Banking 500 News and Notes

A glance at the 12 drivers in the Chase

A glance at the 12 drivers competing in NASCAR's Chase for the Sprint Cup championship heading into this weekend's race at Lowe's Motor Speedway (in order of points):

DRIVER: Jimmie Johnson

CHASE POINTS: first, 5,728

CAR: No. 48 Lowe's Chevrolet

TEAM: Hendrick Motorsports

POSITION CHANGE: Plus 1.

CAREER LOWE'S STARTS: 16

AVERAGE CALIFORNIA FINISH: 9.1 (won five times)

LAST WEEK: We've been here before, right? Johnson's dominance at California - his 16th Chase victory - propelled him into the top spot for the first time all year. Next up are races at Lowe's and Martinsville, where he's won a combined 11 times in his career.

CHASE CHATTER: ``Last week (at Kansas), if you had a chance to speak to us after the race, we were all ready to jump off a cliff,'' Johnson said. ``You know, this week we're on top of the world.''

DRIVER: Mark Martin

CHASE POINTS: second, -12

CAR: No. 5 Carquest/Kellogg's Chevrolet

TEAM: Hendrick Motorsports

POSITION CHANGE: Minus 1.

CAREER LOWE'S STARTS: 49

AVERAGE LOWE'S FINISH: 15.9 (won four times)

LAST WEEK: How tough is Johnson? Martin spent all day in the top 5 and even led a handful of laps and still lost the points lead to Johnson after finishing fourth. Continues to be solid, will likely have to be more than that over the next six weeks to grab the championship that's always eluded him.

CHASE CHATTER: ``We were real close,'' Martin said. ``There was a time we could go out front, but we were right there. I couldn't be more thrilled.''

DRIVER: Juan Pablo Montoya

CHASE POINTS: third, -58

CAR: No. 42 Target Chevrolet

TEAM: Earnhardt Ganassi Racing

POSITION CHANGE: None.

CAREER LOWE'S STARTS: 5

AVERAGE LOWE'S FINISH: 27.4 (best 8th in 2009)

LAST WEEK: Posted his fourth straight top-five finish - the only Chaser to do that - with a strong third at California but hasn't made up any ground on the Chase leaders.

CHASE CHATTER: ``It is what it is,'' Montoya said. ``You ain't going to make any points on anybody. Everybody that runs good is going to be there. You just got to make sure you don't lose any (points).''

DRIVER: Tony Stewart

CHASE POINTS: fourth, -84

CAR: No. 14 Office Depot/Old Spice Chevrolet

TEAM: Stewart/Haas Racing

POSITION CHANGE: None.

CAREER LOWE'S STARTS: 21

AVERAGE LOWE'S FINISH: 13.3 (won in 2003)

LAST WEEK: Looked done for when a pit road speeding penalty dropped him to 30th, but a late charge and a couple of lucky breaks helped Smoke somehow finish fifth.

CHASE CHATTER: ``Our car got better and better,'' Stewart said. ``I don't care if we have to go 12 laps down and have the right side knocked off of it, it if gets us a top-five at the end of the day, that is what we have to do the rest of the season.''

DRIVER: Jeff Gordon

CHASE POINTS: fifth, -105

CAR: No. 24 DuPont Chevrolet

TEAM: Hendrick Motorsports

POSITION CHANGE: Plus 2.

CAREER LOWE'S STARTS: 33

AVERAGE LOWE'S FINISH: 16.1 (won five times)

LAST WEEK: Gordon nearly stole the race from Johnson, well almost, at California. He led for a handful of laps late in the race before getting passed just before the final caution flag. He finished second but holds no real hope of catching Johnson.

CHASE CHATTER: ``I felt like we were like in a second-class category,'' Gordon said. ``That's the only thing that bothers me a little bit. We're just not good enough. We're good, but we're not good enough.''

DRIVER: Kurt Busch

CHASE POINTS: sixth, -121

CAR: No. 2 Miller Lite Dodge

TEAM: Penske Racing

POSITION CHANGE: Minus 1.

