Tune in for
all the action!

Track Facts:
Banking/Turns: 25
Distance: 1,366 miles
Shape: Oval

Dodge Avenger 500
Saturday, May 10
Darlington Raceway
Darlington, SC
Saturday, 7:00 p.m. EST

Schedule
Practice
12 noon EST, Friday, May 9
2:00 p.m. Final Practice Friday, May 9

Qualifying
3:10 p.m. EST, Friday, May 9, Two laps all positions

Race Day Saturday, May 10
6:50 p.m. EST Saturday
TV: FOX 7:00 p.m.
Radio: Motor Racing Network (MRN), XM Radio
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:
 
“Darlington is a place that I look forward to going to every year.  I wish we still went twice a year.  It’s a place that I’ve been going to for a long time.  One thing that is so cool about Darlington, for me, is that it’s one of a few tracks left where me, my father and my grandfather have all raced.  I’ve had some good runs there over the years and I’ve had some where I couldn’t wait to get out of there.  That’s just the way it is with Darlington.”
 
“We’ve been fortunate to have enjoyed a long history with Dodge as our manufacturer.  This race is always special for Petty Enterprises because Dodge is the title sponsor.  It’s the Dodge Challenger 500 this year.  That has to be one of the best recreations that have come along recently.  I remember how cool those old Challengers were and they’ve hit a homerun with the new one too.  It’s one of the cars that you think of when you think of American muscle.”
 
“The test at Lowe’s this week should help us when we get to Darlington too.  Even though the layouts are different, they are both speedways.  You can work on big suspension pieces, stuff that you should be able to run at any speedway.  Then we can fine-tune when we get to specific tracks.  At this point, any on-track time with this new car will be beneficial for the rest of the season.”

Qualifying Results

1. Greg Biffle, Ford
2. Dale Earnhardt, Jr., Chevrolet
3. Jimmie Johnson, Chevrolet
4. Tony Stewart, Toyota
5. Kurt Busch, Dodge
10. Bobby Labonte, No. 43 Cheerios/Betty Crocker Dodge
35. Kyle Petty, No. 45 Marathon American Spirit Motor Oil Dodge

Greg Biffle is the new track record holder at the Darlington Raceway and he will lead the field of 43 to the green flag of the Dodge Challenger 500 tomorrow night. Hendrick Motorsports teammates Dale Earnhardt, Jr. and Jimmie Johnson round out the top-3.

Darlington received a fresh asphalt surface over the off-season. While it has always been one of the toughest venues on the circuit, it is now also one of the fastest. 38 drivers broke the old track record of 173.797 mph, set in 1996 after another repaving project.

Bobby Labonte and the No. 43 Cheerios/Betty Crocker Dodge team will start tomorrow night’s event from the 10th position. It is their second top-10 start of the season and their best since starting fifth at Atlanta in March. Due to the new asphalt, NASCAR brought the teams in on Thursday for two extra practice sessions. It paid off for Labonte and crew chief Jeff Meendering as the two were able to “dial” in the car on Friday. Labonte is a former Darlington winner and could be in position to get win No. 2 on Saturday night.

“It’s been a wild two days of practice and we’re lucky that we’ve been able to keep our car off the wall,” sounded Labonte. “The new surface is great, really smooth, but you still have to race the racetrack. We’re running around here really fast and it’s taken out a few cars. It’s still Darlington and you have to be alert every lap. The guys worked hard these last two days and hopefully that work will pay off tomorrow night.”

Kyle Petty and the No. 45 Marathon American Spirit Motor Oil Dodge team qualified 35th for the event. Petty and crew chief Stewart Cooper also used the extra practice sessions to their advantage. After the Thursday practices, the team brought back a totally different setup for Friday. It worked as Petty will start his third consecutive race.

“When we unloaded yesterday we were pretty far off,” said Petty. “I have to tip my hat to my team because we changed a bunch of stuff today and we’re happy with what we have for tomorrow. We had a better car than driver in qualifying because I left some time out there. But we’re in good shape for the race.”

Race Results

1. Kyle Busch, Toyota
2. Carl Edwards, Ford
3. Jeff Gordon, Chevrolet
4. Dale Earnhardt, Jr., Chevrolet
5. David Ragan, Ford
18. Bobby Labonte, Cheerios/Betty Crocker Dodge
41. Kyle Petty, Marathon American Spirit Motor Oil Dodge

Kyle Busch grabbed his third victory of the season, tying him with Carl Edwards for the most in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series, when he took the checkered flag in Saturday night’s Dodge Challenger 500 at the Darlington Raceway. Edwards crossed the finish line second, followed by Jeff Gordon.

The new asphalt at Darlington raised the speeds around the 58-year-old oval considerably. Many predicted a caution and wreck-filled event, but the race was conducted with few severe incidents. Only eight caution flags flew, several for debris-only. The race also featured three rounds of green flag pit stops.

Bobby Labonte and the No. 43 Cheerios/Betty Crocker Dodge team brought home a hard-fought 18th place finish on Saturday night. Labonte began the race from the 10th position, one of his best qualifying efforts of the season, and remained in the top-10 for the first 120 laps. However, as the race progressed and the temperature cooled, the No. 43 Dodge began to develop a “tight” condition and he lost a lap to the leader. On lap 235, Labonte was able to receive the “Lucky Dog” Award to get back on the lead lap. Crew chief Jeff Meendering continued to make changes to “loosen” up the chassis for Labonte. The adjustments allowed Labonte to finish as one of only 20 cars on the lead lap.

“That was a pretty demanding race,” said Labonte. “Darlington is always one of the most mentally-draining races, but tonight was worse because we didn’t have many cautions to catch our breath. I’m not sure what happened to the car, but I think we fought the same thing everyone else did. The car just got so tight there after the halfway point. It was really a handful to turn. But we kept the car pretty clean and that’s something to be proud of.”

Kyle Petty and the No. 45 Marathon American Spirit Motor Oil Dodge finished 41st in Saturday night’s event. Petty began the race from the 35th position, but caught the turn two wall with the right rear of his car on lap nine. He pulled the No. 45 Dodge into the garage for repairs on lap 11. The crew changed the entire rear end assembly and got Petty back out on lap 124. After a return trip to the garage, Petty returned to the track on lap 145 and took the checkered flag, picking up a few more points along the way.

“It just felt like a different car than what we had in practice,” said Petty. “It was so tight at the start. We run right up by the wall at Darlington so there is no room for error and I just got into the wall, got a “Darlington Stripe.” I hate it for Marathon and my guys, but everyone did a great job in making repairs and picking up a few points.”

The NASCAR Sprint Cup Series will hold its annual Sprint All-Star Race on Saturday night at Lowe’s (N.C.) Motor Speedway. The race will be televised on FOX. It can be heard 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.