Labonte Hopes To Bring Petty Enterprises and Chocolate Chex To Victory Lane

LEVEL CROSS, NC (May 22, 2006) - This weekend Bobby Labonte brings Chocolate Chex to the track. Labonte will be racing the #43 Chocolate Chex® Dodge at the 1.5-mile Lowe’s Motor Speedway in Sunday night’s Coca-Cola 600. Chocolate Chex ... your favorite cereal now with a touch of cocoa!

Labonte is hoping for big things from the #43 Chocolate Chex Dodge this weekend. The Coca-Cola 600 is a marquee event on the schedule. Labonte won his first of 21-career Nextel Cup races at this event in 1995.

Lowe’s Motor Speedway is one of Labonte’s best tracks. He has 28 starts at the track with three poles and 14 starts inside the top 10. Labonte’s finishes are equally impressive. He has two wins, 17 top-10’s, and 12 top-five finishes. His average finish is 12th and has a 60% finishing rate inside the top 10.

Comments from Labonte as he prepares for this weekend’s Coca-Cola 600:

“You want to win the Coca-Cola 600. Winning this race is something pretty special. The Daytona 500 is our biggest race, sure, it will always be. We have some other races that are high on the list that you want to win too, but really the Coca-Cola 600 is one of the major races now. We don’t run the Southern 500 any longer and that probably shortens the list. This weekend is a big race.

I’ve been fortunate enough to have won this race in the past. It was my first win in Nextel Cup, that made it special enough, but to have it be the Coca-Cola 600 is just icing on the cake. It’s something that you remember forever and you want to win it again. It’s a race that everyone wants to win.

“You can’t pick the first race you want to win. You are trying to win them all. You just hope everything goes right. In 1995, we did everything right that day. It just happened that we won that race. It was my first, but I’ve had some good fortunes at Charlotte since. Being with Petty Enterprises and this #43 Cheerios Dodge, we want to win just as badly- even more. I think about how special it was to win my first race, but now I think about how special it will be to bring Petty Enterprises back to victory lane. The Coca-Cola 600, and all its tradition and fame, it’s a great time to do that.

“You have your work cut out for you. It’s become a challenging race. It’s a twilight race and you have to stay on top of the track conditions and the car. Lowe’s is a tricky place. It’s a moody track and its mood changes often. You just have to adjust and hope you can hit the setup when it counts. You are in constant communication with your crew chief. The race is long, and you go through a lot in 400 laps. It’s a long night, but we know there is a big reward at the end. We’re going to chase it Sunday night.

“I enjoy the longer races. I guess it’s my style. You just want to be there at the right time. We had a good run in October here. We think we have a good car and game plan. I know this team is going to give everything we have to make Petty Enterprises and Chocolate Chex a winner. I’ve been to victory lane in the Coca-Cola 600 and I want to get there again.