Motorsports FanHouse

Sprint Cup N's & Q's: Pep Boys Auto 500

Geoffrey Miller — Tue, 08 Sep 2009 13:22:00 EST

Filed under: Bobby Labonte, David Gilliland, David Reutimann, Jeff Gordon, Kyle Busch, Sprint Cup

After a slip-sliding affair in the Peach State on Sunday night, here's some Notes & Quotes from NASCAR's newest Labor Day tradition.

You've got to hand it to Atlanta Motor Speedway. Sunday night's race looked and felt like a breath of fresh air into the venue that has long seen attendance woes -- even while the racing has generally been well above par. Estimates from media and drivers alike put the crowd much larger than the track has seen in years.

The on-track action -- thanks mostly to a tire that wore down and slowed the cars during a run -- was second to none with some 31 lead changes. You've got to bet track president Ed Clark has a big smile on his face this week because Labor Day weekend really clicked with the 1.54-mile track.

David Reutimann finished a strong 4th driving an ultra-cool camouflage-painted No. 00, but it wasn't an easy process.

"We just had one set of tires on the car that the car didn't like very much," said Reutimann, echoing the sentiment of many drivers. "We just kept coming in and working on it. The guys did a great job. I'm really proud. We have run so bad here in the past. It really feels almost like a win."

Reutimann, of course, got his first win at the rain-shortened Coca-Cola 600 in May and has picked up 5 top-5s and 8 top-10s in 2009 -- both career highs.

Strangely, three big favorites heading into Sunday night's race finished all in consecutive positions -- but at the back.

Jimmie Johnson and his three AMS wins finished 36th thanks to a broken axle and lock nut that forced repairs, Carl Edwards finished a lap further back than Johnson in 37th due to debris causing damage to the oil lines and Kurt Busch smacked the turn four wall after getting loose to finish 38th. Busch dominated and won the spring AMS event.

Bobby Labonte was dropped for seven races from Yates Racing due to sponsorship issues just before Atlanta, but the track came through yet again for the Texan after he picked up a last-minute ride from TRG Motorsports.

Labonte drove the No. 71 to an 18th-place finish -- his personal best since a 12th-place at Charlotte in May -- and topped Erik Darnell by 12 positions. Darnell's sponsorship put him in Labonte's normal No. 96 car for Atlanta.

David Gilliland has driven that No. 71 regularly in 2009, but the shuffle with Labonte ended up with Gilliland subbing for a somewhat-injured Bill Elliott in the No. 21 Wood Brothers Ford. Elliott had a dirtbike accident last week that injured his ribs.

Gilliland finished just behind Labonte in 19th, but was elated after the race about his experience with crew chief David Hyder.

"He's a racer and he believes what you're telling him in the race car, which is helpful, and that's awesome," said Gilliland. "Everybody was awesome to work with. We made great adjustments and everytime I told him what it was doing we came in and the tire-pressure builds said exactly the same thing as I was saying, so we were on the same page all night."

Gilliland is looking for a full-time ride in 2010.

Jeff Gordon may have summed the night up best after his 8th-place run that saw him both lead and struggle to stay in contention at different points during the 500-miler.

"It was really crazy. There were a lot of things going on. I can't even keep up with all the different things that happened," said Gordon. "There were times I thought we had the car to beat then I thought we were going to go a lap down. We were trying to keep up with the changing conditions whether it was track, tires or whatever it was. Man, we were all over the place and never could seem to find any consistency."

Kyle Busch skirted a chance to talk with the media in post-race, but crew chief Steve Addington left the No. 18 team's goal simple for next weekend at Richmond where they'll face a 37-point deficit to make the Chase.

"We got to go there and win and let the chips fall where they may," said Addington after Busch's 13th-place finish. "We've been working hard -- nothing we can do now. We can't control what everybody else does we can only control what we do. We need to go to Richmond and win the race."

The last time he said that was at Michigan after a dismal day for Busch. Busch won the very next race at Bristol, just two weeks ago.

Sprint Cup N's & Q's: Pep Boys Auto 500 originally appeared on Motorsports FanHouse on Tue, 08 Sep 2009 13:22:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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FanHouse Warmup: Pep Boys 500

Geoffrey Miller — Sun, 06 Sep 2009 14:37:00 EST

Filed under: Bobby Labonte, Carl Edwards, Jeff Gordon, Jimmie Johnson, Kurt Busch, Sprint Cup

The Essentials

Race: Pep Boys 500

Where: Atlanta Motor Speedway
Time: Sunday 7:47pm/EDT
TV/Radio: ESPN, PRN Radio
Twitter: Updates @ FanHouseRacing
Forecast: High 60s, Mostly Cloudy
Distance: 325 laps (500.5 miles)
Pole Winner: Martin Truex Jr.
2008 Winner: Carl Edwards

The Storylines

Sunday night's race might be a last ditch effort to ensure Atlanta Motor Speedway has a spot on the NASCAR schedule, much less two.

