Warning: Objects in this post may be the only way to successfully live through the NASCAR off-season. For best results, read rearview mirror early and often.
Driver: Bobby Labonte
Team: No. 43 Petty Enterprises Dodge
'08 Final Standing: 21st (-3236)
Best Race: Amp Energy 500 at Talladega (6th-place)
Worst Race: Centurion Boats at the Glen (42nd-place)
Season in a box: 2008 was Labonte's third season in his bid to return Petty Enterprises to a higher level of competitiveness than it had seen for much of last decade or two. Needless to say, the experiment didn't go as planned.
It's pretty obvious that the Texas driver has done all he could for the PE organization by easily outrunning any driver who has taken the wheel of the other car in the operation. In 2007, his consistency despite a race car that was often out-gunned before it took the green flag led the team to a 18th-place finish in the standings. The slight drop in 2008 to 21st included only two Top-10 finishes, but Labonte's average finish of 22nd was two spots ahead of his average start of 24th.
His most consistent stretch of the season saw the No. 43 finish in the Top 25 for eight straight races starting at Michigan in August, but he ended the season with three finishes lower than 33rd in the final five events.
Through the crystal windshield: With the announcement this week that Petty Enterprises and Bobby Labonte would be parting ways for the 2009 season, the racing future for Labonte is quite cloudy at the moment. His biggest advantage, however, is the fact that he's the lone former Sprint Cup champ looking for a ride.
Labonte's a talented driver and I'll be awful surprised if a race team doesn't find a guy that has built his career on consistancy and loyalty to be a valuable asset to their racing operations.
Next up: Casey Mears
