HHP/Harold Hinson and from LMS Archives

83

Petty, being a man of humility, understated his owncase. Fans flocked to him because they liked him, notjust because he didn’t drive a Ford or a Chevy at thetime. Some have suggested that Petty has signed moreautographs than anyone in history. During an age inwhich access between fans and heroes was at an all-time high, Petty had time for everyone. He waswholesome, handsome and heroic.

“What I reckon made me popular was a combina-tion of things,” he said. “Fate played a role. I was thereat the right time. NASCAR was growing. Someone wasgoing to be the guy the fans turned to, and if it hadn’tbeen me, it would’ve been someone else.

“The guys who helped build NASCAR paved theway for the guys that come in now with money.When it first started, Junior (Johnson), BudMoore, us, all these guys were racers. Theydidn’t have any outside business. All theywanted to do was race.

“Then, all of a sudden, there was somemoney in it, so people with money came in andsaid they were going to spend money to makemoney,” Petty continued. “The first thing you

know, the money runs the racersout of the racing business.”

There are two great families inthe sport’s history: the Frances,who built the sport as a business,and the Pettys, who built it in thehearts and minds of the public.Lee Petty won more races thananyone until his son Richard camealong and surpassed him in 1967.Just as there have been threegenerations – founder William H.G.France, successor William C.France and current chairman BrianFrance – of Frances, there havealso been three generations ofPettys: Lee, Richard and Kyle.Tragedy robbed the Pettys of a

Family Patriarch Lee Petty

84

fourth racing generation when Kyle’s son, Adam, perishedin a 2000 crash at New Hampshire Motor Speedway.

Richard Petty is a very different man from his father, Lee,who died in 2000 at age 86. Lee Petty had little time for allthe diversions that took up so much of his son’s time. Thefamily patriarch avoided interviews while racing and shunnedreporters almost completely after the checkered flag.

“That was his personality,” recalled Richard. “The trickwas to come in and just start talking to him. Once he

thought it was aninterview, he wasalways reluctant. Hedidn’t want to talkabout himself. Hedidn’t want anyattention beyondposing for the trophyand depositing thecheck. Even when heran races, he didn’t

care much forattention.”

The sonlearned muchfrom hisfather’sreluctance.He put anentire sporton his backand ran withit, capturing

the imagination of millions in the process.Richard Petty won 200 races, the first in 1960 and the

last in 1984. That ranks him 95 ahead of runner-up DavidPearson. Petty’s seven championships have been matchedby Earnhardt, himself the anchor of a three-generationracing family.

For obvious reasons, Richard Petty, at the same time hewas everyone’s friend, was also everyone’s rival. He andPearson finished 1-2 in 63 races. Petty was always thetarget, the man to beat. He battled all the greats of his age:Pearson, Bobby Allison, Cale Yarborough, Darrell Waltrip,Earnhardt and others.

“What made those rivalries is that all of us who were inthem were at the top of our games,” said Petty. “Lots oftimes, when Bobby (Allison) and I were having our differ-ences, one of us had the fastest car and the other had the

second fastest. Today there are rivalries, but, you don’t seethat same thing happening because there aren’t any driverswho match each other the same way in consistency.

“Everything always changes. You can’t control that.There’s no way to compare those days to these. I alwaysthink of what (son) Kyle told me. He said, ‘The only thingthat’s the same is the change itself.’”

Petty Enterprises was a family team. Richard’s firstcousin, Dale Inman, was his crew chief for most of hiscareer. His brother, Maurice, was the engine builder.

“We never went to a race we didn’t think we could win,”said Maurice Petty. “We thought we were supposed to.”

“It’s hard to say a lot about your brother, especially infront of him,” said Richard Petty on the occasion ofMaurice’s induction into the National Motorsports PressAssociation’s Hall of Fame. “When the chips were down,daddy said we were going to work together, so that’s theway it was.

“I think, if you look at the history of this sport, you’dhave to say Maurice was the best engine builder there’s

ever been in NASCAR.”But Petty Enterprises isn’t a

family team anymore. RichardPetty Motorsports is the result of amerger of Petty Enterprises andwhat was once Gillett EvernhamMotorsports.

“It gets harder and harder forthe sponsors to put up, say, $15million, out of their budgets,” saidPetty. “If a sponsor puts up $10million to keep the race teamgoing, it has to spend practically

twice that much in order to get the benefit out of it. Justputting the name on the side of a car and running aroundand around the race track is not going to get him back his$10 million. It’s what the sponsor does and how muchmoney it spends around the racing that makes it worthwhile.

“When you add up all that, there aren’t that many whocan say, ‘We don’t want anything else on the car. We wantto do the full sponsorship.’ What that means nowadays isthat teams are winding up with two or three major sponsorson the cars at various times and a bunch of lessersponsors, associate sponsors, so that everyone can benefitby the total outlay on the car. It’s according to what kind ofpromotions they run, whether it does them any good. Ifthey’ve only got so much money to spend, they’ve got todo their advertisement plus get a race car.”

Petty drove almost everything: Plymouths, Dodges,Chryslers, Oldsmobiles, Chevrolets, Buicks and Pontiacs. Ina sense, as he now helps run a team of four drivers – KaseyKahne, Elliott Sadler, A.J. Allmendinger and Reed Sorenson– he’s come full circle.

They all drive Dodge Chargers, a manufacturer and amodel right out of the Petty glory years.

“The Charger was really good for us,” said Petty. “I justwish we could get it as good as we used to have it going.”

Monte Dutton covers NASCAR for the Gaston Gazette and the NASCAR This Week Web site(http://nascar.rbma.com).

86

Adam Petty died too soon. The fourth generation ofNASCAR’s definitive family, the Pettys, met his maker in acrash during Nationwide Series practice at New HampshireMotor Speedway on May 12, 2000. He was 19.

Petty had debuted in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series atTexas Motor Speedway earlier that year and a bid forRaybestos Rookie of the Year was planned for 2001.

The family line of drivers – patriarch Lee Petty, who alsodied in 2000 but at age 86; Richard, NASCAR’s all-timeleader in victories; and Kyle, who won eight Sprint Cup races– has seen tragedy along with unprecedented success.

In the aftermath of Adam’s death, the family didn’tconsider giving up the sport. It was, in fact, unthinkable.Racing is the Petty family business. Continuing on was seenwithin the family as an appropriate tribute to the fallen heir.

But Adam’s parents, Kyle and Pattie Petty, wanted todo more. In October 2000, five months after his death, thePettys partnered with actor/racer Paul Newman and theHole in the Wall Gang Camp to form their personal tribute toAdam. The Victory Junction Gang Camp in Randleman,N.C., (another is now being built in Kansas) was founded asa memorial to Adam Petty.

The camp began operation in 2004 and is an officialcharity of NASCAR.

“They’re really building a legacy of Adam’s dream andvision,” said a major benefactor of the camp, Tony Stewart,“and there are not a lot of places like that which have been

able to branch out and have two or three facilities.“I think the first camp is something Adam would be

very, very proud of, and now that the second facility is goingto be started, I think he would be overjoyed.”

The camp, which caters to sick children, is a labor oflove for Kyle and Pattie Petty. Both have worked tirelessly toraise funds to build the camp and perpetuate it.

“We looked at it like the camp was our child,” Kyle said.“It’s still your child until the end of time. We knew we weremaking a lifetime commitment to the camp.

“What’s changed, because of the NASCAR community,is the nature of the camp. When we first came up with theidea, we envisioned a camp that would benefit children inthe two Carolinas, but when you’re named an official charityof NASCAR, that opens up a lot. All of a sudden, we startedseeing kids from Pennsylvania, from Las Vegas, from NewYork City and from Los Angeles.

“Before we ever started seeing kids, it had become anational camp. We thought it was going to be a lot smaller,and all of a sudden, we found ourselves being thrown intothe deep end of the pool. We’re blessed for that, but it takesa lot of people.”

For more information, visit www.victoryjunction.org.

Monte Dutton covers NASCAR for the Gaston Gazetteand the NASCAR This Week Web site(http://nascar.rbma.com).

Richard, Adam and Kyle Petty following Adam’s ARCA Win in 1998

88

When the Wood Brothers hiredAlfred “Speedy” Thompson todrive their No. 21 Ford in theinaugural NASCAR Banking 500only from Bank of America (thenknown as the National 400), it signaled the end ofone career and jumped-started another.

After that milestone victory on Oct. 16, 1960,Thompson, who grew up in Monroe, N.C., won onlyone more race in what is now the NASCAR Sprint CupSeries, finishing his career with 20 victories.

“‘Speedy’ was a good driver and was verycompetitive,” said Eddie Wood, son of Glen Wood,who now runs the Wood Brothers team in Harrisburg,N.C., with his first-cousin, Len. “He had made hismark, driving that Chrysler for Carl Kiekhaefer backduring the mid-’50s.

“I remember daddy telling us we’ve got to getsomeone to drive in the National 400 at CharlotteMotor Speedway and we need someone who’ll becompetitive. At the time, ‘Speedy’ didn’t have a ride,so he pretty much jumped at the opportunity to driveour car.”

And Thompson made the most of the opportunity.Starting third in the 50-car lineup, Thompson led thefinal 35 laps of the 267-lap race after leader Glenn“Fireball” Roberts blew a tire and ran into the retainingwall on lap 233.

Richard Petty was the runner-up in that race inwhich Thompson averaged 112.905 mph and earned$12,710 for his efforts. An estimated crowd of 29,166was on hand.

In three starts while driving for the WoodBrothers, Thompson won twice and finished fourth.

Thompson, whose brother Jimmy was also astandout dirt-track racer, was in the twilight of hiscareer in 1960. But just seven days after the biggestwin of his career, Thompson drove the No. 21 tovictory again on the half-mile dirt track at the AtlanticRural Fairgrounds in Richmond, Va.

Thompson was a regular at Southern StatesSpeedway on Tryon Street (where the Tryon StreetMall is now located) in Charlotte, N.C., and StarlightSpeedway in Monroe. He was pretty much the masterat both dirt tracks.

Photos from LMS Archives

90

“‘Speedy’ Thompson was a racer’s racer,” said HillOverton, a resident of Monroe, who was in attendance atthat first fall race at the 1.5-mile Lowe’s Motor Speedway.

“All he ever wanted to dowas drive race cars and itdidn’t matter who he wasdriving for, he gave it his all,”Overton added. “When he wonthat fall race, he really earnedit. It was no fluke like Joe Lee(Johnson) winning the first-ever race at the speedway.”

“While‘Speedy’s’ ca-reer was com-ing to a halt atthe time, ourswas just gettingwarmed up,”said EddieWood.

The Wood Brothers would go on to win five moreraces at Lowe’s Motor Speedway.

“We hadn’t even run the No. 21 that much. It wasmore of an orange-and-white rather than a red-and-white which we later used,” explained Eddie Wood.“Not only did ‘Speedy’ win that race for us, but, Ithink, what he did that weekend attracted a lot of at-tention and opened up many doors later for us.

“I think there were a lot of drivers after that whoreally wanted to drive our car,” Wood continued. “DavidPearson said he was always a ‘Speedy’ Thompson fan andwhen ‘Speedy’ did what he did that weekend, it made himwant to drive that 21 car.

“And you know what happened to us and David and theNo. 21 Mercury.”

After winning at Lowe’s Motor Speedway, Thompsontold a reporter for The Charlotte Observer, “It was one of thebiggest things that ever happened in my racing career.

“Being raised in Monroe, not far from Charlotte MotorSpeedway, I always wanted to win at that track. CurtisTurner helped build it and he was one of us. It was like myhome track.

“I don’t think my career ever would have been success-ful, if I hadn’t won at Charlotte. And to be able to do it in theWood Brothers’ No. 21, made it that much more special,”Thompson added. “I thought I had driven a top-notch racecar when I drove that Chrysler for Kiekhaefer in 1956. Butthat was nothing compared to that No. 21 Ford. It was light-ning fast and they had it set up just right.”

Jack Flowers has written about auto racing for morethan 50 years. At one point during his career, he coveredevery NASCAR Sprint Cup Series race for 17 consecu-tive years. Flowers is currently a columnist and corre-spondent for National Speed Sport News.

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94

Speedy Thompson • 1960

Joe Weatherly • 1961

Junior Johnson • 1962, 1963

Fred Lorenzen • 1964, 1965

Lee Roy Yarbrough • 1966, 1970

Buddy Baker • 1967

96

Charlie Glotzbach • 1968

Donnie Allison • 1969, 1976

Bobby Allison • 1971, 1972, 1978

Cale Yarborough • 1973, 1979, 1985

David Pearson • 1974

Richard Petty • 1975, 1983

1Knowledge Networks/SRI, Inc., 2007.©2008 AT&T Intellectual Property. All rights reserved. AT&T, AT&T logo and all other marks contained herein are trademarks of AT&T Intellectual Property and/or AT&T affiliated companies. ©2008 YELLOWPAGES.COM LLC. All rights reserved.

Veterinarians Page 908

Kennels Page 526

Dating Services Page 284

Cat Boarding Page 207

Furniture Repair Page 395

Topsoil Page 657

Flea Markets Page 380

Newspapers Page 580

Page for page, better information than any other book. Life happens. When it does, reach for the directory more of the Southeast prefers,1 AT&T Real Yellow Pages. The new AT&T. Your world. Delivered.

98

Benny Parsons • 1977

Dale Earnhardt • 1980, 1986

Darrell Waltrip • 1981

Harry Gant • 1982

Bill Elliott • 1984, 1987

Rusty Wallace • 1988

100

Ken Schrader • 1989

Davey Allison • 1990

Geoffrey Bodine • 1991

Mark Martin • 1992, 1995, 1998

Ernie Irvan • 1993

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102

Dale Jarrett • 1994, 1997

Terry Labonte • 1996

Jeff Gordon • 1999, 2007

Bobby Labonte • 2000

Sterling Marlin • 2001

104

Jamie McMurray • 2002

Tony Stewart • 2003

Jimmie Johnson • 2004, 2005

Kasey Kahne • 2006

Jeff Burton • 2008

106

The small town of Stuart, Va., is located a few milesfrom Martinsville Speedway and is a short distance from theNorth Carolina state line.

It was named after Confederate Gen. J.E.B. Stuart andhas its place in history.

It is the country store; hometown America; apple pie;and well…Ford.

The town’s most famous contemporary is a stock carracing family – the legendary Wood Brothers.

Until a couple of years ago, the Wood Brothersoperated out of Stuart, Va., where the racing team had beenbased since Glen Wood formed it in 1950.

Glen Wood’s children, Eddie and Len Wood and their

sister Kim Hall, now run the NASCAR Sprint Cup Seriesteam and they moved it to Mooresville, N.C., in 2003. Twoyears later, the team relocated to a spacious building onState Highway 49 in Harrisburg, N.C., less than five milesfrom Lowe’s Motor Speedway.

With Alfred “Speedy” Thompson handling the drivingduties of the No. 21 Ford, the Wood Brothers won the first fall race (then the National 400; now the NASCARBanking 500 only from Bank of America) at Lowe’s MotorSpeedway in October 1960. Since then, the Wood Brothershave won five more races at LMS – including a sweep ofboth races in 1974 with David Pearson driving the famousNo. 21 Mercury.

Leonard Wood (left), Glen Wood (right) and longtime driver David Pearson

107

The lastvictory for theWood Brothersat Lowe’sMotorSpeedwaycame in the1976 Coca-Cola 600 withPearson behindthe wheel.

From 1962to 1981, the

Wood Brothers were one of the most dominant teams inNASCAR’s premier series, winning 89 races, the majority ofthem on superspeedways.

It’s been a drought of some proportions since 1981 withthe Wood Brothers winning only seven more races, the last

being Elliott Sadler’s victory at Bristol Motor Speedway inMarch 2001. That race marked the first time the WoodBrothers had won since 1993 when Morgan Shepherd wasdriving the No. 21 Ford.

