Q&A With Dodge Motorsport's NNCS Driver Bobby Labonte From Daytona Third Day Of Testing
Clear!Blue Communications For Dodge Motorsports, Press Release


BOBBY LABONTE (No. 43 Cheerios/Betty Crocker Dodge Charger)

COMMENT ON THE DAYTONA TEST SO FAR

“I think everything is going pretty good. We’ve got a new car here and one we ran last year. The new car didn’t roll off the truck real good, but we’re getting it better. The older car’s not bad, either, so we’re cautiously optimistic that the speeds we’re running aren’t bad. We’re trying to get everybody to work together and get through the three-day test here and get everybody acclimated as much as possible. I feel really good about it.”

WILL CLIMBING TO THE NEXT LEVEL BE MORE DIFFICULT THAN THE AMOUNT YOUR TEAM IMPROVED LAST SEASON?

“It’s true in a lot of ways that the next step is going to be harder, but we went through a crew chief change last year and that was difficult. We’ve overcome that. I think that was a plus for us as far as stability starting the year off with Paul Andrews. I feel like the next step will be harder in a lot of ways, but hopefully through the seasoning of last year with the understanding of the racecar, hopefully it won’t come as hard as you think. I hope it’s not twice as hard to get to the top 15 as it was to get to 21st. I know there are areas I made some mistakes in and we had some DNF’s that we had no control over. If we can fix those DNF’s and my mistakes, that could put us there without running any slower or faster. The law of averages just bit us on some races last year.”

WILL THE COT HELP YOU COMPETE WITH THE BIGGER TEAMS?

“I don’t know that it’ll be any easier for us. It is a new racecar. I think with the technology nowadays, if you’ve got more that could be better for you with a four-car team compared to a two-car team. I don’t see us having an advantage going to a new type of racecar. It’s like going to a new racetrack. A guy that’s got four cars at that new racetrack is going to get more information than a guy that has two cars at that track. A guy that has four cars at his shop that he has built compared to two cars at our shop is going to get more information. I wouldn’t think it’s going to be anything that says it’s going to help us a ton. You never know. We’ll see.”

COMMENT ON TEAM CHEMISTRY

“I think it has changed a lot. With Paul being the crew chief on the 43 car with me, which is great because he’s been at Petty Enterprises for a couple of years working with Kyle, and then hiring Billy (Wilburn) to work with Kyle, that’s a strong point for us. That’s a strong program right there in itself. With Paul being there and having worked with Kyle already and Billy coming in with fresh ideas, he has no ego. He wants to race and do good. That’s going to help out our team. Kyle and I have known each other for a long time prior to racing together. Just working with him through last year, probably wasn’t quite the relationship we needed 100 percent. Paul came over and it took a little bit, but it became stronger at the end of the year. You’re always trying to strengthen it. There’s always room for improvement where ever you go. I think the chemistry is going to grow between our relationships and the crew chiefs’ relationships. We could see it already helping toward the end of last year because both cars were better in the last 10 races.”

DOES THE LOCATION OF PETTY ENTERPRISES PRESENT A PROBLEM?

“That’s a good question, and every year it does get tougher I believe. You could look at it 15 years ago and maybe it wasn’t that big of a deal. You add Michael Waltrip Racing and Red Bull Racing and there’s five cars right there. I guess that’s really five new cars. That’s five times ever how many people you’re going to have per car that’s going to go there. That makes it tough. We have talked about it and there are a lot of pros and cons being located in Randolph County (Level Cross, N.C.). It’s only 15 minutes from my house and that’s a good pro, but it is difficult and each year it gets more difficult so we have to make sure we don’t get any more behind than what could happen. There’s a ton of heart in the shop. You can’t go and get that many places, but you just have to be cautious about how you go about something like that. It’s not like we’re doing something different tomorrow. We’ve got to think about it and go through the motions and make the decision when the time is right.”

ANY CONCERN WITH THE TOYOTA TEAMS?