CAREER LOWE'S STARTS: 18

AVERAGE LOWE'S FINISH: 21.6 (best 2nd in 2005)

LAST WEEK: Busch held on for eighth at California, but his biggest move may have been a late-race scrape with the wall that sent him into fellow Chasers Kasey Kahne and Greg Biffle, likely ending their hopes of a title.

CHASE CHATTER: ``I ruined a few Chase guys' days, Kasey Kahne and Biffle,'' Busch said. ``I apologize to them.''

DRIVER: Greg Biffle

CHASE POINTS: seventh, -188

CAR: No. 16 3M Scotch Brand Ford

TEAM: Roush Fenway Racing

POSITION CHANGE: Plus 1.

CAREER LOWE'S STARTS: 13

AVERAGE LOWE'S FINISH: 18.4 (best 2nd in 2008)

LAST WEEK: Don't know what's worse, his run-in with Tom Logano, father of Cup driver Joey Logano, following the Nationwide race or the bad break of getting tangled up with Kahne. Biffle finished 20th in California.

CHASE CHATTER: ``It's pretty disappointing,'' Biffle said. ``It probably took us out of the hunt. You know, it's not over until it's over, but that really hurt us.''

DRIVER: Carl Edwards

CHASE POINTS: eighth, -192

CAR: No. 99 Aflac Ford

TEAM: Roush Fenway Racing

POSITION CHANGE: Plus 2.

CAREER LOWE'S STARTS: 9

AVERAGE LOWE'S FINISH: 10.0 (best 3rd, twice)

LAST WEEK: Edwards ditched the crutches for the first time since breaking his foot and posted a sixth-place finish, his best of the Chase. Still winless on the year and is a long shot to even crack the top five at this point.

CHASE CHATTER: ``We battled the car all day,'' Edwards said. ``That really put the nail in the coffin for us. But in the end, it might have been a blessing because it allowed us to get on a different strategy and it got us a sixth.''

DRIVER: Denny Hamlin

CHASE POINTS: ninth, -219

CAR: No. 11 FedEx Toyota

TEAM: Joe Gibbs Racing

POSITION CHANGE: Minus 3.

CAREER LOWE'S STARTS: 8

AVERAGE LOWE'S FINISH: 15.6 (best 8th in 2005)

LAST WEEK: A couple of major mistakes cost Hamlin at California. He wrecked while subbing for Nationwide Series leader Kyle Busch on Saturday, and on Sunday spun out while trying to cut off Montoya and finished 37th.

CHASE CHATTER: ``I thought I was clear and I misjudged it,'' Hamlin said. ``I got to apologize to the team. They deserve better than that. They got me out front. It was a bad mistake.''

DRIVER: Ryan Newman

CHASE POINTS: 10th, -223

CAR: No. 39 U.S. Army Chevrolet

TEAM: Stewart/Haas Racing

POSITION CHANGE: Minus 1.

CAREER LOWE'S STARTS: 17

AVERAGE LOWE'S FINISH: 20.7 (best 2nd, twice)

LAST WEEK: Continues to slip further behind boss Tony Stewart, though 15th at California isn't bad considering he started 36th and had a flat tire during the race.

CHASE CHATTER: ``We really just struggled with track position,'' Newman said. ``I feel like we were a top-10 car all day, we just never could get the track position.''

DRIVER: Kasey Kahne

CHASE POINTS: 11th, -306

CAR: No. 9 Budweiser Dodge

TEAM: Richard Petty Motorsports

POSITION CHANGE: None.

CAREER LOWE'S STARTS: 11

AVERAGE LOWE'S FINISH: 12.0 (won three times)

LAST WEEK: He fumed after getting tangled up with Biffle following a restart - with more than a little help from Kurt Busch - and now must find a way to stay focused the rest of the season with no title shot and a ton of uncertainty at Richard Petty Motorsports.

CHASE CHATTER: ``Kurt screwed up and we got in this mess,'' Kahne said.

DRIVER: Brian Vickers

CHASE POINTS: 12th, -351

CAR: No. 83 Red Bull Toyota

TEAM: Red Bull Racing

POSITION CHANGE: None.

CAREER LOWE'S STARTS: 11

AVERAGE LOWE'S FINISH: 22.5 (best 5th, twice)

LAST WEEK: Another miserable day for Vickers, who finished four laps down in 29th at California.

