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Charlotte: Bobby Labonte preview

Bobby Labonte: "The 1.5-mile tracks have been pretty good to us so far this year. We've been competitive, especially at the end of those races. That's a testament to the guys that work on this No. 43 Cheerios Racing Dodge. We've done a great job ...

Bobby Labonte:

"The 1.5-mile tracks have been pretty good to us so far this year. We've been competitive, especially at the end of those races. That's a testament to the guys that work on this No. 43 Cheerios Racing Dodge. We've done a great job of putting ourselves in position to grab some good finishes. This weekend we'll have an extra 100 miles to work with. That should give us a shot to get our best finish of the season."

"I've always been a fan of longer races and the Coca-Cola 600 is the longest of our season. It starts during the day and ends at night, so you have to build adjustability in your racecar. Lowe's is probably the most sensitive track when it comes to sunlight so the setups from day to night are very different. But the extra mileage gives your crew chief more time to 'dial' in the car. It gives the drivers time to figure out their car and communicate that over the radio. It's a long race, but it's a lot of fun."

"The Coca-Cola 600 has to rank at the top of my list of favorite races for several other reasons as well. Lowe's Motor Speedway is our home track. There is always a different feel when you pull through the tunnel at Lowe's. You want to defend your home turf. The 1995 Coca-Cola 600 was also my first win in the Sprint Cup Series. I will never forget that race."

* Labonte has scored two wins at Lowe's Motor Speedway, the 1995 Coca-Cola 600 and the UAW-GM Quality 500 in 2000.

* He has scored more top-10s at Lowe's than at any other track in his career with 17.

* In his 30 visits to LMS he has also scored 12 top-5s. He is third on the list of active drivers with most top-5s at the track behind Mark Martin (17) and Jeff Gordon (14).

* His most recent top-10 finish was in the 2006 'fall' race when he finished fifth.

* At LMS Labonte has started from the pole three times and has started within the top-10 a total of 16 times. His most recent top-5 start was in the 'Fall' race last year when he qualified third.

* Of a possible 10,824 laps at Lowe's Motor Speedway, Labonte has completed 9,940 (91.8%), including 807 laps led. His average start at LMS is 12.7 and average finish is 12.8.

- credit: pe

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