Wood Brothers Racing is the only team among the topeight car owners in NASCAR victories that has never had adriver win the championship.

During the team’s glory years – from the mid-’60sthrough the early ’80s – the Wood Brothers skippednumerous races, mainly the short-track events, and didn’tfocus on winning championships.

Pearson claimed 43 of the Wood Brothers 96 victories,making him the only driver with the most victories for two ofthe most successful car owners in NASCAR history.

No other team has had more driverswin races in its cars than the WoodBrothers. The roster is a literal “Who’sWho” that includes the team’s patriarch,Glen Wood; Tiny Lund, A. J. Foyt, Parnelli Jones, Donnie Allison, Kyle Petty,Dale Jarrett, Dan Gurney, Curtis Turner,Thompson, Marvin Panch, Pearson, Cale Yarborough, Neil Bonnett, Shepherdand Sadler.

“I’ll tell you why theWood Brothers win,”Pearson once said about hisdays behind the wheel ofthe No. 21 Mercury. “Theyput their heart in it. When itcomes five o’clock, they’renot thinking about going toget a beer. They think racing24 hours a day.”

Yarborough, who drovefor the Wood Brothers beforegoing on to win threeconsecutive NASCAR SprintCup titles with car ownerJunior Johnson in the 1970s,said, “The Wood Brothersset my career on fire.”

Yarborough won 13 racesin the short time he drove for the Wood Brothers.

The Wood Brothers also helped to change stock carracing during their glory days.

One of the most graphic descriptions of how theychanged the sport came in 1965 when they were called tothe Indianapolis Motor Speedway by officials of the FordMotor Co. to pit the car driven by Jimmy Clark.

They had already won two Cup races in 1965 withGurney and Panch before going to Indy. Clark won theIndianapolis 500 that year and credited the fast pit stops,turned in by the Wood Brothers, as one of the leadingfactors for his victory.

Glen and Leonard Wood led that pit crew in the 1960sand ’70s which out-performed opponents on pit road andset the benchmark for NASCAR pit stops.

But as the business side of NASCAR racing changedduring the 1990s, Wood Brothers Racing struggled to keep up.

Photos by HHP/Harold Hinson and from LMS Archives

108

“We’ve had our share of setbacks the last few years,”said Eddie Wood, spokesman for the Wood Brothers andthe team’s front-tire changer for a number of years. “I’m notsure if they really wanted us to move from Stuart down hereto Harrisburg, but it was something we had to do if we reallywanted to keep this thing going.

“Now, with the economy the way it is, it’s made it eventougher to do what we’ve done,” Eddie Wood added. “Iwonder how many teams could have survived ifthey would have had to go through what we’vebeen through?

“If it hadn’t been for Ford’s help, I don’tknow what we would have done. They’ve keptus going, that’s for sure. Of course we’ve runonly Fords or Mercurys ever since daddy wonthose first three or four races at the end of the’40s at Bowman-Gray (Winston-Salem, N.C.).”

A lot of the Wood Brothers’ problems started in the1980s and the ’90s when they began running a full scheduleout of their shop in Stuart, Va.

“It’s something Ford and our sponsors wanted us todo,” Len Wood said about running all the series races. "Itwas something this team had never done.

“We think we just got caught short-handed and tried todo some of the stuff we’d been used to doing and it justdidn’t work. We should have gone into it with more help. We got behind and never could get caught up. It’s stillhurting us.

“With the way this sport is now, it’s so competitive and,if you get behind, with as many good teams as there arenow, all they’re gonna do is kick you while you’re down andyou’re gonna have a hard time of getting back up fromthere,” Len Wood continued. “There are more good teams,all with competitive programs, than I’ve ever seen sincewe’ve been in this sport. There used to be five or six teamswe had to beat in our heyday. Now, you’ve got about 20 orso teams capable of winning on any given Sunday.

“Right now, we’re trying something which we’re moreaccustomed to than any of the others – run a limitedschedule. It has shown some promise, like at the Brickyard

400 in July where Bill (Elliott) was the fourth-fastest qualifier.“That did this team a lot of good and gave us some lift

and hope,” Len Wood concluded.Elliott has been the team’s driver most of the time this

season.“It’s a good team,” said Elliott, who won the 1988

NASCAR Sprint Cup title, “and they’re really doing the bestthey can with what they’ve got.

“In a lot of ways, itreminds me of the oldElliott team when wewere starting out inDawsonville (Ga.).”

At one point, acouple of years ago, itwas hoped that JonWood, Eddie’s son,would blossom tobecome the team’sprimary driver, but thathasn’t worked out.

“We’ve had ourshare of setbacks thelast few years,” saidEddie Wood. “We’vestill got a lot of workto do, but we believe

we can wind up in the winner’s circle again if wecan avoid bad breaks.

“It’d be just like 1960 when we won that first fallrace at Lowe’s with ‘Speedy’ Thompson. It helped‘Speedy,’ at the time, and it jump-started ourcareer.

“We just need something like that to happen tous right now.”

Glen Wood said the victory by Sadler at Bristolin 2001 was a big morale booster for the team.

“That win gave us the morale booster shot we needed,”he said. “We knew we hadn’t forgotten how to win. It wasjust a case of some bad breaks and us being at the wrongplace at the wrong time.

“I still would like to see that 100th win. We stayed backon 94 for the longest, it seems.”

What Eddie and Len Wood would like to accomplish forthe Wood Brothers is a NASCAR Sprint Cup championship.

“We won the car owner’s championship in 1963,” saidGlen Wood. “We would like to win a driver’s championship.”

Even though Glen and Leonard have stepped aside, the team is still the Wood Brothers as Eddie and Len guidethe ship

And looking to the future, Eddie and Len have two sonsbetween them.

“It’s a family business and it probably will stay that wayfor a long time to come,” Eddie Wood concluded.

Jack Flowers has written about auto racing for morethan 50 years. At one point during his career, he covered every NASCAR Sprint Cup Series race for 17consecutive years. Flowers is currently a columnist andcorrespondent for National Speed Sport News.

Eddie Wood and Len Wood withformer driver Ricky Rudd

110

Buddy Baker doesn’t drive a stock car anymore, which isfine, because Baker has always turned a phrase almost aswell as he once drove into the high-banked turns ofLowe’s Motor Speedway.

No one has ever been better at boiling thesensation of racing a stock car down to a singlehumorous phrase. Baker, 68, has a knack fordescribing what he did in a way in which fans canrelate.

Since Baker hung up his helmet, he hascontinued to be a familiar face at race tracks,both for his work as a television/radio analystand as a coach for young drivers. Mostnotably, Baker tutored Ryan Newman on hisway to NASCAR Sprint Cup stardom.

Baker and Newman remain close, andBaker has downplayed his role inNewman’s success.

“He’s as close to a third son as I’veever had,” Baker said. “I don’t have arecord that I wouldn’t like to see himbreak.”

“He didn’t always tell me what do to,”said Newman of Baker. “He told me whatnot to do, as well.”

Most of Baker’s career, which ranfrom 1959 through 1992, occurred beforecarburetor restrictor plates were used toslow the cars at Daytona and Talladega.

Once, during a testing session atTalladega, a young driver asked Baker,“Do you really think you could go outthere and run with us?”

“Son, I really don’t know,” Bakerfamously replied. “I’ve never run thisslow here.”

Lowe’s Motor Speedway was thesite of Baker’s first victory, theNASCAR Banking 500 only fromBank of America in 1967, and he wonfour Cup races at his hometown track.

“When I look at Lowe’s MotorSpeedway these days, it’s like walkinginto a futuristic movie,” Baker said. “I

111

remember when 30,000 was a big crowd. Now they have30,000 in the garage on race morning.”

Baker’s own apprenticeship occurred under the harshtutelage of his father Buck, who died in 2002. His fatherwon 46 NASCAR Sprint Cup races and championships in1956 and ’57. Buddy, who wound up with 19 victories,debuted at Columbia (S.C.) Speedway in 1959.

Languishing laps down and in last place, Elzie WylieBaker Jr. got out of the car that night and said, “This is thebiggest piece of junk I’ve ever sat down in in my entire life.”

Buck Baker, after blowing the engine in his own car,climbed into his son’s car andmade up several of the lapsBuddy had lost.

“I’ve got some stuff to learn,”Buddy said to himself.

The rap on Buddy Baker wasalways that he was “a leadfoot,” adriver who led more laps and wonmore poles, but didn’t win as manyraces as peers like Richard Petty,David Pearson, Cale Yarborough andBobby Allison. Baker won exactlytwice as many poles (38) as races.

Five-hundred miles was a sterner test of equipment 35years ago. Attrition was higher. More engines blew. Moretires blew. When Baker won the Coca-Cola 600 at Lowe’sMotor Speedway in 1968, he recalled that there were 14factory Dodges, 10 Fords, a Mercury and a couple ofPlymouths in the field. More than half the field had Detroitpaying most of the bills. That meant as much, in its time, asa multi-year deal with Budweiser today.

“We blew up a lot of stuff,” said Baker. “One thing Ilearned was that when I got in better cars, I got a lotsmarter.”

Talk racing with Buddy Baker and the one-liners fall likerain. He truly has the gift of gab.

Of Cale Yarborough, Baker said, “He was one of mybest friends, but on the track, we were like a piece of metaland a magnet.”

David Pearson: “You talk about a driver who knew howto win? He did. He would run just as hard as he needed tountil it came time, and then there was nobody any better.”

Rex White: “At one time, he was the champion and wasnearly unbeatable. He was way better than anyone will everknow. Today, if you went up to the average race fan andsaid Rex White’s name, they’d go, ‘Who?’”

Harry Gant: “He wasn’t mean or anything, but if youever cranked up that old country butt,he’d be something to deal with.”

Jimmy Spencer: “He’s ahardheaded son of a gun, and I thoughtI was hardheaded.”

Benny Parsons: “When hehad the best car, he would winthe race. A lot of peoplecouldn’t do that.”

Dale Earnhardt: “It wasobvious to anyone who watched him run that he was prettysoon going to be the most famous of all of us, but when Ifirst met him, he’d have had to borrow 75 cents to have adollar.”

Bobby Allison: “Nobody has ever loved racing more. Nomatter how much you said about him, you could never saytoo much about how great he was.”

Baker raced with and shared the broadcast booth withNed Jarrett. He drove for, among others, Cotton Owens, RayFox, Bud Moore, Harry Hyde, the Wood Brothers, PettyEnterprises, Hoss Ellington, Harry Ranier and, at the end ofhis career, himself. His father was a legend, and the sport hasnever known a legend, from William H.G. “Big Bill” France toJeff Gordon, of whom Baker wasn’t acquainted.

Photos from LMS Archives

Buddy and Buck Baker

Bobby Issac and Buddy Baker

112

Buddy was in Jacksonville, Fla., when Wendell Scottwon his only major race, on Dec. 2, 1963. Buck Baker tookthe checkered flag in that race, but scorers later determinedthat Scott had completed two more laps, and the outcomewas overturned, long after the crowd had left withoutknowing they had witnessed the victory of NASCAR’spioneering African-American driver.

Buddy remembers what Scott told his father in VictoryLane: “Mr. Buck, you can kiss the race queen, but I’m goingto want the money ’cause I won the race.”

The most-quoted Buddy Baker story revolves around along-ago race at Smoky Mountain Speedway in Maryville,Tenn. After a serious crash, Baker was placed on a gurneyand rolled into an ambulance. As the ambulance attemptedto cross the track en route to a hospital, the back doorswung open and the gurney rolled out, crashingonto the track with the field bearing down on him.

Here’s how Buddy described the experiencein “Flat Out and Half Turned Over: Tales from PitRoad with Buddy Baker,” written by Baker andthe late David Poole:

“I got down to the bottom of the track, andthat gurney was running about 30 mph when it hitthe mud on the inside of the track. Those littlewheels burrowed in, and it went straight upsidedown. I went down in the mud to my ears on bothsides. One of the guys from the ambulance,jumped out, grabbed me and rolled me over.

“He said, ‘Are you OK?’“I said, ‘If I ever get out of this thing, I am

going to kill you first.’”Jim Hunter, now NASCAR’s vice president of

corporate communications, began his career as asportswriter. Once, after a race at Columbia Speedway, hewrote that Buddy hit more walls and other cars in one racethan his father had hit in his entire career.

When Buddy caught wind of what Hunter had written,he became so angry that he chased Hunter around theDarlington garage area until NASCAR officials restrainedhim.

Yes, Baker was a gentle giant, but he was also a fiercecompetitor, and his temper could be as fierce as his one-liners were hilarious.

“I wasn’t gentle,” said Baker. “Ask my wife. She hearsthat and just laughs.”

Baker once said that he’d rather eat a green worm thanlose.

“The guy you meet on the street is a different guy,” hesaid. “That driver fellow is a little spooky. I’ve had some ofmy best friends come up and speak to me before a race atCharlotte, and I’ve walked right by them like I didn’t seethem. It’d be like me walking into somebody’s office on adeadline.

“It’s not about being stuck up; it’s being stuck down.I’m ready. I’m about to go into a field of battle, as far as I’mconcerned.”

After Newman ended an 81-race winless streak bycapturing the 2008 Daytona 500, he talked about whatBuddy Baker has meant to him.

“Buddy helped me cope (with the dry spell),” said

Newman. “Buddywas my teacherwhen I first started.We went to everytest together. We’dget in a rental carand drive aroundevery track the rightway, then drivearound every trackthe wrong way, tosee all the angles.He was a neighborwhen I lived on thelake (Norman), heand my dad hit it off,and it’s great to winthe 50th Daytona 500 when Buddy was being honored asone of the guys who won it in the past.”

Many drivers won more races. Baker never won aNASCAR Sprint Cup championship, but his overall contri-bution to the sport involves far more than just statistics. Noone has learned more, or drawn more incisive conclusions,from a life that literally spans the life of NASCAR itself.

Monte Dutton covers NASCAR for the Gaston Gazette andthe NASCAR This Week Web site (http://nascar.rbma.com).

