Storylines: Lowe's Motor Speedway and Mansfield

NASCAR SPRINT CUP SERIES

Careers Made at the 600
Talk about history. The 600 has been around since 1960. For years it was called the World 600, now the Memorial Day Weekend tradition is known as the Coca-Cola 600 – and it is one of the crown jewels of NASCAR.

Fittingly, it’s a place where careers have begun…and have been made.

A number of notable drivers made their NASCAR Sprint Cup Series debut in the event, drivers like Dale Earnhardt and Dale Earnhardt Jr.

Also, a number of marquee names got their first premier series win in the 600, such as past series champions David Pearson, Bobby Labonte, Jeff Gordon and Matt Kenseth.

A Winning Strategy A Must
The old adage “it’s a marathon, not a sprint” fits the Coca-Cola 600 perfectly.

Teams have 600 miles run over 400 laps to get the car’s setup just right. And changes are not only expected, they’re necessary.

The green flag drops under a twilight sky, and ends at night, when track temperature dips and the surface gets more grip.

Pit strategy is also a key factor, and can mean the difference between winning and losing. Casey Mears, and then crew chief Darian Grubb, gambled and won with their fuel mileage strategy last season, deciding to stay on track while others pitted for fuel. The “roll of the dice” paid off, giving Mears his first series win.

Mears A Memorial Day Mainstay
For years, the name Mears was synonymous with Indy on Memorial Day weekend. Now it's synonymous with NASCAR. Casey Mears, nephew of four-time Indy 500 winner Rick Mears, is the defending champion of the 600.

Last year, Casey won for the first time in his NASCAR Sprint Cup Series career, ending a 155-race drought. He now looks for another strong finish in the 600, as back-to-back sub 30th-place finishes has dropped him to 27th in the series standings.

Kahne’s Rebound Season Continues
Kasey Kahne entered the 2008 season with a new sponsor and a renewed outlook.

His 2007, by his standards, was awful. He missed the Chase and failed to win a single race – all after winning a series-high six races in 2006.

So far, 2008 has been much more kind to the driver of the No. 9 Budweiser Dodge. He sits just two points outside the coveted 12th place position in the standings and is coming of a huge win in the NASCAR Sprint All-Star Race. Kahne, who earned a spot in the race by winning the NASCAR Sprint Fan Vote, became the first driver to win the All-Star race after winning the Fan Vote.

Now he returns to the scene of arguably the biggest win of his career – the 2006 Coca-Cola 600 – looking to end a 52-race winless drought. Kahne swept the two Lowe’s Motor Speedway races in 2006 and six of his seven races have come on intermediate style tracks.

Johnson Feel Right at Home
This weekend is a “home track advantage” for a lot of drivers. But Jimmie Johnson may feel even more at home than anyone else.

Not only does he share a sponsor – Lowe’s – with the track, but he’s won five times there – including three consecutive 600s, from 2003-2005.

His statistics at Lowe’s Motor Speedway over the last three years there dominate the rest of the field. His Driver Rating is a series-high 120.2, which is 26 points more than second-place Kyle Busch (94.3).

Martin Looks for Second 600 Win
Mark Martin has 35 wins during his storied 26-year NASCAR Sprint Cup Series career – but perhaps none bigger than the Coca-Cola 600 in 2002.

He hopes the magic repeats itself six years and one team later. Martin, who won the 600 while driving for Roush Fenway Racing, now runs a partial schedule for Dale Earnhardt Inc. Like Kahne, Martin is looking to end a lengthy win drought – he hasn’t won in 74 attempts.

Memorial Day Momentum: Hornish, Allmendinger Roll
As the 2006 Indianapolis 500 winner, Sam Hornish Jr. knows a thing or two about Memorial Day Weekend success. Now he’s hoping that translates to NASCAR success this weekend.

Momentum is on his side. Hornish, along with Sprint Showdown winner AJ Allmendinger, both qualified for last weekend’s NASCAR Sprint All-Star Race because of their 1-2 finish in the Showdown. Now they look to continue their roll.

Their first challenge: Make the Coca-Cola 600 field. Neither are in the top 35 in Owner Points, meaning neither has a guaranteed spot.

Hornish’s No. 77 Dodge is 36th in the standings and Allmendinger’s No. 84 Toyota is 40th.

