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Punctured Tire, Ruptured Brake Line Cause Labonte to Finish 33rd
SONOMA, Calif., Sunday, June 27, 2004 - A
punctured tire early and broken brake line in the middle portion of the race, caused Bobby Labonte to finish a disappointing 33rd in the Save Mart 350 June 27 at Infineon Raceway in Sonoma, Calif.
Labonte finished six laps behind winner Jeff Gordon.
After starting 10th, Labonte moved into the top five by Lap 11 of the 110-lap event, but fell to the back of the field after a punctured tire caused him to pit on Lap 20.
He remained on the lead lap in 38th and began working his way back through the field eventually getting as high as 12th on Lap 44. After a pit stop on Lap 46 that moved him out of the top 20, Labonte worked his way to 16th by Lap 59 when disaster struck.
A right-rear brake line ruptured on the No. 18 Interstate Batteries Chevrolet and Labonte was forced to the pits for repairs. He re-entered the race in 37th, six laps down. He was never able to make up a lap and finished 33rd, equaling his worst finish of the season. He also finished 33rd at Bristol.
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We just had one of those days, Labonte said. We had a good car early on and had moved into the top-five, but we punctured a tire and had to pit out of sequence and went to the back. We worked our way back into the top 20, but we cut a right-rear brake line, and that sent us to the back again. It was a tough day, and I know we took a hit in the points. But, we'll see if we can come back at Daytona and try to get back on track.
Labonte fell three spots in the NASCAR NEXTEL Cup point standings, moving from fourth to seventh. He has 2,018 points and his 357 behind leader Jimmie Johnson and 49 points behind sixth-place Elliott Sadler.
The next NEXTEL Cup event a 400-mile night race at Daytona International Speedway on July 3. The race begins at 7 p.m. (EDT) and will be broadcast live on FOX and MRN. |
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