RUDD’S 900TH CAREER START ENDS WITH ACCIDENT AT CALIFORNIA SPEEDWAY

FONTANA, Calif. (September 3, 2007) ----- The SHARP AQUOS 500 at California Speedway was the 25th race on the 2007 schedule for the NASCAR NEXTEL Cup Series but it meant a great deal more to Ricky Rudd, driver of the SNICKERS® GENERATION MAX™, who made his 900th career NEXTEL Cup Series start on Sunday night. Rudd was making the most of the occasion, running in the 16th position when an accident on lap 179 sent the #88 Snickers Generation Max Ford hard into the front stretch retaining wall and Rudd to the local hospital for precautionary measures. The team finished the night in 40th place after starting the night from deep in the field in 37th place.

With temperatures in the 110 degree range at the time the race started, heat was of great concern to teams up and down pit road. For the Snickers® Generation Max™ team, concerns also surrounded the engine department and the team took measures by creating a plan about fan use during cautions to help alleviate those concerns.

When the race started Rudd immediately reported a lack of grip on the handling of the Snickers Generation Max Ford to crew chief Butch Hylton. The condition was somewhat expected with the race starting in broad daylight and transitioning into night time as the laps continued to accumulate so Hylton elected to exercise on the side of caution, making only minimal changes with the knowledge that the handling on the car would improve once the sun went down.

It didn’t take long for trouble to find Rudd and company however, when he was tagged with a pit road penalty by NASCAR for being too fast on pit road during a pit stop in the midst of the third caution of the race on lap 22. As a result Rudd was forced to restart at the tail end of the field in 40th place. Patience and a decent-handling car allowed Rudd to make his way back into the top 30 by the time the fourth caution waved on lap 39.

With a lack of grip still a concern, the team made the decision to adjust the air pressure slightly in the right rear tire during the fifth caution on lap 71. During the next 10 laps Rudd improved his running position on the track climbing to 26th by the time the sixth caution waved on lap 85 with Rudd informing the team that the adjustment had helped to alleviate the issue with grip in the Snickers Generation Max Ford.

By lap 135, the sun had finally set on the two-mile California Speedway and the track temperature cooled. As predicted, the handling on the Snickers Generation Max Ford improved but what the team gained in handling it still lacked in track position. Rudd had climbed to the 24th position when the ninth caution of the event waved on lap 163 at which time the team made a slight chassis adjustment. With an improved handling situation Rudd was set to make up as much ground as possible with less than 85 laps remaining when green-flag racing resumed on lap 169.

When racing resumed however, Rudd reported that the changes had adversely affected the handling on the #88 Ford, creating a situation where the car felt as though the car was dragging. During the next caution the team elected to stay on the track for position with the decision placing Rudd in 16th place for the restart on lap 177.

The game plan went awry just two laps later when the #24 car with Jeff Gordon got into the #36 car of Jeremy Mayfield’s. The ensuing accident collected Rudd and the #88 Snickers Generation Max Ford with Rudd getting the worst of the damage. After a quick stop in the infield care center, medical professionals elected to send Rudd to the local hospital as a precautionary step where he was treated and released later in the evening.

“The Snickers Generation Max Ford was actually pretty good there once the sun set over the track,” Rudd said at the end of the night. “It’s hard to overcome track position when you start as far back as we did and with the competition being so close. We probably we’re going to be able to leave with a top-20 finish. I couldn’t tell you what happened. They started wrecking and the next thing I know we were spinning.”

Rudd’s teammate at Yates/Newman/Haas/Lanigan Racing David Gilliland started the race from the 14th position and had climbed as high as eighth in the running order during the early stages of the Sharp Aquos 500. As the race continued however, handling issues started to plague the #38 M&M’S Ford and Gilliland started to lose positions. The #38 M&M’S Ford was caught up in the melee that followed Rudd’s accident which required an extended trip to pit road. Gilliland lost a lap while the team made repairs. He eventually finished the night in 25th position.

Despite the tough night, both Rudd and Gilliland maintained their positions in the point standings of 30th and 28th, respectively.

Jimmie Johnson made the trip to victory lane for his second career California Speedway win. Carl Edwards finished second followed by Kyle Busch, Jeff Burton and Dale Earnhardt, Jr.

The race to the chase battle continues to be heated as Kurt Busch moved to 11th in the point standings ahead of Kevin Harvick who owns a 123-point advantage on Earnhardt who currently sits 13th in the point standings with an outside chance of making it into the Chase for the Championship next weekend. Despite being involved in the accident, Jeff Gordon maintained the lead in the Nextel Cup Series point standings by a total of 317 points of Tony Stewart.

The last race before the Chase for the Championship takes place next weekend at Richmond International Raceway with the running of the Chevy Rock & Roll 400. ESPN is providing live television coverage of all the racing action that is scheduled to begin at 7:30 p.m. EDT. ESPN goes live with its coverage at 6:30 p.m. with their Countdown to Green show. Radio coverage will be provided by the Motor Racing Network (MRN).