And judging by the optimism of AMS track president Ed Clark, the expected attendance is working in his favor.

Clark said earlier this week that the track ticket office set a single-day record for ticket sales on Monday with 2,400 seats being ordered. It was a number that will cost Clark in the coming weeks after he made a bet with the ticket office staff that he'd make lunch if they could sell 1,700 tickets in a day.

Lemon pepper chicken it is.

AMS has been on the rumored NASCAR chopping block thanks to a recent purchase of Kentucky Speedway by the AMS parent company Speedway Motorsports Inc., and SMI head Bruton Smith's desire to have to two races at a track in Las Vegas.

Kurt Busch, the ~~winner~~ dominator of the spring race at Atlanta Motor Speedway will be racing the very same chassis -- 'Hot Rod' -- that won in March at AMS. Crew chief Pat Tryson said that if the car had three-forths of its gusto from the previous AMS race, they'd be in good shape.

Such a fast piece, though, didn't leave driver Kurt Busch wanting to get too deep in offering advice to Erik Darnell for this weekend. Darnell is making his first career Sprint Cup start for Yates Racing.

"My first race was at Dover many years ago it seems like," said Busch. "When they dropped the green flag, everybody was going so fast I didn't know what to do. I just backed out of the gas, went to 43rd and I started over. I ended up finishing 18th that day, but I couldn't believe the pace that everybody wanted to run every lap. That's some of the advice I'd give him."

It's kind of hard to believe that Busch refers to his first race in a sense of "many years ago", eh?

Bobby Labonte was unseated by Darnell for Atlanta and the next seven races thanks to sponsorship issues on that Yates Racing No. 96 car.

The problem was simple: Labonte didn't have sponsorship, but Darnell did. The timing, though, more complex.

Atlanta might as well be Labonte's middle name, as the Texan has six career wins at the 1.54-mile speedway. He'd be on just about anybody's fantasy race team for this weekend.

Fortunately, Labonte managed to find a deal with TRG Motorsports to drive the No. 71 this weekend and the next six races. The deal helped preserve a streak of 569 consecutive Cup races that Bobby has been a part of, just one shy of Jeff Gordon's streak of 570 straight races.

Sunday night's race has been billed as the first Sprint Cup night race at Atlanta Motor Speedway, but I don't think I can let that slide. It's not the first night race, but rather, the first scheduled night race.

In November of 1998, the final race of the NASCAR season was scheduled for a Sunday afternoon at AMS, but rain had other plans. The race finally got underway in earnest around 9pm/ET time, meaning the newly-installed lights had truly paid off.

Jeff Gordon led 113 of the 221 laps completed (race was shortened due to time) to score his 13th win of 1998 en route to dominating the championship by some 364 points. The 13 wins is still a modern era record (tied with Richard Petty) and included a mid-season stretch where he won seven of nine races, four of which were won consecutively.

And you thought Kyle Busch's winning habits were bad.

Carl Edwards will be racing with a broken foot in tonight's race, as a result of a frisbee injury this week.

The injury may hurt, but competitor Jeff Gordon doesn't expect it to be a distraction for Edwards on the track.

"You would be surprised when you are in the race car, the engine is loud, there's a lot of vibration and your focus on driving the car can really eliminate a lot of pain and discomforts that are going on and take your mind off of it," said Gordon. "It truly is the perfect example of mind over matter."

It didn't seem to be a problem on Saturday night, as Edwards completed the whole Nationwide Series event and finished 7th.

The Prediction

ESPN's Ed Hinton made note of this in a column this week, and it's hard not to believe the logic. Simply, if you want to know who will prosper when the Chase starts after Richmond next week, just look at who runs well tonight.

Multiple tracks in the Chase fall at 1.5-mile venues, and the format has shown to benefit drivers who can handle those the best. In other words, it's not a surprise that Jimmie Johnson is your three-time defending Cup champ.

He also makes my prediction easy tonight.

Geoffrey Miller: Jimmie Johnson

FanHouse Warmup: Pep Boys 500 originally appeared on Motorsports FanHouse on Sun, 06 Sep 2009 14:37:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Sponsorship Woes Shelve Labonte

FanHouse Newswire — Wed, 02 Sep 2009 18:00:00 EST

Filed under: Bobby Labonte, Yates Racing, NASCAR Sponsors, Sprint Cup

CHARLOTTE, N.C. (AP) -- Former NASCAR champion Bobby Labonte won't race this weekend at Atlanta Motor Speedway, his best track, because of sponsorship issues at Yates Racing.

