Labonte 16th at Texas

FINAL RESULTS:
1. Tony Stewart, Chevrolet
2. Jimmie Johnson, Chevrolet
3. Kevin Harvick, Chevrolet
4. Kyle Busch, Chevrolet
5. Clint Bowyer, Chevrolet
11. Kyle Petty, #45 Wells Fargo Dodge
16. Bobby Labonte, #43 Cheerios/Betty Crocker Dodge

OVERVIEW:

JUSTIN, TX (November 5, 2006) - Bobby Labonte and the #43 Cheerios/Betty Crocker Dodge team once again were able to get the best out of their situation Sunday at Texas Motor Speedway. The race was initially delayed due to rain showers, thus totally changing the complex of the race. The later start forced track officials to utilize the tracks lights. Labonte started the evening in the 13th starting spot and was strong early. The Cheerios car ran towards the top-10 and the team was strong enough to keep the car there. The day-to-night transition, however, made things difficult. The changing conditions kept crew chief Paul Andrews busy making severe adjustments to the car during the middle stages of the race. Labonte fell back to 25th, but a pit stop with 68 laps remaining gave Andrews the opportunity to make one final adjustment. The adjustment helped and Labonte once again proved why he’s a champion on the track. The team finished in the 16th position- the highest position possible after being one lap down.

“We were tight at the end of the night,” said Labonte. “It was a lot better before the night, but it was a great run for Kyle tonight. That team had a great run and accomplished the goal of gaining on the ‘14’ team. It’s a good run for them and we gained a lot of positions at the end of the night.”

Tony Stewart is not in this season’s NASCAR “Chase for the Nextel Cup’, but he’s playing the spoiler role. Stewart won Sunday’s Dickies 500 at the 1.5-mile Texas Motor Speedway to capture his second straight series win. Stewart has now equaled the amount of wins he had in 2005, the year he won the championship, with five wins. Stewart led 278 of Sunday’s caution-extended 339-lap race. Jimmie Johnson finished second and took the points lead over Matt Kenseth who finished 12th. Kyle Petty and the #45 Wells Fargo Dodge team kept their top-25 finish streak alive. Petty finished 11th to compliment finishes of 22nd, 10th, and 17th since early October.

The Nextel Cup Series now heads to the one-mile Phoenix International Raceway for a 500-lap event next Sunday.