Sunoco Red Cross Pennsylvania 500 Qualifying Report

NASCAR Sprint Cup Series
No. 43 Cheerios/Betty Crocker Dodge
2.5-mile Pocono (Pa.) Raceway
August 1, 2008

QUALIFYING RESULTS:
1. Jimmie Johnson, Chevrolet
2. Mark Martin, Chevrolet
3. David Gilliland, Ford
4. Jeff Gordon, Chevrolet
5. Matt Kenseth, Ford
11. Bobby Labonte, No. 43 Cheerios/Betty Crocker Dodge
34. Chad McCumbee, No. 45 Marathon American Spirit Motor Oil Dodge

Jimmie Johnson and Mark Martin are the top two qualifiers for the second consecutive NASCAR Sprint Cup Series race. They will lead the field of 43 to the green flag in Sunday’s Sunoco Red Cross Pennsylvania 500 at the Pocono Raceway.

The series is returning to the triangle in the Pocono Mountains for the second time in 2008. The racetrack, and the setups that are required for the unusual layout, are similar to the Indianapolis (Ind.) Motor Speedway, which hosted the series last week.

Bobby Labonte and the No. 43 Cheerios/Betty Crocker Dodge team will start the race from the 11th position. This is the fifth-highest qualifying effort of the season for the team. From the start of the afternoon practice session it was evident that Labonte was happy with the handling of his racecar. He radioed to crew chief Jeff Meendering that he was a little on the ‘loose’ side. Meendering adjusted the car accordingly and it paid off in qualifying. During his qualifying lap, Labonte summed up his car on one word, “sweet.”

“We’ve had a fast car since we unloaded,” said Labonte. “The car was fast at Indy too, so I was confident we would be in good shape for Pocono. It’s really fast through turns one and two. I lost a little bit through turn three, but this track is a triangle and you have to compromise one corner. We practiced our race setup early in practice and were happy with it. We’ll spend tomorrow’s practice session fine-tuning that setup.”

Sunday’s race will be televised live on ESPN. It will be broadcast live on the Motor Racing Network (MRN) and Sirius Channel 128. Pre-race coverage is scheduled to begin at 1:00 PM EST.