Not content with a fourth, Reutimann believed he had a car capable of winning. Of course, there was another driver in the field—Labonte—who would have liked to push him back one more position. In the closing stages of the race, Labonte mounted a charge.
“I got by the 26 on the inside,” Labonte said of his final push, “which is hard because it takes all the air off your wing, and then I had the 00 in my sights there and almost had a fourth place. But still, all in all, it was a really good day. I’m really excited about it.”
Click Here For More Images of NASCAR
It was Labonte’s first top-five finish in 79 races. All good? Almost.
“I am (excited) down deep, but, dang it, (we could have had) just a little bit more,” he said. “We had one more position we probably could have got in one more lap on the 00, but my car was really good. I just feel like I did all I could do, but I know there’s more for me to prove in these race cars and I can’t wait to do it.
“We’ve got so many great people there working for us and I just feel like we’ve got all this confidence on our side right now. I’m excited we got us a top-five and we’re looking forward to each and every weekend. It’s going to be a builder for me.”
As rewarding as their top-five finishes must be, and as thrilled as they are to find themselves in the top 10 in points, however, Reutimann and Labonte owe their success to the up-and-down fortunes of their top competitors.
In three races this season, no one has swept the top 10, and Kenseth might be the bad luck poster boy. He struggled all weekend in his bid for three consecutive victories to start the 2009 season after winning the Daytona 500 and Auto Club 500. This week, he had to take an owner’s provisional to get into the show at the back of the pack and never got up to speed before blowing an engine only six laps into the Shelby 427.
Click Here For More Images of NASCAR
Likewise, Jimmie Johnson’s bid for a fourth straight championship took a hit in Las Vegas. Trying to complete a pass on the outside of Jamie McMurray with seven laps remaining, he spun by himself and slammed the wall before limping home a lap off the pace in 24th with a crumpled Chevrolet. Ironically, he spun immediately after completing a pass on Labonte for what was then the eighth position.
The teams pack up their equipment and head to Atlanta next week, and Labonte has to be feeling good about his prospects there. In his heyday, Labonte earned six victories on the Georgia track, which is the most among all active drivers, and with a little luck he could be one of the most pleasant surprises again next week.
| 
|