RUDD CAUGHT UP IN LATE RACE ACCIDENT IN DOVER DOVER, DE  

(June 4, 2007) Ricky Rudd and the #88 Snickers® Ford Fusion finished 39th Monday afternoon in the Autism Speaks 400 at Dover International Speedway. After a weekend filled with rain delays, Rudd and the #88 team finally found themselves ready to race on Monday afternoon.

Rudd started the race on the outside of Kyle Petty on row 20 from the 40th starting position. Rudd’s Robert Yates Racing teammate, David Gilliland, began the race from row 18 in the 36th position alongside Joe Nemechek. Monday’s weather started out overcast with a few light sprinkles that eventually cleared as the morning went on. By the time the green flag flew at 12:16pm EST, sun and blue skies had appeared. Bud Pole Winner, Ryan Newman led the field to the green flag and continued to lead for the first 28 laps of the afternoon before losing the lead to Kasey Kahne.

The first caution of the evening came on lap 25 for a competition caution issued by NASCAR. During the first pit stop of the day, Rudd had called in over team communications that his Snickers Ford felt tight in the turns. Crew Chief Butch Hylton made the call to make adjustments to the track bar as well tire pressure levels while taking on four new tires and fuel. The adjustments were aimed at loosening up the car’s handling so that Rudd could drive into the turns easier. The restart on lap 30 found Rudd in the 36th position.

Lap 56 found Newman in the lead position once again regaining control of the race. On lap 65, another competition caution issued by NASCAR came out and Rudd stated over team radio that the Snickers Ford was now too loose after the preliminary adjustments. The #88 pit crew put on four fresh tires, added fuel, and returned the track bar back to its original setting. On lap 71, the field returned to green flag racing and found Rudd still trying to control a loose race car. Newman, Kahne, Carl Edwards and Martin Truex, Jr. found themselves battling for track position at the front of the field, and Edwards took the lead on lap 109.

The third caution of the afternoon came on lap 135 due to Kyle Busch in turn four and during the pit stop under caution, the #88 team once again made adjustments to the rear tire pressures as well as an adjustment to the jack bolt. Rudd found himself in the 33rd position on the restart and Gilliland was in 30th. Green flag racing continued for the next 130 laps and found Rudd and Gilliland racing alongside each other trying to gain valuable track position. The #88 Snickers Ford made a green flag pit stop on lap 220 taking on only four tires and fuel.

Tony Stewart and Kurt Busch had an altercation on lap 273 in which Busch was spun out by Stewart off the wall exiting turn four causing the fourth caution of the day. During the pit stops that immediately followed under the yellow flag, Rudd once again received fuel and four fresh tires that had increased air pressure levels in an effort to tighten the Snickers Ford back up out on the racetrack. Rudd and Gilliland continued to race in line with each other both racing around the 31st and 32nd positions. Another long stretch of green flag racing continued and the afternoon heat increased at the “Monster Mile” but on lap 338 Michael Waltrip brought out the sixth caution of the day when he spun out of control. Rudd came in for a splash of fuel and fresh new right side tires in an effort to gain track position. On the restart, Gilliland and Rudd started in the 28th and 29th spots respectively and hopes were high in the #88 pit stall that the remainder of the race might just find the teammates continuing to climb the scoreboard.

Unfortunately on lap 355, Gilliland got loose coming off of turn four and in an effort to try not to hit his teammate, Rudd who was driving on the outside, Gilliland accidentally made contact with the left rear of the Snickers Ford sending Rudd into the wall. The accident found Rudd and his #88 Snickers Ford limping into the garage with a heavily damaged vehicle, ending the afternoon for the team.

“We just had a bad run out there today,” commented Rudd after the race. “David (Gilliland) and I were out there racing for position towards the end and he just got loose and we got into each other. It wasn’t on purpose I know, but we just had a tough day out there. The Snickers Ford was tight at the start and then got pretty loose later on in the race. I know all the crew worked really hard to make adjustments to the car, but we just had an unfortunate end to our weekend.”

Gilliland and his #38 M&M’s® Ford Fusion was able to return back to the race following repairs and came away with a 29th-place finish for the afternoon.

After Monday’s Autism Speaks 400, Jeff Gordon continues to lead the NASCAR NEXTEL Cup Series driver point standings. Fellow teammate Jimmie Johnson remains second in the standings and is followed by Matt Kenseth in third, Denny Hamlin in fourth, and Jeff Burton who is currently fifth in the driver point standings. Rudd fell three spots to 34th in the driver point standings, while Gilliland gained one spot in the driver point standings moving to 33rd place.

Martin Truex, Jr. won Monday’s Autism Speaks 400 making it his first victory as a NEXTEL Cup Series driver, and the second week in a row that a NEXTEL Cup Series driver won his first series race. Truex, Jr. led the race six different times for 216 of the 400 laps and held off Newman for the win while Carl Edwards finished third. Denny Hamlin and Matt Kenseth raced their way to fourth and fifth place finishes and rounded out the top-five finishers for the afternoon.

Next weekend the NASCAR NEXTEL Cup Series travels to Pocono Raceway for the Pocono 500. Pre-race television coverage begins on Sunday, June 10th at 12:30 p.m. EST on TNT. Radio coverage will be provided by the Motor Racing Network (MRN).