NASCAR NATIONWIDE SERIES

Wallace, Stremme Remain Strong for Rusty Wallace Racing
The Wallace family built its racing legacy in St. Louis, but third-generation driver Steve Wallace looks forward to racing in Charlotte and brings the best statistics of his series career with him. Wallace, 20, was born in North Carolina so this is a true “home” race for him.

Teaming with David Stremme for his father’s Rusty Wallace Racing team, Steve Wallace sits 11th in the standings, 28 points behind his teammate. He’s posted career-best top-five finishes in his last two races and has benefitted from the mentorship and consistency of Stremme, who is putting together what could be his best season in the series.

Bliss Leads Impressive List of Series-Only Regulars
Mike Bliss’ fifth-place ranking leads five series-only regulars in the standings. His only series win to date came at the 2004 fall race at Lowe’s Motor Speedway when he drove for Joe Gibbs Racing. That event is remembered as one of that season’s best thanks to his daring late-race move that split Jimmie Johnson and Matt Kenseth on the frontstretch, carrying him to the win. The victory was also the lone win at the track in series competition for JGR, a team currently on a series-record six-race winning streak. Bliss now drives for Phoenix Racing while the trio of Tony Stewart, Denny Hamlin and Kyle Busch has put together the string of wins for JGR. Hamlin is the JGR driver this weekend.

With Momentum, Kahne Is Able
There’s a lot to be said for momentum—just ask Kasey Kahne. The defending winner of last year’s race returns after winning the NASCAR Sprint All-Star Race over the weekend. That’s also good news for Dodge; the manufacturer has yet to win in NASCAR Nationwide Series competition this season and its last win was engineered by Kahne at Bristol Motor Speedway this past August.

JR Motorsports Adds to Team
JR Motorsports will add to the organization’s short history when the team will enter three cars in the CARQUEST Auto Parts 300. Team owner Dale Earnhardt Jr. will drive the No. 83 Chevrolet, series-only regular Brad Keselowski—ranked seventh in the points—will be in the No. 88 and two-time NASCAR Sprint Cup Series champion Jimmie Johnson—who competed in two full seasons in the NASCAR Nationwide Series from 2000-01—will be in the No. 5. Braun Racing will also field three Toyotas with Kyle Busch, ranked second in the points, in the No. 32; Jason Leffler (eighth in the standings) in the No. 38 and 2003 series champion Brian Vickers in the No. 10.


NASCAR CRAFTSMAN TRUCK SERIES

ThorSport Racing Returns Home A Winner
ThorSport Racing, the only team based outside the North Carolina/Virginia NASCAR axis, returns to Ohio a winner for the first time in 237 races. The Sandusky team had just one previous victory (at the defunct Flemington (N.J.) Speedway) before Matt Crafton captured last weekend’s Lowe’s Motor Speedway event to break a personal winless streak of 177 races.

Ohio Natives Get One Shot for Hometown Glory
This weekend’s fifth visit to Mansfield Motorsports Park marks the only annual appearance by a NASCAR national series in a state that – ironically – sends more than its share of natives to NASCAR teams. Jack Roush is the most prominent Ohioan counting 48 wins and a championship in the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series.

Battle for Point Lead Heats Up
Championship leaders Ron Hornaday Jr. and Todd Bodine ran into late-race trouble at Lowe’s Motor Speedway. Hornaday remains atop the point standings but only by five over Rick Crawford. Both drivers will celebrate their 50th birthdays in June. Sixty-six points are the difference between the first and sixth positions. And – Kyle Busch’s eighth-place finish boosted Billy Ballew back into the No. 1 spot in owner standings.

Sprague the Favorite a Mansfield
Jack Sprague’s a “can’t miss” favorite at Mansfield Motorsports Park. Four appearances have netted a win and three second-place finishes. The defending winner, however, is Dennis Setzer, winner of this season’s only short track race at Martinsville Speedway. There have been five consecutive different short track winners.

Chevrolet Back On Top; Cope’s Family Ties
Chevrolet passes Toyota to lead by a point in a close manufacturers’ battle. Ford remains the only winless truck maker in 2008 riding a non-winning streak of 12 races. Neither Ford nor Toyota has managed to win at Mansfield … Daytona 500 winner Derrike Cope’s 24-year-old twin nieces make their NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series debut at Mansfield.