The team had seven races to sell this season for the No. 96 Ford, and the sponsorship it secured wanted Erik Darnell in the car. The 26-year-old will make his Sprint Cup Series debut at Atlanta, where Labonte has six career victories.

"This is not about Bobby; it's about making sure we have funding for these races,'' Yates co-owner Max Jones said Monday. "If it was about Bobby, I would have just put Erik in the car for the rest of the year. That was hard to convey to Bobby.

"But we have this opportunity to get Erik some races, and that's the business part of this sport. It's challenging.''

Academy Sports & Outdoors will sponsor Darnell for three races, at Atlanta, Talladega and Texas. Northern Tool + Equipment, who sponsored him last season in the Truck Series, will be on the car at New Hampshire and Kansas.

Sponsorship for the other two races Darnell is slated to run was not announced.

Jones said Labonte did not take the decision well.

"I wouldn't have either if I was him,'' Jones said. "He's a class act, he's a professional. I had to explain my side, why I was doing it, and he wasn't happy about it. But he understood, and I respect that.''

Labonte, the 2000 series champion, left Petty Enterprises last season because he was unsure of its long-term stability. He put together a late deal with Hall of Fame Racing, the team owned by San Diego Padres owner Jeff Moorad and president Tom Garfinkel.

Garfinkel and Moorad were able to land a sponsorship deal with Ask.com, one of the only new companies to enter NASCAR since last fall's economic collapse, and then partnered with Yates Racing for equipment and technical support. The Ask.com deal is a one-year deal and covered only 29 of the 36 races.

Jones worked hard to fill the car, but ultimately was able to sell the potential in Darnell over the history of Labonte.

Labonte, who is 45, is in the midst of his sixth winless season. He's 30th in the standings with one top-10 finish this season. Teammate Paul Menard is 32nd in the points with no top-10 finishes. He has full sponsorship from his family's Midwest-based hardware chain.

The team also fielded a car for Travis Kvapil for four races but stopped when no sponsorship was found.

Labonte will return to the car at Richmond, Dover, Fontana, Charlotte and Martinsville.

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Latest NASCAR Photos

MONTREAL, QC - AUGUST 29: Carl Edwards, driver of the #60 CitiFinancial Ford celebrates by performing a backflip after winning the NASCAR Nationwide Napa Auto Parts 200 on August 29, 2009 at the Circuit Gilles Villeneuve in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. (Photo by Jason Smith/Getty Images) *** Local Caption *** Carl Edwards

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American Sprint Car Series driver Jessica Zemken works on her car with NASCAR driver Tony Stewart after qualifying for an auto race in Dundee, N.Y., Friday, Aug. 7, 2009. (AP Photo/ Charles Berch)

** HAmerican Sprint Car Series driver Jessica Zemken talks with NASCAR driver Tony Stewart before qualifying for a Sprint car auto race in Dundee, N.Y., Friday, Aug. 7, 2009. (AP Photo/ Charles Berch)

American Sprint Car Series driver Jessica Zemken is push started by NASCAR driver Tony Stewart during qualifying for an auto race in Dundee, N.Y., Friday, Aug. 7, 2009. (AP Photo/Charles Berch)

Hendrick Motorsports engineer Richie Parker, center, stands in the inspection line with the crew from Brad Keselowski before the NASCAR Carfax 400 Sprint Cup Series auto race at Michigan International Speedway in Brooklyn, Mich., Sunday, Aug. 16, 2009. Richie Parker was born without arms, but that didn't stop him from working his way through college at Clemson _ then combining the engineering degree he earned with his boyhood love of cars to go to work for Hendrick Motorsports, NASCAR's equivalent to the New York Yankees. (AP Photo/Carlos Osorio)

Hendrick Motorsports engineer Richie Parker, right, stands in the inspection line with the crew from Brad Keselowski before the NASCAR Carfax 400 Sprint Cup Series auto race at Michigan International Speedway in Brooklyn, Mich., Sunday, Aug. 16, 2009. Richie Parker was born without arms, but that didn't stop him from working his way through college at Clemson _ then combining the engineering degree he earned with his boyhood love of cars to go to work for Hendrick Motorsports, NASCAR's equivalent to the New York Yankees. (AP Photo/Carlos Osorio)

Hendrick Motorsports engineer Richie Parker, center, talks to a Tony Stewart crew member as they wait in the inspection line with the crew from Brad Keselowski before the NASCAR Carfax 400 Sprint Cup Series auto race at Michigan International Speedway in Brooklyn, Mich., Sunday, Aug. 16, 2009. Richie Parker was born without arms, but that didn't stop him from working his way through college at Clemson _ then combining the engineering degree he earned with his boyhood love of cars to go to work for Hendrick Motorsports, NASCAR's equivalent to the New York Yankees. (AP Photo/Carlos Osorio)

