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Track Facts:
Banking/Turns: 24°
Distance: 1.54 miles / 325 laps
Shape: Quad-Oval

Kobalt Tools 500
Sunday, March 9
Atlanta Motor Speedway
Hampton, Georgia
Sunday, 1:30 p.m. EST

Schedule
Practice
3:00-4:00 p.m. EST, Friday, March 7
11:00-11:45 a.m. EST, Saturday, March 8
12:20-1:20 p.m. EST, Final Practice Saturday, March 7

Qualifying
6:45 p.m. EST, Friday, March 7, Two laps all positions

Race Day Sunday, March 9
1:30 p.m. EST, Driver introduction
2:00 p.m. EST, 325 laps, 500.5 miles
TV: FOX 1:30 p.m. EST start
Radio: Motor Racing Network (PRN), XM Radio
2007 Winner: Jimmie Johnson

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

Race Preview

Quotes from Kyle Petty:
 “I’m honored to have the Paralyzed Veterans of America (PVA) on board with us for this weekend’s race in Atlanta.  Their plan was to be a primary sponsor on the No. 45 Dodge Charger for two other races this year, but they picked up this weekend too.  They are a great sponsor, but an even better group of people.  We need to take care of those who sacrifice so much for us.  The PVA is a leading advocate for the improvement in the quality of health care for our veterans.  Everyone knows that I care deeply about charitable work so this is a natural partnership.”
 
“You know, I’ve been going to Atlanta for a long time and it’s always been one of the best tracks on the schedule.  I can remember the first race after they reconfigured the racing surface to the current design.  Bobby (Labonte, teammate) won and I finished sixth.  There is no reason why we can’t do that again, except this time we would both be driving for Petty Enterprises.  That would be a great day, man.”   
 
“You know, when the ‘24’ car hit the inside wall at Las Vegas last week, that was a hit that you don’t think about happening anymore.  When the SAFER barriers were introduced, they gave us a certain level of comfort while we were racing.  Well, when we see a car hit like that, that comfort level comes down a little.  Sometimes we are reactive instead of proactive in this sport.  But I am confident that by the time we get to Las Vegas Motor Speedway in 2009, that opening will be fixed and SAFER barriers will pad every concrete wall circling the track.”
 
 Kyle Petty at Atlanta Motor Speedway

• When it comes to running at AMS, Petty has experience.  He has competed there 54 times, which is tied with the Martinsville Speedway for the most in his career.
• Petty has scored two top-5s and 11 top-10s at Atlanta; his most recent top-10 came in 2006 when he finished eighth.
• This weekend, Petty concludes his cross-country motorcycle ride.  During the three-week trip he logged over 5,200 miles on his bike.
• During Petty’s years of racing at AMS he has completed 14,990 of 17,435 laps (86.0%), including 88 laps led.
• Petty has finished 70.4% of his races at the track in a higher position than where he started.
• Petty’s Victory Invitational Celebrity Golf Tournament, held last weekend in Phoenix, raised $110,000 for the Victory Junction Gang Camp and the Arizona State University College of Nursing & Healthcare Innovation.

Race Results

Kobalt Tools 500 Race Report
March 9, 2008
1.54-mile Atlanta Motor Speedway; Hampton, Ga.

RACE RESULTS:
1. Kyle Busch, Toyota
2. Tony Stewart, Toyota
3. Dale Earnhardt, Jr., Chevrolet
4. Greg Biffle, Ford
5. Jeff Gordon, Chevrolet
12. Bobby Labonte, Cheerios/Betty Crocker Dodge
41. Kyle Petty, Paralyzed Veterans of America Dodge

Kyle Busch is now part of NASCAR lore. The Joe Gibbs Racing driver gave Toyota their first points-paying victory in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series victory by taking the checkered flag in the Kobalt Tools 500 at the Atlanta (Ga.) Motor Speedway (AMS). Had it not been for a flat tire while leading Saturday’s Nationwide Series event, Busch would have swept the weekend. He also scored a victory in Friday’s Craftsman Truck Series race.

Competitors and fans were greeted by frigid temperatures as they arrived at the track. Snow fell early Saturday morning and the air felt ripe for another dusting on Sunday. The precipitation stayed away and the on-track action was enough to warm everyone.

Bobby Labonte and the No. 43 Cheerios/Betty Crocker Dodge team finished 12th in Sunday’s event. Labonte, a six-time winner at AMS, began the race from the fifth position. This was the third straight year that he has started this race from inside the top-six. Early in the event, the No. 43 Dodge Charger started to suffer from a ‘loose in, tight in the middle and loose off’ condition. Despite this, Labonte could be found running some of the fastest lap times on the track. Dale Earnhardt, Jr. set a torrid pace at the start of the race and put many cars a lap down. Labonte, however, remained on the lead lap throughout the event. Crew chief Jeff Meendering tuned on the car throughout the eight caution flag periods. One caution period could be described as one of the highlights of the race for the No. 43 team. On lap 199, the caution fell as the leader was right on the rear bumper of the Cheerios/Betty Crocker Dodge. Not wanting to ruin this good fortune, the “Helping Hands” pit crew knocked off their best stop of the race and beat the famed No. 17 crew off pit road to gain Labonte some valuable track position. During a later caution, Meendering called for Labonte to stay out to lead a lap. The five bonus points helped the team move up to 14th in the Sprint Cup points standings.

“You know, there were a lot of cars out there struggling today,” sounded Labonte. “It was a crazy race. My car was so inconsistent that it was hard to communicate with Jeff what I needed. We considered making some big changes and swinging for the fences, but we didn’t want to mess up a good run. That’s what we had today. It was another solid run. We needed that as we head to Bristol because anything can happen there.”

Kyle Petty and the No. 45 Dodge came home in the 41st position. Crew chief Bill Wilburn worked with Petty throughout the race to ‘tighten’ the No. 45 Dodge. Petty had to deal with a car that was loose at every end of the racetrack. When entering corners at almost 200 mph, as is the case at AMS, drivers want to feel a certain comfort level. A loose car can be breathtaking at AMS. On a day when several competitors were involved in high-speed altercations, Petty was able to nurse his Dodge home without incident.

“We were really looking to have a strong run that would allow us to gain some points,” said Petty. “The car was a handful today. Adjustments that should have tightened the car up had no effect. We’ve had some malfunctions with the bump rubbers this year. We’ll have to get it back to the shop to see if that was the case again.”

The next race for the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series will be Sunday’s Food City 500 from the Bristol (Tenn.) Motor Speedway. Sunday’s race will be televised live on FOX and broadcast live on PRN. Race coverage will begin at 1:30 EST.

Last update Thursday, May 22, 2008

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.