JOHNSON'S STOCK RISES AT LOWE'S.

Byline: TIM HADDOCK

H.A. Humpy Wheeler, the president and general manager of Lowe's Motor Speedway, predicted Carl Edwards would win this year's NASCAR Nextel Cup Series All-Star race.

He was wrong -- which doesn't happen too often. He made a habit of correctly picking the winner of NASCAR's annual all-star event. But he should know better than to pick against Jimmie Johnson, especially at his own track.

If anyone has a home-track advantage in NASCAR, it's Johnson at Lowe's Motor Speedway. The numbers Johnson has put up at the track near Charlotte, N.C., are staggering.

As the NASCAR Nextel Cup Series prepares for its longest race of the year, Sunday's Coca-Cola 600, Johnson has a chance to add his name to the legendary list of record-holders at Lowe's Motor Speedway.

Aside from winning the All-Star Challenge, Johnson has won five of the past six races at Lowe's Motor Speedway, including the past three Coca-Cola 600s. He has won the past four races at Lowe's, which hosts two NASCAR Nextel Cup Series races a year. One more win and he will match Bobby Allison and Darrel Waltrip for the most wins at the speedway.

One more Coca-Cola 600 victory and he will be the first driver to win four straight.

``I've had other success at Pocono and Dover, New Hampshire, I've done that in the course of a year,'' said Johnson, driver of the No. 48 Chevrolet Monte Carlo for Hendrick Motorsports. ``But to come back and repeat it year after year is tough to do. I'm really proud of the fact that we've been able to continue to do it in Charlotte.''

And it doesn't seem to matter where he starts in the race. He has won the race from the pole and won it from the 37th starting spot.

Johnson has been so good at Lowe's Motor Speedway it's not a matter of if he will take the lead at some point in the race, but when.

Johnson has led nearly twice as many laps -- 860 -- as his nearest competitor. Tony Stewart is next with 475.

Johnson was asked to explain his success at Lowe's Motor Speedway and he admitted he has found a comfort level at the track.

``I've been thinking about it since this has all been taking place,'' Johnson said. ``All I can come up with is the track -- it still has the same transitions, banking is similar. A lot of the racetrack itself, granted the surface is different and requires a different setup, but the line really I think is what I've always been to figure out at that racetrack. I just stick to the line I think I need to run, the rhythm of driving the track, we adjust to it.''

In addition, Johnson said his team has avoided making many mistakes through all its adjustments.

``After a matter of time and understanding the new surface, we make the right adjustments and get it to where I can drive it how I want to around there and it works,'' Johnson said. ``We go to some tracks, get it to drive how I want it to and it sucks. But Charlotte has been working out.''

Until it doesn't work out, Wheeler would serve his predictions better to stick with Johnson.

CAPTION(S):

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Photo:

Jimmie Johnson celebrates after winning the NASCAR Nextel All-Star Challenge on Saturday at Lowe's Motor Speedway.

Terry Renna/Associated Press

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