CHASE CHATTER: ``Hope to have a better luck in Charlotte,'' Vickers said. ``We've had some bad luck the past few.''

NASCAR Banking 500 preview
By Micah Roberts
VegasInsider.com

After four Chase races, three-time defending Champion Jimmie Johnson has taken over the NASCAR’s Chase for the Championship lead. His win at California on Sunday was his second of the Chase in the last three races, his all-time track leading fourth overall, and fifth overall of the season.

It’s a remarkable feat that Mark Martin was able hold on for as long as he has. Hanging with Johnson is a tough feat to do. Through the four races, even with a 10-point lead and finishes of first, second, seventh, and fourth, Martin’s excellence isn’t good enough.

Carl Edwards is one driver who can relate with Martin about the dominant wrath of Johnson when it becomes crunch time in NASCAR. Last season in the 10 race Chase, Edwards had eight finishes within the top-4 that included three wins, but it still wasn’t good enough to keep up with the machine that Johnson is.

This by no means makes it over. I think we’re just so programmed into thinking that Johnson will win because he’s given us no reason to think he won’t. Winning three straight titles has only happened once so there isn’t a lot to go by as far as watching history and seeing a three-time champ fail in their bid for a fourth title. Johnson is writing history as we go right before our eyes.

Martin is only 12-points away from Johnson and Juan Pablo Montoya is only 58-points out after another impressive run saw him finish third at California. Tony Stewart is 84-points out in fourth while the hard charger of the week, Jeff Gordon, is 105-points out in fifth place.

After a rough first race of the Chase for four-time Cup Champion Gordon, he’s come on strong with sixth at Dover and then back to back second’s at Kansas and California. This week he’s going to another mile-and-a- half track that he and his team should be ready for.

All season long, these have been the type of tracks where Gordon has excelled the best and it’s just his luck that three of the next six races are on these type of tracks.

Of all the drivers may have a shot at catching Johnson by beating him at his own game, it could be Gordon even though he’s over 100 points behind right now. We talked about the three races he should do well at, which Johnson will too. Martinsville and Phoenix are tracks where both have run at as well. Between those five tracks, there doesn’t appear to be enough point differential for Gordon to catch Johnson.

The one major variable in the mix is Talladega, which could be described to Johnson as Superman’s kryptonite because it’s the one place he can’t control and dominate. In 15 career starts there, he’s had only four top-5 finishes including a win there in 2006. This season in his first attempt there Johnson finished 30th, one position better than he had starting the year off at the other restrictor plate track in Daytona.

If Johnson were to mirror what he’s done this year at Talladega on Nov 1, it could shake up the entire Chase. The difference between finishing first and 30th is 112 points which means that there is still hope for all the drivers, especially great plate drivers like Tony Stewart and Jeff Gordon.

Remember earlier in the year when Montoya started talking about just wanting to make the Chase and he had a plan to shoot for top-10’s and if he accumulated enough of them, he should be in good shape. At the time based on the way his team had run on all the ovals, we just kind of said, “Yeah, okay, sure JP, good luck with that.”

But then he started to do it and before we knew it he had cracked the top-12 and then was entrenching himself into the top-8 and it got to a point where he was so good every week that there was never a doubt that he wouldn’t make the Chase.

Now after four races in the Chase, JPM is sitting third in points chasing down Jimmie Johnson and Mark Martin for the Championship. It truly is a remarkable accomplishment. After bringing out new chassis’ for the first three races, last week they brought their Indy chassis and rolled nice. In the four Chase races, JPM has two thirds and two fourths.

In almost three full seasons, Montoya has finally become one of the good ole’ Boys. He used to be accused of conceitedness because he kept to himself. Writers and other teams thought he was full of himself because he was the International Superstar who had won at Indy and Monaco and thought NASCAR was beneath him.

But the fact was, Montoya didn’t like how was running and was somewhat embarrassed by his finishes. Plus, he wasn’t one of the guys. He didn’t come from any of their stock car series on the way up.

But now that he’s competing, he’s chit-chatting with everyone in the garage, especially those in contention, trying to pick their brains for any piece of knowledge he can extract to better himself. He’s also become more endearing with the media with his frank candidness saying whatever he’s thinking with no sugar-coating.

