This is awesome!

	Johnson

If someone would have told me that four weeks into the season the Lowe's team would be 10th overall in the NASCAR Winston Cup Series Championship standings, I would've said they were crazy. The Lowe's Racing Team has done a tremendous job so early in the season.

It's a young team that was created with the future in mind, and to perform the way we have so far this season is beyond anyone's expectations -- except for our crew chief, Chad Knaus. Not much surprises Chad. He looks at our early success as a product of hard work and combined effort by every member of the Lowe's team -- and he's right.

When you look at our team, we have all the ingredients to be successful. We have two proven winners in team owners Rick Hendrick and Jeff Gordon; great resources in engines, equipment, and personnel; a nice balance of youth, experience and camaraderie between the No. 24 and No. 48 teams; and a great sponsor in Lowe's.

I can't begin to tell you how nice it is knowing that your sponsor is backing you 110 percent. Rick, Jeff and I went to the Lowe's national sales convention earlier this week and were amazed at the support from the employees. We left the meeting feeling so energized knowing that we have 110,000 Lowe's employee owners pulling for us each week.

Heading into Darlington Raceway, I'm not sure what to expect. I have very limited experience there, with only four NASCAR Busch Series races under my belt. There's a reason why Darlington Raceway's slogan is the racetrack 'too tough to tame.' It's an old track that is extremely hard on your tires. Its surface is so rough that it just wears them down and makes it very difficult to drive on.

Jeff Gordon has had a tremendous amount of success there with three pole positions and five NASCAR Winston Cup wins to his credit. I'm just trying to learn as much as possible from him on the nuances of the track and the best way to run there. We had a good test session at Darlington in March and left with a good idea on how best to prepare the Lowe's Chevy for Sunday's race.

Like I said in the beginning, for this rookie team to have two top-10 finishes so early in the season is a great accomplishment. That says a lot about this young Team Lowe's Racing team and the direction we're headed. We've laid the foundation for a great season and we'll continue to build on it throughout the year. Hopefully we'll keep our momentum and continue to run up front in Darlington.

Jimmie Johnson is the driver of the No. 48 Lowe's Chevrolet.