“I think everybody is looking at it with concern this year. Whether it is Toyota, it is, but you’re looking at five new race cars also. That puts people out of the show on Sunday. With Kyle being in the top 35 last year, that made the winter go by a little bit easier. It’s a competition thing, and it’s going to get harder and harder. It goes in spells when you have too many cars and then just enough cars. Right now, I think we’ve got too many cars and that might last a little longer than it has been, but that is definitely a concern for guys 30th on back in points to start the year off.”

WHAT OTHER RACING WILL YOU DO IN 2007?

“I will drive for Kevin Harvick in the Busch Series for 18 races. I don’t have anything in the truck series scheduled. I’m going to run the 24 hours like we did the last couple years. I bought a dirt late model team off a whim with a friend of mine. He’s going to race it. I’m just going to watch it, and I probably won’t watch it much because I won’t be able to go. That’s the way the schedule goes for me this year. I’ll probably one two Rolex races for sure, maybe three.”

ARE YOU CONVINCED GOING TO PETTY ENTERPRISES WAS THE RIGHT MOVE FOR YOU?

“Yes. I wouldn’t second guess it right now. I think there are a lot of opportunities there for me for years to come. We’ve just got to race real hard and make sure we do the right thing with our sponsors. Going back to the Randolph County question, it’s not the right location for the hub of racing where it used to be fine. Now it’s not, so it’s a challenge there. It’s always a challenge, but I kind of like that challenge. It’s interesting to be a part of that. I believe we’re in the right direction to make the right decision to do that. To compete against Hendrick or Roush or Gibbs and Evernham, obviously it’s difficult, but I feel like toward the end of last year we made a big jump and we can continue making those big jumps. We’ve got to keep making the right decisions as a team. I’m excited about it. At this point in my life, I think it was a cool move for me because it was a great opportunity to get back to victory lane.”

This Press Release and any images that are used,
are used with permission. Do not duplicate or
redistribute in any form without permission or credit.

__________________

To view links or images in signatures your post count must be 5 or greater. You currently have 0 posts.
Ryan Newman, Daytona 500 Champion!!
To view links or images in signatures your post count must be 5 or greater. You currently have 0 posts.

Moore Consulting Group For Petty Enterprises, Press Release

This weekend, Bobby Labonte and the #43 Cheerios/Betty Crocker Dodge team head to the 1.54-mile Atlanta (Ga.) Motor Speedway for Sunday’s Kobalt Tools 500.

Labonte will be making his 29th start at the track in a Nextel Cup car. He leads all active drivers in victories at the track with six wins (1996, 97, 98, 99, 2001, 03). Labonte also has the most wins of any driver at the Atlanta since it was reconfigured for the November race of 1997. Labonte has scored five wins on the track since. He has a career record of 13 top-10 and 12 top-five finishes at the track, two poles (1996, 1999) and has led 957 laps. Labonte also holds the race record for a 500 mile race.

Petty Enterprises has six wins (1966, 1970, 71, 74, 75, 77) at the track with Richard Petty behind the wheel. Petty also holds the record at the track for most top 10 finishes (33).

Comments from Labonte as he prepares for this weekend’s Kobalt Tools 500:

Do you feel confident every time you go to Atlanta?

“I like going to Atlanta. It has been a good track for me. I’m looking at where we are at right now with this Cheerios/Betty Crocker team. Las Vegas was a good weekend for us. We had our problems on Friday, but overcame them with a good finish on Sunday (Labonte finished 13th). Anytime you can do that, as a team, it proves you can do some pretty special things. We’re going in a good direction.
“Definitely, we’re all looking forward to this weekend. We always have high expectations. That’s not going to change this weekend. But, we know we have a good chance of coming out Atlanta with a good run. We led laps here last year at this race. We had a descent finish in the fall race too. Hopefully this weekend will be another good run for us.”


Have you had anything to compare this weekend’s race too this season?

