FanHouse Bobby Labonte

After a slip-sliding affair in the Peach State on Sunday night, here's some Notes & Quotes from NASCAR's newest Labor Day tradition.

You've got to hand it to Atlanta Motor Speedway. Sunday night's race looked and felt like a breath of fresh air into the venue that has long seen attendance woes -- even while the racing has generally been well above par. Estimates from media and drivers alike put the crowd much larger than the track has seen in years.

The on-track action -- thanks mostly to a tire that wore down and slowed the cars during a run -- was second to none with some 31 lead changes. You've got to bet track president Ed Clark has a big smile on his face this week because Labor Day weekend really clicked with the 1.54-mile track.

David Reutimann finished a strong 4th driving an ultra-cool camouflage-painted No. 00, but it wasn't an easy process.

CHARLOTTE, N.C. (AP) -- Former NASCAR champion Bobby Labonte won't race this weekend at Atlanta Motor Speedway, his best track, because of sponsorship issues at Yates Racing.

The team had seven races to sell this season for the No. 96 Ford, and the sponsorship it secured wanted Erik Darnell in the car. The 26-year-old will make his Sprint Cup Series debut at Atlanta, where Labonte has six career victories.

After a rain-soaked weekend at Pocono Raceway, here's some ramblings from the race that was the Pennsylvania 500.

David Reutimann took a big hit in his chances of making the Chase for the Sprint Cup at Pocono and Wednesday he was still "mad as heck" at Denny Hamlin for spinning the No. 00 late in the race.

"Everybody's capable of making mistakes," said Reutimann. "I'm a forgiving guy if he sincerely apologizes or says he was in the wrong. [...] In the end I'm still confused at why it happened. It wasn't just one shot. It was multiple shots."

Just a quick shot of 110 octane to get you goin' for 500 499 miles of NASCAR Nextel Cup Racing at Talladega. Today's coverage starts at 1:30pm/et on FOX with the green flag sometime after 2:15pm/et. The weather forecast today is remarkable -- Sunny and a high of 82.

Would the Real Tony Stewart Please Stand Up?
First, he wouldn't talk. Then, he blasted NASCAR for being the new professional wrestling. NASCAR then, for all intents and purposes, laid a verbal lashing on him. Yesterday? Defiant as ever, acting as if he was still right. Which are you, Tony? When will you pick a stand and quit waffling? I can't agree more with this column over on ThatsRacin. The first line really says it all -- Tony Stewart is no hero for what he said on the radio, rather, he is just talking to be heard because the method in which he displays his displeasure is utterly ineffective for change. The NASCAR Nation thanks you, Tony, for so damaging any credibility this sport has worked so hard to have. Today begins an attempt to bring that back.

Don't Let the 499 Fool You

Dale Jarrett got some much needed practice time at Indianapolis on Tuesday in preparation for the 2007 Allstate 400 at the Brickyard.

"With this team, we need time on the racetrack. This was invaluable to a team like ours," said Jarrett.

Jarrett was among four other drivers from each manufacturer who were on hand to assist Goodyear in finding the correct tire combination for the July 29 race. Jimmie Johnson, Bobby Labonte, and Ricky Rudd were the other three.

The time has to be invaluable to those teams because NASCAR decided this year to remove Indianapolis from the scheduled test docket. Teams worked with NASCAR to develop testing sites for this season, and Indianapolis was removed from that list because it doesn't compare well to other tracks -- with the exception of Pocono.

The test was supposed to be a two day lapping extravaganza, but the threat of rain in the Hoosier state led to one day session.

They're not the cream of the crop, but they have solid footing in the Top 35 heading to Martinsville. They don't have to worry about qualifying, but they need to make adjustments if they want to secure their spot in the Chase. Here are your teams in the middle of the road:

Chip Ganassi / Felix Sabates: Two teams solidly in the Top 35--the #40 in 11th and the #42 in 19th. Their third team, the #41 isn't faring quite as well in 29th, but they're inside for at least one more week.

The CGRFS cars have gained an average of 3.3 positions from the end of last season.

While the teams cars are on the rise, so is one of the team's stars. Juan Pablo Montoya's entry into NASCAR is one of the most talked about stories in all of auto racing--there's the F1 angle, the international angle, the diversity angle and the he'll push anyone and anything out of his way to win angle ...

Ganassi is also off to a good start in the Indy Racing League, which kicked off Saturday and saw the third one-two finish for Ganassi drivers Dan Wheldon and Scott Dixon.

... a piece of it anyway.

