RUDD EXPERIENCES TOUGH DAY IN PHOENIX

PHOENIX, AZ (November 11, 2007) – Ricky Rudd found troubles in the handling of his race car all day long in Phoenix. He fought through multiple issues with the braking system and the balance on the car. In his final trip to the Phoenix International Raceway, Rudd brought his #88 PEDIGREE® Brand Food for Dogs Ford Fusion home three laps down to the leaders in the 35th position.

Conditions for the start of Sunday’s race were flawless. Rudd started the race from the inside of row 17. He immediately began to lose positions and dropped to the 38th spot within 10 laps. His initial reactions of the car’s handling was that it lacked rear grip and would not turn in the corners as well as he needed. The crew tried to help their driver during the team’s first two pit stops by removing two spring rubbers from the right rear spring. Unfortunately it wasn’t enough to keep Rudd from going a lap down within the first quarter of the race.

The next attempts to alleviate the handling issues were to make adjustments to the wedge and the track bar. Those changes came during several pit stops over the next 100 laps. Rudd felt the car was more responsive after the changes, as his lap times improved and were only slightly off some of the cars in the top-15. He then began experiencing a different problem, this time under braking. The Phoenix International Raceway requires drivers to brake relatively hard as they enter Turn One. Rudd felt the front tires on his #88 PEDIGREE Ford Fusion were not steering correctly when he pressed firmly on the brake pedal. The condition forced Rudd to race more cautiously and he lost a second lap while racing under green-flag conditions.

As Rudd continued to complete laps while trying to diagnose the problem, the #78 car got loose on lap 243 and made contact with the right side of the #88, causing only cosmetic damage. Shortly after, Rudd felt the issue under braking might be caused by the “toe in” on the front tires and wanted his crew to make an adjustment. On lap 269, Rudd came in for service. The adjustment is not one normally done quickly, and the driver returned to the track after losing a third lap to the leaders and a handful of positions.

Rudd, always known as a tough competitor, fought through the remainder of the 312-lap race, the condition on his car improving only marginally. He brought his #88 PEDIGREE Ford Fusion home in the 35th position, three laps down to the leaders. The final laps of the race saw the shuffling of several positions near the front of the field, as Jimmie Johnson captured his fourth win in a row and his first at Phoenix International Raceway.

“Today was a day I hope to forget real soon,” Rudd said. “We started out and the car felt like it was 10 feet tall. It felt like it had a really high center of gravity and just wouldn’t turn. Late in the race we were having trouble with the car under braking. I felt like I was going to lose control every lap. We didn’t have a good day at all, but it wasn’t for a lack of trying. I know [crew chief] Cully [Barraclough] and the guys worked real hard and did everything they could to fix it for me. It just never got any better all day long. Hopefully we can get to Miami and end this [season] on a high note.”

Jimmie Johnson expanded his championship lead over Jeff Gordon by earning his fourth win in a row and 10th of the season. Greg Biffle had a strong performance by finishing second, while his teammate, Matt Kenseth finished in the third spot. Tony Stewart and non-Chaser, Ryan Newman, finished in fourth and fifth, respectively.

Rudd’s teammate, David Gilliland, had a slightly better day at Phoenix. He and his team were able to cure some of their ailments from practice. Gilliland brought his #38 M&M’s® Ford Fusion home in the 28th position, one lap down.

The 2007 NASCAR Nextel Cup season will come to an end next weekend with the final race taking place at Homestead-Miami Speedway. The Ford 400 will start at 3:30 p.m. EST, with television coverage of the race beginning on the ABC network at 3:00 p.m. Radio coverage of the final race can be heard on the Motor Racing Network (MRN).