Jimmie Johnson Scores First Winston Cup Win - Fontana, April 28

In only his 13th start, Team Monte Carlo driver Jimmie Johnson scored his
first career NASCAR Winston Cup win at California Speedway, his hometown
track.  Behind the wheel of the No. 48 Lowe's Chevrolet for Hendrick
Motorspsorts and car owner Jeff Gordon, Johnson led four times for 62 laps
and crossed the finish line with a 0.62 margin of victory over Kurt Busch.
Johnson who is the current Raybestos Rookie of  the Year point leader, moved
into 5th place in the current Winston Cup point standings.

The following are comments by Johnson, crew chief Chad Knaus, Rick Hendrick
and Jeff Gordon:

TEAM MONTE CARLO Contact: Nancy Wager
NAPA Auto Parts 500 Race Notes nmwager@aol.com
Sunday, April 28, 2002 GM Racing Communications
California Speedway (727) 784-8465
Page 1

Jimmie Johnson, No. 48 Lowe's Chevrolet Monte Carlo: "This is unbelievable.
To be this competitive in Winston Cup racing has been a dream of mine and I
just can't believe it came true. It's just so special to win in my own home
state and in front of all my friends and family. It's just incredible. Thank
you California.

"We were really loose at the start of the runs and as the tires got older,
the car got better and better. We were going to go for two (tires), but we
saw some guys earlier that just took gas only and beat us out of the pits.
Chad (Knaus, crew chief) made the call for gas only and I was able to hold
those guys off.  Track position was the key. I just tried not to let them
line up behind me and draft down the straightaways and take the line in the
corner and we were in good shape."

(On having enough experience to hold off Ricky Rudd?) "I knew it was going
to be tough. But I raced with Kurt Busch all day long. I thought he might be
able to march up through there and get to us, but he got held up with Ricky
Rudd a little bit and we were able to bring this Lowe's Monte Carlo to
Victory Lane."

(Are you surprised to win this early?) "Heck yeah I am. This is
unbelievable. You always think you have the ability to come out here and be
competitive, but you just don't know until the right situation presents
itself and you can showcase your talents.  My hats off to Chad Knaus.  We're
both in a similar situation of trying to prove ourselves. He's doing an
awesome job and the same with all these guys here in Lowe's uniforms.

"When you get in this situation, you'd have something to say, but you have
nothing to say.  You're just stoked."

(When did it occur to you that you'd actually won?) "Coming to see the white
flag I got the goosebumps running all over my body. The cool down lap was
really great to see all those guys giving me the thumbs-up. And then Jeff
Gordon came up and started rubbing donuts on the right side of your car.
That's when it all started to sink in."

(On his victory donuts) "At first, we had this discussion where we wanted to
do a burn-out in reverse. And I tried that and I blew the transmission out
of it. And then I was doing the donuts and I burned the motor up. So it was
just a bad last five minutes there on the race track, but I wanted to do
some donuts and boil the tires off this Chevrolet."



TEAM MONTE CARLO Contact: Nancy Wager
NAPA Auto Parts 500 Race Notes nmwager@aol.com
Sunday, April 28, 2002 GM Racing Communications
California Speedway (727) 784-8465
Page 2


(On showing his hometown fans how it's done?) "I'm from El Cajon, California
and grew up there racing motorcycles and off-road. I always dreamed of
racing in the bigtime and here we won in our own home state."

(What did Jeff Gordon tell you in Victory Lane?) "We were just all happy and
proud. This team has been able to come together and win one this early."

Chad Knaus, crew chief, No. 48 Lowe's Chevrolet Monte Carlo: (Did you think
a win would happen this quickly?) "No. Our goals at the beginning of the
season were just to finish in the top 15. We've been maintaining those goals
pretty strongly.  We actually had a couple of other opportunities to win
some races and we were able to pull this one off.  They did a great job. I
have a great group of guys.

"I really wanted to win a race. It was kind of neat the way it happened you
know, working with Ray (Evernham) when we got our first win for the No. 24
car (Jeff Gordon). We took two tires there at Charlotte and he pulled off
his dream of getting his first Winston Cup win. We did it with no tires and
just fuel. To pull it off was pretty special."

(On the pit strategy.....was this a big decision?) "Oh, as soon as I did it,
Mr. Hendrick was sitting next to me and I said, 'You've got to let me down,
I'm going to go throw-up. I was extremely nervous. I saw those guys putting
on tires and I had my spotter up on top telling me what those guys were
doing and when Jimmie was almost half-way down pit road he told me they were
taking two tires.

"But the car was balanced good.  And once you get out front, if you have a
good balanced racecar, you can hold those guys off.  We've got the best
group of guys in Winston Cup right now. We are coming up strong. They're
intelligent they're experienced and they're exuberant. I'm just so excited
for these guys."