Dale Earnhardt, David Pearson, Buddy Baker and Bill Elliot

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28.00 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .192.85728.05 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .192.51328.10 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .192.17128.15 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .191.82928.20 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .191.48928.25 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .191.15028.30 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .190.81328.35 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .190.47628.40 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .190.14128.45 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .189.80728.50 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .189.47428.55 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .189.14228.60 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .188.81128.65 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .188.15328.70 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .187.82628.75 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .187.82628.80 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .187.50028.85 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .187.17528.90 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .186.85128.95 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .186.528

29.00 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .186.20729.05 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .185.88629.10 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .185.56729.15 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .185.24929.20 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .184.93229.25 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .184.61529.30 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .184.30029.35 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .183.98629.40 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .183.67329.45 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .183.36229.50 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .183.05129.55 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .182.74129.60 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .182.43229.65 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .182.12529.70 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .181.81829.75 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .181.51329.80 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .181.20829.85 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .180.90529.90 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .180.60229.95 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .180.301

30.00 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .180.00030.05 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .179.70030.10 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .179.40230.15 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .179.10430.20 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .178.80830.25 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .178.51230.30 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .178.21830.35 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .177.92430.40 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .177.63230.45 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .177.34030.50 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .177.04930.55 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .176.75930.60 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .176.47130.65 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .176.18330.70 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .175.89630.75 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .175.61030.80 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .175.32530.85 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .175.04130.90 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .174.75730.95 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .174.475

1960 Fireball Roberts . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .133.4651961 David Pearson . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .138.5771962 Fireball Roberts . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .140.2871963 Fred Lorenzen . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .143.0171964 Richard Petty . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .150.7111965 Marvin Panch . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .147.8951966 LeeRoy Yarbrough . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .151.1011967 Cale Yarborough . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .154.8721968 LeeRoy Yarbrough . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .156.3821969 Cale Yarborough . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .162.1621970 Charlie Glotzbach . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .157.2731971 A.J. Foyt . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .158.4921972 David Pearson . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .158.5391973 David Pearson . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .158.3151974 David Pearson . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .158.7491975 David Pearson . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .161.7011976 David Pearson . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .161.2231977 David Pearson . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .160.8921978 David Pearson . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .161.3551979 Neil Bonnett . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .164.3041980 Buddy Baker . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .165.6341981 Darrell Waltrip . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .162.7441982 Harry Gant . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .164.6941983 Tim Richmond . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .163.0731984 Benny Parsons . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .165.579

1985 Harry Gant . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .166.1391986 Tim Richmond . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .167.0781987 Bobby Allison . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .171.6361988 Alan Kulwicki . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .175.8961989 Bill Elliott . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .174.0811990 Brett Bodine . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .174.3851991 Mark Martin . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .174.4991992 Alan Kulwicki . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .179.0271993 Jeff Gordon . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .177.6841994 Ward Burton . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .185.7591995 Ricky Rudd . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .180.5781996 Bobby Labonte . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .184.0681997 Geoffrey Bodine . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .184.2561998 Derrike Cope . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .181.6901999 Bobby Labonte . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .185.6822000 Jeff Gordon . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .185.5612001 Jimmy Spencer . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .185.1472002 Tony Stewart . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .None – Weather2003 Ryan Newman . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .186.6572004 Ryan Newman . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .188.8772005 Ryan Newman . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .193.2162006 Scott Riggs . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .191.4692007 Ryan Newman . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .189.3942008 Jimmie Johnson . . . . . . . . . . . . .None – Weather

LAP TIME/SPEED CONVERSION CHART

NASCAR BANKING 500 POLE WINNING SPEEDS

Lap Time Speed Lap Time Speed Lap Time Speed

Date Pole Winner Speed Date Pole Winner Speed

114

116

Car Driver Hometown Sponsor/Car Owner

0 Kertus Davis Gaffney, S.C. sponsordavis.com Chevrolet Johnny Davis

01 Mike Wallace St. Louis, Mo. J.D. Motorsports Chevrolet Lori Morgan

05 Casey Atwood Nashville, Tenn. 31W Insulation Chevrolet Wayne Day

07 Chase Austin Eudora, Kan. Cavi Clothing Chevrolet Armando Fitz

09 John Wes Townley Watkinsville, Ga. Zaxby’s Ford Jay Robinson

1 Aric Almirola Tampa, Fla. Miccosukee Resort Chevrolet James Finch

5 Tony Stewart Columbus, Ind. Delphi Chevrolet Rick Hendrick

6 Erik Darnell Beach Park, Ill. Northern Tool + Equipment Ford Jack Roush

10 Reed Sorensen Peachtree City, Ga. Dollar General Toyota Todd Braun

11 Denny Hamlin Chesterfield, Va. Ridemarkerz Toyota Bryan Mullett

12 Justin Allgaier Riverton, Ill. Verizon Wireless Dodge Tad Geschickter

15 Michael Annett Des Moines, Iowa Pilot Travel Centers Toyota Bob Germain

16 Matt Kenseth Cambridge, Wis. Citifinancial Ford Jack Roush

17 Ricky Stenhouse Jr. Olive Branch, Miss. Roush Fenway Racing Ford Max Jones

18 Kyle Busch Las Vegas, Nev. Z-Line Designs Toyota Joe Gibbs

20 Joey Logano Middletown, Conn. GameStop Toyota Joe Gibbs

23 Robert Richardson Jr. McKinney, Texas Mahindra Chevrolet Johnny Davis

24 Eric McClure Chilhowie, Va. Hefty Ford Ed Rensi

26 Michael McDowell Phoenix, Ariz. K-Automotive Dodge Dusty Whitney

27 Jason Keller Greenville, S.C. Kleenex Racing/Bi-Lo Ford Mike Curb

28 Kenny Wallace St. Louis, Mo. U.S. Border Patrol Chevrolet Jay Robinson

29 Stephen Leicht Asheville, N.C. Holiday Inn Chevrolet Richard Childress

31 Stanton Barrett Bishop, Calif. Stanton Barrett Motorsports Chevrolet Stanton Barrett

32 Brian Vickers Thomasville, N.C. Dollar General Toyota Todd Braun

33 Ryan Newman South Bend, Ind. Hungry-Man Chevrolet DeLana Harvick

34 Tony Raines LaPorte, Ind. Long John Silver’s Chevrolet Bob Jenkins

38 Jason Leffler Long Beach, Calif. Great Clips Toyota Ralph Braun

40 Scott Wimmer Wausau, Wis. Westerman Companies Chevrolet Curtis Key

42 David Gilliland Riverside Calif. Smith Ironworks Dodge Chip Ganassi

43 Kasey Kahne Enumclaw, Wash. Auto Value Bumper to Bumper Richard Petty

47 Chase Miller Canton, Ga. JTG/Daugherty Racing Toyota Jodi Geschickter

49 Mark Green Owensboro, Ky. Get More Vacations.com Chevrolet Jay Robinson

50 Jeremy Clements Spartanburg, S.C. Saxon Group Chevrolet Tony Clements

60 Carl Edwards Columbia, Mo. Scotts Ortho Ford Jack Roush

61 Matt Carter Denver, N.C. Specialty Racing Ford Charlie Shoffner

62 Brendan Gaughan Las Vegas, Nev. South Point Hotel & Casino Chevrolet Rusty Wallace

66 Steve Wallace Charlotte, N.C. 5-Hour Energy Chevrolet Rusty Wallace

73 Derrike Cope Spanaway, Wash. DCI Dodge Derrike Cope

78 Kevin Lepage Shelburne, Va. DCI Dodge Darren Cope

87 Joe Nemechek Lakeland, Fla. NEMCO Motorsports Chevrolet Andrea Nemechek

88 Brad Keselowski Rochester Hills, Mich. Hellman’s Fan of the Year Chevrolet Dale Earnhardt Jr.

89 Morgan Shepherd Conover, N.C. Lagina Plumbing/Eldora Spd. Chevrolet Cindy Shepherd

90 Johnny Chapman Statesville, N.C. MSRP Motorsports Chevrolet Marcia Parsons

91 Terry Cook Sylvania, Ohio MSRP Motorsports Chevrolet Randy Humphrey

96 Brian Keselowski Rochester Hills, Mich. ConleyAuto.com Kay Keselowski

99 David Reutimann Zephyrhills, Fla. Lowes Foods Toyota Michael Waltrip

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JOHN WES TOWNLEYNo. 09 Zaxby’s Ford

Hometown: Watkinsville, Ga.Born: Dec. 31, 1989Team: RAB Racing with Brack MaggardCrew Chief: Brad ParrottBest LMS Finish: 27th – October 2008Fast Fact: Lists watching horror movies and play-ing the piano among his hobbies.

TONY STEWARTNo. 5 Delphi Chevrolet

Hometown: Columbus, Ind.Born: May 20, 1971Team: JR MotorsportsCrew Chief: Brian CampeBest LMS Finish: 3rd – October 1997Fast Fact: His new home, under construction nearColumbus, Ind., includes a giant aquarium and hasbowling lanes in the basement.

ERIK DARNELLNo. 6 Northern Tool + Equipment Ford

Hometown: Beach Park, Ill.Born: Dec. 2, 1982Team: Roush Fenway RacingCrew Chief: Mike KelleyBest LMS Finish: RookieFast Fact: Grandson of legendary USAC stock cardriver Bay Darnell.

Photos by Harold Hinson Photography118

REED SORENSONNo. 10 Dollar General Toyota

Hometown: Peachtree City, Ga.Born: Feb. 5, 1986Team: Braun RacingCrew Chief: Stewart CooperBest LMS Finish: 5th – May 2005Fast Fact: Claimed 84 victories and 168 top-10 finishes in 183 Legends Car feature starts.

JUSTIN ALLGAIERNo. 12 Verizon Wireless Dodge

Hometown: Riverton, Ill.Born: June 6, 1986Team: Penske RacingCrew Chief: Chad WalterBest LMS Finish: 14th – May 2009Fast Fact: Broke Frank Kimmel’s string of eightconsecutive championships when he claimed the2008 ARCA RE/MAX Series title.

MICHAEL ANNETTNo. 15 Pilot Travel Centers Toyota

Hometown: Des Moines, IowaBorn: June 23, 1986Team: Germain RacingCrew Chief: Mike Hillman Sr.Best LMS Finish: 39th – May 2009Fast Fact: Was the Most Improved Player for theWaterloo Black Hawks in the United States HockeyLeague in 2004.

Photos by Harold Hinson Photography and courtesy Braun Racing120

MATT KENSETHNo. 16 CitiFinancial Ford

Hometown: Cambridge, Wis.Born: March 10, 1972Team: Roush Fenway RacingCrew Chief: Eddie PardueBest LMS Finish: 1st – October 2000 & May 2003Fast Fact: His 16-year-old son, Ross, is a risingstar in the Wisconsin late-model ranks.

RICKY STENHOUSE JR.No. 17 Roush Fenway Racing Ford

Hometown: Olive Branch, Miss.Born: Oct. 2, 1987Team: Roush Fenway RacingCrew Chief: Matt PucciaBest LMS Finish: RookieFast Fact: Formerly drove USAC midgets andsprint cars owned by Tony Stewart.

KYLE BUSCHNo. 18 Z-Line Designs Toyota

Hometown: Las Vegas, Nev.Born: May 2, 1985Team: Joe GibbsCrew Chief: Jason RatcliffBest LMS Finish: 1st – May 2004, 2005, 2008 &October 2008Fast Fact: Tied Sam Ard’s 1983 record for mostvictories (10) in a season while driving for threedifferent teams in 2008.


JOEY LOGANONo. 20 GameStop Toyota

Hometown: Middletown, Conn.Born: May 24, 1990Team: Joe Gibbs RacingCrew Chief: Dave RogersBest LMS Finish: 5th – May 2009Fast Fact: Won the 2007 NASCAR Toyota All-StarShowdown, a season-ending, non-points specialevent, at California’s Irwindale Speedway.

KEN BUTLERNo. 23 Aaron’s Outdoors/Mossy Oak BrandChevrolet

Hometown: Lilburn, Ga.Born: May 2, 1982Team: R3 MotorsportsCrew Chief: Steve PlattenbergerBest LMS Finish: RookieFast Fact: A two-time letterman for the ParkviewHigh School football team, which went undefeatedhis senior year and captured the 5-A Georgia StateChampionship.

ERIC McCLURENo. 24 Hefty Ford

Hometown: Chilhowie, Va.Born: Dec. 11, 1978Team: Rensi/Hamilton RacingCrew Chief: Chris WrightBest LMS Finish: 19th – May 2009Fast Fact: Graduated from Emory & Henry Univer-sity with a degree in Mass Communications.


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MICHAEL McDOWELLNo. 26 K-Automotive Dodge

Hometown: Phoenix, Ariz.Born: Dec. 21, 1984Team: K AutomotiveCrew Chief: Bob KeselowskiBest LMS Finish: 20th – May 2009Fast Fact: Won seven races en route to the 2004Star Mazda Series championship for single-seat,open-wheel cars.

JASON KELLERNo. 27 Kleenex Racing/Bi-Lo Ford

Hometown: Greenville, S.C.Born: May 23, 1970Team: Baker-Curb RacingCrew Chief: Todd GordonBest LMS Finish: 2nd – October 2001Fast Fact: Posted seven consecutive top-10 fin-ishes in Nationwide Series points between 1999and 2005.

KENNY WALLACENo. 28 U.S. Border Patrol Chevrolet

Hometown: St. Louis, Mo.Born: Aug. 23, 1963Team: Jay Robinson RacingCrew Chief: Jay RobinsonBest LMS Finish: 7th – October 1991Fast Fact: His father was a very successfulshort-track racer in the Midwest, giving birth tothe family’s racing tradition.


STEPHEN LEICHTNo. 29 Holiday Inn/Holiday Inn Express Chevrolet

Hometown: Asheville, N.C.Born: Jan. 9, 1987Team: Richard Childress RacingCrew Chief: Doug RandolphBest LMS Finish: 10th – May 2007Fast Fact: Family formerly owned and operatedNew Asheville Speedway, a one-third-mile racetrack in Asheville, N.C.

BRIAN VICKERSNo. 32 Dollar General Toyota

Hometown: Thomasville, N.C.Born: Oct. 24, 1983Team: Braun RacingCrew Chief: Trent OwensBest LMS Finish: 3rd – October 2008Fast Fact: Used money he saved from his al-lowance to purchase his first yard-kart at age 8.

RYAN NEWMANNo. 33 Hungry-Man Chevrolet

Hometown: South Bend, Ind.Born: Dec. 8, 1977Team: Kevin Harvick, Inc.Crew Chief: Ernie CopeBest LMS Finish: 1st – October 2005Fast Fact: Won two races en route to the 1999USAC Silver Crown championship.


In 2008, SCC awarded more than $3.4 million to over 420 organizations. Our local chapters are partners in change, working with a broad range of people and organizations to identify and resolve pressing issues dealing with children in their communities.

Who We AreThe mission of Speedway Children’s Charities remains true to the ideals it was founded upon in 1982: To care for children in educational, financial, social and medical need in order to help them lead productive lives.

SCC provides funding for hundreds of non-profit organizations throughout the nation that meet the direct needs of children. Our vision is that every child has the same opportunities no matter what obstacle they are facing.

Our StorySpeedway Children’s Charities (SCC) was founded by Bruton Smith, Chairman of Speedway Motorsports and Sonic Automotive, as a memoriam and legacy to his son, Bruton Cameron Smith, who passed away at a very young age.

SCC went national in 1982, and throughout the years has grown to funding thousands of organizations nationwide that help children directly with everything from educational support to the basic need of a coat or a simple meal.

You Can Get Involved!Speedway Children’s Charities relies on our enthusiastic team of volunteers to help at events, in the office, or in any variety of different ways. We have a volunteer position for every skill, every interest and every time commitment and we can accommodate individual volunteers as well as groups of all sizes and ages.

In addition to volunteering efforts, monetary donations are always welcomed and put to good use.

Ensuring every child in need is given the tools to build

a better, brighter and healthy future.

For more information contact:Amanda L. Hollingsworth

Charlotte Chapter - Director704.455.4426

[email protected]

To learn more about Speedway Children’s Charities, please visit www.charlotte.speedwaycharities.org

TONY RAINESNo. 34 Long John Silver’s Chevrolet

Hometown: LaPorte, Ind.Born: April 14, 1964Team: Front Row MotorsportsCrew Chief: Scott EgglestonBest LMS Finish: 11th – October 2002Fast Fact: Graduated from Southwestern MichiganCollege in 1984 with a degree in aviation.

JASON LEFFLERNo. 38 Great Clips Toyota

Hometown: Long Beach, Calif.Born: Sept. 16, 1975Team: Braun RacingCrew Chief: Scott ZipadelliBest LMS Finish: 4th – May 2004Fast Fact: Only driver to win three consecutiveUSAC midget championships (1997-1999).

SCOTT WIMMERNo. 40 Westerman Companies Chevrolet

Hometown: Wausau, Wis.Born: Jan. 26, 1976Team: Key MotorsportsCrew Chief: Gary ShowalterBest LMS Finish: 9th – May 2007Fast Fact: Started racing three-wheelers in 1984and finished second in the 1985 National AmateurOff-Road Championship.


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MARK GREENNo. 49 Get More Vactions.com Chevrolet

Hometown: Owensboro, Ky.Born: April 8, 1959Team: Jay Robinson RacingCrew Chief: Curtis AldridgeBest LMS Finish: 5th – October 1997Fast Fact: Claimed three consecutive (1991-1993)late model track championships at Beech BendRaceway Park in Bowling Green, Ky.

CARL EDWARDSNo. 60 Scotts Ortho Ford

Hometown: Columbia, Mo.Born: Aug. 15, 1979Team: Roush Fenway RacingCrew Chief: Dan StillmanBest LMS Finish: 1st – May 2006Fast Fact: Owns his own record label – Back 40Records – and is a self-taught guitarist.