Welcome to NASCAR JPM, Good luck in the JJ hunt. Based on the last run he had in Atlanta, a track very similar to Charlotte, this may be the week Montoya captures his first win of the season and his first non-road course win in the series.

TOP 5 Charlotte Finish Prediction

1) #42 Juan Pablo Montoya (14/1)
2) #24 Jeff Gordon (8/1)
3) #48 Jimmie Johnson (5/1)
4) #18 Kyle Busch (14/1)
5) #9 Kasey Kahne (14/1)

Johnsons’ Last Race at Lowe’s

This weeks race at Charlotte marks the final race under the track sponsorship of Lowe’s. However, Lowe’s will still be sponsoring Jimmie Johnson who will be bringing a chassis that has raced only once, a 36th at Atlanta, in hopes of winning his sixth race in Charlotte which would tie a track record.

"Without a doubt, it really would be nice to win there,” Johnson said. “It has been a great relationship with the track and Lowe's and then all the victories we have had there have been really neat. The track, I really think since it was resurfaced, it just changed the dynamic of the race for us. I had some lines that worked really well. I think our setup worked really well for the abrasive track. Rough tracks with bumps and things like that seem to work well for me with my background. It just worked. It was one of those tracks that just worked. They ground the track and it still worked well for us. We came back and it was resurfaced and we were competitive but we didn't have an advantage by any means. I really think the surface has a lot to do with it. It has made the track more forgiving than it was in the past and I think it helped close the gap. I am hoping the track hurries up and ages and gets rough and bumpy and turns back in to the track it used to be.

"We work on stuff each time we go back. This year I think we'll be better yet. The last few times we have been there, we have just been super tight and needed more front grip with the car. I think we are a little smarter even from the All-Star and the Coca Cola 600 weekend, we're smarter now than we were then and hopefully it makes a difference."

Driver Handicaps: Charlotte
Racingone.com

CONCORD, N.C. - This weekend the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series heads to Lowe's Motor Speedway for Saturday's NASCAR Banking 500. To help you make your fantasy racing picks, RacingOne brings you our weekly detailed look at some of the field for the 334-lap event.

Who's HOT at Lowe's
• Kasey Kahne has a 3.3 average finish in the three starts with the COT.
• Jimmie Johnson has captured five wins and 12 top 10s.
• Mark Martin leads all active drivers with 17 top fives.
• Jeff Gordon, a five-time winner, has a 6.8 average finish in his last four starts.
• Kyle Busch has finished in the top five in his last four starts.
• Carl Edwards has a 10.0 average finish in nine starts.

Keep an Eye on at Lowe's
• Defending event winner Jeff Burton has finished in the top 10 in three of his last four starts.
• David Reutimann won the rain-shortened Coca-Cola 600 earlier this season.
• Joey Logano finished ninth in his first track start in May.
• Tony Stewart and Denny Hamlin have respective average finishes of 10.4 and 10.6 on 1.5-mile tracks this season.
• Juan Pablo Montoya has finished in the top five in every Chase race.
• Greg Biffle has a 9.7 average finish with the COT at Lowe's.
• Brian Vickers has led 158 laps with the COT at Lowe's.
• Lowe's is the site of Ryan Newman's best start and best finish in 2009.

Track Performers
Jeff Gordon leads all drivers with a 5.0 average finish on the 1.5-mile tracks in 2009. Gordon won in the series' third trip to a 1.5-mile track this season after taking the checkered flag at Texas Motor Speedway. Kasey Kahne, who won last month at Atlanta, is the only other driver with an average finish (7.7) of 10.0 of better. May Lowe's winner David Reutimann (10.3) is third with Tony Stewart (10.4) and Denny Hamlin (10.6) rounding out the top five. Kurt Busch, Jimmie Johnson, Kyle Busch, Greg Biffle and Mark Martin are the only drivers that have led more than 200 laps on 1.5-mile tracks. Based off 1.5-mile tracks in 2009: Las Vegas, Atlanta (1.54-mile), Texas, Lowe's, Chicago and Kansas

Tire Facts
This weekend, the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series teams will be running the same tire combination that the teams ran at Lowe's Motor Speedway in May. Prior to that race, Marcos Ambrose (Toyota), Jimmie Johnson (Chevrolet), Kasey Kahne (Dodge) and Paul Menard (Ford) participated in a Goodyear tire test in March. Tire Codes: Left-side -- D-4248; Right-side -- D-4234.