“I don’t know. Sometimes you can look at Las Vegas and get a good idea of what you might have for Atlanta. That’s not the case this year. Las Vegas was such a different race because of the circumstances with the track and the harder tire. Daytona is a ‘plate’ race, California is a bigger two-mile track and then Vega was just different. Atlanta will be the first race that we really get a good idea of what we have for the ‘intermediate’ tracks. “We feel confident that we’ll have a good car. We have done a lot of work over the winter months to continue to improve. This weekend is a good barometer of up-coming races because we have so many races on tracks that are similar to Atlanta. Everyone wants to see good results this weekend.”

What are your expectations?

“We want to win every week. More importantly, though, we want to continue to improve. We’re right in the middle now in points. They are important. Right now, you can get shuffled back in a hurry or you can jump up some too. That’s not going to be the case in a few more weeks. It’s going to start to get tight really soon. The top 12 positions in points, everyone is looking at those spots, and everyone wants to get there. We have expectations to be there. Performance each week is important. Atlanta is a great chance for us to make more strides to the front.”

This Press Release and any images that are used,
are used with permission. Do not duplicate or
redistribute in any form without permission or credit.

__________________

To view links or images in signatures your post count must be 5 or greater. You currently have 0 posts.
Ryan Newman, Daytona 500 Champion!!
To view links or images in signatures your post count must be 5 or greater. You currently have 0 posts.

COT To Debut on Road Course
Moore Consulting Group For Petty Enterprises, Press Release

This weekend, Bobby Labonte and the #43 Cheerios/Betty Crocker Dodge team head to the Infineon Raceway, located in Sonoma (Calif.), for Sunday’s SaveMart 350. Infineon Raceway is a 10-turn, 1.99-mile road course. It’s the first of two road course races this season. Teams will be running the Car of Tomorrow this weekend.

Labonte remains 17th in NASCAR Nextel Cup points heading into Sonoma. He is only 184 points out of 12th place. There are 11 races left before the championship chase begins.

Labonte will be making career start number 490 this weekend at Sonoma. He will be making his 15th consecutive start at Infineon. Labonte has started 10th or better four different times in Sonoma. He has completed 99% of his laps. Labonte’s best finish is fourth on two occasions. He has five top-10 finishes in Sonoma.

Comments from Labonte as he prepares for this weekend’s SaveMart 350:

“We have had good runs with the Car of Tomorrow and our Dodge Avenger. We are relatively happy with that program. It’s a lot different bringing the car to a road course than an oval. But, we think we can bring a pretty good package to California. It’s going to be a guessing game for a lot of people.

“Teams went to VIR (Virginia International Raceway) and tested the road course there with the car. I think that gave a lot of teams a starting point at the very least. NASCAR is pretty strict with the testing policy. That is good and bad, but everyone is in the same boat. We are all under the same rules. I don’t know if anyone has a huge head start with the new car on a road course. There are teams out there that have tested on the ovals a lot, but we haven’t heard much about the road courses.

“Maybe it’s an unknown for some? We hope that’s the case. Obviously teams are going to be relying on notes they have about the new car, but how does that apply going left? There just isn’t that much information about road courses. Information and knowledge are going to be big keys to success. The more information and knowledge you have about getting these cars around a road course is going to be a huge help. It doesn’t matter who you are. We just have to work hard to stay ahead of the curve and get the most information as possible for Sunday’s race.

“I guess we are all going back to more of a level playing field with this race. We have seen some teams really get a handle on the new car on the ovals. We aren’t that far behind. We have had good runs with the car and feel good about it. This weekend is just a bit of a different challenge. Hopefully we have something for these guys.

“A different challenge like this might be what we need right now. We haven’t performed the way we can in the past few weeks. The guys want to rebound from Michigan. We want a breath of fresh air this weekend in California. We’re going there knowing the challenge, but we have confidence too.”


This Press Release and any images that are used,
are used with permission. Do not duplicate or
redistribute in any form without permission or credit.

__________________

To view links or images in signatures your post count must be 5 or greater. You currently have 0 posts.
Ryan Newman, Daytona 500 Champion!!
To view links or images in signatures your post count must be 5 or greater. You currently have 0 posts.

Yes, but first you have to finish on the lead lap, not run out of gas. Bobby is now in 19th place, 244 points out of 12th.

