Kroger 250 winner Bobby Labonte entered Saturday's race via a General Motors-sponsored All-Star program that matches selected NASCAR NEXTEL Cup Series drivers with promotion of Nashville country music artists.

This week's group was Trick Pony, which rendered an up-tempo harmony of the National Anthem which drew a positive response from a Martinsville Speedway crowd estimated at 35,000.

Performing the National Anthem at a race was a first for the group - along with having the artists' faces on the winning truck.

"We got to spend a little time with them before the race and it seemed like they were pretty much pumped up," said Labonte. "They came to victory lane and we had a lot of photos taken there and they had to leave and catch a plane for a gig in Indianapolis.

"They said they might stop along the way and have a party in our honor."

Labonte's was the first winner in a program that was initiated in 2004. Tony Stewart is expected to take the wheel when the series visits Lowe's Motor Speedway on May 20. The former NASCAR NEXTEL Cup champion was third in the Morgan-Dollar Motorsports-prepared No. 47 last September at Richmond International Raceway.

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Labonte's victory marked win No. 20 for crew chief Randy Goss, whose last visit to the winner's circle came July 22, 2000 at Michigan International Speedway with Greg Biffle and Roush Racing. Goss, a former American Motorcycle Association national champion, also claimed NASCAR Craftsman Truck victories with Joe Ruttman. He joined Chevrolet after leaving the Roush organization in 2003.

"He is really good with the trucks," said Labonte of Goss, whose No. 2 victory total is five behind category leader Dennis Connor.

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Team owner David Dollar also captured a spot in the series' Martinsville Speedway record book. Labonte's victory was Dollar's third - most by any owner. Dennis Setzer won the Kroger 250 back-to-back in 2002-03, the only driver to repeat at the southern Virginia speedway.

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Labonte extended the number of consecutive different series short track winners to 12, a run that began in August 2003 at Bristol Motor Speedway.

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The Kroger 250 was supposed to be Darrell Waltrip's final competitive event; however, the FOX TV analyst was among eight non-qualifiers in Friday afternoon's time trails. Waltrip, however, left a crack in the door - albeit, a small one - suggesting he might return for October's Kroger 200.

"I didn't get to race so it can't be your last race if you didn't race," said Waltrip in Yogi-like fashion. "That's the way I look at it."

What constitutes a "last race" probably will be decided by the Waltrip family's ultimate arbiter - the driver's wife Stevie.

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When Labonte won from the No. 5 starting spot it marked the 18th consecutive race in which the pole position truck has failed to go to victory lane. Bobby Hamilton was the last driver to parlay a first-to-first finish on July 8 at Kentucky Speedway. Hamilton was the Kroger 250's Bud Pole winner but finished 20th after a late race accident.

Craftsman's $2,000 win from the pole bonus rolls over to $10,000 at Gateway International Raceway on April 30. The money was last claimed on June 25 by Ted Musgrave.

Another note: neither the leader of the most laps nor halfway leader has been able to win a race in 2005.

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Kevin Harvick fell short in his bid to become the first to win on all three of NASCAR's national touring series in consecutive starts. Harvick was eighth to follow NASCAR NEXTEL Cup and Busch Series victories at Bristol Motor Speedway.

"There at the end it was just too free," Harvick said of his Yard-Man Chevrolet. "It wasn't what we'd hoped for today but it still was fun." Harvick next plans to join the series on June 18 at Michigan.