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Track Facts:
Banking/Turns: 9°
Distance: one lap 2.5 miles
160 laps (400 miles)
Shape: Oval

Allstate 400
Sunday, July 29
Indianapolis Motor Speedway
Speedway, Indiana
Sunday, 2:00 p.m. EST

Schedule
Practice
3:00 - 4:00 p.m. EST, Friday, July 25
4:30 - 5:30 p.m. EST, Friday, July 25
3:00 - 4:00 p.m. EST, Final Practice Saturday, July 26

Qualifying
11:10 a.m. EST, Saturday, July 26, Two laps all positions (TV-ESPN2)

Race Day Sunday, July 29
2:30 p.m. EST, Driver introduction
3:00 p.m. EST, 160 laps, 400 miles
ESPN: ESPN 2:00 p.m. EST start
Radio: Motor Racing Network (PRN), XM Radio
2007 winner: Tony Stewart

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

Race Preview

Quotes from Terry Labonte:
 
“Indianapolis, man, I get goose bumps every time I get the opportunity to race there.  I’ve only missed two Allstate 400 at the Brickyard races in my career.  Just being fortunate enough to have competed in that first race, in 1994, is one of the best memories that I have from racing.  NASCAR has been around since 1948, and that’s a long time, but there has been racing at Indy since 1909.  It’s amazing to think of all the history that the Brickyard has been a part of.”
 
“Indianapolis is a pretty tough track for stock car racing.  Even in the old car you were typically ‘tight’ at the end of your run because the track is so flat.  Everyone will be working hard during the practice sessions because this new car is much ‘tighter’ by design.  But I think you have seen teams become more accustomed to the car as the year has gone on.  It just takes time.  We’ve been able to get the No. 45 Marathon American Spirit Motor Oil Dodge ‘loose’ on several occasions over the last couple of races.  The key is finding the ‘sweet’ spot because you don’t want to be too ‘loose’ or too ‘tight’ getting into the 90 degree turns at Indy.”
 
“The King’ Richard Petty celebrated his 50th anniversary in NASCAR two weeks ago at Chicagoland.  It’s hard to believe that I’m coming up on my 30th anniversary.  To be able to race in my 30th year with Petty Enterprises and great sponsors like Marathon, Wells Fargo, the Paralyzed Veterans of America and the Richard Petty Driving Experience is an honor.  I remember that first race in September 1978.  I finished fourth and ‘The King’ finished right in front of me.  I was on top of the world because I was up there racing with Richard Petty.  It’s funny how things come full circle.”

1. Jimmie Johnson, Chevrolet
2. Mark Martin, Chevrolet
3. Ryan Newman, Dodge
4. Kasey Kahne, Dodge
5. Jeff Gordon, Chevrolet
27. Bobby Labonte, No. 43 Cheerios Racing/Totino’s Dodge
43. Terry Labonte, No. 45 Marathon American Spirit Motor Oil Dodge

Jimmie Johnson was the fastest car during Saturday’s time trials for the prestigious Allstate 400 at the Brickyard held at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway. He will lead the field to the green flag on Sunday. Veteran Mark Martin will start alongside.

On most NASCAR Sprint Cup Series race weekends qualifying will take place on Friday afternoon. Indianapolis, however, is one of the few tracks that hold qualifying on Saturday morning. This means that going out early in qualifying, when temperatures are cool, is a premium because Indianapolis is a very sensitive to outside temperatures. Four of the top five qualifiers went out in the first 22 cars.

Bobby Labonte and the No. 43 Cheerios Racing/Totino’s Dodge team will start the 400-mile event from the 26th position. B. Labonte, the 2000 winner of this event, had a ‘loose’ racecar during Friday’s practice sessions. Crew chief Jeff Meendering went to work after the practice sessions and came up with several changes to improve the handling. The car responded well as B. Labonte was happy with his car and likes his chances for tomorrow.

“Jeff made some great adjustments to the car,” sounded B. Labonte. “We were really ‘loose’ yesterday and you don’t want to be too ‘loose’ getting into these corners because they are fast and flat. The car was comfortable in qualifying, but the track will continue to change. It will change a lot during the course of the race, so we have to stay on top of our adjustments to keep up with the track.”

