Bobby Labonte takes a Victory Lap after winning the Aarons 312. More pix in the Photo Gallery at the end of this page...

Labonte Edges Stewart for NASCAR Busch Series Win
By Reid Spencer/Sporting News NASCAR Wire Service

TALLADEGA, Ala. (April 28, 2007) -- In a green-white-checkered finish in Saturday's Aaron's 312, Bobby Labonte pushed Tony Stewart into the lead, then pulled out and passed Stewart as the two drivers approached the finish line at Talladega Superspeedway.

In beating Stewart to the stripe by .052 seconds -- less than a car length -- Labonte recorded his 10th Busch Series victory and his first since Darlington in 1998. The race featured a Busch record 36 lead changes and a Busch track record 20 different leaders.

Casey Mears was third, followed by rookies David Ragan and Kyle Krisiloff. Kevin Harvick, Juan Pablo Montoya, Ward Burton, polesitter Brad Coleman and series points leader Carl Edwards claimed positions six through 10.

"Coming down through the tri-oval, I knew those guys were far enough behind us," Labonte said. "I thought, 'Well, I can push Tony to the win, or I can try it myself.' I figured if had a chance for myself, I didn't want to screw (Stewart) out of second place. So I figured we were far enough down the racetrack where if I pulled side-by-side, they wouldn't catch us."

Stewart had nothing but praise for his former Nextel Cup teammate at Joe Gibbs Racing and sometimes-teammate at Kevin Harvick Inc., which recorded its first one-two finish with Saturday's race.

"If it wasn't for him, we wouldn't have been there anyway," Stewart said. "He pushed me for two solid laps and pushed me into the lead. I was so shocked and so surprised when he pulled out (to pass on the last lap) that I just started laughing."

A seven-car pileup involving Steve Wallace, Stephen Leicht, Reed Sorenson, Marcos Ambrose, Mike Bliss, Kasey Kahne and David Reutimann brought out the seventh caution of the race on Lap 110, then a red flag on Lap 112.

Labonte said he noticed that his water temperature had reached 270 degrees before the red flag period helped cool the engine. By the end of the race, Labonte's motor was cooked.

Mears was the leader, followed by Harvick, Ragan, Krisiloff and Burton, when the race restarted of Lap 115 after a 16-minute delay, but NASCAR called a caution for debris from Kasey Kahne's damaged car a lap later, forcing the green-white-checkered finish.

In the one lap of green-flag racing before the debris caution, Stewart passed Burton for fifth to set up the two-lap dash for the finish. Labonte restarted sixth, right behind Stewart.

"The 33 (Stewart) and the 77 (Labonte) had such a run there at the end that if I'd tried to block them, they would have run right through me," Mears said.

Complete race results, point standings and more in the Related News section below...

Checkered Flag Fast Facts

• Bobby Labonte won the Aaron’s 312, his 10th victory in 184 NASCAR Busch Series races. His last NASCAR Busch Series victory came at Darlington in March 1998.
• This is his first victory and second top-10 finish in four races at Talladega Superspeedway.
• This is his frist victory and second top-10 finish in the six NASCAR Busch Series seasons he has competed in this season.
• Tony Stewart finished second, 0.052 second behind Labonte, giving Kevin Harvick Inc. its first 1-2 finish in a NASCAR Busch Series race.
• Casey Mears (third) posted his fifth top-10 finish in the six NASCAR Busch Series seasons he has competed in this season.
• David Ragan (fourth) posted his career-best NASCAR Busch Series finish.
• Carl Edwards (10th) retained the lead in the NASCAR Busch Series point standings and is now 433 points ahead of Kevin Harvick.

Related News

4/25: Entry List (PDF)

4/27: Friday First Practice Speed Chart (PDF)

4/27: Friday Final Practice Speed Chart (PDF)

4/27: Qualifying Order (PDF)

4/27: Qualifying Results (PDF)

4/27: Starting Lineup (PDF)

4/28: Race Results (PDF)

4/28: Point Standings (PDF)

Green Flag Fast Facts
Pre-Race Point Standings: click here (PDF)

Television

Qualifying: Friday, April 27 (Speed at 9 p.m. AT, 8 p.m. ET)

Race: Saturday, April 28 (ABC at 3:30 p.m. AT, 2:30 p.m. ET)

DEI Seeks Five Straight, Truex Jr. Seeks Four Straight

Dale Earnhardt Inc. employees head to Alabama this week with a smile on their faces because in the past four Aaron’s 312 races at Talladega Superspeedway, no one but DEI drivers have tasted victory. The team heads into Talladega to see if it can make it five straight wins.

Dale Earnhardt Jr. (No. 8 Menards Chevrolet), a two-time NASCAR Busch Series champion, won the Aaron’s 312 event in 2003. Ever since no one has matched two-time series champion Martin Truex Jr. (No. 8 Bass Pro Shops Chevrolet) who has racked up three consecutive victories here. Currently Truex Jr. has a perfect score there, starting only three series races at Talladega, and winning all three.

