Labonte Pulling Weekend Double at Kansas
Saturday Racing Helps Sunday Too

LEVEL CROSS, NC (September 26, 2006) - This weekend, Bobby Labonte and the #43 Cheerios/Betty Crocker Dodge team head to the 1.5-mile Kansas Speedway, located in Kansas City, for Sunday’s Banquet 400. Labonte is heading to the track after recording his fifth top-10 finish of the season last weekend at the Dover (Del.) International Speedway.

Labonte will be busy this weekend as he will also be driving in Saturday’s NASCAR Busch Series event. Labonte will be driving the #77 Kevin Harvick Inc. machine throughout the remaining companion races this season. Labonte is the only driver to have won both the NASCAR Busch Series and Nextel Cup championships.

This will be Labonte’s sixth start this weekend at Kansas in Nextel Cup competition. He has qualified twice inside the top five. Labonte’s best finish is 16th at the fast oval. He has one start in the Busch Series at the track that resulted in an engine failure.

Questions for Labonte as he prepares for this weekend’s Banquet 400:

Does it help to run a Busch Series event the day before the Nextel Cup race?

“I think it does. You learn more about the track and you learn more about the cars- both of the cars that you are racing that weekend. If we did something right in the Busch car, something we think that can help the Cheerios Dodge on Sunday, then we are going to try that. It works both ways too. It’s just a lot more time on the track.

“Nextel Cup racing is extremely competitive right now. It’s even more competitive now with guys racing for the championship. This is an opportunity that will help us be even more competitive on Sunday. The more information you have the better. The more time on the track the more information you are going to have. It’s a great opportunity that Kevin Harvick Inc. offered and I’m looking forward to doing the best I can.”

What can you learn at Kansas by racing on Saturday?

“Kansas is still a relatively new track. It’s still coming in and the grooves are still coming in too. I think it’s helpful to see what happens during a race and how the track reacts. Does the groove open up? What’s the best line? Where can I pick up some time? That’s all helpful information that you can gather under race conditions.

“There are a lot of setup things you can learn too, but you need to be on the track. The track time is priceless when you race in the Busch Series. You can come up with a lot of great ideas in the garage, but you only know if they work when you are on the track. This is an opportunity to be on the track twice as much.”

Are you looking forward to both races?

“I am. Kevin Harvick Inc. is a strong organization in the Busch Series. I think they are capable of winning at every track. It gives me a lot of confidence going into Saturday’s race. I’m hopeful that we’ll have a good race and better result

I think the Cheerios Dodge team is really riding high after Dover. We had a good day there. It’s giving us some momentum at the right time. We want to grab some more top finishes and continue to build for next season. We are on the right track and last weekend proved that.”