Gas and Go
A NASCAR BLOG BY Dave Exum
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No other track like Lowe's Motor Speedway
Oct
10
CONCORD, N.C. - Lowe's Motor Speedway, planted in the heart of NASCAR Nation, is by far my favorite speedway to go to.
I'll never forget the first time I visited LMS. It was 2005, and I was on assignment for a Boston newspaper to cover the Coca-Cola 600. For a guy who had never been to a Cup race down South, this was truly a big deal. Not to mention it was the Coca-Cola 600, the longest, most grueling race on the schedule.
Jimmie Johnson would go on to win his third consecutive race at LMS that night. But the great racing at LMS isn't the only reason why this tricky 1.5-mile track is my favorite.
You come down Bruton Smith Boulevard and the track appears like a palatial palace. Roll into the infield, through one of the tunnels and you'll see the incredible banking in the turns. You hear the roar of engines and see the gigantic grandstands and realize you're smack dab in the middle of one of the greatest sporting venues in the country.
The track here also has a great history. NASCAR has been racing here twice a season since 1960. For nearly 50 years, the sport's greatest drivers have come here and have either won what was once known as the World 600, the 500-miler in the fall or both.
Sure, this track isn't Daytona or Talladega and doesn't have the short-track history of a Bristol or Martinsville. What it does have that other tracks don't have are the true roots of racing right in its own backyard.
I'll never forget the first time I visited LMS. It was 2005, and I was on assignment for a Boston newspaper to cover the Coca-Cola 600. For a guy who had never been to a Cup race down South, this was truly a big deal. Not to mention it was the Coca-Cola 600, the longest, most grueling race on the schedule.
Jimmie Johnson would go on to win his third consecutive race at LMS that night. But the great racing at LMS isn't the only reason why this tricky 1.5-mile track is my favorite.
You come down Bruton Smith Boulevard and the track appears like a palatial palace. Roll into the infield, through one of the tunnels and you'll see the incredible banking in the turns. You hear the roar of engines and see the gigantic grandstands and realize you're smack dab in the middle of one of the greatest sporting venues in the country.
The track here also has a great history. NASCAR has been racing here twice a season since 1960. For nearly 50 years, the sport's greatest drivers have come here and have either won what was once known as the World 600, the 500-miler in the fall or both.
Sure, this track isn't Daytona or Talladega and doesn't have the short-track history of a Bristol or Martinsville. What it does have that other tracks don't have are the true roots of racing right in its own backyard.
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