St. Louis Cardinals' Albert Pujols exchanges comments with NASCAR driver Kenny Wallace seated above the Cardinals' dugout during a game against the Milwaukee Brewers at Busch Stadium in St. Louis, Missouri, on Tuesday, September 1, 2009. (Chris Lee/St. Louis Post-Dispatch/MCT)

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NASCAR Nationwide driver Brad Keselowski smiles before the morning practice session in Montreal , Saturday, Aug. 29, 2009. Keselowski signed with Penske Racing on Tuesday, Sept. 1, 2009, to drive in both the Sprint Cup and Nationwide Series next season. (AP Photo/The Canadian Press, Ryan Remiorz)

FILE -- This is a July 2, 2009, file photo showing Bobby Labonte climbing into his car during practice for the NASCAR Sprint Cup Coke Zero 400 auto race at Daytona International Speedway in Daytona Beach, Fla. Yates Racing is taking Bobby Labonte out of its No. 96 car for seven upcoming races because of sponsorship issues.(AP Photo/John Raoux, File)

A member of the NYFD signs the hood of the NASCAR racecar custom-designed to commemorate 9/11 during a marketing event Monday, Aug. 31, 2009 in New York. Driver Benny Gordon and North South Motorsports will race the car to commemorate 9/11 on September 11, 2009 at the NASCAR Nationwide Series race at Richmond International Raceway. (AP Photo/Mary Altaffer)

"This is a move that will be beneficial to Yates Racing surviving this difficult economic time,'' he said in a statement. ``Of course, I'm disappointed that the sponsorship environment is so challenging right now, but I intend to make the most out of the remaining races that I'm behind the wheel.''

Yates Racing is the sister team to powerhouse Roush Fenway Racing, and Jones said he doesn't expect Hall of Fame to be back under the umbrella in 2010. So he's had to approach future planning with a long-range view, which could include Darnell.

Stuck in the RFR development program because sponsorship issues and lack of available seats have slowed his progression, Jones said Darnell has earned this opportunity. He finished fourth in last year's Truck series, where he has two career wins.

He's raced in just 10 of 25 Nationwide Series races this season, but has five top-10 finishes.

Jones worked at Roush Fenway when Darnell won a seat in its development program.

"He deserves this opportunity. He's a really talented race car driver,'' Jones said. "It's taken a lot of guys a long time to move up because of the funding issues, and the opportunities aren't there anymore. Five or six or eight years ago, you could jump from Trucks to Cup.

"Then everything came to a screeching halt a few years ago.''

Although Labonte has not been ruled out for a Yates ride in 2010, Jones said Darnell is in the mix, as is current Roush driver Jamie McMurray.

McMurray is in the final year of his contract with RFR, which must cut down from five to four cars at the end of this season. The organization would like to keep McMurray by moving him to the Yates side of the team but lacks the funding to offer him a contract.

"We still have that opportunity out there to keep Jamie, but we have to find something and right now he's exploring his options,'' Jones said. "We'd love him to be here. We'd love to be a three- or four-car team, but you have to find someone to pay for it.''

By JENNA FRYER, AP Sports Writer

Copyright 2009 The Associated Press. The information contained in the AP news report may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or otherwise distributed without the prior written authority of The Associated Press. Active hyperlinks have been inserted by AOL.

Sponsorship Woes Shelve Labonte originally appeared on Motorsports FanHouse on Wed, 02 Sep 2009 18:00:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Sprint Cup N's & Q's: Pennsylvania 500

Geoffrey Miller — Wed, 05 Aug 2009 18:53:00 EST

Filed under: Bobby Labonte, David Reutimann, Juan Pablo Montoya, Kyle Busch, Reed Sorenson

After a rain-soaked weekend at Pocono Raceway, here's some ramblings from the race that was the Pennsylvania 500.

David Reutimann took a big hit in his chances of making the Chase for the Sprint Cup at Pocono and Wednesday he was still "mad as heck" at Denny Hamlin for spinning the No. 00 late in the race.

"Everybody's capable of making mistakes," said Reutimann. "I'm a forgiving guy if he sincerely apologizes or says he was in the wrong. [...] In the end I'm still confused at why it happened. It wasn't just one shot. It was multiple shots."

At the time, Reutimann was running in the top-10, but finished 29th due to significant damaged he suffered after spinning into semi-teammate Marcos Ambrose thanks to the contact Hamlin provided coming off of turn 3.

The wreck resulted in Reutimann dropping three spots to 16th in the standings, and from 68 points from the Chase cut to 121 points out with five races until the cutoff.