MATT CARTERNo. 61 Specialty Racing Ford

Hometown: Denver, N.C.Born: May 13, 1981Team: Specialty RacingCrew Chief: Doug TaylorBest LMS Finish: RookieFast Fact: Son of former NASCAR Sprint Cup Seriescar owner and crew chief Travis Carter.


That’s the call to increased productivity. You’ll hear it at speedways around the racing circuit as New Holland tractors work to keep tracks and grounds in top condition. Speedway maintenance

crews rely on New Holland performance, reliability and trusted parts and service support — and so can you. Before the next race, visit your New Holland dealer or www.whyblueisbetter.com

to see which New Holland tractor is right for you.

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© 2008 CNH America LLC. New Holland is a registered trademark of CNH America LLC. Any trademarks referred to herein, in association with goods and/or services of companies other than CNH America LLC, are the property of those respective companies.

Official tractors of Lowe’s® Motor Speedway.

BRENDAN GAUGHANNo. 62 South Point Hotel & Casino Chevrolet

Hometown: Las Vegas, Nev.Born: July 10, 1975Team: Rusty Wallace, Inc.Crew Chief: Wes WardBest LMS Finish: 2nd – May 2009Fast Fact: Played football and basketball atGeorgetown University, earning all-conferencehonors in football and two Big East titles in bas-ketball.

STEVE WALLACENo. 66 5-Hour Energy Chevrolet

Hometown: Charlotte, N.C.Born: Aug. 18, 1987Team: Rusty Wallace, Inc.Crew Chief: Trip BruceBest LMS Finish: 17th – May 2009Fast Fact: 2004 winner of the Snowball Derby, oneof the nation’s most prestigious short-track events.

JOE NEMECHEKNo. 87 NEMCO Motorsports Toyota

Hometown: Lakeland, Fla.Born: Sept. 26, 1963Team: NEMCO MotorsportsCrew Chief: Mike BoerschingerBest LMS Finish: 1st – May 1997Fast Fact: Studied mechanical engineering at theFlorida Institute of Technology before turning toracing full-time.


BRAD KESELOWSKINo. 88 Hellmann’s Fan of Year Chevrolet

Hometown: Rochester Hills, Mich.Born: Feb. 12, 1984Team: JR MotorsportsCrew Chief: Tony EuryBest LMS Finish: 3rd – May 2008Fast Fact: An avid fan of the University of Michiganfootball team.

MORGAN SHEPHERDNo. 89 Lagina Plumbing/Eldora SpeedwayChevrolet

Hometown: Conover, N.C.Born: Oct. 12, 1941Team: Faith MotorsportsCrew Chief: Morris Van VleetBest LMS Finish: 1st – May 1978 & May 1981Fast Fact: His racing career began when he usedhis souped-up moonshine car to earn extra moneyon the weekends.

DAVID REUTIMANNNo. 99 Lowes Foods Toyota

Hometown: Zephyrhills, Fla.Born: March 2, 1970Team: Michael Waltrip RacingCrew Chief: Jerry BaxterBest LMS Finish: 11th – May 2008Fast Fact: Finished second to champion Carl Edwards in the 2007 NASCAR Nationwide Seriestitle chase.


Year Race Winner Start Pole Winner 2008 Kyle Busch 16 Jamie McMurray 2007 Jeff Burton 13 Greg Biffle 2006 Dave Blaney 23 Carl Edwards 2005 Ryan Newman 2 Jimmie Johnson 2004 Mike Bliss 7 Casey Mears 2003 Greg Biffle 4 Kevin Harvick 2002 Jeff Burton 2 Michael Waltrip 2001 Greg Biffle 3 Jeff Burton 2000 Matt Kenseth 1 Matt Kenseth 1999 Michael Waltrip 31 Matt Kenseth 1998 Mike McLaughlin 3 Dave Blaney 1997 Jimmy Spencer 4 Joe Nemechek 1996 Mark Martin 2 Bobby Labonte 1995 Mark Martin 3 Bobby Dotter 1994 Terry Labonte 16 Mark Martin 1993 Mark Martin 5 Bobby Dotter 1992 Jeff Gordon 1 Jeff Gordon 1991 Harry Gant 33 Ward Burton 1990 Sterling Marlin 32 None – Weather 1989 Rob Moroso 4 Michael Waltrip 1988 Rob Moroso 13 Harry Gant 1987 Harry Gant 1 Harry Gant 1986 Dale Earnhardt 1 Dale Earnhardt 1985 Terry Labonte 14 Geoffrey Bodine 1984 Darrell Waltrip 6 Tim Richmond 1983 Sam Ard 10 Larry Pearson 1982 Darrell Waltrip 3 Phil Parsons 1981 Gary Balough 5 Jody Ridley 1980 Dave Marcis 1 Dave Marcis 1979 Darrell Waltrip 1 Darrell Waltrip 1978 Bobby Allison 3 Darrell Waltrip 1977 Darrell Waltrip 1 Darrell Waltrip 1976 Ray Hendrick 4 L.D. Ottinger 1975 Ray Hendrick 4 L.D. Ottinger 1974 Bobby Allison 1 Bobby Allison 1973 Bobby Allison 1 Bobby Allison

138HHP Photo by Harold Hinson

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If you experience double vision during Friday night’sDollar General 300, there’s no reason to panic. The uniquecondition will be the result of the twin Dollar GeneralToyotas that Brian Vickers and Reed Sorenson will drive inthe NASCAR Nationwide Series race.

This weekend, however, the Nos. 32 and 10 BraunRacing Toyota Camrys are not sporting their familiar black-and-yellow Dollar General paint schemes as they “go pink”in support of fellow Dollar General spokesperson andIndyCar Series driver Sarah Fisher and Susan G. Komen forthe Cure®.

Fisher, who is serving as a grand marshal for Fridaynight’s race, drove her own pink Dollar General car in theOct. 10 IndyCar Series race at Homestead-MiamiSpeedway in support of Susan G. Komen for the Cure, theleader in the global breast cancer movement.

Vickers, the 2003 NASCAR Nationwide Serieschampion, joined Braun Racing in 2007 as part of a star-studded cast behind the wheel of the Nos. 32 and 10Toyotas.

Last season, Vickers recorded eight top-10 finishes injust 12 starts and earned Braun Racing two Coors LightPole Awards. This season, he posted nine top-10 finishes inhis first 13 starts with crew chief Trent Owens calling theshots.

“I really enjoy racing on the speedway tracks,” saidVickers, who also drives the No. 83 Red Bull Toyota in the

NASCAR Sprint Cup Series and is among the Chasecontenders. “The Dollar General team has done a great jobthis year with these Toyotas. We have come close to somewins this season and had one of the cars to beat here atLowe’s Motor Speedway in May.

“I think we have a great chance of putting the No. 32Dollar General Toyota in victory lane. It would be an honorand a privilege to win in front of the Dollar General gueststhat are with us this weekend and while we are supportingSarah and Susan G. Komen for the Cure.”

In addition to his driving duties behind the wheel ofRichard Petty Motorsports’ famous No. 43, Sorenson hasjoined the group of drivers in the Dollar General Toyotas. Hedebuted in the No. 32 Camry earlier this season at GatewayInternational Raceway where he tied the record-setting poleposition time and drove to a second-place finish.

This weekend marks his second start with BraunRacing, this time in the No. 10 Dollar General car withStewart Cooper serving as his crew chief.

“I am really excited to be back with Braun Racing andDollar General,” said Sorenson. “It is also very cool to besupporting the Susan G. Komen for the Cure. It’s a greatcause and I’ve worked with them in the past. I can’t imaginea better way to celebrate than by putting the No. 10 DollarGeneral Toyota in victory lane this weekend at Lowe’sMotor Speedway.”

BRIAN VICKERSNationwide Series Stats(As of Sept. 14, 2009)

Career Starts: 105Best Finish: 1st (3 times)Best Points Finish: 1st (2003)LMS Starts: 8Best LMS Finish: 3rd (Oct. 2008)

REED SORENSONNationwide Series Stats(As of Sept. 14, 2009)

Career Starts: 99Best Finish: 1st (3 times)Best Points Finish: 4th (2005)LMS Starts: 6Best LMS Finish: 5th (May 2005)

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The NASCAR Banking 500 only from Bank of Americabrings down the curtain on the 50th season of NASCARracing at Lowe’s Motor Speedway.

From Joe Lee Johnson’s victory in the inaugural Coca-Cola 600 to David Reutimann’s first NASCAR Sprint CupSeries win on a soggy Monday in May, memories are whatmake Lowe’s Motor Speedway an important part ofNASCAR history.

The best way to tell the story of the magnificent facilityis to share those memories and several NASCAR driverswere willing to do just that.

“I love this race track,” said Mark Martin, who has 13victories on the 1.5-mile oval. “The first time I raced atLowe's, in 1982, I thought it was just like the track I wasused to running on at home. Just like the quarter-milebanked track I ran on all the time – except a lot bigger. Iwas really comfortable on the track instantly. It had everycharacteristic that the quarter- and half-mile tracks did that Iwas used to running on in the Midwest. It was just aninstant level of comfort for me. And I've liked it ever since.”

Martin’s victory in the 2002 Coca-Cola 600 stands outas one of the biggest moments of his career.

“That race was just so special to me,” Martin explained.

“At my museum, in Batesville, Ark., I have that pictureblown up pretty big from Victory Lane that night. My familyis in there with me, and the team and everyone is just sohappy. That's what winning means to me – seeing the facesof all the crew guys and watching them celebrate their hardwork. That win just really stands out to me. It was animportant one, and I'm reminded of it every time I see that picture.”

Dale Earnhardt Jr., NASCAR’s first third-generationchampion, is a student of auto-racing history and the driverof the No. 88 Chevrolet is intrigued by the speedway’s early years.

“The way itstarted out was sointeresting andcumbersome. Theway they hadproblems financiallyand how they kind ofrebounded and madeit work,” Earnhardt Jr.said. “You wouldn’thave that opportunity

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today to fail for so many years and struggle for so manyyears. Today, you wouldn’t get the opportunity to recoverlike they did.”

Earnhardt Jr. literally grew up watching his father raceat Lowe’s Motor Speedway and to him the track is muchmore than just another stop on the circuit.

“I just love it because it’s in our backyard. It’s abeautiful facility and they’re always trying to improve andmake a great experience for the fans. I’m really proud of itas an individual from the area. It’s a proud part of the regionand it’s a place where I enjoyed watching a lot of races as akid and I’ve enjoyed running a lot of races there.

“Everything ‘Humpy’ (Wheeler) did for the place andeverything Bruton (Smith) has done for it, and the futurelooks great for it. They’ve got a lot of accomplishments tobe really proud of at that facility.”

Even though he has yet to achieve the level of successhe’s enjoyed at several other tracks, Kyle Busch calls

Lowe’s Motor Speedway hisfavorite track.

“Charlotte is my favoriterace track for a lot of reasons,”Busch said. “Growing upwatching races on TV, I lovedwatching the All-Star Raceunder the lights and the 600with all the sparks flying and allthe guys going after hard-fought, hard-racing wins.

“The Nationwide Series hasbeen good to me there. TheTruck Series has been prettygood to me there, too. But aCup Series win has eluded me.

I think I’ve onlyfinished three racesthere withoutwrecking or havingsomethinghappen.”

Ryan Newmanhas claimed eightNASCAR SprintCup poles atLowe’s MotorSpeedway and iswell aware of howimportant it is tofinally visit Victory Lane at the 1.5-mile track.

“It’s Charlotte. There’s no home field advantage, but it’sthe home field. It’s a place that we all try to shine,” saidNewman. “There are a lot of great drivers that have wonthere and joining that list is what we all search for.

“I really enjoy the race track,” Newman added. I've

always said I really enjoy banked race tracks and this is oneof the best and fastest banked race tracks out there. I'vealways told my crew chief, whoever it is at the time, if yougive me a straight arrow, I'll shoot it straight. But don'texpect me to shoot a crooked arrow to the pole. Andthey've done a very good job for me.”

Tony Stewart,who won theNASCAR Sprint All-Star Race inMay and capturedthe NASCARBanking 500 in2003, says aLowe’s MotorSpeedway victorycomes withsomething that cannot be earned atany other track.

“It’s bragging rights for everybody in the Cup Seriesbecause this is where everybody’s homes are,” Stewartexplained. “If you win there you have those bragging rightsfor the whole year. It’s not like going to Indy or Daytonawhere you have bragging rights, it’s different when it’shome and it’s the home track for everybody.”

Matt Kenseth is among eight drivers who posted theirfirst NASCAR Sprint Cup Series victory at Lowe’s MotorSpeedway.

“Charlotte’s been a special place for me,” Kensethnoted. “I ran my first Busch (now Nationwide) Series racethere and won my first Cup race there; and we won the All-Star Race there one year. It’s always been a fun track and Ithink we’ve got more miles there than at any other Cup track.”

One of Carl Edwards’ fondest memories of Lowe’sMotor Speedway took place long before he ever turned awheel on the track.

“The first time I went there I was standing on thebackstretch with Ken Schrader and my dad, and they wereputting in the tunnel,” Edwards recalled. “We stood up onthe race track and I said, ‘Man it’s real narrow,’ andSchrader said, ‘You should see it at 200 mph, it really looksnarrow then.’

“It was a neat experience to see that, and then comeback and race with all the history and the intensity of the crowd.”

HHP Photos by Harold Hinson, Gregg Ellman and Alan Marler

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Lindsay Spiegel earned Lowe’s Motor Speedway’s 2008 Employee ofthe Year Award, an honor presented annually to the person who goes aboveand beyond in executing his or her responsibilities.

A native of Edinboro, Pa., Spiegel graduated in 2005 from MercyhurstCollege where she majored in sport business and minored in criminal justice.She moved to Charlotte after graduation and began working in thespeedway’s ticket office.

Spiegel eventually transferred to the guest services and logistics department where she manages the event staff, including ticket scanners,ushers, information booth personnel and the Speedway Ambassadors, for all activities at the speedway as well as zMAX Dragway and The Dirt Track @Lowe’s Motor Speedway.

“It’s a great honor to win this award,” said Spiegel. “I absolutely loveworking at Lowe’s Motor Speedway. It’s a very rewarding job, especiallyduring event time. Interacting with fans during races and making sure theyhave the best possible experience is what I enjoy the most.”

Along with the rest of the speedway’s employees, Spiegel works longhours to prepare for major events.

“Getting everything in place for races and events at the speedwayrequires so much more work than you would ever think,” Spiegel noted. “There really is a lot that goes into it from a lot of people. Everyone at thespeedway works so hard getting ready for events and it’s very rewarding togive fans an enjoyable experience.”

In recognition of her efforts, the speedway presented Spiegel with a$1,000 bonus, a reserved parking space and the keys to a Toyota Camrycompany pace car to use throughout 2009.

“Lindsay is an invaluable member of the Lowe’s Motor Speedway staff,”said Marcus Smith, president and general manager of Lowe’s MotorSpeedway. “She does everything she can to help ensure that our fans have the best possible experience when they come to an event at Lowe’s MotorSpeedway.”

Spiegel also helps ensure fans enjoy theirexperience at the speedway by heading up thespeedway’s fan council.

“The fan council is a great way for us to getfeedback from our fans,” she said. “I like beinginvolved with the council because it’s anotherway I get to interact with the fans and help tomake sure they enjoy our races.”

Unlike many that work in the motorsportsindustry, Spiegel was not a NASCAR fan prior tostarting her career. In fact, she had never watcheda race on television, much less attended one.

Now, after being fully immersed in the sport through her career, Spiegel ishappy to call herself a fan.

“I hardly knew anything about racing before I started at the speedway,”Spiegel said. “But I’ve started following NASCAR and keeping up with it. I definitely consider myself a fan now.”

Joshua Joiner graduated in May from the University of West Florida inPensacola, Fla., with a degree in public relations. He interned thissummer in the Lowe’s Motor Speedway communications department.

