Race Report - Texas FINAL RESULTS: 1. Jimmie Johnson, Chevrolet 2. Matt Kenseth, Ford 3. Martin Truex, Jr., Chevrolet 4. Kyle Busch, Chevrolet 5. Ryan Newman, Dodge 16. Bobby Labonte, #43 Cheerios Spoonfuls of Stories Dodge 42. Kyle Petty, #45 National Tire and Battery Dodge OVERVIEW: Bobby Labonte put the #43 Cheerios Spoonfuls of Stories Dodge in the 16th position on the lead lap at the end of Sunday’s 500-mile event. Labonte started the race in the 13th position. The car wasn’t handling the way Labonte wanted early, but crew chief Doug Randolph continued to make changes as day became night during the event. Labonte’s lap speeds continued to improve as Labonte continually drove back to the front. Late in the race Labonte was put back on the lead lap for the second time during the race. This time, however, it was for good. He climbed to 14th before finishing 16th at the end of the race. He was one of only 16 cars to complete all 334 laps. “We wanted to finish in the top 15 on the lead lap,” said Labonte. “That was pretty close. The car was difficult for us to figure out all weekend. It was fast in qualifying, but it was harder for us to race. Doug tried a lot of different things and we finished 16th with all the fenders straight. It’s back to the Car of Tomorrow at Phoenix and we’ll probably use a different car at Homestead.” Jimmie Johnson is now the NASCAR Nextel Cup point’s leader. He overtook Matt Kenseth in the final stages of Sunday’s Dickies 500 at the 1.5-mile Texas Motor Speedway to win his ninth race of the season. The win was good enough to earn him 190 points to take the championship lead with two races left. Kenseth was looking to sweep both events at Texas on Sunday. His #17 Ford was strong all day, but during the final 40 laps of the race he couldn’t hold off the challenge from Johnson. Johnson restarted fourth on the last restart. It didn’t take long for Johnson, who had four fresh tires, to blast to the front. Kenseth only had taken two tires on the last pit stop. That turned out to be the difference as Johnson closed in. The two battled for the lead for several laps, but Johnson finally took the lead with two laps left. Kenseth finished second. Johnson now leads Jeff Gordon by 30 points. Kyle Petty and the #45 National Tire and Battery Dodge team had high hopes heading into Sunday’s event. Petty was racing the same Dodge that raced to a top 15 finish at the Atlanta Motor Speedway one week prior. Petty was fast in the final practice sessions on Saturday. Petty started 37th in Sunday’s event, but had been as high as 16th before working on handling. Petty was at the point of the event when the sun was setting when he was stuck in the middle of a three car accident. The #40 Dodge cut a tire and collected Petty and Bill Elliott in his wreck. Petty hit the Turn Four wall hard, but was not hurt. The car was very heavily damaged. The crew worked nearly the entire race before it was evident that the damage was terminal. Petty finished 42nd. “We just kept working on the car,” said crew chief Billy Wilburn. “You almost had to rebuild it and there was just too much damage. There was nothing that could be done to avoid a wreck like that. I just hate it for Kyle and all these guys, but we’ll move to Phoenix and gain some ground back.” The NASCAR Nextel Cup Series heads to the flat one-mile Phoenix (Ariz.) International Raceway for next Sunday’s Checker Auto Parts 500. The race will be televised live by ABC and broadcast live on MRN Radio.