Excessive levels of carbon monoxide nearly sidelined Richard Petty Motorsports driver Reed Sorenson from this weekend's road course event at Watkins Glen, but the team said today he'll be good to go.

Sorenson's car apparently allowed a good bit of the dangerous gas to enter his cockpit during the 500-miler at Pocono.

Prior to that announcement, though, former Formula 1 driver, Indianapolis 500 champ and part-time stock car driver Jacques Villeneuve was being eyed by RPM to fill his seat for the weekend.

Juan Pablo Montoya might be the scariest underdog we'll see in this year's Chase -- pending that he holds on over five races to his 169-point advantage over 13th place -- thanks to the way his team has been racing as of late.

They haven't been exactly aggressive in their setups, and instead, have been trying to find some consistency before "having fun", as Juan says, in the Chase.

If you didn't think Juan Pablo Montoya was going to be good in stock cars, just wait until 2010.

Bobby Labonte took a huge hit after getting hit by fellow Ford driver David Ragan in the later stages of Monday's 200-lap event. The No. 96 spun rear-first into the outside turn one wall at Pocono after Ragan's brown No. 6 nudged Labonte at the end of the frontstretch -- the longest on the NASCAR circuit.

It was quite similar to Jeff Gordon's crash at the same track a few years ago when he lost his brakes, but fortunately for Labonte, much of the impact was taken away from him thanks to the rear of the car crushing like a tin can. Gordon, on the other hand, slapped the outside wall with the driver's door.

Labonte was obviously frustrated with Ragan, but his sense of class and professionalism soon carried over when he was interviewed after leaving the infield care center as he never once trashed Ragan for the move or dropped a snarky, back-handed comment. Refreshing, if I must say.

Speaking of professionalism, Kyle Busch deserves a measured level of "atta-boy" for at least answering questions about his mediocre race on Monday.

I've criticized Busch before for leaving the talking about his team and his race up to crew chief Steve Addington when Busch is one of the focal points of every NASCAR weekend, so I certainly can't let it slide that he's talked two weeks in a row including last weekend's miserable finish at Indianapolis.

Granted, Busch didn't have a big part of the story on Monday at Pocono with his 16th-place finish, but he did offer a brief analysis of his day:

"We ended up on a little bit of a different strategy than some of the other guys and the cautions didn't fall right for us," said Busch. "We fought tight for most of the day, but it got loose on me trying to gain some spots after a restart. We just never really got the handling exactly where we wanted it. There at the end, we managed to salvage something out of a day that could have ended up much worse."

There's certainly a few Kyle Busch fans out there who care about that. Thanks, Shrub.

Sprint Cup N's & Q's: Pennsylvania 500 originally appeared on Motorsports FanHouse on Wed, 05 Aug 2009 18:53:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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NASCAR Continues Bud Shootout Mess

Geoffrey Miller — Sat, 17 Jan 2009 20:18:00 EST

Filed under: Bobby Labonte, Robby Gordon, Tony Stewart, Sprint Cup

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.

Now, the top six teams from each manufacturer still gain entry to the race based on the 2008 season-ending owner point standings, but each car make will receive one "wild card" entry that will go first to a non-eligible past Sprint Cup champion in each manufacturer and then to the 7th-highest finishing team in the car owner points.

As a result, Tony Stewart will now gain entry to the Shootout thanks to his use of the No. 70 Chevrolet's owner points and the fact that Stewart attempted to qualify for all of the 2008 races.

Robby Gordon, switching to Toyotas in 2009, will participate thanks to his Dodge owner point standings from a year ago in a one-off effort in a Dodge he apparently had still laying around the shop. And yes, NASCAR is completely fine with that.

According to David Poole's work over at ThatsRacin', Toyota's extra entry should be Dave Blaney's old No. 22 car but because that car isn't expected to race in 2009, rookie Scott Speed's No. 84 will be the likely entry despite Speed having competed in just a handful of 2008 events.

On the Ford end, Bobby Labonte now becomes eligible because of his new gig with Hall of Fame/Yates Racing that affords him the use of David Gilliland's No. 38 car owner points. Martin Truex Jr., in a Chevrolet but 8th in Chevy's owner points, won't be eligible despite finishing 16th in the previous season's standings -- compared to Speed's 35th-place standing (the No. 84 car) in 2008.

Simply, the new wrinkle in the Shootout fold hasn't improved the format at all other than sufficing Stewart and Labonte fans irked at the fact their driver couldn't qualify. I have a strong, strong feeling that this format would have remained at the original 24 cars had Stewart previously qualified for the Shootout.

This attempt at fixing an incredibly broke system will still allow problems in the future and making it incredibly confusing for the fans to understand won't help it gain interest. Poole advocates for a fan vote-in technique, but I'd still like to see it be performance-related.

