BASS PRO SHOPS MBNA 500 PRE-RACE NOTES:
Labonte will attempt to start his 24th race at Atlanta Motor Speedway. He has won at Atlanta six times in his career: (Fall 1996, Fall 1997, Spring 1998, Fall 1999, Fall 2001, Spring 2003
Labonte has 12 top-five finishes and has won the Bud pole twice at Atlanta Motor Speedway (Fall 1996, Spring 1999).
In addition to winning the spring race at Atlanta in 2003, Labonte started second and finished fifth in the fall race.
In the Golden Corral 500 on March 14 at Atlanta, Labonte started 10th and finished 18th.
Labonte has five top-five and nine top-10 finishes in 2004.
Labonte finished 18th Oct. 24 at Martinsville. He is 14th in the NASCAR NEXTEL Cup point standings with 3,761 points. He is 48 points behind 13th-place Kevin Harvick and six points ahead of 15th-place Kasey Kahne.
The primary car for the Bass Pro Shops MBNA 500 is chassis No. 87, the car Labonte drove to second place with March 21 at Darlington and the car he won the Bud Pole with April 2 at Texas. He finished fifth with the car May 2 at California, eighth June 20 at Michigan International Speedway, 13th May 30 at Charlotte, 15th Aug. 8 at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway and 18th July 11 at Chicagoland Speedway. On Oct. 14, Labonte crashed the car during practice at Charlotte Motor Speedway. Labonte also used the car at the fall race at Atlanta in 2003, where he started second and finished fifth.
The back-up car will be No. 78, the car Labonte used June 13 and Aug. 1 at Pocono when he finished third and 29th (accident), respectively. He also used the car March 7 at Las Vegas, where he started seventh and finished eighth and March 14 at Atlanta where he started 10th and finished 18th. The car was used Sept. 19 at New Hampshire when Labonte started 13th and finished 18th and Oct. 16 when he started 34th and finished 17th. In 2003, the car was used the in the second Atlanta race where Labonte finished fifth. Chassis No. 78 was also used at both Michigan races and the Kansas race. Labonte won the pole at both Michigan races and finished second in the car in the first Michigan race. He started fourth in the car at Kansas.