Heading into the N.C. Education Lottery 200 at Lowe’s Motor Speedway (LMS), Chevrolet ventures to ‘The Beast of the Southeast’ with high expectations.

Winning five of the six races held at the 1.5 mile tri-oval in Concord, North Carolina, Charlotte hasn’t seen a different manufacture in Victory Lane since Ted Musgrave took his No. 1 Mopar Performance Dodge there in the track’s inaugural Camping World Truck Series race in 2003.

Dayne Pierantoni, GM Racing Silverado Program Manager, notes the success of Chevrolet at the track, "Lowe's Motor Speedway has been a great track for our Chevy Silverado teams since the first race in 2003. Chevrolet has more wins, top-five and top-10 finishes than any other manufacturer.”

"It is always a full-day with no room for an error because of the one-day schedule.” Pierantoni continued, “In addition, as a rule racing at Charlotte brings the extra pressure of being at home in front of family and friends.”

With the series taking a three week vacation, the drivers are eager to return to action at a track many consider home. However, last year’s defending winner at LMS, Matt Crafton’s team is based in Ohio.

Looking to uphold his victory in 2008, Crafton also hopes to collect his first win of the season at the track where he assembled his first and only win. Using consistent runs to place him in the fourth spot in the standings, Crafton is aiming to grab a win to aid him in his climb to the top.

“I think you have to be confident each and every week but it helps going back to a place where you know you have won before,” Crafton reflected. “Last year’s win was awesome. It was nice to look at everyone and say we did it and to finally quiet all those asking if I was capable of winning. My owners, Duke and Rhonda Thorson, have been so supportive so it was really gratifying for them and the others who have believed in me all along the way.”

Finishing second and collecting a career best finish, Chad McCumbee aspires to improve on his runner-up finish of last year and take his No. 07 SS Green Light Racing Chevrolet to Victory Lane for the first time in his career.

“It’s great to be able to just drive home and sleep in your own bed and to be able to just relax at home before the race,” McCumbee states. “No rental cars, hotels, strange beds to deal with. The flip side is the additional pressure of running in front of all the crew guys and their families. When you’re racing at Lowe’s you’re in the spotlight, everyone will be there this weekend.”

Sitting in the second position in the point standings, Ron Hornaday, Jr. is seeking his second win at LMS since he won the Quaker Steak & Lube in 2007. With three top-5 and five top-10 finishes thus far in the season, Hornaday seems to be on pace for contending for his fourth series title.

Also a notable driver entering in the N.C. Education Lottery 200 is Ryan Newman. Newman will climb behind the wheel of the No. 4 Kevin Harvick Inc. (KHI) Chevrolet for his second career race in the series. Winning his first race driving a KHI truck, Newman endeavors to remain undefeated after taking the checkered in his first series start at Atlanta last year.

“Winning the race last year in Atlanta in my first and only truck start was pretty cool,” Newman commented. “There is definitely some tough competition in the truck series. Throw in the fact that we are racing at Charlotte and I think the competition just got tougher. Everyone has an added desire to win. This is everybody’s backyard, everybody’s home track. I would love to come out of Charlotte on top.”

With Chevrolet’s dominance at the track and drivers such as Crafton, McCumbee, Hornaday and Newman on the list to compete, this weekend’s race at Charlotte is sure to be one to watch.

Stay tuned to HardcoreRaceFans.com to find out if Chevrolet can keep their win streak at Lowe’s alive.

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