Nascar and Racing Bobby Labonte

NASCAR made a mockery of the Budweiser Shootout format back in August thanks to a conflict of sponsorship, and this week, an attempt to improve the race took another step back.

The August changes to the annual season-opening non-points race made eligibility requirements revolve around the previous season's manufacturer standings with the top six team from each car make earning a spot in the dash for cash. According to NASCAR, it was an attempt to give more exposure to the four car companies that compete in the Sprint Cup Series.

The result left Tony Stewart and other notable drivers ineligible for the Feb. 7 race and on Friday, NASCAR changed that.

Did you really think the NASCAR world could keep quiet during this offseason?

First, we had Elliott Sadler being canned from his then Gillett-Evernham Motorsports ride just months after signing a multi-year contract extension. A.J. Allmendinger, they said, was taking over the ride.

Then, Richard Petty and the oh-so-struggling Petty Enterprises worked out a merger with GEM, a fellow Dodge team to create a still unnamed four-car team that includes the famed No. 43. Somehow, such a merger was a positive move for Sadler, as he was reinstated to the ride he had originally been taken out of.

Perhaps the newly-formed team didn't want to deal with a near-certain lawsuit Sadler was going to throw their way?

With Sadler back in, the Petty merger complete, Allmendinger signed up to run a handful of races based on sponsorship for the team, the NASCAR world appeared to slow.

Move over Earnhardt-Ganassi Racing, the newly crafted alliance between Yates Racing and Hall of Fame Racing -- I don't know if we can call it a merger just yet -- has landed 2000 Sprint Cup Champion Bobby Labonte.

Labonte, who left Petty Enterprises in December, moves to the team to drive the No. 96 car that, thanks to that new Yates/HoF alliance, will be a Ford. Surprisingly enough, Labonte's move also helped bring a new sponsor into the sport despite many teams struggling to even keep funding from the ones they currently hold.

Ask.com will serve as Labonte's primary sponsor on the No. 96 in addition to taking a role as the "official seach engine of NASCAR" -- something that sounds like it's going to benefit fans.

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.

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.

The famed No. 43, the legendary Petty blue and everything that NASCAR's "King" Richard Petty helped to produce in his legendary 200-win and seven-championship career at Petty Enterprises seems to be slipping fast.

The team released 35 to 39 more employees this week on top of over over 30 that were let go immediately following the Sprint Cup season-finale at Homestead-Miami Speedway in November, bringing the total to nearly 70 people. ESPN says roughly 54 people remain at the shop.

Those 54 people are apparently waiting on any bit of good news that may come their way in terms of their employment -- and that news might just involve a merger with Gillette-Evernham Motorsports. Such a deal would see the famous No. 43 and possibly 2000 Sprint Cup champ Bobby Labonte move to the GEM stable to create a four-car team.

ESPN's David Newton said a possibility remains that the merger would happen and Labonte move to the GEM No. 41 Target ride while A.J. Allmendinger takes over the No. 43.

Petty's problems come directly from the fact that the team lacks full-season support for the two teams it wants to race in 2009 -- Labonte's No. 43 and a car for the young Chad McCumbee. General Mills left the team at the end of 2008 and will sponsor Richard Childress Racing's Clint Bowyer in 2009.

Even more surprising is that a face of Petty Enterprises no longer associates himself with the team.

It's no outlandish statement to say that Kyle Busch could use a change in his Chase for the Sprint Cup fortunes.

He'll try to change it by painting his No. 18 Toyota pink for Saturday night's race at Lowe's Motor Speedway -- and its for a great cause.

Busch, as well as Bobby Labonte's No. 43 and Elliott Sadler's No. 19 will sport pink paint schemes in the Bank of America 500 in support of the Susan G. Komen for the Cure grassroots breast cancer awareness group -- and I've got to say, the paint jobs look pretty good.

The cars will be sporting the new look thanks to the initiative from each team's respective sponsors making an effort to help promote awareness of breast cancer, and NASCAR having 40 percent of its fan base in women -- according to the press release -- is certainly a great place to do so.

Stanley Tools, M&M's, and General Mills are all also making contributions to the Komen foundation with Stanley pitching in $100,000, M&M's making a minimum donation of $650,000 and General Mills has already tossed $2 million into the cause in 2008.

UPDATE: ESPN.com is reporting the Labonte has been released from the hospital and is making his way home with no injuries.

Sunday's Sprint Cup road course race at Watkins Glen was going along quite smoothly until a big crash took out nine cars running in the middle of the field.

In that crash, Bobby Labonte likely took the hardest direct hit as he plowed into the nose of a spinning David Gilliland. The No. 43 of Labonte then spun towards the inside the wall where it came to a rest while the wreck continued in front of him.

When the carnage stopped, Labonte emerged quite gingerly from his Petty Enterprises Dodge with a big grimace on his face prior to any safety crews arriving on scene. By the time they arrived, Labonte was already long gone from his race car and walking towards the pit area.

On television, it appeared Labonte was favoring his pelvis as he was stopped by NASCAR officials who soon found him a ride to the Watkins Glen International Raceway infield care center. From there, Labonte was quickly transferred to a local hospital for a further look at his condition.

A huge wreck coming off of Turn 11 at Watkins Glen International Raceway put the Sprint Cup Series' Centurion Boats at the Glen under the red flag with just eight laps to go Sunday.

Nine cars were involved in the big crash that saw David Gililland and Bobby Labonte take some of the hardest hits the NASCAR world has seen at a road course in a long time. Labonte walked away from his car but will be transferred to a local hospital for further evaluation.

When I woke up Wednesday morning, inside my box of Cinnamon Toast Crunch (It's got the swirls!) was a toy die-cast car of Richard Petty's No. 43 with Fruity Cheerios on the hood.

Naturally, I was inspired to put on the hat of Kyle Petty, and predict what would happen at the Wednesday news conference hosted by Petty Enterprises -- or at least predict what I think should happen.

On the PE website, there is a word of of a news conference for "news about the future of the organization". So then, what really should be in the future of the organization? Here's my list and the odds that it will happen:

1) Get an outside investor: It's been obvious for many years now that PE has been heavily underfunded compared to the biggest teams in NASCAR. Now, there's been rumors galore this season of a new influx of cash coming on board, and I certainly hope its true.

Petty needs that investor to make the team viable in the Sprint Cup world again. Odds: 1/1

2) Sign Bobby Labonte: It's been frustrating for Bobby Labonte fans since his 2000 championship with Joe Gibbs Racing because the driver simply hasn't had the equipment to do more after his move to Petty Enterprises. There have been flashes of the Bobby Labonte of old but each time, it seems, the equipment he's in from PE holds him back.