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The NASCR Banking 500 only from Bank of Americabrings down the curtain on Lowe’s Motor Speedway’s 50thseason and the history books are filled with statistics from ahalf century of racing.

One of those statistics reveals that eight of the 42drivers to win a NASCAR Sprint Cup Series points race atLMS were making their first visits to victory lane inNASCAR’s premier series.

Four of the eight first-time winners went on to win atleast one championship and another was included amongNASCAR’s 50 Greatest Drivers.

David Pearson – 1961 Coca-Cola 600David Pearson led the final 129 laps and crossed the finishline in a shower of sparks as he scored a stunning upset inhis 31st career start. Without a ride early in the week,Pearson was a last-minute pick to drive Ray Fox’s Pontiac.He started third, avoided numerous accidents and wascruising to the checkered flag when his right-rear tire blewwith two laps remaining. Pearson limped home on threetires and still finished more than two laps ahead of FireballRoberts.

Buddy Baker – 1967 NASCAR Banking 500Hometown heroBuddy Bakerstopped RichardPetty’s win streakat 10 when hewheeled Ray Fox’sDodge to victory inthe eighth runningof the fall classic.Baker, son of two-time NASCARchampion BuckBaker, drovearound CaleYarborough on lap257 and paced thefinal 78 tripsaround the 1.5-miletrack en route tohis first victory in215 career starts.

Photos by HHP/Harold Hinson and from LMS Archives

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Jeff Gordon – 1994 Coca-Cola 600Twenty-two-year-old JeffGordon surprisedeveryone by posting hisfirst NASCAR Sprint CupSeries victory in his 42ndcareer start. Gordon’swin was the result of alate-race decision bycrew chief RayEvernham to take twotires instead of four onthe team’s final pit stop.The bold move putGordon in the lead overRusty Wallace, who haddominated the closinglaps, and he held on foran emotional victory.

Bobby Labonte – 1995 Coca-Cola 600Bobby Labonte led olderbrother Terry under thecheckered flag in a racethat saw 32 leadchanges among 12drivers and was thefastest Coca-Cola 600to date. Labonte startedsecond and was incontention throughoutthe race which wasdominated by KenSchrader. But whenSchrader’s engine blew,Labonte took the leadon lap 358 and went onto his first NASCARSprint Cup Series victoryin 74 career starts.

Matt Kenseth – 2000 Coca-Cola 600Matt Kenseth, whohoned his racing skillson the tough shorttracks of Wisconsin,scored his firstNASCAR Sprint CupSeries victory in his18th career start.Bobby Labonteemerged from the pitswith the lead on lap366 following the race’sseventh and finalcaution period. But the1995 Coca-Cola 600winner was no match

for Kenseth, who charged past nine laps later and went onto the checkered flag.

Jamie McMurray – 2002 NASCAR Banking 500Substituting for theinjured Sterling Marlinin Chip GanassiRacing’s No. 40Dodge, JamieMcMurray shocked theracing world by winningin just his secondNASCAR Sprint CupSeries start. The Joplin,Mo., native led fourtimes for 96 of the 334laps, including the final31 trips around the 1.5-mile oval.

Casey Mears – 2007 Coca-Cola 600Crew chiefDarian Grubb’sfuel-mileagegamblepropelledCasey Mears tohis firstNASCAR SprintCup Seriesvictory in 156starts. Theeventual top-five finishers allstayed on the

track while the front-runners pitted for splashes of gasduring the final 10 laps. Grubb and Mears believed theycould finish the race without visiting pit road, but they cut itvery close as the No. 25 ran out of gas moments aftertaking the checkered flag.

David Reutimann – 2009 Coca-Cola 600David Reutimanndidn’t let foulweather rain onhis parade as theZephyrhills, Fla.,resident recordedhis first NASCARSprint Cup Seriesvictory in his 75thstart. In a racethat was delayeda day by rain andthen plagued bysporadicshowers, crewchief RodneyChilders’ decisionnot to pit on a lap 222 caution flag was the key to victory.Reutimann stayed on the track while several other driversvisited pit road and only five more laps were run behind thepace car before rain ended the race after just 340.5 miles.

Carolinas Medical Center (CMC) is proud to be a partnerof Lowe’s Motor Speedway and an active supporter of autoracing.

With the new NASCAR Hall of Fame on track for openingin 2010, Charlotte has gained distinction as the destination forracing fans nationwide. CMC is privileged to provide excellentcare to those who visit the Charlotte area for race-relatedactivities, as well as those who reside here year-round.

Should you require first aid or medical assistance duringyour track visit, look for the teal blue “tree of life” logo onCMC’s vehicles and aid stations. You’ll also see the tree of lifelogo proudly displayed on our renowned MedCenter Air heli-copters, which provide immediate lifesaving capability forfans and drivers alike.

All of these services are linked to the main campus ofCarolinas Medical Center in downtown Charlotte, which hasthe region’s only Level I trauma center. Other nearby facilitiesproviding outstanding patient care include CMC-NorthEast, a457-bed hospital in nearby Concord, and CMC-University, a130-bed hospital located just a few miles away.

Carolinas Medical Center is an 874-bed flagship facilitythat draws patients from all over the region for cancertreatment, cardiac care, spinal and brain surgery, orthopediccare, fertility treatments, and many other forms of specializedtreatment.

CMC is also an active research center and an “academicmedical center teaching hospital.” This means that patients areseen on a daily basis by physicians who have ready access tothe latest information, clinical trial results and treatments.

The Carolinas Physicians Network and the NortheastPhysician Network serve hundreds of thousands of patients inNorth and South Carolina. The networks comprise more than200 care locations, from small family medicine practices tolarge specialty centers like the Sanger Clinic, a nationallyknown organization for heart and vascular care.

CMC is also home to the 234-bed Levine Children’sHospital, one of the most sophisticated medical centers of itstype anywhere in the country.

Levine offers more than 30 specialties and sub-special-ties, including neonatal care for extremely premature infants,cancer treatment, pediatric bone marrow and stem cell trans-plants, organ transplants, internal medicine, pediatric heartcare and pediatric neurosurgery.

Named in honor of Sandra and Leon Levine (Leon Levinefounded Family Dollar stores.), the hospital was built with theaid of more than $66 million in community philanthropy. Thisincluded generous support from Speedway Children’sCharities and NASCAR’s Linda and Rick Hendrick, whocreated the “Ricky Hendrick Centers for Intensive Care” tohonor their late son Ricky.

The children’s hospital at CMC-NorthEast is named inhonor of NASCAR driver Jeff Gordon, as a result of hispersonal philanthropy and passion for children’s healthcare.The 28-bed Jeff Gordon Children’s Hospital offers compre-hensive services to families in Concord and surroundingcommunities.

Ray Jones is director of public relations for Carolinas HealthCare System.

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Tickets are on sale now for a thrilling ride through the past, present and future of NASCAR® at the new NASCAR Hall of Fame® in Charlotte, NC. And, if you purchase a charter membership before December 31, 2009, you’ll be entered into the

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NASCAR® and NASCAR Hall of Fame® are registered trademarks of the National Association of Stock Car Auto Racing, Inc. ©2009. Motorsports Images and Archives. Getty Images. Used with permission. NO PURCHASE NECESSARY. Open to legal U.S. residents (except residents of Puerto Rico and other U.S. territories and possessions), who have reached the age of majority in their state of residency (age 18, except 19 in AL and NE, 21 in MS) as of the starting date of the sweepstakes. Sweepstakes ends on 12/31/09. For complete details, see the Official Rules of Play at www.NASCARHall.com. Sweepstakes void where prohibited. Sponsor: NASCAR Hall of Fame, 400 E. Martin Luther King Jr. Blvd., Charlotte, NC 28202.

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Next May, the two weekends of NASCAR racing atLowe’s Motor Speedway will have company.

The NASCAR Hall of Fame is on track to open in May2010 in time for the NASCAR Sprint All-Star Race andCoca-Cola 600.

Groundbreaking ceremonies for the $154.5-million Hallof Fame were held in January 2007 and construction beganin May 2007. Grand-opening festivities are scheduled forMay 11, 2010, 11 days prior to the 26th running of theNASCAR Sprint All-Star Race at Lowe’s Motor Speedway.

A drive past the Hall of Fame in uptown Charlottereveals a nearly complete building façade. Exhibit themesand interior layouts are also nearing completion. Whenfinished, there will be approximately 40,000 square feet ofexhibit space showcasing the history and heritage ofNASCAR.

The induction of the Hall’s inaugural five-member classis expected to coincide with activities leading up to theNASCAR Sprint All-Star Race and tickets for the inductionceremony will be available in the coming weeks.

More than simply a place to recognize leaders andheroes of the sport, the NASCAR Hall of Fame will alsoprovide fans insight into the sport – its history and creativeillustrations of what takes place on race weekends at tracksacross the country.

Among the Hall of Fame’s planned features:

Full Throttle Theater: A 270-seat state-of-the-art theaterfeaturing an informational film about the history of NASCAR.It will also be available for after-hours group rentals.

The Great Hall: Large, open greeting area just inside themain entrance which will include rotating displays, videoscenes and graphics.

Glory Road: A banked ramp leading to the second floor ofthe facility featuring 15 to 18 historic cars and highlighting40 current and historic tracks.

Hall of Honor: Space where NASCAR Hall of Fameinductees will be honored.

NASCAR Vault: Glass-enclosed section of the facilityhousing historic NASCAR artifacts.

A Week in the Life: A behind-the-scenes look at what aNASCAR team and the NASCAR industry go through toprepare a car for race day.

Transporter Simulator: A full-size transporter, givingvisitors a first-hand look at the team’s nerve center at therace track.

Heritage Speedway: Individual galleries telling the story ofNASCAR's history.

Tribute Space: A memorial area where visitors can honorand reflect on heroes who have passed.

Racing Simulator: A state-of-the-art attraction that givesvisitors a race-day experience from the driver’s perspective.

The Hall of Fame also includes a restaurant, retailoutlets, television and radio studios and a NASCARNewsroom.

Race fans also have the opportunity to honor thehistory of NASCAR and participate in how the Hall honorsNASCAR’s legends.

The Hall, a non-profit organization, is selling personal-ized commemorative bricks, which will be placed inCeremonial Plaza in front of the main entrance.

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The bricks can be inscribed with acustomized message and can beenhanced with a driver likeness or ateam or track logo. Fans can alsopurchase replica bricks for display intheir home or office. Replica bricks aremade from the same material as theinstalled bricks and reflect the samepersonal messaging.

Time is running out to purchasebricks so their installation will becompleted in time for the Hall’s grandopening. After installation, a locator mapwill be provided to assist fans in locatingthe bricks.

For information on the NASCAR Hallof Fame’s commemorative brickprogram, call 1-888-643-2757.

Leading the effort to fill the NASCARHall of Fame with memories and artifacts is a familiar nameto racing fans – Winston Kelley, the Hall’s executive directorand an announcer for Motor Racing Network for over 20years.

“It’s truly a dream job for me. I actually started dabblingin racing in 1981, but I grew up in a racing family. I've nevernot known racing. I know that's not great English, but myfather was involved in racing from before I was even born,”Kelley said.

“It’s our job as stewards of the resources that we’vebeen given to make the Charlotte region proud of this.”

Kelley will continue his work with MRN in addition to hisposition with the Hall.

“We hope that will continueto be complementary with thecommunity and NASCAR. DavidHyatt, our (MRN’s) president andgeneral manager, is very support-ive of this,” Kelley said.

The Hall is just onecomponent of the NASCAR Hallof Fame Complex, located inuptown Charlotte, adjacent to theCharlotte Convention Center. Thecomplex also includes:

Convention CenterExpansion/New Ballroom: A102,000-square-foot expansion tothe Convention Center, includinga new 40,000-square-footballroom with seating capacity of

2,400 banquet style and over 4,200 theater style.

NASCAR Plaza Office Tower: A 390,000-square-foot, 19-story office building developed by Lauth Properties andNASCAR. NASCAR and NASCAR Images will be theprimary tenants and the tower includes studios to beoperated by NASCAR Images.

Parking Garage: Spaces for over 1,000 vehicles.

The Hall of Fame is owned by the City of Charlotte andoperated by the Charlotte Regional Visitors Authority.

Jim Utter covers NASCAR for The Charlotte Observerand ThatsRacin.com.

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I took my son to his first race in October2006. The sight of a 6-year-old seeinghis favorite driver, Greg Biffle, on the bigscreen is something that will always bewith me.

Cyndi Taylor

Throughout Lowe’s MotorSpeedway’s 50th year of NASCARracing, fans from across thecountry and around the world havebeen asked to share their memoriesof the legendary auto-racing facility.

And from their responses, it isobvious the 1.5-mile track is aboutmuch more than just statistics. It’sabout individual memories, thatspecial race-weekend experienceeach person will cherish for the restof their life.

A sampling of those memoriesfans shared through Twitter andFacebook follows:

Lowe’s is the ultimate place for race fans.

Have been there many times and we are

going back in October!

Lynn Garner

I've been to many 500s at Lowe's, but

the most special was October 2006

when I took my boyfriend to his first

race. We are now engaged.

Amanda Hood

I was sitting in Turn 1 at the 1989

Winston and got to see Rusty give ole

D.W. a little nudge in Turns 3 and 4 to

send him spinning into the grass. That

was my 2nd race. First one was the ’87

Coke 600…nothing but great memories!

Stuart Senecal

2003. The year that it rained so much

and we were stuck on a bus we took

from the hotel to the track for over 5

hours. Some guys got off the bus, ran to

a food mart and brought enough cold beer

back for everyone. What a party!

Kelly Green

I met my husband there in May of

2006 and we got married 6 months

later. He was from Ohio and I am from

Virginia. We have been happily married

almost 3 years and now live in Virginia.

Shannon Kunkemoeller

Having the great fortune of being able tosee Tony Stewart win the 2009 SprintAll-Star Race in his first year as anowner-driver! And by the way, a badday at the track is way better than agood day at work!

Lisa Johnson

I have a lot of memories from Lowe's,but the one that sticks in my mind iswhen my good friend, Tad Segars, flippedhis Thunder Car across the start/finishline during the 2008 All-Star weekend.He purchased the car on Friday andtotaled it on Saturday.

Carlisle McNair

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My boyfriend and I attended this year’sCoke 600. It was my first May raceand our first race together, so everythingwas a favorite memory, especially thecookout on the track. That was awesome!It felt really cool to be part of somethingso special.

Sue Lumbra

This May’s Sprint All-Star Race. I met

the King, Richard Petty. I've got a

picture and everything. He was so nice!

Marcia Kingsland

Watching Jamie McMurray hold o

ff

Bobby Labonte for his first

career Sprint

Cup win while filling in for Sterling

Marlin. A great battle at the finish

, and I

loved how all the fans surrounding

me in

the stands were clueless a

s to who

McMurray was.Jeff Cunningham

I still get goose bumps when I think backabout the pass in the grass. I don't thinkanything will ever top that No. 3.Sarah Elizabeth Hogan

Last year, my 8-year-old granddaughterwent to her first race at Lowe’s. The lookon her face was priceless.

Sharon Hart

The Sprint All-Star Race weekend hasbrought my family together for the pastfew years. We all live in different placesin Tennessee, but we all gather and headto the All- Star race as a family. I havea lot of great family memories from those trips.

Justin Holt

My first race in person was the October

Nationwide race in 1984. Sitting in Turn

1, it was lap two when it hit me – full

field, full speed, full sound, smell of

burning fuel and the concussion wave of

the draft. I am hooked for life.

Guy Peters

It has to be seeing the black No. 3 backon the track in 2003. Even though itwas Richard Childress behind the wheel,we all knew the Intimidator waswatching over us with that smirk on his face. I had tears – a moment I willnever forget.

Brad Shea

It was my 5-year-old’s first time to

LMS this year during the All-Star Race.

I have never seen her cheer like that

before. It made me so proud to be

her father.

