Lowes to Hendrick? UPDATE 2: from the Winston Salem Journal – Lowe’s is now expected to move from the Richard Childress camp(#31) to Hendrick’s to sponsor incoming rookie (#48) Jimmie Johnson next season, according to NASCAR sources(Winston Salem Journal) BUT from a SpeedVision Interview with Richard Childress: Q) Is the Lowe’s situation as safe as we’ve heard it is? A) “You’re going to be hearing some announcements on that. We’re going to be okay with the third [No. 31] team. Lowe’s will honor their contract [through 2002]. The direction they go, I’m going to leave that up to y’all. We’ve agreed we’re going to honor it, but we have other things working”(SpeedVision)(8-7-2001) UPDATE: Winston Cup team owner Rick Hendrick hopes to announce the primary sponsor for Jimmie Johnson’s Winston Cup effort within the next six weeks. “We have associates and all that done, we just haven’t announced it,” Hendrick said Aug. 3. “Probably sometime in the next 30 to 45 days. We haven’t signed anything yet.” If Lowe’s were to leave Richard Childress Racing, rumors are the company could move to Hendrick Motorsports.(Winston Cup Scene – need sub to read online) UPDATE 2: the Herald-Citizen reports that Jimmy Johnson will run a limited schedule next season in preparation for a full run for Hendrick in 2003. That would allow Lowe’s to sponsor him in those races in 2002, then move over to him on a full time basis in 2003(Herald Citizen), but all reports and indications I have seen say Johnson will run fulltime in 2002, he will make five or so starts in 2001 in the #48 starting at Lowes in Oct(8-9-2001)
