Bank of America 500 Pit Note #12

Bank of America 500 Pit Note #9

Bank of America 500 Pit Note #7

Bank of America 500 Pit Note #5

Bank of America 500 Pit Note #3

Bank of America 500 Pit Note #1

RACE WINNER

Brian Vickers (no. 10 ABF-U-Pack Moving Toyota, pole winner for Saturday night's Nationwide Series CARQUEST 300 event at Charlotte Motor Speedway)

Thunder Car Race Winner

Fan Vote Winner Kasey Kahne - "That's awesome. I would love to race my way in, get in that race by winning races or whatever. We have great fans. And it's pretty cool that they voted for us and we got into that race. We need all the fan support we can get, and they have stuck behind us. I was going to head home and have a couple of Budweisers and watch the All-Star Race, but thanks to the fans we get to race. We should be loading up and going home. The fans have put us into a race that they are a big part of. They are a big part of the All-Star weekend here at Lowe's, and it's cool they put us into it. We get to race. We get to go out there and have some more fun. We'll see what happens. The car will be fine. We just have to pull a fender out there a little. As far as the handling, we need to work on that. I don't think we will have time to do what we need to do to win the million, but we'll get enough time here to work on it and get it good enough to hopefully get in the top-10 in the million-dollar race."

Sprint Showdown Race Winner A.J. Allmendinger (no. 84 Red Bull Toyota) advances to Sprint All-Star Race with runner-up Sam Hornish Jr., no. 77 Penske/Mobil Dodge with fan vote winner Kasey Kahne, no. 9 Gillett Evernham Budweiser Dodge. Allmendinger said, "It means a lot to me. All these guys on this team have stuck behind me through everything this team has been through. Feels like the Daytona 500 to me. That's the most pressure I've gone through. If he had cleanly got underneath me, I was going to let him go. I didn't mean to get into Elliott [Sadler]. It was my fault. I don't want to be known for that."

Sam Hornish Jr. - "I'm super-excited about making it. We felt like yesterday we had a fast car. I was trying to get there, for sure. Didn't want to take a chance of wrecking the car.

Former two-time NASCAR Sprint Cup Champion Ned Jarrett is on hand for his son Dale's final start this evening. He will deliver the invocation before the All-Star Challenge. He reflected on his son's retirement.

North Carolina Education Lottery 200 Race Notes:

Pettys Celebrate 50 Years In NASCAR  (cont.)

"The first cup race I ever run, we went to Canada which was the third race I ever run. It has been a heck of a ride all these years. There have been so many, many people involved in it. A lot of things have happened in 50 years. It took a lot of people to make it work. We sat in the middle of something that started 50 years ago. Interest in it grew a little at a time, and it is what it is today. We are just glad to have made it 50 years. We were part of NASCAR when it was growing and are just real proud of it."

COT CAUSES LITTLE CHANGE: One of the biggest questions going into Saturday night's Sprint All-Star Challenge is whether the new "Car of Tomorrow" will cause any major changes, especially with the addition of 10 extra laps.

JEFF HAMMOND (Fox Sports color commentator): "I don't think it's going to change a whole lot. The biggest thing is these guys getting more confidence in these new cars here and their ability. I think if anything these cars are going to become more of a pushing machine than we've ever seen before because these guys aren't afraid to rough it up. These guys aren't afraid to rough it up because you can't cave in the sides of the car like you used to if you get into the side of another car. The bumpers don't seem to get as messed up if you get into another car because the bumpers are lined up so even to one another. A lot of the times with the old car you'd knock the grille in if you got into another guy. That's the one benefit I see of the new car over the old one. The new car is almost like a battle tank compared to the old one. With these drivers feeling like they're encased in a tank, I think they're going to feel more bulletproof than they ever have before."

JACK ROUSH (Team owner at Roush Fenway Racing): "I think the biggest difference in tomorrow night's race is the fact that these guys aren't racing for points. Secondly, the cars that will be used Saturday night are not the same cars that the teams will race next weekend in the Coca-Cola 600. I think the normal way is that the moon will be full and it's going to be some white-knuckled racing. That's going to be the way it's going to be tomorrow so I think with no points on the line it's going to be the same racing as it has been in year's past."

A Winning Proposal - Officials from Harlequin Books and Office Depot, and NASCAR driver Carl Edwards announced the winners of the "Say Yes To A Winning Proposal" contest.