(On the younger up-and-coming drivers) "Kurt Busch, Ryan Newman, Jimmie
Johnson, and some of these younger guys have come into some tremendous
equipment and experienced teams with some knowledge and background ---
people that they can feed on. On fortunate thing for us is that we've got
Jeff Gordon and Robbie Loomis and those guys to feed on and that's nothing
but a bonus for us. It doesn't surprise me in the least little bit.  I knew
we could do it (win) and I know they can do it as well.  It's going to be a
tough year."
TEAM MONTE CARLO Contact: Nancy Wager
NAPA Auto Parts 500 Race Notes nmwager@aol.com
Sunday, April 28, 2002 GM Racing Communications
California Speedway (727) 784-8465
Page 3

Additional post-race comments from Jimmie Johnson in the Media Center:

"It was an incredible day for us. It's amazing how long these races are and
how much can go on the first few pit stops. We had the car to beat and led
for a while and I thought maybe this was going to be our day. Then the next
set of tires we put on, we were extremely loose. It took two or three tries
to get the car tightened back up. During that time, my emotions were a
little low and I thought okay, we'd maybe get a top five finish. That last
pit stop we tightened the car up and took a spring rubber out of the right
rear and the car came to life. I ran down the pack in front of us and was
racing with Kurt Busch real hard before the caution came out. We made the
decision to take gas only.

It was really loose at the start of runs. A couple things leaned in our
direction. We had fast pit stops plus our car would get going faster because
we didn't have the sticker tires on it. Hopefully you'd get a lapper to fall
in behind you and try to buy you a couple of laps to get away from those
guys. It all worked out as we'd hoped and we got our first trophy."

(On winning in his hometown) "I've raced in San Diego in the Mickey Thompson
Stadium Series and raced in the deserts around there, but never have won in
Southern California. I won once in San Francisco in an off-road buggy. To
win at your own home track is great.  Sometimes it seems like a jinx that
you can't win at your home track, but we were able to do it."

(When you heard Chad's decision to take fuel only, did you think that was
the right way to go?) "The thought never crossed my mind to take gas only. I
remembered a pit stop earlier in the race when a few cars had done that and
it worked out great for them. They got some track position and were able to
do something. So when Chad made the decision, I smiled because I knew what
it was going to do for us. It was going to get us out in front. I was just
hoping that Kurt (Busch) wasn't going to do the same thing.

(Are you surprised how quickly your team has clicked with two poles and a
win?) "I'm just blown away. Coming into this, knowing I would be driving for
Rick (Hendrick) and the way the team was going to be set-up working with the
No. 24 (Gordon), everybody could see the potential. I was just as curious as
everybody else. Chad and I clicked instantly. The resources at Hendrick
Motorsports - the chassis, the bodies, the support from Lowe's - it all
let's us do what we need to do on the race track and not worry about
anything else. There hasn't been any pressure or stress. We've just worked
on communicating and polishing up our game each week."
TEAM MONTE CARLO Contact: Nancy Wager
NAPA Auto Parts 500 Race Notes nmwager@aol.com
Sunday, April 28, 2002 GM Racing Communications
California Speedway (727) 784-8465
Page 4

Post-race comments from Rick Hendrick in the Media Center:

(On being a team owner with the most drivers to win races) "I guess that
means I'm the oldest owner on pit road now. I've been very blessed. We got
to induct Tim Richmond in the Hall of Fame the other night in Talladega and
it was really special. I've been very fortunate and you have to work hard
and have good crews and good chemistry.  Jimmie and Chad have proven this.
You've got to have confidence and communication for these teams to work and
boy, they have got it."

(On first comparisons of Jimmie Johnson and Jeff Gordon) "You know, I have
to give Chevrolet and Herb Fishel a lot of credit. I've worked with and been
close friends with Herb for a lot of years. I got a call from Herb when
Jimmie was running off-road. He said he had his guy that was really going to
be a star and that he wanted to take care of him. I think we put him in a
Late Model (1997).

"Then we didn't see him - we talked to him for a bit but I told him he was
the only guy that hadn't driven for me that I waited three and a half hours
at a race to bring him home.  He and my son are good buddies and went to St.
Louis a couple years ago.  Ricky fell out with an alternator and said, 'We
can't leave, Dad. Jimmie's going home with us.'  On the way home he started
asking questions and he's been like a member of the family. He called me for
some advice when he had an opportunity to race for another brand a couple of
years ago. I told him I thought he ought to stay with GM.

"He and Jeff (Gordon) raced each other in Michigan and he beat Jeff in a
Busch car one day. And then Jeff happened to be over there helping Ricky at
Darlington and Jimmie was parked right beside us. Jeff said Jimmie got
around the place real well.  We asked him how many times he'd been there
testing and he said that was his eighth lap on the track.