The big question is can DEI and Martin Truex Jr. do it again? Truex Jr. has started only one series event this season, Daytona, where he finished sixth. Earnhardt Jr. has started two series events this season, finishing seventh at Daytona and sixth at Bristol. Earnhardt Jr. hasn’t raced at Talladega in the NASCAR Busch Series since 2004, where he finished second to Truex Jr.

No other team has gone for five consecutive wins at Talladega in NASCAR Busch Series competition. Truex Jr. will be going for four consecutive victories, and would be the first driver ever to do so in the series.

DEI has a total of 16 victories at restrictor-plate tracks in the NASCAR Busch Series, 11 at Daytona and five at Talladega. The experience DEI drivers have accumulated will help them this weekend.

“When you finish a race at Talladega, you're almost never physically tired like if you had just raced at Bristol or Martinsville,” Earnhardt said. “But the mental strain and the concentration needed will wear you out mentally and emotionally. It's fun, but it's tough."

Two Juniors Looking To Make Fathers Proud

The last NASCAR NEXTEL Cup Series victories earned by 7-time series champion Dale Earnhardt Sr. and 2004 NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series champion Bobby Hamilton Sr. both were at Talladega Superspeedway. This weekend, sons Dale Earnhardt Jr. and Bobby Hamilton Jr. (No. 35 McDonald’s Ford) are entered in the Aaron’s 312, and look to make their fathers proud by taking home the checkered flag.

Dale Earnhardt Sr. won at Talladega in the fall of 2000 and holds the record for most wins there with 11 in the NASCAR NEXTEL Cup Series and one in the NASCAR Busch Series. Bobby Hamilton Sr. followed up Earnhardt’s performance that next spring in 2001 with his final victory in the NASCAR NEXTEL Cup Series.

Dale Earnhardt Jr. has won at Talladega, once in the NASCAR Busch Series in 2004, and five times in the NASCAR NEXTEL Cup Series, four of which were consecutive (a track record). Earnhardt Jr. also has followed in his father’s footsteps in becoming a car owner in the series. He started JR Motorsports in 2005, which fields Shane Huffman (No. 88 U.S. NAVY Chevrolet) in the NASCAR Busch Series.

Bobby Hamilton Jr. has never won at Talladega, but has posted a top-five finish in 2000. Hamilton Jr. returned to NASCAR Busch Series competition this season and heads into Talladega ninth in the series standings, with a Driver Rating of 64.9, and an Average Running Position of 22.1.

Pre-Race Notes

• ESPN on ABC will have live coverage of Saturday’s 312-mile race beginning at 2:30 p.m. ET with NASCAR Countdown, the fourth of six series events on ABC this year. Jerry Punch will anchor the telecast from Talladega, joined in the booth by current NASCAR NEXTEL Cup driver Dale Jarrett, and two-time champion crew chief Andy Petree for analysis.
• Juan Pablo Montoya (No. 42 Texaco Havoline Dodge) will be starting this weekend in the Aaron’s 312 at Talladega in his second NASCAR Busch Series restrictor-plate race. Montoya struggled in his first restrictor-plate event at Daytona, he finished 40th due to engine failure. He raced at Talladega in 2006 in the ARCA Series where he finished third.
• Series Standings Leader Carl Edwards (No. 60 Scotts Ford) will be racing in the Aaron’s 312 this weekend. Edwards in his last three series starts at Talladega has posted three top 10s. Edwards leads the NASCAR Busch Series standings by 424 points over second-place Dave Blaney (No. 32 ABF U-PACK Toyota).
• Top Rookie Marcos Ambrose (No. 59 Kingsford Ford) is listed as a rookie this season but has proven he has more experience than most. He leads the Raybestos Rookie of the Year standings by two points over second-place Juan Pablo Montoya. This will be Ambrose’s second restrictor-plate start; he finished 16th at Daytona earlier this season.
• Double Duty Restrictor-plate races attract a lot of the NASCAR NEXTEL Cup drivers who pull double duty and Talladega is no exception. Out of the 41 drivers entered to race on Saturday, 20 of them are participating in the NASCAR NEXTEL Cup Series this season.

Photo Gallery - Saturday, April 28


Young Brad Coleman (18) leads the field to the green flag...


Bobby Labonte (left) and Tony Stewart (right) were literally door handle-to-door handle just feet from the finish line. Labonte's car was overheating as you can see from the water pumping out the overfow - just below the passenger side of the windshield...


Second place Stewart (right) congratulated Labonte on the win during the Victory Lane TV winners interview...

Photo Gallery - Friday, April 27


19-year-old Brad Coleman won his first career pole award.

IMPORTANT: All information, schedules and/or scheduled events is/are subject to change without notice. Please check with the source to confirm.