Brickyard 400 Race Report

FINAL RESULTS:
1. Tony Stewart, Chevrolet
2. Juan Pablo Montoya, Dodge
3. Jeff Gordon, Chevrolet
4. Kyle Busch, Chevrolet
5. Reed Sorenson, Dodge
19. Bobby Labonte, #43 Totino’s Pizza Rolls Dodge
32. Kyle Petty, #45 Marathon American Spirit Motor Oil

OVERVIEW:

Bobby Labonte and the #43 Totino’s Pizza Rolls Dodge fought a tight-handling car after starting 29th at the famed 2.5-mile Indianapolis (Ind.) Motor Speedway on Sunday. But he managed to crossed the line in a strong 19th place finish. Labonte and the team made major adjustments to the Totino’s Dodge early in the race. The team’s biggest change came when they adjusted camber, forcing the team to raise the hood on pit road. The pit stop relegated Labonte to the rear of the field, but on a track that is difficult to pass Labonte moved forward. Labonte was in seventh on the final restart when they elected not to pit. It was a move to gain track position. The car became a little loose in the final run, but Labonte held on for a 19th place finish. Labonte moved to 20th in championship points.

“We made a lot of adjustments to the car today,” said crew chief Paul Andrews. “The track was a lot different today, but Bobby did a good job. We wanted to get some track position at the end. We stayed out and ended up 19th. It’s not what we wanted, but we’ll move along to Pocono hoping for a better result.”

Tony Stewart won his second Brickyard 400 of his career For Stewart, there isn’t a track that means more to him than Indianapolis.

Stewart battled Kevin Harvick over the final 20 laps, and with both cars rubbing it was Stewart who came out on top. Harvick suffered aerodynamic damage in the fight and eventually dropped to seventh. Harvick was not the only driver to suffer damage in Sunday’s race. It was one of the most caution-filled races in the history of the event. Major wrecks eliminated Casey Mears, Kasey Kahne and Jimmie Johnson from contention. Dale Earnhardt Jr. lost the power plant in the #8 Chevrolet and ended his day in the garage.

Jeff Gordon’s third place finish secured his place on the top of the championship standing’s. Stewart’s second consecutive win moves him to fifth in the championship standings. Jimmie Johnson lost two spots and is now ninth in the standings.

Kyle Petty and the #45 Marathon American Spirit Motor Oil Dodge team did not have the day they were looking for to celebrate Petty’s 800th career start on Sunday. Petty started the day 41st, but with the attrition rate high early Petty was able to move into the top 35. Petty’s day turned for the worse after Casey Mears spun into the wall collecting cars in the process. Petty went low to avoid the cars, but his frontend was hit by a car as it slid back down across the track. The team was forced behind the wall for 18 laps to make repairs to the radiator and other components. Petty finished the race in the 32nd position.

“We didn’t get into the wreck by much,” said Petty. “It was just enough to damage the front. We were leaking some oil and we had to fix it. We saw a lot of guys wreck and we just got caught up in it today.”

The NASCAR Nextel Cup Series now heads to the 2.5-mile Pocono (Penn.) Raceway for Sunday’s Pocono 500. The race will be televised live ESPN and broadcast on MRN Radio.