Dodge Motorsports Teleconference: NNCS Driver Bobby Labonte
Clear!Blue Communications For Dodge Motorsports, Press Release

BOBBY LABONTE (No. 43 Cheerios/Betty Crocker Dodge Avenger)

THINGS LOOKED REAL GOOD AT SONOMA UNTIL THE LAST LAP

“Yeah, we unloaded and we were probably the most prepared for this race than we’d ever been. We tested twice at VIR, Virginia International Raceway, so when we unloaded we felt pretty confident with the setup we had. We qualified 13th with a good, comfortable racecar. We had two good practices and everything was working really good. In the race, we were running in the top 12 or so and then we got turned around and went to the back. We were making our way back to the front and we were in going to be in pretty good shape and we ran out of gas with one lap to go and finished 33rd. It was one of those deals where we could at least hold our heads up a little bit because we had a good racecar and made a good showing.”

WHAT’S THE OUTLOOK FOR NHIS THIS WEEKEND?

“John Andretti tested at Milwaukee the other day in the new Dodge Avenger. They had a pretty good test, so hopefully we can correlate that to what we need to have for Loudon. We did pretty good with Avenger so far this year on the flat tracks especially, so I feel like we’re on the right track with that car, so hopefully it will continue when we get to New Hampshire this weekend.”

WHAT DO YOU HAVE TO DO TO GET INSIDE THE TOP 12 BY RICHMOND?

“I think we have to run like we did this past weekend at Sonoma. We haven’t been as competitive as we wanted to be and I looked at it after the race was over and we ran out of gas. We’ve been using up our luck because we haven’t been racing as good. We haven’t been performing as good, so we have to perform better basically and we have to perform better in the next few races. If we don’t we’re not going to be up there. We can’t make it on a gas situation or making it by staying out of trouble. We just have to race better. We just haven’t been doing it this year, especially on the bigger tracks. We have to race better to get in the top 12. That’s the only way we’re going to do it right now.”

YOU’RE 244 POINTS OUT OF 12TH WITH 1O RACES LEFT IN THE REGULAR SEASON. CAN YOU MAKE UP THAT MAN POINTS?

“I think so, but we finished 33rd at Sonoma and we backed up our 33rd with a 34th at Michigan. That just can’t happen. There’s no way, and if we don’t get there, we won’t deserve to get there because we won’t be as good as we need to be. We have to be in the top 10 from here on out. You still can have a bad race or two, but you’re going to have to be consistently racing in the top 10. That way when you have a bad day you won’t feel so bad.”

COMMENT ON CHALLENGES AND CHANGES ALONG THE WAY

“It’s way different and it’s going to be different in two years than it is today. We just don’t know what it will be. The demands on your time are so much more now than they used to be. The competition on the racetrack, the competition the drivers put on you and every driver is getting better. Everybody is 100 percent but now everybody is 100 percent in every area. It’s ongoing. It’s demands on your time, demand at the racetrack, challenges at the racetrack, trying to get your team working the best it can. Every year it gets harder and harder and tougher and tougher. That’s what so great about competition. If you don’t want to be doing it or you can’t do it, you don’t need to be doing it or you work harder to get better. That’s always a great challenge.”

DO YOU FEEL LIKE YOU CONTINUE GROWING?

“Yeah, you do. I know that other people grow and teams grow faster than we grow. Then we have an earth-shattering moment and we catch up and then we have things that we don’t catch up on. We all want to get the trophy at the end of the day. If you have any passion for competition and desire to be the best you can be and be better than everybody else, then that’s what you work for.”

WHAT WOULD YOU THINK IF NASCAR PENALIZED DRIVERS INSTEAD OF CREW CHIEFS FOR INFRACTIONS?

