Labonte Finishes 22nd at Richmond

FINAL RESULTS:
1. Kevin Harvick, Chevrolet
2. Kyle Busch, Chevrolet
3. Kasey Kahne, Dodge
4. Dave Blaney, Dodge
5. Mark Martin, Ford
22. Bobby Labonte, #43 STP Dodge
34. Kyle Petty, #45 Marathon/American Spirit Motor Oil Dodge

OVERVIEW:

HENRICO COUNTY, VA (September 9, 2006) - Bobby Labonte and the #43 STP Dodge team started the evening in the 27th position. A standing-room only crowd packed the .75-mile Richmond (Va.) International Raceway for Saturday night’s 400 lap event. Labonte, sporting the ‘retro’ STP paint scheme, was looking to complete all 400 laps and help STP donate $43 per lap to the Victory Junction Gang Camp. Labonte settled into his pace early and did his best with a car that desperately needed grip. Crew Chief Greg Steadman made changes to the car with air pressure and other adjustments. Labonte jumped inside the top-20 where he raced hard with Scott Riggs, Brian Vickers and Jeff Gordon. Labonte passed both Riggs and Vickers and followed the heels of Gordon in 19th through the midway point. Labonte’s car was getting better, but still needed to be faster. The team kept making changes and on lap 290 Labonte was 19th. The final 100 laps the car didn’t perform like it did in the middle stages. Labonte finished 22nd.

“We needed to be better at the end,” said Labonte. “We just couldn’t find the right setup tonight that we needed. The guys worked hard and kept digging. We’ll keep doing that heading into New Hampshire.”

The final race before the chase for the Nextel Cup championship was full of excitement. They all wanted to know if Kasey Kahne, who came into Saturday night’s race sitting 11th in points, could race his way into the chase or if the current top-10 drivers would head to New Hampshire remaining the same. Kahne started Saturday night’s race in the 20th position, but was up and running fast. Kahne was sitting second near the halfway mark and Mark Martin was sitting out of the chase. The final 200 laps saw the final chase position swap between Kahne, Martin and a struggling Tony Stewart. Kahne had the best race of the trio as Kyle Busch was dominating the actual race. Kahne finished third and captured a spot in the chase. Martin battled back to finish fifth to secure his spot while Stewart fell short. He will not defend his championship. Kevin Harvick passed Busch on the final lap of the race to win.

Kyle Petty and the #45 Marathon/American Spirit Motor Oil Dodge team battled the same issues that Labonte did throughout Saturday night. Petty was making his 775th career start after starting the race in the 38th position. Petty was lacking grip in his Dodge, but crew chief Paul Andrews worked to make things better. Petty was awarded the ‘lucky dog’ on the second caution and raced on the lead lap the first 100 laps. The team made several adjustments trying to find a ‘balance’ for Petty. Petty raced hard but fell a lap down nearing the halfway mark. Petty raced hard with the guys on his lap all night. He finished 34th.

“We just couldn’t find any grip in the car,” said Petty. “Richmond is a slick track and we needed that grip. We made adjustments on every pit stop, but couldn’t get it where we wanted.”

The Nextel Cup Series now heads to the one-mile New Hampshire International Speedway for Sunday’s Sylvania 300.