Lap leaders, final point standings or something -- this method is just not fan-friendly.

NASCAR Continues Bud Shootout Mess originally appeared on Motorsports FanHouse on Sat, 17 Jan 2009 20:18:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Welcome to NASCAR's Silliest Season

Geoffrey Miller — Wed, 14 Jan 2009 13:30:00 EST

Filed under: A.J. Allmendinger, Bobby Labonte, Elliott Sadler, Petty Enterprises, NASCAR Rumors, Sprint Cup, Gillett-Evernham Motorsports

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.

Slow, at least, until the former Petty Enterprises driver (effective December, that is) Bobby Labonte was seen popping up in and around Earnhardt-Ganassi Racing -- propelling rumors that he'd be taking over the No. 8 car based on bringing a solid sponsorship package with him.

(Note: Been under a rock the last few months? Here's some info about that whole DEI not being DEI anymore deal.)

So, it seemed, Labonte was to be in at the No. 8, according to the Coke website, Super 8 hotels was on-board.
Aric Almirola, slated originally to drive No. 8, was now thrown to the backburner without sponsorship for a fourth car at EGR.

But, as they say, not so fast.

Tuesday, rumors bubbled up that Labonte had signed a contract with Yates Racing after the team merged with Hall of Fame Racing. Wednesday, such rumors were confirmed with a press release indicating Labonte will now drive the No. 96 Ford sponsored by Ask.com

Over at ThatsRacin, indications were that Labonte had a lunch meeting scheduled with EGR, but called just before to say that he had signed with Yates/Hall of Fame -- meaning Almirola was back in the No. 8.

Looking back at all of this, can you imagine how crazy preseason Daytona testing (it would have finished Wednesday) would have been with this driver carousel?

Welcome to NASCAR's Silliest Season originally appeared on Motorsports FanHouse on Wed, 14 Jan 2009 13:30:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Labonte Slated to Drive No. 96 Fords in 2009

Geoffrey Miller — Wed, 14 Jan 2009 12:21:00 EST

Filed under: Bobby Labonte, Yates Racing, Sprint Cup

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.

According to the release, Ask.com will use its technology to scan all of NASCAR's digital records to make them easier to find. The example cited says that fans will be able to type in a question like "Who was the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Rookie of the Year in 1995?" and the search engine will deliver the answer immeditately.

I can't wait to try that one out with something like "How many times has Michael Waltrip hit the wall?" just to see how many calculations Ask.com's servers can handle because, well, Waltrip's banged a wall or two.

Earnhardt-Ganassi Racing was thrown into this mix as early as last weekend when rumors started claiming B-Lab would be taking over the No. 8 at EGR, shoving Aric Almirola out of his ride (that guy can't catch a break, it seems). The deal must have been close because even Almirola didn't deny it in an interview this week, and ThatsRacin.com said Labonte called off a lunch meeting with EGR officials on Tuesday after signing the Yates/HoF deal.

There's still plenty of questions about the future of Yates Racing, especially with sponsorship, but for now, the team includes Labonte, Travis Kvapil, David Gilliland and Paul Menard. Who knew a team with two under-funded cars for all of 2008 could double in size during the offseason?

Labonte Slated to Drive No. 96 Fords in 2009 originally appeared on Motorsports FanHouse on Wed, 14 Jan 2009 12:21:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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'08 Rear-View Mirror: Bobby Labonte

Geoffrey Miller — Sat, 13 Dec 2008 14:57:00 EST

Filed under: Bobby Labonte, Petty Enterprises, Sprint Cup

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

'08 Rear-View Mirror: Bobby Labonte originally appeared on Motorsports FanHouse on Sat, 13 Dec 2008 14:57:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Past Champ Labonte, Petty Part Ways for '09

Geoffrey Miller — Thu, 11 Dec 2008 12:08:00 EST

Filed under: Bobby Labonte, Petty Enterprises, NASCAR Silly Season

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.

Past Champ Labonte, Petty Part Ways for '09 originally appeared on Motorsports FanHouse on Thu, 11 Dec 2008 12:08:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Future Getting Darker for Petty Enterprises

Geoffrey Miller — Wed, 10 Dec 2008 09:43:00 EST

Filed under: Bobby Labonte, Kyle Petty, Petty Enterprises

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.

Kyle Petty, Richard's son who has driven for the team and served as the team's CEO from 1998 until early this season, said Monday that he's no longer an influence or an employee of the team his father co-owns.

In the article, Kyle said that when Boston Ventures invested in the team in the first part of 2008, it ousted him from being CEO and the team said that his driving services would no longer be needed in 2009.

