RUDD RETURNS TO #88 SNICKERS FORD AND FINISHES 11th AT CHARLOTTE

CONCORD, NC (October 13, 2007) – Ricky Rudd and the #88 Snickers® Ford finished eleventh Saturday night in the Bank of America 500 at Lowe’s Motor Speedway. Saturday’s event marked the first race that Rudd has been in the driver’s seat since he sustained a separated shoulder at California Speedway during his 900th career start which forced him to sit out of the Snickers Ford for five weeks while he recovered.

The Bank of America 500 began at 7:46pm as pole-sitter Ryan Newman led the field to the green flag with temperatures in the mid-60s. The first caution of the evening came during the second lap of the race as the #00 of David Reutimann hit the wall. On lap six, Rudd restarted in 30th as the field returned to green flag racing. Around lap eleven, Rudd called in over team communications to Crew Chief Cully Barraclaugh that the Snickers Ford was tight in the center of Turns 3 and 4. By lap fifteen however, Rudd called in over radio communications that the #88 was coming around and freeing up as the laps rolled on.

On lap 19, Rudd had driven the Snickers Ford into the 29th position before the second caution of the night came after the #6 of David Ragan smacked into the wall near the start/finish line following contact with Reed Sorenson. In an effort to utilize pit strategy, Barraclaugh called for a pit stop on lap 22 for Sunoco fuel only. The call proved beneficial for the team as the Snickers Ford restarted in 16th while Rudd’s teammate, David Gilliland restarted his #38 M&M’S®/Komen for the Cure Ford in eleventh.

By lap 41, Gilliland battled his way up to seventh and Rudd once again called in over team radio communications that the #88 Ford needed a little more front grip. The #88 Ford continued to maintain position around 15th on the leader board as the Snickers Racing team closely monitored track temperatures and tire air pressures settings in an effort to free up the car’s handling in the turns. During a pit stop under caution on lap 117, Barraclaugh called for a rubber to be put in the right rear of the car which he believed would help the car to turn into the corners easier. Shortly after the adjustment, Rudd called in over radio communications that the Snickers Ford was loose initially on the restart.

Barraclaugh and the Snickers Racing pit crew continued to only add fuel and new tires during the evening’s pit stops without any other adjustments besides air pressure settings. Rudd and the #88 team benefitted from pit strategy the entire night as the team never had to make a pit stop while the field was under green-flag racing. Every pit stop the Snickers Racing team made during Saturday’s Bank of America 500 came under the yellow caution flag which allowed Rudd to gain valuable track position. Around lap 212, Rudd made a pit stop under caution and only took fuel which allowed him to restart sixth while Gilliland restarted immediately in front of Rudd in fifth.

Following a pit stop on lap 225 however, Rudd called in to Barraclaugh that the car would not turn in the middle of the turns which also meant that Rudd couldn’t carry the speed he needed as he entered the center of the turns. The slight handling issues saw Rudd drop to 19th and he continued to remain around that position until the field started to make green flag pit stops around lap 270. As teams began to cycle through the pit stops, Rudd moved up to twelfth by lap 277 with four laps remaining until his scheduled pit stop. Once again strategy and luck played in favor of the #88 team when a caution came during lap 279 after the #10 and #42 collided in Turn 2 which allowed Rudd to make a pit stop without losing any track position he had gained while others had made earlier stops. The Snickers Ford took fuel and four fresh Goodyear tires before restarting in eleventh on lap 284 and Jeff Gordon led to the green flag.

With 50 laps to go, Barraclaugh and the Snickers Racing team knew they had enough fuel to get to the checkered flag without having to make another pit stop and they hoped that the fuel mileage would play out in their favor. The #70 of Johnny Sauter foiled the fuel mileage plans for the #88 team as Sauter spun coming off Turn 4 on lap 322. Jeff Green’s #66 was forced to come to pit road during the same lap after the car leaked fluid on the track surface and forced NASCAR to red flag the race for twelve minutes as track safety crews hurried to clean up the spill.

During the red flag, Barraclaugh and the #88 team discussed whether or not to make a pit stop before the restart. Barraclaugh knew that the Snickers Ford could still make it to the end of the race with fuel, but the question was how many teams behind Rudd were going to opt for fresh tires. After various discussions between crew members, the decision was made for Rudd to stay out on the racetrack and hold on to his position in tenth.

With ten laps scheduled to remain in the race, NASCAR restarted the race on lap 330 and Rudd jumped up to eighth as the Snickers Ford continued to propel forward through the front of the pack. Unfortunately, Ryan Newman who had taken the lead from Gordon prior to the restart got loose in Turn 2 and spun his #12 into the wall and brought out the final caution of the night. With only one scheduled lap remaining, it meant that the restart would be a green-white-checkered finish with extra laps to complete.

Many teams had gambled with fuel mileage earlier in the race in an effort to be one of the few cars left at the end with enough gas in the tank. Rudd was one of those lucky enough to have fuel to make it to the end without needing a pit stop. Jeff Gordon regained the lead after Newman’s crash but Gordon was worried he didn’t have enough fuel to get to the finish.

The restart came on lap 336 as Rudd listed in seventh-place but a difficulty on the restart with the Snickers Ford found Rudd finishing eleventh for the evening.

“It’s a good finish for us today, but it was a tough finish for us” commented Rudd after the race. “We were in seventh at the restart and I think that we could have gotten up to fifth, but we had some issue with the Snickers Ford on that final restart for the green-white-checkered. I had my foot on the gas, but the car just wasn’t taking off so I pulled over to the inside for a second and then it took off again. It was just a little hard to be so close to a Top-10 finish and then lose it on the final laps. I’m really glad that we had a good run tonight in the Snickers Ford and it felt good to be back in the car tonight.”

Jeff Gordon won Saturday’s Bank of America 500 at Lowe’s Motor Speedway as he narrowly held on beat Clint Bowyer. Gordon led for 72 laps Saturday night to win his second consecutive race. Bowyer finished second while Gordon’s teammate, Kyle Busch finished third. Fellow Chase for the NEXTEL Cup members Jeff Burton and Carl Edwards finished fourth and fifth respectively rounding out the top-five finishers Saturday evening at Charlotte.

Following Saturday’s Bank of America 500, the fifth race of The Chase for the NEXTEL Cup, Jeff Gordon extends his lead in the NASCAR NEXTEL Cup Series driver point standings over fellow Hendrick Motorsports teammate, Jimmie Johnson. Clint Bowyer remains in third place following his second-place finish in the Bank of America 500. Tony Stewart stays in fourth place in the standings while Carl Edwards moves up to fifth after his Top-5 finish Saturday night at Lowe’s Motor Speedway. Rudd remains 33rd in the NASCAR NEXTEL Cup Series driver point standings, while Gilliland remains unchanged at 29th following the Bank of America 500.

Next weekend the NASCAR NEXTEL Cup Series travels to Martinsville Speedway for the Subway 500 and the sixth race of The Chase for the NEXTEL Cup. Pre-race television coverage begins on Sunday, October 21st at 1:00 p.m. EST on ABC. Radio coverage will be provided by the Motor Racing Network (MRN).