As Bristol Motor Speedway's surface gets thrown to the chopping block this week in favor of a new, progressively banked concrete base, the lovely folks in charge at Thunder Valley have announced that you can now own a piece of the start/finish line that was installed just 15 years ago. Available in three sizes, you can buy a piece of concrete that Terry Labonte slid across for a win. Or that Jeff Gordon drove across twice for the win after bumping Rusty Wallace out of the way. Or that Kyle Busch did a burn out on just last Sunday.

Oh, and don't forget. Kurt Busch's rear end did the snow angel on it in last year's Food City 500, as well. Wouldn't that be a treat to put above the fireplace?

The pieces are going to be available for order on July 1 and apparently in limited quantities because the start/finish line is the only place that is going to be sold off.

I think I'm going to hold out, though, because I think the rest of the concrete there will eventually have its price. After all, where's the love for turn 3 or the backstretch? I'm sure Bobby Labonte might want a piece of that concrete under where he stood to let loose on his wrecked Interstate Batteries Lumina in 1996.

So note to Speedway Motorsports owner [and BMS owner] Bruton Smith, don't smash up the backstretch because I need a new driveway. And my backyard? It could definitely use a nice section of turn 4 (banking included).

I can't wait.

On paper, Sunday's race has the potential to be a high-profile showdown--the last 10 races in Martinsville have been won by a former champion. Technical and Emotional Advantage: Hendrick Motorsports. Tip: Fanhouse has failed to rank the race winner the past two weeks in a row, so don't look for the winner to be listed here!

1. Jeff Gordon. Gordon sits on top of the points standings for the first time since winning the Daytona 500 in 2005. He'd like to stay there. He has the dominate record of any active driver (7W, 16 T5, 22 T10). Don't be looking for him to be as generous with room on the track as he was in Bristol.
2. Jimmie Johnson. He has a better average finish than his teammate and has already been to M'ville victory lane twice. This track holds special significance for all Hendrick Motorsports team members--since the October 2004 plane crash, HMS has won 4 of 5 races on the paper clip. I don't expect this race to be any exception.

1. Tony Stewart (6/1)
The defending track champion scored the Atlanta win in October, his second win at the track to make six Top 5s and 10 Top 10s. Plus, he has the added incentive of wanting to put his sponsor and girlfriend, both Georgia natives, back in victory lane at their home track.

2. Kasey Kahne (7/1)
The defending race champion scored his first of six wins last year here at Atlanta, but he had his crew chief around for those ... and he's only had one Top 10 finish this season. The improved aerodynamics under the helmet didn't do him much good in Vegas, but he needs to climb his way into the Top 35 -- and he knows it.

3. Jeff Gordon (9/1)
NASCAR loop data has recorded 477 passes for Gordon this season, the most of any driver. Sunday, he plans to pass them all again on his way to victory lane. In 29 starts, he has recorded four wins, 12 Top 5s, 18 Top 10s in Atlanta. Let's just hope the team has a golf cart on standby--we don't want Ingrid waddling to victory lane.

4. Greg Biffle (14/1)
The Biff has never finished better than 3rd, but historically he's had the fastest times on the track on the frontstretch and in turns 1 and 3. This year he's planning a wedding, so he's looking to bring home the big purse.

5. Mark Martin (20/1)
The points leader has 2 wins, 13 Tops 5s, 21 Tops 10s, two poles at ATL and he's on a roll. Still says he won't in Bristol, but admits, "You never know ..." Can he possibly refuse a run at Bristol if he comes out ahead in the standings on Sunday?

6.1 Kevin Harvick (11/1)
It might get boring to see him in the power rankings every week, but you just can't count the Richard Childress Racing cars out at any race. Harvick has previously posted one win and two Top 5s.

6.2 Jeff Burton (11/1)
He's posted five Tops 5s and 10 top 10s in ATL, two Top 5s already this season and a Busch win. It's good to see that he's not letting unresolved sponsorship issues affect his performance on the track.

8. Carl Edwards (12/1)
Scored his first career win here, has two in total with 3 Top5s and 4 Tops 10s -- in five starts. But he hasn't won a race since November 2005. I hope he hasn't forgotten how to do those back flips.

Wildcard. Bobby Labonte (75/1)
He has recorded the most wins (6) at Atlanta of any active driver and has 12 Tops 5s and two poles, but he has yet to find a win with Petty. When is the last time Petty Enterprises saw the inside of victory lane, anyway?

Longshot. Bill Elliott (100/1)
Awesome Bill from Dawsonville holds a few records at his home town track and could be a force to be reckoned with -- if the 1988 Cup champion can qualify the #37 Dodge. And if he qualifies, it could very well be at the expense of Dale Jarrett, whose run every race so far this season on a past champion provisional.