“Because of the way the system is and all the demands on your time I don’t think all the drivers have offices at the race shop to look over and watch everything that goes on. It would be kind of hard. I think NASCAR realizes a driver is just contract labor. We’re really just contract labor to the race teams. So penalizing a race team for doing their actions that causes a penalty and then you penalize a driver for his actions. It’s on his shoulders. Being separate is not bad. I don’t think that’s a problem. If you can’t do that I think you’ve have a lot of drivers that would be asking a lot more questions. Or they might be saying ‘don’t do that,’ I don’t think that will happen. It would surprise me if it did.”

WOULDN’T IT BE BETTER IF DRIVERS KNEW WHAT WAS IN THE CAR?

“That’s a valid point, but it’s not the drivers don’t know. I think 99 percent of them do know what goes on as far as that goes. The bad thing is I guess you can only say, like this past weekend, if Jeff Gordon and Jimmie Johnson did know, and they might have known. If they thought it was bad enough they probably would have said something about it because they didn’t think that was something that was going to get caught anyway. It really wasn’t really illegal. It’s not like you took four different tires to the racetrack that had totally different numbers on them. That’s something different, but if you’re working in a gray reason and its not really dictated that you can’t do that then what do you know. If my guys had said ‘let’s try that’ I probably would have agreed. Either you ask for forgiveness or you ask for permission.”

WHAT DID THE BUSCH WIN AT TALLADEGA MEAN FOR YOU?

“It’s been pretty awesome. It’s so hard to win races these days in some cases. Some guys win them every other week. We got that and it gives you confidence in your team and yourself to know that six weeks ago you won a race. It was a Busch race at Talladega, but we won a race. It gives you self confidence. Sometimes you think you’ve hit a roadblock and you can’t get any further. What’s holding me back here? But it gives you confidence to say what’s on your mind.”

This Press Release and any images that are used,
are used with permission. Do not duplicate or

__________________

To view links or images in signatures your post count must be 5 or greater. You currently have 0 posts.
Ryan Newman, Daytona 500 Champion!!
To view links or images in signatures your post count must be 5 or greater. You currently have 0 posts.

Bobby Labonte to drive Goody’s-themed Dodge at Martinsville fall race

Memphis, TN (July 6, 2007) – For 30 years, Goody’s Headache Powders has been synonymous with race fans, Richard Petty and Martinsville Speedway. In 2007, Goody’s will continue the celebration of its 30th anniversary in racing with the running of a special No. 43 Goody’s paint scheme driven by former Cup champion Bobby Labonte at Martinsville Speedway on October 21.

The special paint scheme will feature a vintage design in “Petty Blue” to celebrate Goody’s 30th anniversary in racing and pay tribute to the storied history of the No. 43 racecar driven for decades by Richard Petty.

Race fans themselves can help celebrate Goody’s 30th anniversary by registering to win a custom Richard Petty Hemi Dodge Charger R/T on-line at goodyspowder.com. Fans can also collect commemorative packages of Goody’s celebrating the greatest moments in Richard Petty’s career.

“As part of our 30th anniversary, we are continuing to give back to race fans,” said Darren Singer, Vice President Marketing, Goody’s Headache Powders. “To have Goody’s on the hood of the famed No. 43 racecar at Martinsville is the perfect way to carry on our 30th anniversary celebration as the favorite pain reliever of race fans. We invite fans throughout Goody’s Country to join us in the honoring Richard and the No. 43 car.”

Widely considered to be the sport’s greatest all-time driver, Richard Petty drove the No. 43 car to an all-time best of 200 victories including a record seven Daytona 500 wins and 15 wins at Martinsville. His 200th win came on July 4, 1984 at the Firecracker 400 at Daytona International Speedway with President Ronald Reagan in attendance.

‘Goody’s has not only been a loyal sponsor to me for the past 30 years, but has become family to Petty’s and to so many of the race fans,” said Richard Petty. “I am proud to be a Goody’s user for life and thanks to its fast acting pain relief, Goody’s helped me get through many races over my career. It will be a thrill to see Goody’s on the No. 43 car in Martinsville this fall.”

Petty retired in 1992 with a tribute tour which included a personal visit by President George H. W. Bush at the Pepsi 400 at Daytona. Labonte took over driving the #43 Petty Enterprises Dodge in 2006. Labonte won the Cup championship in 2000 and has a career 21 Cup victories including a win at Martinsville in 2002.