RacingOne Staff Picks
Jeff Wackerlin: Jeff Gordon
Pete Pistone: Kasey Kahne
Rachael West: Jimmie Johnson

Top 30 Driver Notes - Ordered by Current Standings

(All stats/notes are in regards to Lowe's Motor Speedway unless noted)

1. Jimmie Johnson: Five-time winner; Last win came in this event in 2005; 12.3 average finish in last seven starts; Leads all full-time drivers with 1,242 laps led; Will return in the same car (chassis No. 558) that led 17 laps at Atlanta last month before mechanical problems took him out of contention.

2. Mark Martin: Finished 17th in first track start with Hendrick Motorsports in May; Four-time winner with Roush Racing; Last top 10 came in this event last year with Dale Earnhardt, Inc.; One win (Chicago) and 250 laps led on 1.5-mile tracks this season; Will be back in the same car (chassis No. 523) that won at Michigan in June.

3. Juan Pablo Montoya: Finished eighth in May in first track start in a Chevrolet; Posted a 32.3 average finish in first four starts; Has a 12.9 average finish on 1.5-mile tracks in 2009; Will pilot the same car (chassis No. 906) that finished fourth at Kansas.

4. Tony Stewart: Finished 19th in first track start with Stewart-Haas Racing in May; Won this event in 2003 with Joe Gibbs Racing; Win was one of 11 top 10s with JGR; Will be racing a car that has posted a 4.0 average finish in three races this season; This is also the same car that won at Kansas.

5. Jeff Gordon: Five-time winner; Last of five wins came in this event in 2007; Leads all drivers with a 5.0 average finish on 1.5-mile tracks in 2009.

6. Kurt Busch: Only top 10 (third) in seven starts with Penske Racing came in this event in 2008; Finished 34th in May; Best finish came in the 2005 fall race with Roush Racing in second.

7. Greg Biffle: Last of five top 10s came in this event last year; Has a 15.4 average finish and has led 247 laps on 1.5-mile tracks in 2009; Will return in the same car (chassis No. 566) that finished 10th at Atlanta last month.

8. Carl Edwards: Finished fourth in May; Finish was seventh top 10 in nine starts; Has posted an average finish of 13.6 on 1.5-mile tracks in 2009; Will be back in the same car (chassis No. 636) that finished fourth at Lowe's in May.

9. Denny Hamlin: Has posted a 17.8 average finish in last four starts; Last of three top 10s came in the 2007 May race; Fifth-best average finish (10.6) on 1.5-mile tracks.

10. Ryan Newman: Won the pole and finished second in first track start with Stewart-Haas Racing in May; Eight poles leads all active drivers; Posted five top 10s in previous 16 starts with Penske Racing; Will race the same car (chassis No. 531) that finished sixth at Chicago.

11. Kasey Kahne: Three-time winner; Last win came in 2008 May race; Has posted an average finish of 4.5 in last four starts; Second-best average finish (7.7) on 1.5-mile tracks in 2009.

12. Brian Vickers: Finished fifth in May for second top five with Team Red Bull; Has led 234 laps with the team; Only other top 10 (10th) came in this event in 2006 with Hendrick Motorsports.

13. Kyle Busch: Has posted an average finish of 4.0 in last four starts; Has finishes of third, fourth and sixth with Joe Gibbs Racing; Won the pole in 2008 and has led 248 laps with JGR; Has led 250 laps on 1.5-mile tracks in 2009; Will return in the same car (chassis No. 249) that finished fifth at Richmond last month.

14. Matt Kenseth: Winner of the 2000 Coca-Cola 600; Finished 10th in May for ninth top 10 in 20 starts; Last top 10 (seventh) in the fall race came in 2008.

15. Clint Bowyer: Has a 20.9 average finish in seven starts; Only top 10 came in this event in 2007 in second; Will pilot the same car (chassis No. 257) that finished 19th at Indianapolis.