Granted the decision wasn't too hard to make -- Petty hasn't won a race since 1995, and PE has a whole hasn't won a race since 1999 -- but its still pretty shocking to know that one of the most well-liked faces of the garage area not only got ousted from his father's team but will apparently be ride-less in 2009.

Before the season's penultimate race at Phoenix, we talked about how Petty could be looking at his final career race in NASCAR. He is scheduled to run the 24 Hours of Daytona sports car race.

Obviously, I don't expect Kyle to disappear from the NASCAR world -- he's a go-to guy for the beat writers, has the small television contract with TNT and, in my opinion, should be a constant member of a NASCAR broadcast team -- but the dire straits for PE sure are interesting.

Could we be seeing the end of NASCAR's winningest organization? At this day and age, that seems entirely possible.

Future Getting Darker for Petty Enterprises originally appeared on Motorsports FanHouse on Wed, 10 Dec 2008 09:43:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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LFL: Kyle Busch, Labonte & Sadler Go Pink

Geoffrey Miller — Sat, 11 Oct 2008 14:49:00 EST

Filed under: Bobby Labonte, Elliott Sadler, Kyle Busch, Petty Enterprises, Lowes Motor Speedway, Chase for the Sprint Cup, Joe Gibbs Racing

FanHouse's Geoffrey Miller is at the track in Concord, N.C. for Saturday night's Bank of America 500 in full fan mode. He's hoping to avoid Kevin Harvick's motor coach driver from his location in the Ford Grandstand, Section I.

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.
All of the companies are also having products with a pink theme to them -- though I can't really see someone using a pink Stanley hammer. Of course, I say that in the same mindset thinking that Kyle Busch would have never driven a pink car, but this weekend has proven me wrong.

NASCAR fans can even jump into the action with a $5 donation made from a cell phone by sending the word KOMEN to 90999.

If nothing else, do it for Kyle and his pink car.

LFL: Kyle Busch, Labonte & Sadler Go Pink originally appeared on Motorsports FanHouse on Sat, 11 Oct 2008 14:49:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Bobby Labonte at Hospital Following Crash

Geoffrey Miller — Sun, 10 Aug 2008 18:50:00 EST

Filed under: Bobby Labonte, NASCAR Crashes, Sprint Cup

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.

To my best guess -- and this is nothing but pure speculation -- Labonte was likely hurt by the seat belts that wrap over his lower abdomen in the race car after the front-end impact.

It was good to see, at the very least, that Labonte was able to emerge from his car and walk under his own power following the incident, though that in no way means he got away from the wreck injury-free.

Let's hope that further news on Labonte's condition is nothing more than a little bit of soreness. FanHouse will update the situation as more news comes along.

Bobby Labonte at Hospital Following Crash originally appeared on Motorsports FanHouse on Sun, 10 Aug 2008 18:50:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Lap 83 Brings Watkins Glen Demolition Derby

Geoffrey Miller — Sun, 10 Aug 2008 16:26:00 EST

Filed under: Bobby Labonte, David Gilliland, Ryan Newman, Sam Hornish Jr., NASCAR Crashes, Sprint Cup

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.

The incident started after Michael McDowell got bumped by David Gilliland coming into the final corner of the course. McDowell responded by bumping Gilliland, sending the No. 38 into the tire wall at the exit of the corner.

Because of the nature of the wall, Gilliland's car dug in and then shot back sideways across the track into the path of Labonte who T-boned the Yates Ford. With the track blocked, the back part of the field had nowhere to go after coming off the blind corner, causing multiple cars to get heavily damaged and No. 38 to take a few more hits.

In the mess, Sam Hornish Jr. slid and impacted the end of the pit road wall, sending water-filled drums flying everywhere -- including a lid that nailed the pit road entrance light standard that caused it to sway wildly as the NASCAR official nearby dove for cover and photographers scattered.

Included in the wreck were Labonte, Gilliland, Hornish Jr., Dave Blaney, Max Papis, Reed Sorenson, Michael Waltrip, Ryan Newman, Joe Nemecheck.

As a result of the wreck, the red flag was for over 40 minutes as track workers collected the ruined race cars and cleaned the water up from the canisters at the entrance of pit lane. Gilliland and McDowell were asked to come to the NASCAR hauler at the conclusion of the event to discuss their actions -- though I didn't necessarily see any action from the two that was out of the ordinary for the last ten laps of the race.

Lap 83 Brings Watkins Glen Demolition Derby originally appeared on Motorsports FanHouse on Sun, 10 Aug 2008 16:26:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Predicting Petty Announcement

Geoffrey Miller — Wed, 11 Jun 2008 07:58:00 EST

Filed under: Bobby Labonte, Kyle Petty, Petty Enterprises

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.

