Labonte's season ends with crash at Homestead

FINAL RESULTS:
1. Greg Biffle, Ford
2. Martin Truex, Chevrolet
3. Denny Hamlin, Chevrolet
4. Kasey Kahne, Dodge
5. Kevin Harvick, Chevrolet
28. Kyle Petty, #45 Tire Kingdom/Wells Fargo/Marathon/Schwan’s Dodge
41. Bobby Labonte, #43 Cheerios/Betty Crocker Dodge

OVERVIEW:

HOMESTEAD, FL (November 20, 2006) - Bobby Labonte and the #43 Chex Most Popular Driver Dodge team didn’t have the finish to the season they wanted. Labonte was involved in an early race accident that damaged the car heavily. The team completed 83 of the 267 laps on Sunday and finished 41st. The sour ending does not spoil a great season for Labonte and the Cheerios/Betty Crocker Dodge team. Labonte ended the season with eight top-10 and three top-five finishes. Labonte finished 21st in Nextel Cup points.

“I don’t know what happened in the wreck,” said Labonte. “The ‘2’ car spun and I was following the ‘66’ car. He swerved to miss it and did. I tried too, but didn’t. It’s frustrating to end the season like that, but I feel like a lot of good things are going to happen to this team next season.”

Greg Biffle, for the third consecutive season, won the NASCAR Nextel Cup Series season-finale at the 1.5-mile Homestead-Miami (Fla.) Speedway on Sunday night. Biffle held onto the lead after several late-race restarts to take the win over rookie Martin Truex. It was the best finish for Truex in Nextel Cup. The championship was decided after Jimmie Johnson finished ninth to capture his first-ever career championship. Johnson only had to finish 13th or higher and Matt Kenseth had to win. Kenseth finished sixth.

The #45 Dodge was decked in the bright colors of all 2006 primary sponsors to start the 400-mile race. Kyle Petty and the team were giving ‘thanks’ to year-long partners Tire Kingdom, Wells Fargo, Marathon and Schwan’s Home Service. Petty had a good run Sunday night climbing as high as 25th at one point, but once the sun settled it was tough for the team to find a better handle for Petty. Petty finished 28th after making a late-race climb. Petty ended the season with two top-10 finishes and secured a top-35 position in owner points heading into 2007. Petty finished 32nd in driver points.

“The guys worked hard all season,” said Petty. “We did a good job of getting back into the owner points. That was a goal for today and we accomplished that. That’s going to help us for next season. Billy (Wilburn) has really helped us over the final 10-11 races. We’re looking forward to next season.”