Talladega Preview

#43 Cheerios/Betty Crocker Dodge
NASCAR Sprint Cup Series
AMP Energy 500
Talladega (Ala.) Superspeedway
October 5, 2008

Quotes from Bobby Labonte:

“We qualified eighth for this race last year with the No. 43 Cheerios/Betty Crocker Dodge. That was the first restrictor-plate race with the new car. Hopefully we can improve on that since we have a few more races under our belt. If you can start up front and stay up front at Talladega that is the ideal place to be to miss the “Big One.” I’ve always liked going down Talladega and I’ve enjoyed some success there, but your day can end in a hurry if you don’t put yourself in the right position.”

“The guys in the motor department have been working hard to get ready for Talladega. When you go to restrictor-plate track you can use all of the extra horsepower that you can get because you motor is already down a couple of hundred horsepower already due to the plate. The last two races that we had at Talladega showed that we could pass, which was something that had been lacking, you just need to have the motor to do so. We’re happy with the motor that we are taking down and we hope that it will pull us to the front.”

“It’s special to receive an award like induction into the Talladega Walk of Fame because it’s voted on by the fans. It’s the fans that allow us to do what we do and their appreciation is the highest one of the highest honors a driver can receive. If you look at the list of drivers that already have a place in that walk of fame, it’s the best of the best that have ever been in this sport. To be able to put my name beside theirs is pretty cool, especially my brother Terry’s.”

Bobby Labonte at the Talladega Superspeedway

* Labonte has scored one Sprint Cup Series win at Talladega, which came in 1998. In his 31 visits to the track he has scored six top-5s and has finished within the top-10 on 11 occasions. His most recent top-10 at the track came in 2006.

* Labonte won the NASCAR Nationwide Series race at Talladega in 2007.

* Labonte has scored one pole at Talladega and has started within the top-10 on 11 occasions. He qualified eighth in the 2008 edition of this race.

* Of a possible 5,781 laps at Talladega Superspeedway, Labonte has completed 5,469 (94.6%) including 153 laps led. His average start at the track is 19.4 and average finish is 17.8.

* Labonte will be inducted into the Talladega Walk of Fame on Saturday night at 7 PM. The ceremony will take place at the Davey Allison Memorial Park in downtown Talladega, Ala.

* The Bobby Labonte Foundation will hold a charity concert on October 17 at the Jerome Davis Ranch Arena in Archdale, NC to benefit the Bobby Labonte Foundation and the Christopher Reeves Paralysis Foundation.