RUDD FINISHES 27th IN RAIN-SHORTENED POCONO 500

LONG POND, PA (June 10, 2007) – Ricky Rudd and the #88 Snickers® Ford Fusion finished 27th Sunday evening in the Pocono 500 at Pocono Raceway.  Afternoon showers on Sunday delayed the start of the Pocono 500 as well as forcing the race to come to a halt shortly after the halfway point on Sunday evening after another series of showers fell on Pocono Raceway.

Rudd started the race from the 30th position on the outside of David Stremme who began the race 29th.  Rudd’s Robert Yates Racing teammate, David Gilliland, began the race from row eight in the 16th position and was the highest-qualifying Ford for the Pocono 500.  Sunday’s weather started out overcast with a few light sprinkles and heavier rain that developed around 12:30pm.  Rain delayed the start of the Pocono 500 until the drivers received word from NASCAR to head to their cars at 4:40pm.  Following pre-race ceremonies, the green flag flew at 5:04pm EST, and clouds still lingered overhead.  For the third consecutive week, Bud Pole Winner, Ryan Newman led the field to the green flag but lost the lead on lap one to Denny Hamlin who started the race on the front row alongside Newman. 

On lap one, Rudd jumped up to 23rd and began to climb his way up through the field at the triangular 2.5 mile speedway.  By lap 24, Rudd had maneuvered his Snickers Ford into the 17th spot calling in over team communications that the car was great as he told Crew Chief Butch Hylton not to make any adjustments to the #88.  Shortly after on lap 26, Rudd came in for his first pit stop of the day as the green flag pit stops began to cycle through the field.  The #88 took four fresh new tires and fuel without making any adjustments as Rudd found himself in the 22nd spot following the stop.

By lap 42, the Snickers Ford had driven into the top-twenty with Rudd working himself back up to 19th.  The first caution flag of the day flew on lap 48 as Robby Gordon found himself with a flat tire and had to work his way to pit road.  Rudd came in once again for four fresh tires and fuel and restarted 18th as the field returned to action on lap 53.  The yellow caution flag came out two laps later however as Greg Biffle tapped into Dave Blaney sending Blaney’s #22 to the garage,  During the restart on lap 58, Ryan Newman was once again the race leader followed closely by Denny Hamlin, Tony Stewart, Kyle Busch, and Martin Truex Jr. rounding out the top-five.  

The fourth caution of the day on lap 63 led to pit strategy discussions between Rudd and Hylton over team communications.  The #88 team wanted to gain valuable track position and pit strategy was the key to gaining positions as rain clouds once again loomed overhead.  Teams were cycling through pit stops under the caution laps with many teams taking only two fresh tires or fuel only.  Hylton however called in for four tires and fuel with the goal of the Snickers Ford being able to remain out on the track longer than the other teams who would need to stop again for fresh tires and fuel.  Rudd restarted 28th and found himself directly in front of teammate Gilliland who was 29th on the lap 67 restart.  Jeff Gordon assumed the lead and was followed by fellow Hendrick Motorsports teammate, Casey Mears.
 
By lap 88, Rudd had raced his way back up to the 19th spot and showed no signs of slowing down as he continued to gain precious spots on the scoreboard.  The next round of green flag pit stops began on lap 90 and Rudd knew he could stay out while others had to come in for fresh tires and fuel.  Hylton continued to watch as Rudd and the Snickers Ford piloted themselves to second behind race leader Carl Edwards.  The #88 crew hoped that Edwards would pit allowing Rudd to lead a lap and be awarded bonus points for doing so.  Edwards stayed out on the track and Hylton called Rudd into the pits for four fresh tires and fuel.  The Snickers Ford rejoined the field in 30th following the stop as Jeff Gordon continued to lead the race. 

Unfortunately Mother Nature had other plans in mind for the NEXTEL Cup Series teams on Sunday evening.  On lap 103 the caution flag once again flew, but this time it was for raindrops in turn 1.  The field would run three more laps under caution before NASCAR brought out the red flag thus halting racing action for the evening.  Track operations workers immediately went to work in an attempt to dry off the turn one section of the track, but after a 35 minute delay, NASCAR officially called the race at 7:35pm after just 106 completed laps. 

Rudd officially finished 27th for the day and Gilliland finished 34th.  The Pocono 500 was the very first race at Pocono that Gilliland had been to and after fighting a tight-handling M&M’s® Ford at the start of the race, the #38 became very loose after the final pit stop of the day.

 “We got caught up in the pits,” commented Rudd after the race.  “We’ve had good stops all year when we’ve been running like a dog, and we ended up just having some problems today.  One of our guys fell during an earlier stop and then the last stop of the day, a lugnut fell off our front tire so unfortunately we just had a couple problems that may have cost us some track position.”

Jeff Gordon won Sunday’s Pocono 500 marking his fourth victory of the 2007 season.  Gordon led 26 laps for a total of only two different times and held off Newman for the win.  Last weekend’s race winner, Martin Truex Jr finished third while Casey Mears and Tony Stewart rounded out the top-five finishers for the evening.

After Sunday’s Pocono 500, Jeff Gordon continues to lead the NASCAR NEXTEL Cup Series driver point standings.  Fellow teammate Jimmie Johnson dropped from second to fourth in the standings.  Matt Kenseth moved from third up one spot to second and is followed by Denny Hamlin in fourth. Jeff Burton remains in fifth place in the driver point standings.  Rudd moved up one spot to 33rd in the driver point standings, while Gilliland fell one spot in the driver point standings moving to 34th place. 

Next weekend the NASCAR NEXTEL Cup Series travels to Michigan International Speedway for the Citizens Bank 400.  Pre-race television coverage begins on Sunday, June 17th at 12:30 p.m. EST on TNT.  Radio coverage will be provided by the Motor Racing Network (MRN).