Bobby Labonte's fifth-place finish moved the No. 43 Dodge from 38th to 32nd in the standings, assuring the team of a guaranteed starting spot at Martinsville. Credit: Autostock

Guaranteed: Labonte, Riggs make their point

BRISTOL, Tenn. -- Sunday marked the fifth race of the 2006 season, and now the top 35 in owners' points can breathe easier as the Nextel Cup Series heads to Martinsville, Va., for the DirecTV 500 next weekend.

Bobby Labonte

Food City 500 Results Pos. Driver Make 1. Kurt Busch Dodge 2. Kevin Harvick Chevy 3. Matt Kenseth Ford 4. Carl Edwards Ford 5. Bobby Labonte Dodge • Complete results, click here • Standings, click here Victory LaneKurt Busch celebrates his Food City 500 win Hot bloodedPost-race tempers boil over between Jeff Gordon and Matt Kenseth Final lapsKurt Busch rolls to the checkered flag at the Food City 500 Sign up for TrackPass now BUY THE NEXTEL i836

For others, the weekly scramble to get into the top 35 begins in earnest. But getting there is one thing; staying there is the easier-said-than-done part of the equation.

In Sunday's Food City 500 at Bristol, Bobby Labonte's fifth-place finish -- his first with Petty Enterprises -- vaulted him six spots to 32nd. The 2000 Cup champion, Labonte's showing on the .533-mile bullring was the No. 43 car's first top-five finish since March 25, 2001, at Bristol with John Andretti driving.

"After last week [43rd-place finish at Atlanta] we were confident we could run good," Labonte said. "We just had to put everything together. I think the guys in the pits stepped it up a little bit after we got going good.

"We're not out of cars, but we didn't have many cars to start with. The guys are building better cars. They're working hard, and it was a good team effort."

Despite missing the season-opening Daytona 500, Scott Riggs has rebounded and now is in the rocking chair, 35th in points.

Sterling Marlin is currently 35th in drivers' points, one ahead of Riggs, but on the outside looking in at a guaranteed starting spot for Martinsville.

"Because we had to start so far back [35th], we had a big hill to climb," Marlin said. "But we got out there, worked on the [car] and kept getting better and better. My spotter did a great job and we were able to avoid the wrecks and keep our fenders on.

"The main thing that we did was survive until the checkered flag. A 17th-place finish isn't too bad, but it's not where this team wants to be. It's a start in the right direction though, so we'll take it and go from there."

Riggs spent most of Sunday making laps after his car was heavily damaged in a spin on Lap 118.

"We got hit from behind by the 31 [Jeff Burton] and it hurt the 10 car pretty good," he said. "I know it knocked in the rear clipboard pretty bad, and that's why we couldn't go back out with just tires. We had to come in and actually push the rear clip off the rear wheels."

Race winner Kurt Busch made the largest leap -- up 11 spots to 16th -- while second-place Kevin Harvick moved up 10 spots to 13th.

Per the NASCAR rulebook, the top 35 in owners' points are guaranteed a spot in each week's race. In the event of qualifying being canceled, owners' point standings helps set the starting lineup, and at the end of the season the top 35 in owners' points are guaranteed a starting spot in the first five races next year.