Rick Reeves

When I got to meet the Hendrick

Motorsports drivers during the

meet and

greet at the Coca-Cola 600. It was the

best day ever.Christine Crymes

Photos by HHP/Harold Hinson, HHP/Rusty Burroughs and from LMS Archives

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I loved getting a little taste of Hollywood

at the speedway during the world

premiere of “CARS” in 2006. Fun

event, even in the rain!

Robert Stewart

If you really love Lowe's Motor

Speedway, you should join The Speedway

Club. We joined about 6 or 7 years ago,

and I wouldn't change a thing. We

absolutely love Charlotte. The people are

so friendly and the racing in awesome!

Gail Plesea

Every time I go to Lowe’s, I havesomething to remember. I work for LevyRestaurants in the main kitchen and justlove it. I love all of the chefs that I workwith and all of the other Levy employees.We are all one big happy family!

Robin Carr

My favorite moment was when Kasey

Kahne won the Sprint All-Star Race

in 2008 after being voted in by the

fans, and then coming back the next

week to win the Coca-Cola 600.

Absolutely amazing!

Jeannie Sweitzer

When we attacked the Taliban in 2001

and President Bush came on TV and

delayed the race to make the announce-

ment. I'm a soldier, so it meant a lot to

me. I eventually did a tour in Iraq and

I’m still serving here in Columbia, S.C.

Russell Hammond

I was on the roof of The Speedway Club

with a group that included four Russian

military officers when four F-16s came

over the rim of the grandstands for the

flyover. Does “shock and awe” ring a bell?

I thought they all were going to have

heart attacks.

Don Yonce

I’ll never forget meeting Terry

Labonte and

having my picture taken with him on the

charity walk as my father smiled down

from heaven. Sue Lumbra

My husband surprised me with a ride-along for my birthday, but didn't tell meabout it until we were driving into thetrack. After it was over, they had to helpme out of the car because my hands weresweating and my knees were shaking. Itwas so much fun!

Christy Martin

My fondest memory is driving on the

track last November with 24 of my

friends in our Miatas. My daughter was

in the passenger seat, laughing the entire

time and taking photos of the Corvette

Z06 we passed in Turn 2.

Charlie Roberts

My favorite moment was being able tomeet Dale Earnhardt and several otherdrivers and crew members on May 19,19 95. I have Spina Bifida and I’m in awheelchair. I was 9 years old at the timeand was preparing to undergo surgery tocorrect Scoliosis. I ’m almost 24 now andthe day I met Dale Earnhardt is still oneof the best days of my life.Jennifer Raines

DAVID.

Compact is the new big. The Toyota Tacoma’s powerful engine gives it impressive

towing capabilities, and it’s tough enough to withstand any force of nature. Visit Toyota.com.

Lowe’s Motor Speedway is best known for its three NASCAR SprintCup Series races, but each year the 1.5-mile superspeedway also hostssome of the world’s largest car shows.

Shortly after the checkered flag is waved on the Bank of America 500only from Bank of America, the speedway staff will begin preparing for theOct. 30-Nov. 1 Goodguys Southeastern Nationals and the April 8-11 FoodLion AutoFair.

Goodguys Southeastern NationalsMore than 3,000 custom and modified automobiles will fill the

track’s infield Oct. 30-Nov. 1 during the 16th annual GoodguysSoutheastern Nationals.

Each year, the spectacular gathering of automotive ingenuityfeatures one of the country’s most diverse displays of pre-1972 hot rodsand muscle cars. Spectators can view vehicles ranging from Model-AFords and Lil’ Deuce Coupes to Boss 429 Mustangs and Pontiac GTOs.

Organized by the California-based Goodguys car club, theSoutheastern Nationals includes a manufacturers’ midway, swap meet, a model car and pedal car display and a car corral with vehicles for sale.

The show kicks off Friday, Oct. 30, and the Street ChallengeAutocross, where muscle cars and hot rods compete over a timedcourse, is part of the three-day schedule.

For the first time, the Goodguys Southeastern Nationals will featurea nostalgia drag race at zMAX Dragway. Friday evening, car junkies can watch classic racers compete head-to-head on the concretequarter-mile strip.

154Photos by Brad and Heather Bowling

A highlight of the annual event comes Saturdaynight, Oct. 31, during the annual Cruise Under theLights. Spectators are invited into the grandstand asGoodguys members circle the legendary 1.5-mile ovalin their immaculate machines.

The Goodguys Southeastern Nationals concludesSunday, Nov. 1, when the owners of the top carsreceive awards and one lucky participant will be namedas a finalist for the grand prize giveaway of a Speed 33hot-rod roadster.

Event hours are 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Friday andSaturday and 8 a.m. to 3 p.m. on Sunday.

Tickets for the Oct. 30-Nov. 1 GoodguysSoutheastern Nationals can be purchased at the gateor online at www.good-guys.com. Adulttickets are $17 per day with children ages7 to 12 admitted for $6 while kids 6 andunder are free.

Tickets for the Nostalgia drag race atzMAX Dragway are $20 for adults and $6for children ages 7 to 12. Gates open at 2p.m. with elimination rounds at 7 p.m.

Food Lion AutoFairEach year more than 120,000

visitors flock to Lowe’s MotorSpeedway for the spring edition ofFood Lion AutoFair, a tradition thatcontinues April 8-11.

The spring Food Lion AutoFair,recognized as the world’s largestautomotive extravaganza, is one of twoAutoFairs held annually at thespeedway. The other takes place inSeptember.

With a car corral, a giant swapmeet, an auto auction, displays bynumerous car clubs, a manufacturers’midway and a pavilion featuring someof the world’s most unique cars, thefour-day show is an automotivecornucopia.

On Saturday and Sunday, carenthusiasts can view vehicles frommore than 50 cars clubs. The BMWClub of America, Capitol City CorvetteClub, Carolina Classic Pontiac Club,Mini Motoring Club of the Carolinas,Plymouth Owners Club, Southern

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UPCOMING EVENTS:

Goodguys Southeastern NationalsHot Rod and Muscle Car SpectacularOctober 30 - November 1

Food Lion AutoFairWorld’s Largest Automotive ExtravaganzaApril 8 - 11

Info at www.lowesmotorspeedway.com

Performance Ford Club and Southern Scouts are just a few of theorganizations planning to show their cars.

Auto collectors will have the opportunity to sell or trade theirvehicles in the car corral, an event highlight featuring more than 1,500vehicles. Hundreds of antique and classic cars will also be up for bidwhen Tom Mack conducts his popular collector car auction.

Those looking to shop can spend countless hours searching forproducts and memorabilia in the manufacturers’ midway and the giantswap meet.

For the third year, the spring Food Lion AutoFair will include aprestigious Antique Automobile Club of America National Meet. Thisportion of the show features many of the world’s most pristinevehicles, many of which are seldom displayed to the public.

The AutoFair Pavilion showcases a collection of unique vehiclesand recent displays have included a sports car crafted from wood andseveral giant creations from the Blastolene Brothers. NASCAR driverssuch as Tony Stewart and Ryan Newman have displayed their radicalrides at Food Lion AutoFair.

Adult tickets for the spring Food Lion AutoFair are available onevent days for $10 and children under 12 are admitted free whenaccompanied by an adult.

Event hours are 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. Thursday through Saturday and 8a.m. to 4 p.m. on Sunday.

Information about Lowe’s Motor Speedway’s car shows can beobtained by visiting www.lowesmotorspeedway.com.

Megan Johnson is a 2009 graduate of the University of NorthCarolina at Charlotte with a degree in communication studies.This summer she interned in the Lowe’s Motor Speedwaycommunications department.

zMAX Dragway, the Bellagio of drag strips, is offeringboth a Season-Ticket Plan and an NHRA Combo packagefor fans who don’t want to miss a second of fire-breathing,record-setting action at the all-concrete quarter-mile during 2010.

The Season-Ticket Plan includes a ticket to both NHRAweekends along with a pass for the NMRA/NMCANationals, the Super Chevy Show and the GoodguysSoutheastern Nationals. If purchased separately, thesetickets would cost $295, but fans can save 27 percent with the Season-Ticket Plan. Aninterest-free payment program is alsoavailable with payments as low as$21.80 per month.

Season-ticket holders also receivefree parking for each event, admissionto a special Ticket Holder Drag Night,free tickets to the spring edition ofFood Lion AutoFair, free tickets to theSummer Shootout Series at Lowe’sMotor Speedway, concessioncoupons and a fan pack with a T-shirt,lanyard and hardcard. The total value of the Season-TicketPlan is $500, but it is available now for just $216.

Fans also have the opportunity to experience a doubleshot of nitro by purchasing the 2010 NHRA Combo Pack

which includes a four-day ticket for both the March 25-28NHRA Spring Nationals and the Sept. 16-19 NHRACarolinas Nationals.

Priced at just $198, the NHRA Combo Pack features an interest-free payment plan option with payments as low as $19.80 per month. This package also includes a 10-percent discount on the purchase of tickets for other2010 events at zMAX Dragway, including the Super Chevy Show, NMRA/NMCA Nationals and GoodguysSoutheastern Nationals.

The 2010 zMAX Dragway Season-Ticket Plan and theNHRA Combo Pack can be purchased by calling theLowe’s Motor Speedway ticket office at 1-800-455-FANS oronline at www.lowesmotorspeedway.com.

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With Lowe’s Motor Speedway celebrating its 50thseason of NASCAR racing, it’s hard to comprehend all thehistory that’s been written at the legendary 1.5-mile track.But there are two speedway employees – Dave Suddrethand Earl Springs – who have literally seen it all as they haveworked every NASCAR race at the track since the inauguralCoca-Cola 600 in 1960.

Suddreth, 72, is the head of pit road security and enjoysevery minute of his job.

“It’s a challenge,” said the York, S.C., native. “But Iwant to stay here even if they have to put me in an electricwheelchair.”

When Suddreth was just a young man, he spent the firstCoca-Cola 600 sitting on the front row of the maingrandstand, guarding the entrance to the flagman’s stand.He was promoted to the security team soon after and itwasn’t long before he was on pit road, keeping fans awayfrom the drivers and cars.

Working the races each year gives Suddreth theopportunity to talk with the drivers and he has become

friends with some of the greatest names in the sport,including David Pearson, Richard Petty, Dale Jarrett andCale Yarborough. In fact, many of his favorite memoriesinclude the late Dale Earnhardt.

Being the head of pit road security, Suddreth has alsomet celebrities such as Burt Reynolds, Loni Anderson, ZsaZsa Gabor, Tom Cruise and Telly Savalas. He even hasstories that involve Elizabeth Taylor and he once talked toWillie Nelson without recognizing the famed country singer.

While meeting drivers and celebrities is a perk of hisjob, Suddreth’s primary responsibility is to control pit roadso the drivers and crews can do their jobs. But with fansalways wanting to be closer to the action, Suddreth hasseen several creative attempts by people who have tried toget past him and his team.

One such person was a young man who pretended hewas part of a race team.

Suddreth was having lunch one day in the infield whenhe noticed the guy, but didn’t recognize him. He asked if hecould see the man’s garage pass and the man confessed.

HHP Photos by Harold Hinson and Erik Perel

He had bought a jump suit and had his mother put red stripesdown the sides and he showed up at the garage gate with acarburetor in his hand.

The man explained to Suddreth, “I waited for the guard to bebusy and I started running up there and I said, ‘Hey, I’ve got to getthis carburetor here.’”

Just like that, the man was able to make it into the garage.“I told him he could watch the race, but to not come back,” said

Suddreth. “He went through all that trouble to try to get into thegarage.”

The man was so appreciative of Suddreth’s generosity that heended up sending him a thank you card.

A self-proclaimed people person, Suddreth enjoys helpingothers even when he isn’t on pit road. The longtime Lowe’s MotorSpeedway employee also works as the resource developmentspecialist for the Mecklenburg County Sheriff’s office in Charlotte.

Springs, 74, is in charge of selling event programs at Lowe’sMotor Speedway’s major races. The Charlotte, N.C., resident hasbeen at the track just as long as Suddreth, but his experiences areconsiderably different.

Springs grew up on a small farm on Little Rock Road, across thestreet from Charlotte Speedway, site of the first NASCAR Sprint CupSeries race in 1949. When Springs’ father died, he jumped at theopportunity to sell programs at the races in order to help support hisfamily. He sold his first program at the age of 14.

Springs was 24 years old in 1960 when he moved his program-selling operation to Lowe’s Motor Speedway and he has been partof the team ever since.

“I’ve basically done the same thing every year,” Springs said. “Ijust enjoy all of it. Seeing the people and meeting the people.”

Lowe’s Motor Speedway isn’t the only track on the NASCARcircuit at which Springs has sold programs. He’s attended 51straight Daytona 500s and also worked races at Atlanta, Talladegaand Darlington.

“I know people who come from all over the country who wouldonly buy a program from me,” he said. “They come from all over,everywhere.”

On race days, Springs can be found driving a golf cart around,making sure his staff of 40 to 45 program sellers are alwayssupplied. He counts on a core group of 30 longtime friends who arethere every year to help.

But when he hires new workers, he is always ready with wordsof advice.

“It helps to run your mouth,” he said. “You have to holler to getpeople’s attention. I never hush when I’m selling programs.”

Springs is a natural born salesman and he has also owned athriving auto dealership in Charlotte for decades, a business that hisfamily helps him operate today.

Suddreth and Springs may have dramatically different jobswhen at the track, but they have two characteristics in common:they love the fans and they love working at Lowe’s MotorSpeedway.

In celebration of their longtime service, Lowe’s Motor Speedwayhonored Springs and Suddreth during Coca-Cola 600 weekend inMay. They were each presented with a key to the speedway alongwith a membership to The Speedway Club.

Megan Johnson is a 2009 graduate of the University of NorthCarolina at Charlotte with a degree in communication studies.This summer she interned in the Lowe’s Motor Speedwaycommunications department.

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Earl Springs

Earl Springs and Marcus Smith

Dave Suddreth and PRN’s Brett McMillan

Dave Suddreth and Marcus Smith

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Lowe’s Motor Speedway gave area high schools thehorsepower to fight budget crunches through an innovativehomecoming partnership surrounding the NASCAR Banking500 only from Bank of America.

“Most people experience their first homecoming in highschool,” said Marcus Smith, president and general managerof Lowe’s Motor Speedway. “But when the NASCAR SprintCup teams come back to race in Charlotte after five monthson the road, the NASCAR Banking 500 is truly an Octoberhomecoming – NASCAR style.

“This new program engaged the area schools that servethe families of the NASCAR community,” Smith added. “Itconnected the schools with our NASCAR homecoming, and itprovided them with several ways to raise money in the midstof budget cuts.”

Through the homecoming partnership,speedway officials invited 40 public high schoolsfrom six area school systems in Cabarrus, Mecklen-burg, Iredell and Rowan counties to participate inthe speedway’s “Fund-Racing” program. Schoolfund-raising groups such as booster clubs andparent-teacher organizations received $10 for eachticket they sold to the NASCAR Banking 500.

“Schools had a chance to quickly raise thousands ofdollars at a time when they need it most,” said Smith. “It wasa new, exciting way to make money surrounding a nationalsports event. And the school payback per ticket is more thanwhat schools typically receive through traditional forms offund raising.”

Lowe’s Motor Speedway contributed $1,000 to eachparticipating high school and also donated a VIP race packagefor two from The Speedway Club for the school to use as araffle prize. In addition, Bank of America, the entitlementsponsor of the NASCAR Banking 500, matched the $1,000contribution from the speedway to each participating school.

“One of the most important ways we participate in thelives of our customers and communities is through philan-thropic investment, and our sponsorship of the NASCAR

Banking 500 provides uswith the opportunity towork with our partners atLowe’s Motor Speedwayto enhance our collectivecommitment to givingback,” said MikeHargrave, motorsportsplatform executive, Bankof America. “Contributingto a program thatbenefits local education

will pay dividends in this community and for its future leadersfor many years to come.”