Terry Labonte and the No. 45 Marathon American Spirit Motor Oil Dodge team will start tomorrow’s race from the 43rd position. T. Labonte also had to deal with a ‘loose’ chassis during practice. He and crew chief Stewart Cooper continue to work well together and the car was better during qualifying as T. Labonte picked up just under .5 seconds from his practice time.

“It’s always good when you can pick up from practice,” sounded T. Labonte. “It’s hard to find a balance here with these new cars, but Stewart did a great job from practice to qualifying. We have two more practice sessions this afternoon, so we should have a good grasp of what the car needs for tomorrow.”

Race Results

1. Jimmie Johnson, Chevrolet
2. Carl Edwards, Ford
3. Denny Hamlin, Toyota
4. Elliot Sadler, Dodge
5. Jeff Gordon, Chevrolet
16. Bobby Labonte, Cheerios Racing/Totino’s Dodge
27. Terry Labonte, No. 45 Marathon American Spirit Motor Oil Dodge

Jimmie Johnson picked up his second Allstate 400 at the Brickyard victory at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway on Sunday afternoon. Johnson held off Carl Edwards in a race that will not soon be forgotten by competitors and fans alike.

Throughout the weekend, excessive tire wear had been the hot-button topic on the minds of everyone in the garage area. Most teams could only run 8-10 green flag laps before the right side tires began to wear to the point of failure. Several factors are believed to have contributed to this, including the debut of the new chassis on the 99-year-old racetrack and a diamond-grinding process, similar to the “levigation” that took place at Lowe’s (N.C.) Motor Speedway a few years ago, that gives the racing surface maximum grip.

The result was a race where “competition” cautions were scheduled roughly 10 laps apart so that teams could asses their tire wear. Only six “competition” cautions were used because normal cautions for accidents, or blown motors, occurred inside this 10 lap window.

Bobby Labonte and the No. 43 Cheerios Racing/Totino’s Dodge team came home in the 16th position in Sunday’s race. B. Labonte, the 2000 winner of this race, started from the 27th position. His No. 43 Dodge saw the most tire wear on the right rear tire, meaning the car was ‘loose.’ Early in the event, crew chief Jeff Meendering decided to alternate between two- and four-tire stops to keep the valuable track position game in their favor. However, on lap 97, B. Labonte felt his right front tire giving up and quickly pulled down pit road for service. Pit road was closed at this time, and he was caught for speeding upon entry, meaning he would restart at the end of the line of lead lap cars in 35th place. He did an outstanding job in driving his was up to his finishing position of 16th.

“It was a wild race out there, without a doubt,” said B. Labonte. “You had to pick when you wanted to race hard to pass someone and the rest of the time you just had to bide your time to save your tires. We knew this would be the case going in and NASCAR did a great job with what they had. My car was actually handling pretty good. It was just a little loose, but I was happy with the balance. My pit crew has to get a lot of credit today. This was the most consistently fast day we’ve had all year on pit road. They picked up a lot of positions for me.”

Terry Labonte and the No. 45 Marathon American Spirit Motor Oil Dodge team finished the 400-miler in the 27th position. Unlike his brother, T. Labonte saw the most tire wear on his right front tire, meaning his was ‘tight,’ but he was also happy with the overall balance of the car. This was evident by the fact that he made the third-most green flag passes of anyone in the 43-car field.

“That was one of the strangest races that I have been a part of,” sounded T. Labonte. “You have to give NASCAR credit, though, because they did the best job that they could. 8-10 laps were all we could do. They did try to stretch it for a few laps one time, but the ‘17’ car exploded a right rear tire. Our car was fast. I could make passes when I needed to. It was just hard to get in a rhythm because we had to stop so much.”

The NASCAR Sprint Cup Series will head to the Pocono Raceway this weekend for the Sunoco Red Cross Pennsylvania 500. Friday’s qualifying session will be telecast on the Speed Channel. It will be broadcast on the Motor Racing Network (MRN) and Sirius 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.