Pocono 500 Qualifying Report No. 43 Cheerios/Betty Crocker Dodge June 6, 2008 2.5-mile Pocono (Pa.) Raceway QUALIFYING RESULTS: 1. Kasey Kahne, Dodge 2. Jimmie Johnson, Chevrolet 3. Mark Martin, Chevrolet 4. Regan Smith, Chevrolet 5. Joe Nemechek, Chevrolet 37. Bobby Labonte, No. 43 Cheerios/Betty Crocker Dodge 43. Terry Labonte, No. 45 Paralyzed Veterans of America Dodge Dodge Motorsports driver Kasey Kahne continues to build on the momentum of his two wins at the Lowe’s (N.C.) Motor Speedway last month. Kahne took the top spot in qualifying for the Pocono 500 at the Pocono Raceway and he will lead the field to the green on Sunday. This weekend’s race marks the first time that the new chassis has been used on a flat, 2.5-mile superspeedway. While there are only three such races on the Sprint Cup schedule, they are important races. Along with the two races at Pocono, the Indianapolis (Ind.) Motor Speedway is also 2.5 miles in length and relatively flat. Bobby Labonte and the No. 43 Cheerios/Betty Crocker Dodge team will start Sunday’s event from the 37th position. Labonte likes the unique, triangular layout of Pocono as he is a three-time winner at the track. During the afternoon practice session, Labonte and crew chief Jeff Meendering had to deal with a No. 43 Dodge Charger that was ‘loose’ getting into the corner and ‘tight’ in the center. After several adjustments, the two were happy with the balance of the car. They chalk the qualifying results up to an anomaly of changing weather conditions. “It was cloudy for most of the practice session, but the sun came out during qualifying,” said Labonte. “Turn 1 is really bumpy and I hit the front splitter on the track, which cause the car to ‘push’ up the track. The car hadn’t done that all day. We just lacked grip. Tomorrow’s practice sessions will be really important because the weather is forecasted to be the same for Saturday and Sunday.” Sunday’s race will be televised live on TNT Sports. It will be broadcast live on the Motor Radio Network (MRN) and Sirius Channel 128. Pre-race coverage is scheduled to begin at 1:30 p.m. (EST).