16. David Reutimann: Won the rain shortened Coca-Cola 600 in May; Win was second top 10 in five starts; Has the third-best average finish (10.3) on 1.5-mile tracks in 2009.

17. Marcos Ambrose: Started 23rd and finished 26th in first track start in May; Has a 24.7 average finish on 1.5-mile tracks in 2009.

18. Jeff Burton: Defending event winner; Win was third in 31 starts; Has posted an 11.4 average finish in 10 starts with Richard Childress; Will drive the same car (chassis No. 283) that recently finished 16th at Dover.

19. Casey Mears: Won the 2007 Coca-Cola 600 with Hendrick Motorsports; Finished 33rd in first track start with Richard Childress Racing in May; Will drive the same car (chassis No. 282) that finished 17th at Dover.

20. Joey Logano: Finished ninth in track debut in May; Has a 21.4 average finish on 1.5-mile tracks in 2009; Will be racing the same car (chassis No. 247) that finished 12th at Indianapolis and 28th at Kansas.

21. Kevin Harvick: Has three top 10s in 17 starts; Last top 10 came in this event in 2003; Will return in the same car (chassis No. 288) that finished 10th last weekend at Auto Club.

22. Dale Earnhardt Jr.: Has posted a 27.0 average finish in three starts with Hendrick Motorsports; Recorded eight top 10s in previous 17 starts with Dale Earnhardt, Inc.; Will return in the same car (chassis No. 521) that finished 27th at Pocono in June.

23. Jamie McMurray: Winner of this event in 2002; Win was one of four top 10s with Ganassi Racing; Last top five came in this event last year; Will make eighth track start with Roush Racing; Driving the same car (chassis No. 617) that finished 28th at Atlanta.

24. AJ Allmendinger: Has a 28.2 average finish in five starts; Best finish, of 15th, came in this event in 2007.

25. Martin Truex Jr.: Only top 10 came in first of eight starts; Will race the same car (chassis No. 70) that won the pole and led 68 laps en route to a 26th-place finish at Atlanta last month.

26. Sam Hornish Jr.: Won the All-Star Showdown this year; Finished 16th a week later in the Coca-Cola 600; Has posted a 25.3 average finish on 1.5-mile tracks in 2009.

27. Elliott Sadler: Has posted three top 10s in 22 starts; Eighth-place finish in the 2008 spring race is only top 10 in six starts with Richard Petty Motorsports (Gillett Evernham).

28. David Ragan: Only top 10 (10th) in five starts came in this event last year; Will drive the same car (chassis No. 630) that finished 22nd at Pocono.

29. Reed Sorenson: Finished 35th in first track start with Richard Petty Motorsports in May; Posted two top 10s in previous six starts with Ganassi Racing.

30. David Stremme: Finished 22nd in first track start with Penske Racing in May; Posted one top 10 in previous five starts with Ganassi Racing.

Johnson zips to pole at Charlotte

Concord, NC (Sports Network) - Current points leader Jimmie Johnson turned a wicked fast lap during Thursday's qualifying at Lowe's Motor Speedway to claim the pole for the NASCAR Banking 500 -- the fifth race in the "Chase for the Sprint Cup" championship.

Johnson, the three-time defending Sprint Cup Series champion and last Sunday's race winner at California, lapped the 1.5-mile oval with a blistering speed of 192.376 m.p.h. to set the fastest qualifying lap in the three-year history of the new NASCAR Cup Series car -- formerly referred to as the "Car of Tomorrow."

He claimed his third pole of the season, his third at Charlotte and the 22nd of his Cup career.

"It's obviously a great night to get the pole here; it's special for us," Johnson said. "[Friday] is a whole different day with different things we got to worry about making the car go over the long haul. I feel good about things. We had a great day today, and I will sleep well tonight."

Dale Earnhardt Jr. held the previous record for fastest qualifying lap (190.907 m.p.h.) in the COT when he took the pole for the spring 2008 race at Texas.

Johnson enters the 500-mile race with a 12-point advantage over Hendrick Motorsports teammate and closest competitor Mark Martin, who will start alongside Johnson on the front row.

"Believe it or not, the speed isn't what scares you; it's driving over your head, and that car was so good," Martin said.

