Tropicana 400 - Terry Labonte Notes

LABONTE UNDER THE LIGHTS: Terry Labonte's eighth-place finish in the July 3 Pepsi 400 was his third straight top-10 in evening events at Daytona International Speedway. His performance helped Hendrick Motorsports put all four of its cars in the top-10 for the first time since the organization went to four full-time teams in 2002. Labonte finished fourth in last year's Pepsi 400 and placed eighth in this year's Budweiser Shootout in February.

HMS HITTING STRIDE: Hendrick Motorsports has earned six victories and six pole positions in the last 10 NEXTEL Cup events dating back to the 500-lapper at Martinsville (Va.) Speedway on April 18. During that stretch, a Hendrick team has either finished first, earned the pole or won from the pole in nine of those 10, with the only exception being the June 6 race at Dover, Del.

LABONTE CLOSING IN ON 800: Labonte will be one step closer to yet another career milestone following this weekend's Tropicana 400 at Chicagoland Speedway. Sunday will be his 799th start, setting the stage for his 800th career Cup Series race July 25 in Loudon, N.H. The two-time circuit champion is fifth on NASCAR's all-time list -- behind Richard Petty, Dave Marcis, Ricky Rudd and Darrell Waltrip.

HENDRICK TEAMS SEEKING CHICAGOLAND POLE: Hendrick Motorsports' four-car stable leads all NEXTEL Cup operations with six collective pole positions in 2004. Jeff Gordon has four first-place starts, including each of the last three events, while Vickers and Jimmie Johnson have one each. Evernham Motorsports is second with five poles, followed by Penske Racing with three. Chicagoland is one of just three tracks on the circuit where Hendrick has not won a pole (the others being Las Vegas Motor Speedway and Homestead-Miami Speedway).

'5' TEAM FIGHTS BACK: After suffering back-to-back DNFs, Labonte and Kellogg's Racing showed resiliency with their eighth-place finish at Daytona. The effort helped the No. 5 team advance three positions to 21st in the NEXTEL Cup standings with nine races remaining before finalists in the "Chase for the Championship" are determined. Labonte is 356 points behind 10th-place Kevin Harvick, currently the final driver eligible to compete for the title, and 179 behind 15th-place Dale Jarrett.

HENDRICK BY THE NUMBERS: In 2004, Hendrick Motorsports has nailed down a combined seven victories, six pole positions, 18 top-five finishes and 32 top-10s among its four full-time NEXTEL Cup entries, putting the organization at the top of each category.

LABONTE IMPROVES QUALIFYING: By earning the 10th starting position last weekend at Daytona, Labonte continued a recent run of improved qualifying efforts in the No. 5 Kellogg's Chevrolets. His average start in the last three races is 18th, a full nine positions better than his overall 2004 season average.

'5' TAKING 'OLD RELIABLE' TO CHICAGOLAND: The chassis (No. 225) Kellogg's Racing has entered this weekend is one of the team's most reliable race cars. Labonte drove it to his best-ever Chicagoland finish (13th) two years ago, rallying from one lap down in the process. It has been raced just once this season, with Labonte wheeling it to a seventh-place result at Pocono last month.

TERRY LABONTE, DRIVER OF THE NO. 5 KELLOGG'S CHEVROLETS: (ON CAPITALIZING ON THE TEAM'S EIGHTH-PLACE FINISH AT DAYTONA.) "We started the month of June strong, but ended with problems. We ran so well at Daytona and I know the team is working overtime to make sure we can hold that momentum."

LABONTE: (ON THE TEAM'S IMPROVED QUALIFYING PERFORMANCE THE LAST THREE RACES.) "You have to be good right off the truck because, with only a couple hours of practice, you don't have any time to thrash around on the car. We've started coming to the track a little better-prepared and it's showing up on qualifying day."