"It is always an honor to drive the No. 43 car made so famous by the King,” said Labonte. “To return to Martinsville with Goody’s on the hood of a special, vintage No. 43 paint scheme will be an excellent tribute to the history of our sport.”

Goody’s, a pioneer among racing sponsors, began its celebration of its 30th anniversary in racing by announcing a lifetime contract for Petty, Goody’s spokesperson since 1977. Goody’s continued its 30th anniversary celebration at the Goody’s Cool Orange 500 in April at Martinsville.

Goody’s entered the sport in 1977 and has sponsored races at Daytona International Speedway, Bristol Motor Speedway and Martinsville. The brand has continued to sponsor the popular “Goody’s Headache of the Race” given to the driver that suffers the hardest luck in each week’s race. Goody’s continues to reach fans at racetracks each season with its popular “Goody’s Fast Relief Zone”. For more information on Goody’s Headache Powders, visit goodyspowders.com.

About Goody’s Headache Powders

Goody’s Headache Powders has been providing fast relief since 1932 when it was formulated by Winston-Salem, NC, pharmacist Martin “Goody” Goodman. Today, it is one of the most popular analgesics in the southeastern United States providing fast and effective temporary relief from minor aches and pains due to headaches, arthritis, colds or flu, muscle strain, backache and menstrual discomfort.

About GlaxoSmithKline Consumer Healthcare

GlaxoSmithKline Consumer Healthcare is one of the world’s largest over-the-counter consumer healthcare products companies. Its more than 30 well-known brands include the products Goody’s, Nicorette, NicoDerm CQ, Commit, Abreva, Aquafresh, Sensodyne, and Tums, trademarks owned by and/or licensed to GlaxoSmithKline Group of Companies.

Thats very cool that they are gonna do the car like the gold old days, thats a cool way to honor Richard Petty too. I might have to get some of those Goody's packages that have the King stuff on it for my FIL. He's been a forever Richard Petty fan.

__________________

To view links or images in signatures your post count must be 5 or greater. You currently have 0 posts.

__________________

To view links or images in signatures your post count must be 5 or greater. You currently have 0 posts.
Ryan Newman, Daytona 500 Champion!!
To view links or images in signatures your post count must be 5 or greater. You currently have 0 posts.

Bobby Labonte Knows Watkins Glen Is a Game of Risk
Strategy Wins Road Course Races
Moore Consulting Group For Petty Enterprises, Press Release

This weekend, Bobby Labonte and the #43 Cheerios/Betty Crocker Dodge Avenger team head to the 2.45-mile Watkins Glen (N.Y.) International road course for Sunday’s Centurion Boats at The Glen. Sunday’s race will be the final road course race of the season.
Labonte remains in the 20th position in NASCAR Nextel Cup championship points heading into this weekend. Labonte has been consistently strong in the Dodge Avenger. He has finished outside the top 20 in only three of the Car of Tomorrow races this season. The team has one top 10 in the Avenger at Phoenix earlier this season.

Labonte will be making his 15th start at Watkins Glen this weekend and his second start at the track for Petty Enterprises. Labonte has one pole and has started inside the top 10 on three occasions. His finishes have even been better. Labonte has six top 10’s in his 14 previous starts. His best finish is fifth.

Comments from Labonte heading into this weekend’s race at Watkins Glen:

“We had a good Avenger at Sonoma earlier this year. We unloaded really fast and the car was comfortable the entire weekend. Everyone was happy, but we just got bit on that last lap with fuel mileage. There were a lot of teams that were going for it. We just barely missed a fifth place finish. We know that we’ve got a good feel of what it takes to get an Avenger capable of running up front on the road course. Hopefully we can capitalize with a good finish this weekend.

“The new cars are pretty rigid. They don’t have much give or take to them. You are doing a lot of different setups for a road course to get these things to turn left and right. We’re playing with shocks, springs and everything else. It’s a challenge to get these cars to really ‘roll’ through the turns.