Kasey Kahne, a Chase driver, qualified third, followed by Matt Kenseth and Tony Stewart, another title contender.

"We were a little bit off from practice," Kahne said. "We probably had a pretty perfect lap. That was a fast lap."

Ryan Newman, Mike Bliss, who was the fastest among those drivers required to qualify on time, Brad Keselowski, Jeff Gordon and Kyle Busch completed the top-10. Newman and Gordon are Chase competitors.

The remaining Chase drivers and their starting positions include: Kurt Busch (15th), Denny Hamlin (17th), Juan Pablo Montoya (18th), Greg Biffle (23rd), Carl Edwards (28th) and Brian Vickers (30th).

Michael McDowell, Sterling Marlin, Dave Blaney and Travis Kvapil failed to qualify.

Saturday's race is scheduled to start just after 7:25 p.m.

NASCAR heads to N.C.

Johnson back in front

Jimmie Johnson’s win in California last week moved him to the top of the standings. He’ll try to remain there after Saturday night’s race at Lowe’s Motor Speedway in Charlotte.

Here are the updated lines from BroburySports.com.

Johnson is going for his record 4th straight title, but he’ll have to hold off Mark Martin who had another Top 5 finish (4th) last week.

Juan Pablo Montoya continued to stay hot, finishing 3rd last week, but he’s not making up any ground on Johnson so far.

Updated Sprint Cup Title Odds (points in parenthesis)

Jimmie Johnson +120 (5,728)
Mark Martin +200 (5,716)
Juan Pablo Montoya +500 (5,670)
Tony Stewart +600 (5,644)
Jeff Gordon +800 (5,623)
Kurt Busch +2500 (5,607)
Greg Biffle +7500 (5,540)
Denny Hamlin +7500 (5,509)
Carl Edwards +7500 (5,536)
Ryan Newman +10000 (5,505)
Brian Vickers +10000 (5,422)
Kasey Kahne +10000 (5,361)

Here are the favorites for Saturday night’s Banking 500. It will be broadcast on ABC at 7:45 pm EST.

Jimmie Johnson (+300)

Johnson has five wins, eight Top 5’s and 12 Top 10’s in 16 Lowe’s starts. However, he has finished outside the Top 10 in three of his last four starts here.

Mark Martin (+600)

Martin has four wins, 17 Top 5’s and 22 Top 10’s in 49 Lowe’s starts. He has finished outside the Top 10 in five of his last six starts here.

Jeff Gordon (+700)

Gordon has five wins, 15 Top 5’s and 18 Top 10’s in 33 Lowe’s starts. He last won this race back in 2007.

Juan Pablo Montoya (+1000)

Montoya has no wins, no Top 5’s and one Top 10 in five Lowe’s starts. He did finish 8th here in May and has been in the Top 5 of all four Chase races so far.

Tony Stewart (+1000)

Stewart has one win, six Top 5’s and 11 Top 10’s in 21 Lowe’s starts. He has finished outside the Top 10 in seven of his last nine starts here.

More of The Field

Carl Edwards (+1200)
Greg Biffle (+1200)
Kyle Busch (+1200)
Denny Hamlin (+1500)
Brian Vickers (+1800)
Kasey Kahne (+2000) – Three wins at Lowe’s
Kurt Busch (+2000)
Kevin Harvick (+2500)
Matt Kenseth (+2500)
Clint Bowyer (+3000)
Dale Earnhardt Jr. (+3000)
Ryan Newman (+4000)
Joey Logano (+5000)

Practice Notes - North Carolina
By Micah Roberts

Jimmie Johnson is at it again. During the final practice sessions for Saturday night’s NASCAR Banking 500 at Charlotte Motor Speedway, Johnson set a blistering pace that no other driver had an answer for.

During the first session, Johnson wasn’t just good, he was off the charts good. His early lap of 187.162 mph was almost 2 mph faster than the second best time of teammate Mark Martin. That kind of speed differential rarely happens and is something he didn’t even do when he won an unprecedented five of six Charlotte races from off 2002 to 2005.

Greg Biffle was one of the drivers who was trying to keep pace with Johnson during the session - and did a decent job with the third best speed, noted that Johnson was just too quick in and out of turns three and four.