"Jeff and I thought he was such a good talent. It was almost a mirror of
Jeff's deal.  He didn't have a sponsor - didn't know what the team was going
to look like. We just knew he was a young guy with a lot of talent. When you
see them, you just try to take advantage of it. I never dreamed we'd do this
well this quick."


TEAM MONTE CARLO Contact: Nancy Wager
NAPA Auto Parts 500 Race Notes nmwager@aol.com
Sunday, April 28, 2002 GM Racing Communications
California Speedway (727) 784-8465
Page 5

Jeff Gordon, No. 24 DuPont Chevrolet Monte Carlo and No. 48 car owner - from
Victory Lane: "I'm really proud of these guys and thankful. You see it all
come together with all the people and all the hard work and Jimmie was
certainly a big part of it. I tell you, I couldn't be more thrilled. I'm
kind of in shock like Jimmie is, I guess right now at just 10 races into the
season.

"If you would have asked me last year, I would have said we would have to be
patient and that it would take a while and you just never know. I do know
that Hendrick Motorsports has best race teams and resources out there. The
No. 24 DuPont Chevrolet team has contributed this Lowe's team come along.
But these guys went out there and did it we're happy for Lowe's too. We're
happy to get them a win here and we're looking forward to many more.

(On Jimmie Johnson's talents) "I never doubted him. I drove against him in
the Busch Series. I saw him hanging that thing out and it looked to me that
he was getting an awful lot out of the cars he was driving. So I knew if you
put him in good racecars in Winston Cup that he'd do a great job over here
too. I think he'll be the first one to tell you that you've got to have the
right people behind you and the right car underneath you.  You can't do it
on your own. And you've got to have the right driver in the seat and he's
certainly the right guy."

(On winning the inaugural race at California Speedway and now Jimmie
Johnson's first career win at the same track) "I think there just couldn't
be a better place for him to go to Victory Lane. He's from southern
California and has a lot of people out here pulling for him. We've got some
similarities because we both come from California. We both have a dirt track
background. Maybe his is more sand than dirt.

"But he's just a good guy. He's a great guy to have on your team as a
teammate. He works so well with people and he can drive the wheels off the
thing. I don't know if that's a similarity to me, but if it is, it would be
a compliment to me."

(On being such a young and successful team owner?) "It feels awkward. I feel
like I don't belong there (in Victory Lane). But Rick (Hendrick) and I
worked hard to get the sponsorship and Hendrick Motorsports worked hard to
put this team together and it's just neat to see it all working out the way
it is. The chemistry on this team has been right there from the beginning.
Jimmie and Chad and the team have just clicked. It's just awesome."


NAPA Auto Parts 500 Race Notes nmwager@aol.com
Sunday, April 28, 2002 GM Racing Communications
California Speedway (727) 784-8465
Page 6


Additional Q&A's with Jimmie Johnson:

(Did you put a timetable on yourself to get your first win?) "No way. The
way the season has gone, we had a sense it would come soon. Chad knows what
the car needs to go fast on the bigger tracks. My lack of experience is an
advantage sometimes because I don't know any better. The short tracks, like
Martinsville, we weren't good at all. The veterans were up front."

(Were you intimidated coming into the Winston Cup Series): "I haven't felt
any pressure. If we were struggling and not making races, it would be a
different situation."


Answer from Rick Hendrick: "When you have a new sponsor and a new team,
there is unbelievable pressure. Home Depot has an awfully good team. To talk
Lowe's into taking a rookie driver and a brand new team was a big chore. We
told them we wouldn't embarrass them; we'd make them proud. And we've done a
lot of things off the track working with Lowe's. It's an unbelievable amount
of pressure to go to Daytona with a nationally known sponsor in this sport
with no points and it is a gut-wrenching thing until you get some points.
You worry a lot about it. After the first four races we could breathe a
little bit.

"Jimmie has the whole package. I wasn't at Talladega, but I wished I had a
radio. He's got that desire to win but he's got a lot of talent. He is a
student of the sport. He sits in the hauler and studies the charts from the
other cars - not just Jeff (Gordon), but Terry (Labonte) and Jerry (Nadeau).
Instead of trying to make the car feel good to him, he'll go out there and
drive what has been quick. I think a lot of drivers don't want to try and go
through that learning curve to drive somebody else's style. But he is very
attentive and aggressive and he wants to win. He didn't get here without
working his butt off a lot of years to be where he is. He appreciates it.
He's hungry. He's with his guys every day. When you give a guy like that
decent equipment, they show you what they're capable of."

Kevin Harvick, No. 29 GM Goodwrench Chevrolet Monte Carlo (crashed on lap
220) "We popped the left rear tire going into turn three and I was doing
everything I could to save it. And about the last save I had to make, I
clipped the No. 8 (Dale Earnhardt Jr.) and we wrecked."