Labonte Qualifies 19th for Bass Pro Shops MBNA 500 at Atlanta

HAMPTON, Ga., Friday, Oct. 22, 2004 – Bobby Labonte qualified 19th during Bud Pole Qualifying Oct. 29 at Atlanta Motor Speedway in Hampton, Ga.

Labonte turned a lap of 29.443 seconds, 188.296 mph in the No. 18 Wellbutrin XL Chevrolet.

“It wasn’t quite the lap we wanted, but I was pretty loose during the run,” Labonte said. “I think we’ve got a good car for the race, though. We’ve had success here in the past, obviously, so it’d be nice to get our first win of the year here at Atlanta.”

Labonte will start on the inside of Row 10 next to 1999 NEXTEL Cup champion Dale Jarrett. Labonte’s teammate, Tony Stewart, qualified 15th in The Home Depot Chevrolet with a lap of 29.374, 188.738.

The Bass Pro Shops MBNA 500 starts at noon (EST) Oct. 31, and will be broadcast live on NBC and PRN.