During Happy Hour, Johnson was just as good with the fastest lap of 185.478 mph early in the session followed once again by Martin with the second quickest lap. In just about all fazes of practice, Johnson dominated the day including having the best 10-lap average.

The chassis Johnson brought this week was the same one he led 17 laps with in Atlanta six weeks ago before having rear-end problems and finishing 36th. In the primary practice using race trim, Johnson was also fastest then and not so coincidentally, Martin was the second fastest then too, but not by such a wide margin.

Johnson’s dominance didn’t extend to just Friday. He was fastest in limited practice Thursday night just before qualifying. where he won the pole too. In what may be the most dominant display of consistency by two teammates, Mark Martin finished second fastest in every session including sitting on the front row with Jimmie. This is only the second time all season that one driver has lead all three practice sessions, and definitely a first for a 1-2 exacta.

A few of the areas that Johnson didn’t reign supreme at were some longer average runs. In the first session Juan Pablo Montoya - using the new chassis that finished fourth at Kansas - had the best average speed while running only 17 laps.

The driver that made a nice impression as someone who may be able to challenge Johnson was Kyle Busch who had the best 20 lap average among all drivers in the first practice session while running 43 laps, the most among all drivers. During Happy Hour, Busch was able to run the fifth fastest lap.

Busch brought his fifth place Richmond chassis this week with hopes that they can get that car dialed in like it was Memorial Day Weekend when Busch led the most laps in the rain shortened Coca-Cola 600. Despite not running well on the sister track of Atlanta in September, Kyle may be back to being a contender to win on a 1.5-mile track and he does have history on his side in Charlotte. He’s on a streak that has seen him finish in the top-6 in his last four starts.

Mark Martin leads all drivers with 17 top-5 finishes at Charlotte and brought the car that he won at Michigan with. He’s looking to take all those great practice times to the winners circle at Charlotte for the fifth time in his career, while also retaking the points lead from Johnson.

Meanwhile, Kasey Kahne, who won on the sister track of Atlanta last month comes in with good, but not stellar practice times. When he won in Atlanta, it was almost the exact same scenario where he was good in practice, but showed no signs of looking like a winning car.

Kahne should be okay Saturday based on history. He has an average finish of 3.3 in his last three starts at Charlotte with three wins overall.

Tony Stewart brought his winning Kansas Chassis to Charlotte this week and his practice times are looking very similar to what he ran in Kansas with very good average speeds.

Ryan Newman is happy to be visiting Charlotte again because it’s the site of his best start and finish on 2009. He brought his Chicagoland car, which finished sixth there, and ran sixth quickest in Happy Hour.

Friday’s Early Practice Session:

1) Jimmie Johnson 187.162 mph - AVG 24 laps @ 182.204 race
2) Mark Martin 185.790 mph - AVG 33 laps @ 181.445
3) Greg Biffle 185.242 mph - AVG 25 laps @ 180.620
4) Matt Kenseth 184.805 mph - AVG 32 laps @ 179.745
5) Denny Hamlin 184.786 mph - AVG 41 laps @ 181.382

Top average speed: Juan Pablo Montoya 17 laps @ 182.509
Most laps run: Kyle Busch - 43

Saturday’s Final Practice (Happy Hour)

1) Jimmie Johnson 185.478 mph - AVG 48 laps @ 181.094
2) Mark Martin 184.849 mph - AVG 44 laps @ 181.190
3) Denny Hamlin 184.685 mph - AVG 54 laps @ 181.033
4) Robby Gordon 184.237 mph - AVG 30 @ 180.198
5) Kyle Busch 183.974 mph - AVG 45 laps @ 181.211

Top average speed: Kyle Busch
Most laps run: Martin Truex Jr - 59

Top 10 Rated Drivers at Charlotte after all practice and qualifying sessions are completed. Rating will also consist of information from September’s Atlanta race along with other recent 1.5-mile races. Current state of the team will also have a slight bearing.

1) Jimmie Johnson
2) Mark Martin
3) Kyle Busch
4) Denny Hamlin
5) Kasey Kahne
6) Tony Stewart
7) Ryan Newman
8) Juan Pablo Montoya
9) Jeff Gordon
10) Greg Biffle