The high school that sold the most tickets will receive a64-person luxury suite for the 2010 NASCAR Sprint All-StarRace for even more fund-raising raffle opportunities duringthe school year.

The speedway also invited area high school bands andcheerleading squads to perform as part of the NASCARBanking 500 pre-race show.

“We take a lot of pride and responsibility in producingevents that put people to work and mean so much to theeconomic strength of our region,” Smith said. “The high-school homecoming program is a way to tie us all together,using the NASCAR Banking 500 to support the areacommunities, fans and families that do so much to supportLowe’s Motor Speedway.”

HHP Photos by Harold Hinson

Dr. Peter Gorman, superintendent of Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools, prepares for a “hot lap” around Lowe’s Motor Speedway.

Representatives on hand for the unveiling of the fund-raising program were (left toright): Dr. JoAnne Byerly, superintendent, Kannapolis City Schools; Dr. Peter Gorman,superintendent, Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools; Gene Miller, assistant superin-tendent for operations, Rowan-Salisbury School System; Brady Johnson, interimsuperintendent, Iredell-Statesville Schools; Dr. Barry Shepherd, superintendent,Cabarrus County Schools and Todd Wirt, principal, Mooresville High School.

Concord High School cheerleaders perform at a pressconference announcing the fund-raising program.

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No. Driver Hometown Primary Sponsor

0 Scott Bloomquist Mooresburg, Tenn. Miller Bros. Coal/Sweet Manufacturing00h Chuck Harper Beverly, W.Va. Rick Sturms Motorsports/J. Rods Vending07 Kelly Boen Henderson, Colo. Roadrunner Fabrication07x Brian Ledbetter Dallas, N.C. All-Better Guttering/Lewis Well Drilling1 Josh Richards Shinnston, W.Va. Seubert Calf Ranches/MCB Motorsports

1★ Chub Frank Bear Lake, Pa. Corry Rubber Corp./Farr Motorsports1h Vic Hill Moorestown, Tenn. Land-Air Transport/Pilot Travel Centers1w Ricky Weeks Rutherfordton, N.C. Starrette Trucking/Parton Lumber2 Brady Smith Solon Springs, Wis. Mid-States Equipment & Hydraulics3 Brent Robinson Smithfield, Va. Steeltech/Terry’s Heating and Cooling

3d Austin Dillon Welcome, N.C. Mom-n-Pops/Camp Debbie Lou4t Tommy Kerr Maryville, Tenn. Blount Excavating/Stowers Caterpillar6 Randle Chupp Troutman, N.C. Styers Curbing/Greensboro Plumbing9 Ken Schrader Fenton, Mo. Federated Auto Parts/Red Baron Pizza

S9 Dan Schlieper Sullivan, Wis. Miller Construction/Pro-Power Racing11 Austin Hubbard Seaford, Del. Hubbard Motorsports11 Tyler Reddick Corning, Calif. Gatorz Eyewear/Broken Bow Records

12b Jordan Bland Campbellsville, Ky. United Steel Supply/B&W Metals17 Tim Allen Kannapolis, N.C. Dirt Track Racing School/Pro-Tint

17m Dale McDowell Chickamauga, Ga. Bowyer Motorsports/Cometic Gaskets18 Shannon Babb Moweaqua, Ill. Petroff Towing/Sheltra Construction18h Dustin Hapka Grand Forks, N.D. SureStep/El Roco Lounge19 Steve Francis Ashland, Ky. Valvoline/Reliable Painting19f Tim Fuller Watertown, N.Y. Gypsum Express/Integra Shocks20 Jimmy Owens Newport, Tenn. Reece Monuments/Gantte Appraisals21r Luke Roffers Concord, N.C. CAL-LES 2 Transport/Roffers Wildlife Studio22 Chris Ferguson Mt. Holly, N.C. Carver & Sons Roofing/Hal’s Plumbing23 John Blankenship Williamson, W.Va. Fast Lane/Hilton Head National24 Rick Eckert York, Pa. Raye Vest Racing/J&K Salvage25 Shane Clanton Locust Grove, Ga. RSD Enterprises/SAE Parts Inc.28 Eddie Carrier Jr. Salt Rock, W.Va. Engines Inc./Grover Motorsports29 Darrell Lanigan Union, Ky. Lanigan Autosports/Cheap Cars30 Steve Shaver Vienna, W.Va. L.A. Pipeline/Drywall Systems32 Larry Blankenship Mooresville, N.C. Encompass Solutions/LB Drywall32c Vic Coffey Leicester, N.Y. Sweeteners Plus/Outlaw Brakes39 Ryan Newman South Bend, Ind. Ryan Newman Foundation39t Tim McCreadie Watertown, N.Y. Sweeteners Plus44 Clint Smith Senoia, Ga. JP Drilling/Cliburn Performance

44m Chris Madden Gray Court, S.C. Century Plastics/Cushman Paint & Body49 Jonathan Davenport Blairsville, Ga. Baird Transportation/En Compass Solutions53 Ray Cook Brasstown, N.C. Hicks and Ingle Co./A+ Moving & Storage55 Jeep Van Wormer Pinconning, Mich. Iron Motorsports56 Russell King Bristolville, Ohio King Bros. Ready-Mix Concrete70 Jeff Smith Gastonia, N.C. Starrette Trucking/Norton Stereo75 Petey Ivey Shelby, N.C. Beaver Bail Bonds97 Dennis “Rambo” Franklin Gaffney, S.C. Hamrick’s of Gaffney99 Jeff Cooke Spartanburg, S.C. Hamrick’s of Gaffney

Josh Richards has one eye on the World ofOutlaws Late Model Series championship while theother is firmly focused on a future he hopes will lead tothe NASCAR Sprint Cup Series.

In addition to battling for his first World of Outlawstitle, Richards, a 21-year-old native of Shinnston,W.Va., is beginning to transition from the pinnacle ofthe dirt late model world to the NASCAR developmentranks.

Richards and the rest of the World of Outlaws latemodel stars will invade The Dirt Track @ Lowe’s MotorSpeedway Wednesday night, Oct. 14, for the World ofOutlaws Topless Showdown, which kicks off activitiesleading up to the NASCAR Banking 500 only fromBank of America.

Richards has had plenty of success at The DirtTrack. He won there during the second night of theWorld of Outlaws World Finals last season, whichpropelled him to a runner-up finish in the World ofOutlaws Late Model Series championship. He alsofinished third in this year’s Colossal 100, one of theseries’ most prestigious races.

“I get excited every time we race at Charlotte,”said Richards. “We run well there and I really like thetrack. Winning during the World Finals last year washuge. It’s probably the biggest win of my career so far.Hopefully it will lead to another good run this time.”

The Topless Showdown is unique because it is theonly race of the season in which the roofs are removedfrom the WoO cars. But the action will be the same asRichards continues his season-long battle withveterans Steve Francis and Darrell Lanigan.

Richards could be considered the underdog in thechampionship fight as both Francis and Lanigan areformer World of Outlaws titlists. Lanigan edgedRichards for the crown last year, while Francis won the

title in 2007.Both have alsobeen racinglonger thanRichards hasbeen breathing.

“The champi-onship has beenso close allyear,” saidRichards.

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“There’s beentimes where Iwas leadinggoing into aweekend, lostthe lead afterthe first night’srace, then gotit back the nextnight. It’s reallybeen crazy.

“Lanigan and Francis have rungreat all season like they always do.Those guys are so tough to competewith when it comes to points racing.No matter how they start the night,they almost always seem to end up inthe top five. There’s still a long way togo and the way it’s been going, it’s probably going to comedown to the last race.”

While he remains focused on winning his first World ofOutlaws Late Model Series championship, Richards hasalso started taking steps toward his goal of a NASCARcareer, competing in NASCAR Camping World East Seriesand ARCA RE/MAX Series races.

Richards’ Camping World East debut came in April atGreenville Pickens Speedway. After qualifying 17th, a first-lap wreck dropped him to the back of the field. Even thoughhis car was damaged, Richards raced into the top-five andfinished fourth.

Richards had one ARCA RE/MAX start before entering aseries race at Kentucky Speedway in June. That race was in2007 at the DuQuoin State Fairgrounds, a one-mile dirttrack, and it resulted in a third-place finish. However, hisasphalt debut with the series didn’t turn out as well.

He qualified fourth for the Kentucky race, but a crashended his day early.

“Both the Camping World and ARCA races were greatexperiences for me,” Richards said. “They were both newexperiences that I learned a lot from. Obviously, I wouldhave liked for the race at Kentucky to have turned outdifferent than it did, but that’s just part of it.

“I was really pleased with the Camping World race. I’m

hoping to do more of that kind of stuff in the future.”For Richards, leaving dirt to pursue a career in NASCAR

won’t be an easy decision. His family has strong ties in dirtracing and Richards himself grew up around the sport.

Richards’ father, Mark Richards, owns Rocket Chassisand is the car builder of choice for many of the top dirt latemodel drivers, including Francis and Lanigan. As ayoungster, Richards spent nearly all of his free time in hisdad’s shop learning how to build and work on race cars.

“I was at the shop everyday I could be,” said Richards.“I was always around when they were building cars. Then,

when I was 11 or 12, Istarted getting a lot moreinterested in the cars andbuilding them.

“When I started to getolder, I really wanted to tryracing myself. When I finallystarted, I knew that racingwas what I wanted to dowith my life.”

Richards began hisdriving career in 2003 at theage of 15. He didn’t start ina go-kart or a quartermidget – not even an entry

level stock car. Hisfirst competitive lapscame in a full-blowndirt late model, andhe hasn’t slowedsince.

In 2005, Richardsbegan competingwith the World ofOutlaws. He

followed the tour full-time the following year, finishing eighthin the final standings and, at 18, he became the youngestdriver to win the series’ rookie-of-the-year title.

Before finishing second in the 2008 standings, Richardsfinished ninth in 2006 and sixth in 2007. With 19 careerseries victories, he is second behind Francis on the series’all-time win list. He has also won races with other dirt latemodel series, including the Lucas Oil Late Model Dirt Seriesand the UMP Dirtcar Series.

Even with all he has accomplished in his dirt late modelcareer, there’s still a lot Richards would like to do before heleaves to try his hand at NASCAR. Along with the absenceof a World of Outlaws championship, Richards’ résumédoesn’t include a win in any of dirt racing’s crown jewelevents.

“I’ve been in position to win some big races, but thingsjust haven’t ended up like I would like them to,” saidRichards. “I don’t think I would be completely satisfied withmy dirt career if I don’t win a couple of the crown jewelsand a World of Outlaws championship.”

Joshua Joiner graduated in May from the University ofWest Florida in Pensacola, Fla., with a degree in publicrelations. He interned this summer in the Lowe’s MotorSpeedway communications department.

Photos by David Griffin and Sam Cranston and Courtesy of www.thesportswire.net

Josh and Mark Richards

NASCAR Sprint Cup drivers spend their entire careerstrying to make that final turn into Victory Lane, but no onemakes more Victory Lane appearances than Miss Sprint Cup.

Though she never misses the traditional post-racecelebration, it accounts for only a small part of a typicalrace weekend for the Sprint ambassador.

At each race, Anne-Marie Rhodes or Monica Palumbo,who share the Miss Sprint Cup duties, greet more than12,000 fans, lead numerous garage tours and appear onmultiple TV and radio stations.

Since the inception of the Miss Sprint Cup program in2007, Rhodes and Palumbo have helped emphasizeSprint’s mission as title sponsor of NASCAR’s premierseries to bring fans closer to the sport. Although both holdthe title of Miss Sprint Cup, the two women divide theNASCAR Sprint Cup Series schedule in half, appearingtogether only during high-profile race weekends.

Rhodes became the first Miss Sprint Cup, beginningher position in 2007. Known for her extensive knowledgeand love for all types of racing, Rhodes is no stranger to theNASCAR scene. As a child, she traveled to races with herfamily. As a result, she can talk NASCAR with the best,pulling from her many experiences interviewing NASCARdrivers at the Sprint Experience stage.

Palumbo started her position with Sprint in 2008. Itshouldn’t come as a surprise that she was named MissCongeniality as Miss North Carolina in the 2001 Miss USAcompetition. Her permanent smile and personable naturedraw fans to the Sprint Experience, where she can be foundat the microphone, singing along to the live entertainment,or racing in one of the six 3-D racing simulators.

Rhodes and Palumbo recently answered questionsregarding their roles as brand ambassadors for NASCAR’spremier series title sponsor:

Tell us about the road to becoming a Miss Sprint Cup?

Palumbo: “I heard about this position through a friend,submitted my résumé and came in for a formal, sit-downinterview at the office. I was relieved to hear this positiondidn’t involve any pageantry. I was ready to step into aspokesperson role.”

Rhodes: “I was living in Los Angeles for about eight years,moved back to North Carolina and within a few months, Ireceived a phone call about the Miss Sprint Cup program. Iinterviewed with the company and received an offer. Myagent, Marilyn Green, was the first Miss Winston in 1972, soit felt like such an honor to me to be a Miss Sprint Cup.

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When and how did you become a NASCAR fan?

Rhodes: “I was born into a NASCAR family, so I was raisedfollowing all types of racing. While some girls grew up atballparks with their fathers and brothers, I grew up at racetracks. NASCAR is in my blood.”

Palumbo: “Even though I am a born-and-bred Charlottegirl, I never became a diehard NASCAR fan until three yearsago. Now, I am all about staying connected with the sport.

Whenever I am away from thetrack, I have NASCAR SprintCup Mobile on my Palm Pre,updating me on what ishappening at the track.”

What do you consider animportant part of your job atthe track as Miss Sprint Cup?

Palumbo: “Anne-Marie and Ispend most of our time at theSprint Experience. We hosttrivia games to win exclusiveNASCAR prizes andgiveaways. We also hostdriver appearances at theSprint Experience stage, where we take questions from theaudience.”

Rhodes: “My key role at the track is to bridge the gapbetween the fans and all the innovative Sprint technology. Ilove to show fans the Sprint FanView or NASCAR SprintCup Mobile for the first time. They can listen to the racescanner, watch the in-car camera and access real-time racestats from their favorite teams, all on one device. Thetechnology always blows their mind.”

What is the Sprint Experience, and what does it offerfans that they can’t get anywhere else?

Palumbo: “Well, the Sprint Experience is located in themidway during every NASCAR Sprint Cup Series race

weekend. It is a way for fans to check out all the latestoffers from Sprint. You can try the 3-D racing simulators,enjoy live music and even check out the NASCAR SprintCup Series trophy. It’s all free.”

Rhodes: “I think it’s a must-see stop at the track. Ourprizes are the real deal. Fans can play to win a visit to thedrivers’ meeting, a pit and garage tour or a trip to see driverintroductions. We also have several driver appearanceseach weekend. Kasey Kahne, Richard Petty, Mark Martinand Elliott Sadler recently stopped by to talk with the fans.”

What is one of your jobs away from the track as MissSprint Cup?

Rhodes: “I like keeping the fans informed by updating ourNASCAR.com, Facebook and Twitter pages. I take picturesduring the race weekends, so posting them on our socialnetworking sites is a big part of my days away from thetrack. We love to keep in touch with our fans, even whenwe’re away from the track.”

Palumbo: “Well, one thing fans don’t get to see is thatSprint serves bagels and coffee to the winning team’s raceshop every Tuesday after each race weekend. It’s a greatway to congratulate the team members who don’t travel tothe race. We bring a large enough breakfast to feed theentire race shop. It is like bringing Victory Lane to all of the

team members who don’tget to be at the race tocelebrate.”

How do you manage tostay connected with theNASCAR community?

Palumbo: “My Palm Prehelps me accessFacebook, Twitter andNASCAR.com pages toadd blogs, photos andnews to our sites. Everyrace weekend, we makesure to post the latestupdates and behind-the-scenes pictures andvideos.”

