UAW-Dodge 400 Race Report No. 43 Cheerios “Circle of Helping Hearts” Dodge March 2, 2008 1.5-mile Las Vegas (Nev.) Motor Speedway RACE RESULTS: 1. Carl Edwards, Ford 2. Dale Earnhardt, Jr., Chevrolet 3. Greg Biffle, Ford 4. Kevin Harvick, Chevrolet 5. Jeff Burton, Chevrolet 17. Bobby Labonte, Cheerios “Circle of Helping Hearts” Dodge 32. Kyle Petty, Wells Fargo Dodge Carl Edwards made it two NASCAR Sprint Cup wins in a row as he crossed the finish line first in Sunday’s UAW-Dodge 400 at the Las Vegas (Nev.) Motor Speedway. The win moves Edwards into the lead in the Sprint Cup point’s standings. Dale Earnhardt, Jr. grabbed the runner-up position, his highest points-paying finish with his new Hendrick Motorsports team. Bobby Labonte and the 43 Cheerios “Circle of Helping Hearts” Dodge team scored a 16th place finish in Sunday’s event. The team was forced to bring out the backup car as a result of a crash during Friday’s practice session. Labonte and crew chief Jeff Meendering were optimistic that they could get the backup to perform as well as the primary. As the green flag fell for the start of the race, it appeared that they had hit on a great setup. Labonte drove up from his 39th starting position into the top-12 by lap 53. The No. 43 Dodge was one of the faster cars on the track during long green flag runs. However, as the race progressed, the car grew tighter. Meendering made heavy adjustments to the chassis, but nothing allowed the car to rotate to Labonte’s liking. “I don’t know if we just didn’t stay on top of the changing track conditions, but the car wasn’t the same at the end of the race,” sounded Labonte. “When they dropped the green it was so fast. I thought we were in for a sure top-10, maybe top-5. The pit crew was great and they kept our track position. Jeff did everything he could, but it was just super tight at the end. It was still a decent point’s day for us. We’ll go to Atlanta looking to gain some more ground.” The next race for the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series will be Sunday’s Kobalt Tools 500 from the Atlanta (Ga.) Motor Speedway. Sunday’s race will be televised live on FOX and broadcast live on PRN. Race coverage will begin at 1:30 EST.