Terry Labonte led 17 laps at Infineon. Credit: Todd Warshaw/Getty Images

Fuel gamble pays off for Labonte with third-place

Two-time champ gets first top-five since 2003 win at Darlington

SONOMA, Calif. -- Terry Labonte picked a perfect day to impress his bosses.

Terry Labonte took the place of Tony Raines for the race at Infineon. Credit: Autostock

Dodge/Save Mart 350 Official Results Pos. Driver Make 1. Jeff Gordon Chevy 2. Ryan Newman Dodge 3. Terry Labonte Chevy 4. Greg Biffle Ford 5. Kurt Busch Dodge 6. Carl Edwards Ford 7. Jeff Burton Chevy 8. Elliott Sadler Ford 9. Boris Said Ford 10. Jimmie Johnson Chevy • Complete results, click here • Official standings, click here Victory LaneJeff Gordon wins at Infineon for his first victory of the season Final lapJeff Gordon holds on for the win at Sonoma Late cautionA major wreck in the final laps brings out another red flag Rough dayRobby Gordon's day goes from bad to worse Red flagMulti-car wreck brings out red flag on the first lap Sign up for TrackPass now BUY THE NEXTEL i836

With owners Roger Staubach in the grandstands and Troy Aikman nearby, a gas-mileage gamble by crew chief Philippe Lopez not only paid off in a third-place finish in Sunday's Dodge/Save Mart 350 at Infineon Raceway, but it nearly ended in victory.

While Labonte was trying to make a full load of fuel last 50 laps, Staubach was keeping Aikman informed via e-mail.

"We've been e-mailing each other back and forth, especially after we were leading," said Staubach of his co-owner. "We are going to celebrate [Sunday]. It's really fun. It's a tough sport, it's a great sport.

"To come in third [Sunday], I feel like we've won the Super Bowl. Well, ALMOST won the Super Bowl."

The second of two red flags -- coming with six laps to go -- created a real quandary for Labonte, who was trying to maintain a positive outlook in the car, all the while not knowing exactly how much fuel was left in the tank just a few feet behind him.

"I didn't like sitting there," Labonte said "I was hoping we were going to run another lap or two under caution. I knew that would help us in the fuel deal.

"I hated to see a red flag. I was thinking, 'Oh my lord, I'm going to run out of gas.'"

Pitting for the final time on Lap 60, Labonte was able to conserve fuel for the final 50-lap stretch, getting passed for the lead by eventual winner Jeff Gordon 28 laps later and Ryan Newman for second with two laps remaining.

"The hardest part was starting back so far [37th] and the strategy," Labonte said. "We got really good gas mileage and during the race, the car was a little bit too loose under throttle, so I couldn't use the throttle like I needed to, and I think that helped the gas mileage.

"We knew exactly when we needed to pit. We needed a couple of caution laps and kind of gambled on it and it paid off."

Gordon said he really didn't know what to think when Labonte kept passing up opportunities to head for pit road, lap after lap.

"[My crew] kept saying, 'Don't worry about Terry, he's going to pit, he's going to pit,'" Gordon said. "He was driving a great race. I wasn't taking that for granted.

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"Our car, on the long runs, was using up the rear tires. I may have been short-shifting, but wasn't holding back. I can't believe he made it. He pitted so much earlier than we needed, and we were worried about running out."

Labonte was able to keep Gordon in his sights, but that was as close as the No. 96 Chevrolet would get.

"I knew he was close on fuel, too, so our only shot was if his car missed a little bit on fuel or if he got off course -- and I've only seen Jeff Gordon get off course by himself about one time," Labonte said. "That doesn't happen very often. It was going to take a slip by him."

If anything, Labonte was a little miffed at himself about Newman's pass to the outside in Turn 11, one lap after the same maneuver failed to secure second place.

"We should have been second but I didn't get my tires good and clean after that red flag," Labonte admitted. "I was trying to save gas and I didn't want to try and scuff the tires up too much there.

"I was hoping I had them cleaned off enough -- and when we took off there, they weren't good enough and it took me a couple of laps to get good and the No. 12 car got me."

Still, Labonte and Staubach had nothing but praise for each other

"I've never told anybody this except for a few friends," Labonte said. "When I was a kid growing up, Roger Staubach was always my hero. I finally got to meet him and he is everything I imagined. This guy is a class act right here. It's a real thrill to be a part of your team."

Staubach said coming that close to victory in the team's first season was a thrill.

"People [in the box] were going crazy," Staubach said. "Terry was fighting that gas deal.

"It was like we were Mark Cuban on Letterman. We wanted to make sure that Terry finished and it worked out. Obviously, it was a tight deal at the end. We just had a magnificent run today."