Rhodes: “I spend a lot of my time at the Sprint Experienceduring race weekends talking to fans and listening to theirstories. It’s the greatest compliment ever to have someonetell me their racing memories and ask me questions aboutmy job as a Miss Sprint Cup.

To follow Miss Sprint Cup Anne-Marie Rhodes andMonica Palumbo visit:• Facebook.com/MissSprintCup on Facebook for up-to-

date news, videos and pictures

• Twitter.com/MissSprintCup on Twitter to follow the latestupdates

• NASCAR.com/SprintCrews on NASCAR.com to read thelatest Miss Sprint Cup blog

167Photos Courtesy of Sprint

Monica Palumbo and Richard Petty

Anne-Marie Rhodes and Dale Earnhardt Jr.

168 HHP photo by Gregg Ellman

169HHP photo by Harold Hinson

170 HHP photo by Harold Hinson HHP photo by Harold Hinson

171

Grammy-nominated artists TobyMac and MercyMe willbe among the performers during pre-race festivities forSaturday night’s NASCAR Banking 500 only from Bank ofAmerica.

Dove Award-nominee Fee and teenage singingsensation Robert Pierre will also take to the stage duringthe concert that begins at 2 p.m. and will be held on theapron inside Turn 4.

TobyMac ranks among the most successful artists inthe history of Christian music in terms of radio success,sales power and critical acclaim.

He began his musical career as a founding member ofthe Grammy Award-winning and best-selling group, dc Talk,before venturing out on his own in 2001.

Since going solo, his soulful singing, combined with histrademarked rock/funk/hip-hop sound, has earnedTobyMac two gold albums, six No. 1 singles and twoGrammy nominations.

Earlier this year, TobyMac took home a Grammy for theBest Rock or Rap Gospel Album with his live DVD/CD “Aliveand Transported.” In August, he released the single “City onour Knees,” and has plans to release his fourth solo albumin February.

MercyMe, a down-to-earth Texas-based praise andworship group with a modern rock/pop flair, was foundedby lead singer Bart Millard. The band quickly became one ofChristian music’s fastest-selling new acts in 2001 with therelease of its breakthrough hit, “I Can Only Imagine.”

The heartfelt song Millard wrote about his father’suntimely passing quickly catapulted the group into themainstream spotlight. The No. 1 single sold nearly three-million units; received several GMA Dove Awards, includingSong of the Year; and raced up the Top 40, Adult Contem-porary, Christian and Country charts.

MercyMe had an unexpected start to its musical career,selling more than five-million records and earning onedouble-platinum disk and three gold albums. The group hasalso received an American Music Award and has 19 No. 1singles.

Now with six albums and more than 13 years of makingmusic, the men of MercyMe still find themselves passionateabout leading people in worship and released their newestCD/DVD set, “10,” in April. The new release features 12 No.1 singles and numerous videos that span their career.

MercyMe plans to release its seventh studio album in2010.

Fee is the worship band at North Point CommunityChurch in Atlanta, one of the nation’s fastest-growingchurches. The group, which also travels the country leadingworship at student camps and conferences, released itsnew record, “Hope Rising,” on Oct. 6.

Pierre, a high school sophomore, released his debutalbum, “Inside Out,” more than two years ago and hassince been sending encouraging messages of faith to teensand adults through his music.

Photos Courtesy of INO Records

Fee

Robert Pierre

MercyMe

TobyMac

More than 1,500 race fans will follow in the tire tracks ofNASCAR stars Jimmie Johnson, Dale Earnhardt Jr., KaseyKahne and Tony Stewart on Friday, Nov. 27, as they drivetheir personal vehicles around Lowe’s Motor Speedwayduring the 17th annual Souvenir and Race Ticket Blow-Out.

“I have been to the sale four times, traveling 1,200 milesjust to drive on the track,” said Bethany Bell, of Barre, Vt. “Isave my vacation time just for this. I spend a lot and take a lotof hot laps. It takes me three laps just to learn the track andthen it gets my adrenaline pumping so I have to go spend $50more so I can drive it again. I just absolutely love it!”

Those spending at least $50 on merchandise or 2010race tickets, or donating $25 to Speedway Children’sCharities, can enjoy this once-a-year opportunity.

Fans who wish to drive around the track maypick up a ride card beginning at 8 a.m. when theSouvenir and Race Ticket Blow-Out opens. Forevery $10 spent at the ticket office, gift shop orsouvenir haulers, officials place a sticker on the ridecard. Once five stickers have been affixed, the cardcan be redeemed for a ride voucher at the Lowe’sMotor Speedway gift shop.

With the ride voucher in hand, fans will bedirected to Gate 1 where they will enter the trackthrough the Turn 4 tunnel. Cars will be guided intothe infield and assembled in groups. They will thenhead down pit road and onto the track for three laps aroundthe 1.5-mile quad oval behind one of the track’s ToyotaCamry pace cars.

A wide variety of vehicles are expected to cruise thetrack between 8 a.m. and 5 p.m. Previous events have seeneverything from classic muscle cars, to modern sports cars,to mini vans, to semi-tractors take to the high-banked track.

Race fans from up and down the East Coast areexpected to take advantage of this unique opportunity.

“Driving around the track is pretty awesome,” said HollySmith, of Manheim, Pa. “There is just something surrealabout driving a big old Suburban on the track. Some days I

think I would drive thewhole way down toCharlotte just to do itagain, it was just great.”

In addition tonumerous tracksouvenirs, Lowe’sMotor Speedway willoffer a wide selection ofdriver apparel andNASCAR memorabiliaat reduced prices.Many items will sell foras low as $2.

NASCARsouvenir rigswill blanket thetrack’s frontentranceoffering drasti-cally reducedprices on a

wide variety of memorabilia, T-shirts, hats, posters and die-cast cars. Nearly 20 vendors featuring merchandise fromtop NASCAR Sprint Cup drivers, including Johnson,Earnhardt Jr., Jeff Gordon and Stewart, are expected.

Tickets for the May 22 NASCAR Sprint All-Star Raceand the May 30 Coca-Cola 600 are the perfect gift for thosewith NASCAR fans on their holiday shopping list and theLowe’s Motor Speedway ticket office will be openthroughout the event.

For information on the Souvenir and Race Ticket Blow-Out,call 1-800-455-FANS or visit www.lowesmotorspeedway.com.

172 HHP Photos by Harold Hinson

174

1. Who won the inaugural NASCAR Banking 500 in 1960?

A. Joe Lee Johnson C. Emanuel Zervakis B. Joe Weatherly D. “Speedy” Thompson

2. How many cars started the 1960 NASCAR Banking 500?

A. 43 C. 50 B. 62 D. 36

3. Who won the last year’s NASCAR Banking 500?

A. Jeff Burton C. Tony Stewart B. Jimmie Johnson D. Jeff Gordon

4. Who was Jamie McMurray substituting for when he won the 2002NASCAR Banking 500?

A. Kyle Petty C. Casey Mears B. Juan Pablo Montoya D. Sterling Marlin

5. Which driver has won the NASCAR Banking 500 pole eight times?

A. Ryan Newman C. “Fireball” Roberts B. David Pearson D. Jeff Gordon

6. The first six NASCAR Banking 500s were only 400 miles, or howmany laps?

A. 367 C. 267 B. 400 D. 350

7. The NASCAR Banking 500 was first run at night in what year?

A. 2003 C. 2005 B. 1992 D. 1997

8. Bank of America became the title sponsor of the NASCAR Banking500 in what year?

A. 2000 C. 2006 B. 1996 D. 1974

9. Which team owned the winning car in the 1960 NASCAR Banking 500?

A. Petty Engineer C. Holman-Moody B. Wood Brothers D. Cotton Owens Garage

10. Which auto-racing journalist is credited with saving LenniePage’s life following a crash in the 1960 NASCAR Banking 500?

A. Tom Higgins C. Russ Catlin B. Chris Economaki D. Bob Myers

11. Which driver has never won the NASCAR Banking 500?

A. Dale Earnhardt Jr. C. Kasey Kahne B. Jeff Gordon D. Jimmie Johnson

12. Who was the last driver to win the NASCAR Banking 500 in a Ford?

A. Bill Elliott C. Mark Martin B. Matt Kenseth D. Greg Biffle

13. Which driver scored his first NASCAR Sprint Cup Series victoryin the NASCAR Banking 500?

A. Tim Richmond C. Ken Schrader B. Jamie McMurray D. David Reutimann

14. The land Lowe’s Motor Speedway now occupies was once aworking plantation.

A. True B. False

15. Which television network will televise this year’s NASCAR Banking 500?

A. FOX C. ABC B. NBC D. CBS

16. Who won last year’s Dollar General 300?

A. Carl Edwards C. Dave Blaney B. Kyle Busch D. Mike Bliss

17. How many laps is the Dollar General 300?

A. 200 C. 150 B. 267 D. 225

18. Who won the inaugural Dollar General 300 in 1973?

A. Ray Hendrick C. Mark Martin B. Morgan Shepherd D. Bobby Allison

19. Which driver has won the Dollar General 300 four times?

A. Darrell Waltrip C. Matt Kenseth B. Bobby Allison D. Kyle Busch

20. NASCAR is an acronym for what?

A. National Association of Stock Cars Racing B. National Association for Stock Car Auto Racing C. National Alliance of Stock Car Auto Racing D. Nothing Against Sports Car Auto Races

Answers:1. D; 2. C; 3. A; 4. D; 5. B; 6. C; 7.A; 8. C; 9. B; 10. B; 11. A; 12. C; 13. B; 14. A;15. C; 16. B; 17. A; 18. D; 19. A; 20. B.

Take the NASCAR Banking 500 only from Bank of America and Dollar General 300 Trivia Challenge

600 Festival . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .173600 Racing . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .87AMKUS Rescue Systems . . . . . . . . . .121AT&T . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .97Atlanta Motor Speedway . . . . . . . . . . .55Bank of America . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .7, IBCBojangles’ . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .11Bumble Bee Foods . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .57Cabarrus County CVB . . . . . . . . . . . . .95Carolinas Medical Center . . . . . . . . . . .21CARQUEST Auto Parts . . . . . . . . . . . .IFCCholula . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .51Coca-Cola . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .BCCrown Royal . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .127Degree . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .125Dollar General . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .9Donatos Pizza . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .71Dr. Pepper . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .89Embassy Suites . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .31Energizer . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .35ESPN . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .119Farm Bureau Insurance . . . . . . . . . . .109

Food Lion . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .19Ford Motor Company . . . . . . . . . . . . .137Frigidaire . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .91GEICO . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .75Great Wolf Lodge . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .47Goody’s Headache Powder . . . . . . . . .27Jerr-Dan . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .63J.M. Smucker . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .115Kobalt Tools . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .5Lowe’s Home Improvement . . . . . . . . . .3Lysol . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .79M&M’s . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .41, 61Motorsports Authentics . . . . . . . . . . . .59NASCAR Hall of Fame . . . . . . . . . . . .147Nationwide Insurance . . . . . . . . . . .92, 93Native Trading Associates . . . . . . . . . .65New Holland . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .133North Carolina Education Lottery . . . . .25North Carolina Highway Safety . . . . . .43Panasonic . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .101Pergo Floors . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .45Rhino Agricultural Equipment . . . . . . . .74

RideNow Powersports . . . . . . . . . . . .143Safety-Kleen . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .81Sam Bass Gallery . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .85Scotts . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .49Shell/Pennzoil . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .35Sherwin-Williams . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .117Speedway Children’s Charities .103, 129Sprint . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .1Stihl . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .113Tathwell Printing . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .175The Employers Association . . . . . . . .157The Home Depot . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .135The Speedway Club . . . . . . . . . . . . . .131Time Warner Cable . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .39Toyota . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .15, 99, 153Track Scan . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .115Triangle Rent A Car . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .123Tums . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .29Werner . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .105Windstream Communications . . . . . . .23World of Outlaws World Finals . . . . . .163zMAX . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .37

176

March 25-28 NHRA Rock & Roll NationalsNHRA Full Throttle Drag Racing Series

May 21 NASCAR Sprint All-Star Race QualifyingNASCAR Sprint Cup SeriesN.C. Education Lottery 200NASCAR Camping World Truck Series

May 22 NASCAR Sprint All-Star RaceNASCAR Sprint Cup Series

May 29 CARQUEST Auto Parts 300NASCAR Nationwide Series

May 30 Coca-Cola 600NASCAR Sprint Cup Series

Sept. 16-19 NHRA Carolinas NationalsNHRA Full Throttle Drag Racing Series

Oct. 15 Dollar General 300NASCAR Nationwide Series

Oct. 16 NASCAR Banking 500 Only from Bank of AmericaNASCAR Sprint Cup Series

Dates and information for all other 2010 events at Lowe’s MotorSpeedway, zMAX Dragway and The Dirt Track @ Lowe’s Motor

Speedway can be found online at www.lowesmotorspeedway.com.

Purchase Tickets Now

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Open an account today at your local banking center or go to: bankofamerica.com/RacePoints

Earn RacePoints®with every purchase made using your NASCAR®credit card or debit card

Redeem your RacePoints for licensed team apparel, race tickets and unique NASCAR experiences like meeting your favorite driver

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Credit subject to approval. For information about the rates, fees, other costs and benefi ts associated with the use of the NASCAR RacePoints® credit card or to apply, visit bankofamerica.com/RacePoints or one of our banking centers. This credit card program is issued and administered by FIA Card Services, N.A. Visa is a registered trademark of Visa International Service Association and is used by the issuer pursuant to license from Visa U.S.A., Inc. NASCAR® and NASCAR RacePoints® are registered trademarks of the National Association for Stock Car Auto Racing, Inc. ©2009 HGL, LLC. Not all NASCAR drivers available. Car-number credit card design only available for select drivers. All trademarks shown are used with the permission of their respective owners. ©2009 Hendrick Motorsports, LLC. The name, likeness and signature of Mark Martin and the likeness of the #5 HMS Chevrolet are used with permission of Hendrick Motorsports LLC. ©2009 Jeff Gordon, Inc. The name, likeness and signature of Jeff Gordon and the likeness of the #24 DuPont Chevrolet are used with permission of Jeff Gordon, Inc. ©2009 Hendrick Motorsports, LLC. The name, likeness and signature of Jimmie Johnson and the likeness of the #48 Lowe’s Chevrolet are used with permission of Hendrick Motorsports LLC. ©2009 Hendrick Motorsports, LLC. The name, likeness and signature of Dale Earnhardt, Jr. and the likeness of the #88 Amp Energy/National Guard Chevrolet are used with the permission of Hendrick Motorsports, LLC and JR Motorsports, LLC. ©2009 Dale Earnhardt, Inc. Dale Earnhardt, Martin Truex Jr., Dale Earnhardt, Inc. and Richard Childress Racing trademarks, trade dress, names, likenesses and copyrights are used under the authorization of Dale Earnhardt, Inc. ©2009 Evernham Motorsports, LLC. The stylized E with checkered fl ag® and 9® are registered trademarks and service marks of Evernham Motorsports, LLC, used under license. Kasey Kahne likeness and signature are trademarks of Kasey Kahne Inc., licensed by Evernham Motorsports, LLC. Dodge is a trademark of Chrysler LLC. The name, likeness, voice, signature and image of Rusty Wallace are registered trademarks of Rusty Wallace, Inc. Used Under License. ©2009 Chip Ganassi Racing with Felix Sabates, Inc. All rights reserved. The stylized #42 is a trademark of Chip Ganassi Racing with Felix Sabates, Inc. ©2009 Target Stores. The Bullseye Design and Target are registered trademarks of Target Brands, Inc. All rights reserved. Bank of America, N.A. Member FDIC. NASCAR credit cards are issued and administered by FIA Card Services, N.A. Platinum Plus is a registered trademark of FIA Card Services, N.A. “Your debit card. Your credit card. Your driver.” is a trademark, and Bank of America and the Bank of America logo is a registered trademark of Bank of America Corporation. ©2009 Bank of America Corporation. AR71209 AD-08-09-0323.B

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