Labonte Finishes 11th at California FINAL RESULTS: 1. Jimmie Johnson, Chevrolet 2. Carl Edwards, Ford 3. Kyle Busch, Chevrolet 4. Jeff Burton, Chevrolet 5. Dale Earnhardt Jr., Chevrolet 11. Bobby Labonte, #43 Cheerios/Totino’s Pizza Rolls Dodge 28. Kyle Petty, #45 Wells Fargo Dodge OVERVIEW: Bobby Labonte and the #43 Cheerios/Totino’s Pizza Rolls Dodge team have three consecutive finishes of ninth, eighth and now 11th after Sunday’s California 500. It was the team’s best “come from behind” finishes of the season. Although Labonte started the race 11th, he faded in the early after fighting handling issues. The car came to Labonte once the sun set and he completed a comeback after restarting from the rear of the field after major adjustments. Labonte led a part of Sunday’s race before making his final pit stop. He then raced back to 11th and barely missed the top-10 with a battle with Kasey Kahne. Labonte remains in the 17th position in points, but is closing quickly on the top 15. “It was a good run,” said Labonte. “We got tight at the end behind Kasey. We haven’t had this car to the wind tunnel with this nose on it. That is something we struggled with all weekend, but Doug (crew chief, Randolph) made some great calls. The car was a lot better once the sun went down.” Jimmie Johnson made his Labor Day weekend trip across the country worth it by winning Sunday night’s California 500 at the two-mile California Speedway. Johnson, a native of California, won for the second time at the speedway and now has five wins on the season. Johnson took command once the sun set during the twilight event and led 84 laps in Sunday’s 250-lap race. Johnson beat Carl Edwards who passed Kyle Busch in the closing laps for the second position. Jeff Burton and Dale Earnhardt Jr. completed the top five. The high heat was the story of the weekend. Temperatures were above the century mark all weekend as teams and drivers battled to stay cool and hydrated. Luckily the event was run as the sun was setting and concluded at night. Kyle Petty was back behind the #45 Wells Fargo Dodge for Sunday’s California 500. Petty started the evening in the 39th position and battled with handling early in the race. Crew Chief Billy Wilburn made air pressure adjustments and Petty became comfortable with the car. Petty went several pit stops with no changes and made a climb through the field. Petty finished the evening with a 28th place finish. The team is now up one spot to 33rd in owner points as they are stronger with Petty behind the wheel. “The track changed a lot,” said Petty. “We didn’t have to make huge adjustments to it. It was pretty balanced most of the race. The track position hurt us a little bit. We were inside the top 25 for a little bit, but it’s tough to get a good handle when you are in the dirty air. It wasn’t bad. We gained in owner points and that’s important. It felt good to be back with the guys.” Petty Enterprises and the NASCAR Nextel Cup Series head to the .075-mile Richmond (Va.) International Raceway for Saturday night’s Richmond 400. The race will be televised live on ESPN and broadcast live on MRN Radio.