Less than a year ago -- February to be exact -- rumors were swirling that Bobby Labonte would finish 2008 with Petty Enterprises and move to Richard Childress Racing for 2009.It made sense at the time because Labonte's sponsor, General Mills, signed on at RCR to sponsor a 4th team at the operation and Labonte had a contract to drive 15 races for RCR in the Nationwide Series. Eventually, that rumor fell apart and Labonte re-signed with Petty for four more years.
Thursday, however, those plans completely changed again when Labonte and Petty agreed to amicably part ways immediately -- leaving the 2000 Sprint Cup Series champion without a ride for the moment in 2009 and continuing a nasty downward spiral of Petty Enterprises.
Petty plans to still run, at a minimum, a single-car team in 2009 but doesn't yet have a driver lined up.
Looking back, I can imagine that if the opportunity was available for Labonte to move to RCR like the rumor said, he's probably kicking himself slightly right now. However, we don't know for sure if such an offer was on the table and you surely can't fault Labonte for his loyalty.
After all, the combination of Bobby Labonte and Richard Petty has the sound of a great partnership and one of the most-respected name combinations in the garage area.
However, respect and loyalty don't always produce results in the Sprint Cup series.
Labonte first moved to Petty Enterprises for the 2006 season after suffering through a disappointing season at Joe Gibbs Racing in 2005. Petty wasn't much more than it is today, but many hoped a driver of Labonte's caliber could bring in resources for long-struggling team.
2006 saw the team score three Top-5 finishes but since then the team has scored zero. His best points position with the team came after 2007 when Labonte finished 18th in the final standings. In 2008, he finished 21st.
Looking ahead, Labonte's future should definitely see him finding a full-time ride for the 2009 season. He's easily the most-qualified driver on the market now (the only one with a championship ring) and an opening for the No. 41 car at Earnhardt Ganassi Racing might fit the Texas driver perfectly.
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
12-11-2008 @ 5:56PM
CJ said...
You know, if i were a betting man, im about 99% sure Bobby was the top candidate that not only RCR wanted, but that Cheerios wanted too, and when that deal fell thru, i thought Bobby blew his last chance to return to how he was when he won his championship, and i think RCR put off hiring a driver as long as he could, and anyone in their right mind knows that Bobby Labonte would rather be had behind the wheel over Clint Bowyer or Casey Mears. The 33 , 12, or 5 car, all available this year would've been great options but i thought that RCR was the best fit and that they could've done for Bobby what they did for Jeff Burton. If Bobby goes to EGR, it's not goin to be a great ride, and not up to par as RCR, Hendrick, or other top notch rides are. It's a shame not only what the Petty's have done to Bobby's name, but that Bobby stayed with a flop team like this just blows my mind, i thought he would've had more common sense than that.
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