RUDD BRINGS HOME TOP-15 FINISH IN THE “LONE STAR STATE”

FT. WORTH, TX (November 4, 2007) – Ricky Rudd and the #88 Snickers®/Valero Ford Fusion finished 15th Sunday afternoon in the Dickies 500 at Texas Motor Speedway. Rudd and the Snickers Racing team used pit strategy to their advantage Sunday as the team walked away with another strong performance for the second week in a row.

The Dickies 500 began at 2:37pm CST as pole-sitter Martin Truex, Jr. led the field to green with his first career NASCAR NEXTEL Cup Series pole award. Truex, Jr. held onto his lead for the opening six laps of the race before Juan Pablo Montoya passed him for the lead on lap seven. Rudd began Sunday’s race from the 39th starting position and his Robert Yates Racing teammate, David Gilliland, began from 34th. Gilliland and his #38 M&M’S®/Sam’s Club Ford Fusion jumped up to 28th during the opening laps while Rudd encountered a little difficulty getting the Snickers/Valero Ford to navigate through the field. Rudd called in over team communications to crew chief Cully Barraclough on lap eight, that the car started the race a little snug.

The Snickers Racing team caught their first break of the day during the first caution on lap 16. Barraclough called for a two tire stop in an effort to gain track position from a fast pit stop. The pit crew also added fuel and made adjustments to the wedge in the rear of the car to free the Snickers/Valero Ford up slightly. The field restarted under green on lap 19 and found Rudd in 25th with Gilliland closely behind in 28th. By lap 33, Rudd was in 20th and Gilliland was in 19th with both teammates poised to continue their climb on the leaderboard. Unfortunately, while under caution on lap 38, the team made a pit stop for four tires and fuel which dropped Rudd back to 35th on the restart and found the #88 Snickers/Valero Ford off the lead lap.

Rudd was determined to pilot the #88 Snickers/Valero Ford through the field and by lap 76, found himself in 18th, as the first series of green-flag caution laps began. Rudd was still one lap down to the race leaders and the team was determined to win the lap back. A break would come the way of the #88 team, but only at the expense of Gilliland. On lap 145, the #38 got loose and slid coming off turn two. The M&M’S/Sam’s Club Ford then bounced off the wall, but Gilliland was able to avoid major damage to the car. The ensuing caution allowed Rudd to get the free pass award which placed him on the lead lap again after the Snickers/Valero Ford was the highest-running car one-lap down.

Following the restart on lap 149, the sun began to set at Texas Motor Speedway and track conditions began to change with the setting sun. The track temperature began to decrease as the sun set behind the grandstands and found teams battling loose-handling race cars. Rudd continued to showcase his persistence on the race track as the Snickers/Valero Ford climbed up to 16th on lap 180 even with the changing track conditions. Shortly afterwards, the field once again began to cycle through another series of green flag pit stops, but Rudd stayed out on the track eager to gain track position.

Lap 192 gave Rudd and the Snickers Racing team an extra jolt to their confidence as the #88 Snickers/Valero Ford was posted as the race leader. Rudd held onto the lead for a total of ten laps before it was necessary to make the routine pit stop the rest of the field had made during earlier laps. Pit strategy and fuel mileage allowed Rudd to remain in the top-20 the remainder of the Dickies 500. Rudd went on to finish 15th and received the “USG Improving the Finish Award” for his efforts after he gained 24 positions during the race. Gilliland and the #38 M&M’S/Sam’s Club Ford Fusion finished 28th in the Dickies 500.

“Our car was really good on the long runs today,” commented Rudd following the race. “I’m really pleased with our finish tonight. Cully (Barraclough) called a great race today. We just were trying to survive out there today and we wanted to stay out of harm’s way and we were able to do that. Our Snickers Racing team just did a tremendous job today as well and this was the kind of finish our team really needed. We took a car that had given us some challenges earlier in the weekend, and we made it work the best we could, and I’m just very happy with the way we ran our race today.”

Jimmie Johnson won Sunday’s Dickies 500 at Texas Motor Speedway. Johnson’s win Sunday also marked the third consecutive week he has driven his #48 to Victory Lane. Johnson held off Matt Kenseth during the final laps in a “Texas shootout” at the end. Martin Truex, Jr. who had started the race on the pole, finished third for the day, followed by the #5 Kyle Busch who finished fourth.

Following Sunday’s Dickies 500, the eighth race of The Chase for the NEXTEL Cup, Jimmie Johnson claimed the top spot in the NASCAR NEXTEL Cup Series driver point standings over fellow Hendrick Motorsports teammate, Jeff Gordon. Gordon had entered the Dickies 500 with a nine point lead over Johnson, but following the race, Johnson now leads Gordon by 30 points. Clint Bowyer remains in third while Kyle Busch gained two positions moving up to fourth. Rudd remains 33rd in the NASCAR NEXTEL Cup Series driver point standings, while Gilliland holds on to his 29th position following the Dickies 500.

Next weekend the NASCAR NEXTEL Cup Series travels to Phoenix International Raceway for the Checker Auto Parts 500 and the ninth race of The Chase for the NEXTEL Cup. Pre-race television coverage begins on Sunday, November 11th at 3:00 p.m. EST on ABC. Radio coverage will be provided by the Motor Racing Network (MRN).