ALL-STAR: Johnson Has 5 Reasons To Shine Saturday

Sprint Cup

ALL-STAR: Johnson Has 5 Reasons To Shine Saturday

Jimmie Johnson's Lowe's team is switching car numbers for the Sprint All-Star Race…

Mike Hembree | Posted May 17, 2011 Charlotte, NC

Jimmie Johnson, synonymous with the No. 48, will carry No. 5 this weekend. (Photo: LAT Photographic)

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The Chevrolet Jimmie Johnson is scheduled to drive in Saturday night’s Sprint All-Star Race at Charlotte Motor Speedway will carry a paint scheme very similar to the standard design the Hendrick Motorsports team races every weekend.

With one glaring exception.

Instead of the number 48 Johnson has carried throughout his Sprint Cup career – and to five series championships, he’ll be in car No. 5 Saturday night.

It’s all a promotion by Lowe’s, Johnson’s sponsor. The selection of the 5 is designed to spotlight the chain’s five-percent-off special.

It will be a bit confusing, not only for fans and broadcasters but also for team members.

“We’ll have to train the brain for the 5,” Johnson said Tuesday. “It’s a unique opportunity to do something different for the All-Star race. We all remember when [Dale] Earnhardt rolled out in that crazy car (a silver paint job) for the Winston.

“We’re going to have fun with it.”

To avoid confusion on pit road, Johnson said his team will continue to use the “48” sign to help him locate his pit more quickly. “I’ll drive right on by the 5,” he said.

Of course, Mark Martin, Johnson’s Hendrick teammate, is the 5’s regular driver. He’ll be in No. 25 this weekend.

Mike Hembree is NASCAR Editor for SPEED.com and has been covering motorsports for 29 years. He is a six-time winner of the National Motorsports Press Association Writer of the Year Award.

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Mike Hembree

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