Pole makes Labonte's strength apparent

BROOKLYN, Mich. -- After qualifying third for the Sirius 400 at Michigan International Speedway Friday, Dale Earnhardt, Jr. was holding court when pole-winner Bobby Labonte strolled in the room, donning a special Incredible Hulk fire suit.

Intrigued, Junior grabbed the microphone.

"I have a question to ask Bobby," Junior said. "If I bump you, will your car get larger?"

SIRIUS 400 Labonte knocks his teammate from the Bud Pole. Play video Tony Stewart will share the front row with his teammate. Play video  •  Lineup  •  1st Practice Speeds

Labonte's answer, amid hysterical laughter from the crowd around them: "Yep. When I bump back, you'll know it."

He certainly served notice of his car's strength Friday. Labonte's Chevrolet, also carrying the Hulk paint scheme, had as much muscle under the hood as it did on it.

With his third pole of the 2003 season and third of his career at Michigan, he broke his own event qualifying record.

"I'm still trying to figure out how he does what he does," said Tony Stewart, whose second-place effort marks the first time both Gibbs cars have started simultaneously on the front row. "He's the only guy I've ever seen that can go out there consistently every week and pick up three-quarters of a second.

"Here's a story for you. I walked down during practice, (Labonte) was quick time and we were second quickest time. He was sitting in the car on jack stands and I said, 'Are you doing your normal deal? Are you going to pick up three-quarters of a second on your timed lap? Because if you are, I'm not going to work on my car anymore. I'm wasting my time down here. I'm out there hanging my neck out for nothing.'

"He assured me he wouldn't get three-quarters of a second. So he went and got six-tenths, instead. So we're second. I couldn't run anywhere close to what he ran. He's got something I don't have, and it's not equipment."

	Credit: Autostock

Junior told a similar story. Coming in, he was the only driver to ever post a qualifying lap faster than 190 mph at Michigan. Now he has company.

"I was out there trying to put down a pole lap, but the thing about Bobby is he's got that customary seven-tenths saved up somewhere, and only uses as much of that seven-tenths as he needs to," Junior said.

"If he's seven-tenths off the pace, he might use it all. If he's only a tenth, he'll just use that. But he's so good at driving his car that he knows what he needs to do. He always has a little extra, especially in qualifying."

Labonte shrugs it off.

"There's no secret, no rhyme or reason to it," he said, grinning all the while. "I get all I can get out of it in practice, but..."

Stewart interrupts:

"You lie!"

Labonte laughs, and then continues to explain himself.

"It doesn't work all the time, that's for sure. I was the only person at Darlington that lost time on my lap for qualifying. You work and work and try to have a little bit left.

"Sometimes you pick up a tenth. Sometimes you pick up six-tenths."