LABONTE FINISHES 20TH IN RAIN-CONTROLLED AUTO CLUB 500

FONTANA, CALIF. (February 22, 2009) – Bobby Labonte drove the No. 96 Ask.com Ford Fusion to a 20th-place finish at Auto Club Speedway where rain caused a handful of cautions during the Auto Club 500 in Fontana, Calif. This was the first race for primary sponsor Ask.com in its home state, as the company is headquartered in Oakland.

Labonte started the race in 16th position with a solid qualifying run on Friday. Setting the stage for the 500 mile race, NASCAR issued the first caution of the evening after only five laps of green flag racing. Blowers dried the track and after 22 laps completed under yellow, the field received the green flag. Once he was able to get solid seat time during the race, Labonte reported the car to be in good shape as the No. 96 Ask.com Ford Fusion had climbed to 14th position.

The 500-mile race continued under green- and yellow-flag conditions between showers over the next three hours. Labonte and the No. 96 Ask.com team battled a tight race car for most of the event. During pit stops, crew chief Todd Parrott had the team make track bar and air pressure adjustments to free up the car for his driver. Labonte raced between 20th and 30th positions for a majority of the event.

The last caution of the night came at lap 207 when Kevin Harvick had a tire go flat, causing his car to collide with the outside wall. Parrott brought the No. 96 Ask.com car in for one last round of tires and fuel and Labonte took the green for the final segment at lap 214 in 22nd position.

Labonte began to pick off drivers and maneuvered the No. 96 Hall of Fame entry into 20th position as Roush Fenway Racing driver and Daytona 500 winner, Matt Kenseth took the checkered flag.

"I learned a lot," said Labonte after the race. "We didn't come and test; we haven't been anywhere to test yet, so we weren't sure coming into the Auto Club 500.

"I feel good about the room to improve, just because this was our first go at it. I improved as the night went on. This car just drives different, and I don't know what I want to call for when it comes time to make it feel a little bit better. It's all improvements throughout the weekend.

"Without making a lap in it on the race track, I'm excited that we have some great people to rely on, good feedback, and I'm just excited about the changes we can make to make it better."

Labonte and the No. 96 Ask.com team will take what they learned today to Las Vegas Motor Speedway for the Shelby 427 next week. FOX and PRN will carry the race live beginning at 3:30 p.m. EST.