“We were pretty excited about having a fast car at Sonoma. Paul (Andrews) and the guys really hit the combination on the get-go. That really helped us at Sonoma. I think every team has tested this car at a road course. We went to Road Atlanta and tested for this weekend. We learned some things and hopefully that will help this weekend. We tested before we went to Sonoma and it paid off. We are hoping for another fast car.

“I think we can get a pretty good handle on the car. The rest of this race will be played out on strategy. Paul has won at Watkins Glen in the past on strategy. He’s pretty good about that. It seem like every team has one or two plans going into the race and when to pit. It’s a different strategy than oval racing. This is a different game and sometimes, like we saw in Sonoma, it’s a game of risk.

“The road courses are tricky races. A good car helps, but it’s going to come down to pit strategy. It usually always does. It’s a fuel mileage race and it’s a track position race. We’re going into a chess match played with these new cars. It’s still a bit of an unknown, but we feel good about it.”


This Press Release and any images that are used,
are used with permission. Do not duplicate or
redistribute in any form without permission or credit.

__________________

To view links or images in signatures your post count must be 5 or greater. You currently have 0 posts.
Ryan Newman, Daytona 500 Champion!!
To view links or images in signatures your post count must be 5 or greater. You currently have 0 posts.

New Crew Chief, New Ideas
Moore Consulting Group For Petty Enterprises, Press Release

This weekend, Bobby Labonte and the #43 Cheerios/Betty Crocker Dodge team head to the two-mile Michigan International Speedway for Sunday’s 3M Performance 400. Located in Brooklyn, Michigan, the speedway features a D-shaped oval.

Labonte remains in the 20th position in NASCAR Nextel Cup championship points heading into this weekend. The team will be led by new crew chief Doug Randolph this weekend. Randolph joined Petty Enterprises on Tuesday of this week.

Labonte will be making his 31st start at Michigan this weekend. He has visited victory lane three times at Michigan, the last of which was in 1999. Labonte has four poles at the track and has been very successful there in the past including 15 top 10’s and nine top five’s in his 30 previous starts. His average start at Michigan is 12.6 and average finish is 13.7.

Comments from Labonte heading into this weekend’s race at Michigan:

“I think Doug (Randolph) will be a very good addition for us. We didn’t do well here in June, but I think Doug can help us. I know he’s ready to get back to the track, and I’m ready to head back and improve. He’s already brought in some different ideas and maybe some different ways to do things. We’re not doing anything drastic, but Doug has some ideas about different setups that we hope will make us get better, sooner.

“It’s going to take a few weeks to get to know each other and see how we work together. It’s something we’re both looking forward too. We’ve talked a little, and it’s just something new for our team. There are a lot of ideas that Doug has from his experience. He has to match that with what I like and what the guys on the team like. It’s going to be a process, but we think it will move us forward.

“We haven’t had the finishes that we’ve wanted. Robbie (Loomis), Richard, Kyle and everyone at the shop want to get better. This sport is always changing and there are always new challenges. You get a guy like Doug to come in, and maybe he can add something that you never thought of. Maybe he can point us in a different direction we never thought about. He’s stepped up already in a short time and we’re heading to Michigan to see how it works.

“Any change is tough. It’s something we did to take that next step. I think Doug has goals from now to the end of the year. He’s going to go out there and try to reach them. You just keep evolving and going until you win races and go after a championship. That is what everyone is in it for.

“August is a pretty busy month and there are a lot of races before the end of the season. We’re going to use that time to create chemistry. Last year we made a change and finished the season with some great runs. We’re trying to do that a little earlier this year. Doug is going to be a big part of that. Michigan will be a start and I’m pretty excited about it.”


This Press Release and any images that are used,
are used with permission. Do not duplicate or
redistribute in any form without permission or credit.

__________________

To view links or images in signatures your post count must be 5 or greater. You currently have 0 posts.
Ryan Newman, Daytona 500 Champion!!
To view links or images in signatures your post count must be 5 or greater. You currently have 0 posts.