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Track Facts:
Banking/Turns: 33°
Distance: 2.66 miles
Shape: Tri-oval

Aaron's 499
Talladega Superspeedway
Talladega, AL 35161

Schedule
Practice
1:30-2:30 p.m. EST, Friday, April 25
3:05-3:55 p.m. EST, Final Practice, Friday, April 25

Qualifying
10:15 a.m. EST, Saturday, April 26, Two laps all positions

Race Day Sunday, April 27
1:00 p.m. EST Sunday
TV: FOX 1:00 p.m. EST
Radio: PRN Radio at 2:00
2007 winner: Jeff Gordon

Check the SPEED Channel schedule (speedtv.com) for various programs on the race this weekend.

Race Preview

Quotes from Kyle Petty:
 
“Petty Enterprises is truly fortunate in that we have three great primary sponsors on my No. 45 Dodge.  So this weekend we are going to show our appreciation by sporting a tri-primary paint scheme.  Marathon American Spirit Motor Oil, Wells Fargo and the Paralyzed Veterans of America (PVA) will all get primary treatment.  I’m excited about it.  Not many drivers get to represent three outstanding primary sponsors in one weekend.”
 
“I’m looking forward to going to Talladega this weekend.  I really believe that we can go down there and have a good solid race.  That’s what we need to get back on track.  In the past we have qualified well down there.  That’s where our weekend begins, with qualifying.  We’re not going to get all of our points back in one race.  If we concentrate on getting in the show, then the point’s thing will shake itself out.”
 
“Stewart Cooper has jumped right into the No. 45 team and taken charge.  He’s an impressive young crew chief.  He’s brought in some fresh ideas and thoughts to the talented team that Bill Wilburn put together.  At Phoenix, we continually got faster during practice.  That was just his fifth day as crew chief.  We’ve still got some communication bugs to work out, some differences in language.  But I’m happy with how Stewart has come in and meshed with everyone.”

April 26, 2008

1. Joe Nemechek, Chevrolet
2. Tony Stewart, Toyota
3. Ken Schrader, Chevrolet
4. AJ Allmendinger, Toyota
5. Kyle Busch, Toyota
15. Kyle Petty, Marathon/Wells Fargo/PVA Dodge
37. Bobby Labonte, Cheerios/Betty Crocker Dodge

During his career as a NASCAR driver, Joe Nemechek has earned the nickname ‘Front Row Joe’ for his successful efforts in qualifying. He revisited those glory days on Saturday as he earned his 10th career pole and will lead the field to the green in Sunday’s Aaron’s 499 at the Talladega Superspeedway (TSS). Tony Stewart will start alongside.

TSS’s 2.66-mile layout is the largest on the circuit. It also has the distinction of being the first restrictor-plate track to host a race with the new chassis, which made its debut last fall.

Kyle Petty and the No. 45 Marathon/Wells Fargo/PVA will start 15th for Sunday’s event. His lap of 185.481 mph, or 51.628 seconds, was good for fifth-fastest of the cars that had to qualify on time. Petty has plenty of confidence when racing at TSS. He has more top-10 finishes (19) at the track than any other in his career.

“This feels great,” said Petty. “As I said before, our weekend begins with qualifying. As we continue to make races, we can work on getting our points back. They’ll come through hard work. Everyone on this team gives everything they have. I couldn’t be happier with the group of guys I go to the track with each week.”

Bobby Labonte and the No. 43 Cheerios/Betty Crocker Dodge team will start 37th on Sunday. He toured the track at 184.019 mph, or 52.038 seconds. Labonte is very adept at driving through the field at a restrictor-plate race. He won last year’s NASCAR Nationwide Series race at TSS from the 35th position

“We didn’t pick up any speed like we wanted to,” said Labonte. “But it is what it is. Not much you can do about it. Our car drafted really well yesterday, though. I was able to drive to the front of a pack of cars. So that’s encouraging. We had a good race at Daytona in February so we know we can finish up front at these races.”

Race Results

1. Kyle Busch, Toyota
2. Juan Pablo Montoya, Dodge
3. Denny Hamlin, Toyota
4. David Ragan, Ford
5. Brian Vickers, Toyota
32. Kyle Petty, Marathon/Wells Fargo/PVA Dodge
34. Bobby Labonte, Cheerios/Betty Crocker Dodge

Sunday’s Aaron’s 499 at the Talladega Superspeedway (TSS) ran almost to completion without ‘The Big One,’ the dreaded multi-car wreck that, more often than not, provides the signature event of most restrictor-plate races. Amid a throng of wildly spinning cars on the last lap, Kyle Busch took the checkered flag for his second NASCAR Sprint Cup victory of the season.

TSS routinely provides some of the most exciting racing on the circuit. Its 2.66-mile layout is ‘interstate smooth’ and wide enough to race four and five wide. The 2007 ‘fall’ race, the first restrictor-plate race with the new car, saw a lot of single-file racing. Thanks to some rules changes by NASCAR, this race featured 52 lead changes among 20 different drivers.

Kyle Petty and the No. 45 Marathon/Wells Fargo/PVA Dodge finished 32nd in Sunday’s event. Petty had to qualify for the event based on his qualifying lap. This meant that crew chief Stewart Cooper had to set the car up to make a fast lap during Saturday’s time trials. However, after qualifying, the cars were impounded, meaning that the drivers had to start the race with the setup that they used to qualify.

“We didn’t have the day we wanted, for sure, but we were racing on Sunday,” said Petty. “It’s hard to have to make these restrictor-plate races on time and then have to start the race with your qualifying setup. Race setups and qualifying setups are totally different. We gained some points, though, so in all it was a good day.”

Bobby Labonte and the No. 43 Cheerios/Betty Crocker Dodge team came home with a disappointing 34th place finish at TSS. Labonte, the 1998 winner of this event, and crew chief Jeff Meendering had a great strategy for the race. It nearly paid off. The pair used several ‘two tire’ and ‘fuel only’ stops to keep Labonte in contention throughout the race. With only 20 laps to go, Labonte restarted the race in the 21st position. As was evident in Friday’s practice session, Labonte knew that he had a strong ‘drafting’ car. Within five laps he had driven inside the top-10 and was looking to grab his best finish of the young season. On lap 173, however, he was collected in a wreck that was not of his own making. He was able to finish the race, but the damage was too severe to continue on as a factor.

“It doesn’t take much here and you can get caught up in something,” sounded Labonte. “Jeff had a great strategy for this race. When you have long green flag runs, like we had, the field can get stretched out. You just have to stay on your strategy. We did that and were in position at the end. The Cheerios/Betty Crocker Dodge was so good in the draft that I knew we could run with the leaders. It’s just unfortunate that we didn’t get to finish.”

The NASCAR Sprint Cup Series will visit the Richmond (Va.) International Raceway next weekend for a Saturday night event. The race will be broadcast on FOX, the Motor Racing Network (MRN) and Sirius Satellite Radio channel 128.

Kyle Petty name and/or likeness used under license by Petty Marketing Company, L.L.C.
Richard Petty name and/or likeness used under license by Petty Marketing Company, L.L.C.