Labonte Fights Loose Car to Finish 8th at Michigan

BROOKLYN Mich., Sunday, June 20, 2004 Bobby Labontes No. 18 Interstate Batteries Chevrolet was a loose-handling race car for about 75 percent of the DHL 400 June 20 at historic Michigan International Speedway.

However, the 25 percent of the time it wasnt loose, came at the beginning and the end of the 200-lap race, and that allowed Labonte to score a quiet eighth-place finish.

We had a good ending to a tough day, Labonte said. We started out pretty good, but the car just got really, really loose in the middle part of the race. I even brushed the wall at one point.

After starting in 12^th, Labonte moved up to second place after the first round of pit stops. However, after the stop, the No. 18 Interstate Batteries Chevrolet became loose, which produced the slight brush to the wall. Throughout the middle 130 or so laps of the event, Labonte and the Interstate Batteries Racing Team tried adjustments to the tire pressure, wedge and track bar, all while running outside the top-15.

Finally, after a Lap 175 pit stop, the crew found a combination that worked and Labonte moved into 11^th by Lap 190. On Lap 184, Labontes Joe Gibbs Racing teammate Tony Stewart was involved in a minor accident with Greg Biffle, which allowed Labonte to move to ninth.

After the restart on Lap 196, Labonte was able to pass Kurt Busch for eighth spot and finished just a few seconds behind winner Ryan Newman. The eighth-place finish was Labontes eighth top 10 of the year and his sixth in the last eight races.

We made a lot of adjustments on the car and during the final 30-40 laps, we were still loose, but drivable loose, Labonte said. That let us get in the top 10 and we're pretty happy with that, considering the day we had.

Labonte moved up two more spots in the NASCAR NEXTEL Cup point standings, moving sixth to fourth. The marks the first time in the 2004 season he has been in the top five in points. He has 1,954 points and his 266 behind leader Jimmie Johnson, 259 behind second-place Dale Earnhardt Jr. and 86 behind third-place Matt Kenseth. 

The next NEXTEL Cup event is the Dodge/Save Mart 350 June 27 at Infineon Raceway in Sonoma, Calif. Its the first of two road course events in the 2004 season. The race begins at 4 p.m. (EDT) and will be broadcast live on FOX and PRN.