Goody’s Cool Orange 500 Qualifying Report No. 43 Cheerios/Betty Crocker Dodge March 28, 2008 .526-mile Martinsville (Va.) Speedway QUALIFYING RESULTS: 1. Jeff Gordon, Chevrolet 2. Denny Hamlin, Toyota 3. Aric Almirola, Chevrolet 4. David Ragan, Ford 5. Jamie McMurray, Ford 32. Bobby Labonte, Cheerios/Betty Crocker Dodge 44. Kyle Petty, Marathon American Spirit Motor Oil Dodge Jeff Gordon grabbed his seventh career pole at the Martinsville (Va.) Speedway and will lead the field to the green in Sunday’s Goody’s Cool Orange 500. Virginia native Denny Hamlin will start along side. Martinsville is the smallest and oldest track on the NASCAR Sprint Cup circuit, but it portrays a big-time persona. The close-quarter, fender-rubbing racing is among the best in the series. It harkens back to Saturday night short track racing, where many of today’s stars cut their racing teeth. Bobby Labonte and the No. 43 Cheerios/Betty Crocker Dodge team will start from the 32nd position for Sunday’s event, after posting a lap of 20.030 seconds. Crew chief Jeff Meendering arrived at the track armed with a lot of notes and ideas on how to give Labonte what he needs to win another grandfather clock, the trophy that goes to the feature winner at Martinsville. Labonte, who is the only driver in NASCAR history to win at the oval in all three major NASCAR series, already has a collection of them. That experience will play well in Sunday’s race. “You know, the qualifying lap felt better than what the clock showed,” said Labonte. “It felt good all the way around, really neutral. So I was surprised when I saw the time. It felt like a top-10 lap. But having a car that comfortable will be great for the race. 500 laps here is a long time. I think we have a car that we can work with and pass a lot of people. Jeff has had a lot of success here with the ‘24’ car and that gives me plenty of confidence.” Kyle Petty posted a qualifying lap of 20.128 seconds in the No. 45 Marathon American Spirit Motor Oil Dodge, which tied the lap of Dario Franchitti. This means the final spot in the 43 car field was set by 2008 NASCAR Sprint Cup points, which gave the spot to Franchitti. Sunday’s race will be televised live on FOX and broadcast live on MRN Radio. Pre-race coverage is scheduled to begin at 1:30 p.m. (EST).