Brickyard 400 - Terry Labonte Notes

HMS CARRIES MOMENTUM TO INDY: Hendrick Motorsports has earned seven victories and seven pole positions in the last 13 NASCAR NEXTEL Cup Series 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 11 of those 13, with the only exceptions being Dover, Del., in June and Loudon, N.H., in July.

DELPHI COLORS FOR '5' AT INDY: Terry Labonte and Kellogg's Racing will roll out another special car design this weekend, and if recent history is any indication, the No. 5 Chevrolet showcasing sponsor Delphi may be pointed toward a top-five finish. Since placing 26th at Brooklyn, Mich., with special Father's Day paint June 20, Labonte improved to eighth July 3 at Daytona Beach, Fla., with "Spider-Man" on his car and finished sixth last weekend carrying a salute to the United States Olympic Team. If this pattern of improvement continues Sunday at Indianapolis, it would mean a top-five finish for the red-and-black Kellogg's/Delphi Monte Carlo.

LABONTE MAKING HEADWAY: Labonte moved into a tie for 18th in the series point standings following his sixth-place finish at Pocono. He shaved 78 points off the deficit he faces relative to 10th place as the "Chase for the Championship" looms six events down the road. Labonte trails 15th-place Jamie McMurray by 128 points and is 261 points behind No. 10 Kevin Harvick.

'ICE MAN' AT INDY: In nine starts at Indianapolis Motor Speedway, Labonte's best finish is third (in 1996). It was at Indy in August 2000 where his record-setting streak of 655 consecutive starts was snapped when Labonte was unable to race due to injuries sustained in the Pepsi 400 at Daytona. Last year's 19th-place finish at Indy was Labonte's 27th straight race without a DNF, which established a personal career high. He went on to run the streak up to 48 in a row before engine failure sidelined him earlier this season at Texas Motor Speedway.

'5' IMPROVING ON SECOND GO-AROUND: For the second time in two races this season, the return trip to a NEXTEL Cup track has yielded a higher finish than Labonte posted the first time around. The two-time champion improved from his 20th-place effort in the season-opening Daytona 500 to eighth last month in the Pepsi 400. Sunday at Pocono, Labonte's sixth-place finish was one spot better than he ran in the tour's first visit there seven weeks ago. The next repeat venue on the schedule comes up Aug. 22 at Michigan International Speedway, where he finished 26th in June.

HENDRICK AT INDY: Rick Hendrick leads all NEXTEL Cup car owners with three wins all-time at Indianapolis Motor Speedway. Jeff Gordon visited Victory Lane in 1994, 1998 and 2001. Richard Childress and Robert Yates are tied for second with two each.

STRONG FINISHES FOR LABONTE: Labonte's finishing position has been higher than his starting spot in 15 of the 20 races run thus far in 2004, including eight of the last 11.

TERRY LABONTE, DRIVER OF THE NO. 5 KELLOGG'S CHEVROLETS: (ON HIS STRONG FINISH AT POCONO.) "We had a good car most of the day. It stayed a little tight and we never got it completely freed up like we needed it to be. The pit crew did an awesome job on our last stop. We came in ninth and went out fifth. That helped position us for the end."

(EDITOR'S NOTE: It was Labonte's fifth straight top-10 finish at Pocono dating back to July 2002.)

LABONTE: (ON THE "CHASE FOR THE CHAMPIONSHIP.") "At Pocono, we did exactly what we need to do for these next six races -- be steady, grind out some more top-10s and then see where we are after Richmond (Sept. 11)."