I have a feeling Bobby is going to re-sign with news of an investor today, but that option to head to Richard Childress Racing is still on the radar. Odds: 8/1

3) Move Kyle Petty to Retirement: Petty, now in the TNT TV booth for the next five races, simply needs to hang it up for good. I am a huge fan of having him in the television booth, in addition to his frequent radio appearances on PRN. This season, Petty has made a case for someone to look at his performance and say "He only drives because he's the owner".

Come on, Kyle, give in, step down, and help your team. Odds: 37/1

You can enjoy the Petty news conference at 11:00am/ET on SPEED or ESPNews. Then, come back to the 'House and see how I did.

Predicting Petty Announcement originally appeared on Motorsports FanHouse on Wed, 11 Jun 2008 07:58:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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NASCAR Crash Video of the Week: M'Ville

Geoffrey Miller — Thu, 03 Apr 2008 18:45:00 EST

Filed under: Jeff Gordon, Bobby Labonte, Scott Riggs, Martin Truex Jr., NASCAR Crashes, NASCAR Videos, Sprint Cup

Sunday's Sprint Cup Series race at Martinsville Speedway saw its share of spins and wrecks to contribute the races 18 cautions.

Aside from Matt Kenseth's antics, the biggest crash of the day involved 5 cars early in the 500 lap event. The melee, shown below, involved Jeff Gordon, Bobby Labonte, Aric Almirola, Scott Riggs, and Martin Truex Jr.

Almirola slid the nose of his No. 8 coming off of turn four into Bobby Labonte on the outside, turning the No. 43 and blocking the track for the rest of the field. Riggs then gets turned by Gordon as the accordion effect takes shape, damaging the nose of the No. 24.

Gordon seemed to have suffered the most damage from the incident though it was repairable and didn't end up hurting his chances at a solid finish. The No. 24 finished 2nd to eventual race winner Denny Hamlin.

Wrecks like that are one of the reasons why I love racing Martinsville at so much. Because of the low speed, many accidents can have little damage, and even if some damage occurs, the aerodynamic problems won't kill a drivers chances to win.

NASCAR Crash Video of the Week: M'Ville originally appeared on Motorsports FanHouse on Thu, 03 Apr 2008 18:45:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Loomis "Not Worried" About Labonte Leaving

Geoffrey Miller — Wed, 02 Apr 2008 21:18:00 EST

Filed under: Bobby Labonte, Petty Enterprises, Sprint Cup

Not so fast says Petty Enterprises' Robbie Loomis about Bobby Labonte bolting the team in 2009.

Labonte, who currently drives Petty's No. 43, lost his primary sponsor General Mills Tuesday when the company announced it would head to Richard Childress Racing for 2009.

That announcement fueled speculation across the NASCAR world that Labonte would leave the struggling Petty operation and follow his sponsor to RCR.

Loomis, Petty's vice president of racing operations, had another opinion:

"I've led a race after 499 laps and gotten turned on Turn 2 of the final lap and lost," Loomis said. "But when Bobby came to Petty Enterprises he wanted to be a part of the rebuilding process. I believe now more than ever he wants to see that through and be the driver that puts the 43 back in Victory Lane.

"I see us being together for a long time."

I'll admit, I don't really understand why Loomis is talking about leading a race -- especially given that Petty hasn't been leading too many races lately, but his words about Labonte seem to make sense.

The driver signed with Petty to rebuild an organization with a plethora of history behind, and he hasn't exactly done that yet.

If Labonte does leave, however, the best coming down the pipeline is Chad McCumbee for PE, and a rookie isn't the greatest guy to rebuild a race team. Darker days would be the name of the game in Petty country if that were to happen.

Part of me wants Labonte to go to a competitive program at RCR, but another part wants to me to see if Petty Enterprises can turn their program around.

Loomis "Not Worried" About Labonte Leaving originally appeared on Motorsports FanHouse on Wed, 02 Apr 2008 21:18:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Bobby Labonte Appears Headed to RCR

Geoffrey Miller — Tue, 01 Apr 2008 15:55:00 EST

Filed under: Bobby Labonte, Richard Childress Racing, Petty Enterprises

So after some tom-foolery here on FanHouse this morning, here's today's real news:

Bobby Labonte, the 2000 NASCAR Sprint Cup Champion, looks to be more convincingly headed to Richard Childress Racing for the 2009 season with sponsor General Mills.

Yahoo! first reported some possibilities between Labonte and RCR, and with today's announcement from General Mills about moving to RCR for 2009, the Labonte rumor only heats up.

Here's some text from the General Mills announcement by way of the Charlotte Observer's David Poole:

General Mills will sponsor a fourth team at RCR, the No. 33 Chevrolets. No driver was named for that car, but there has already been at least one published report that Bobby Labonte will move along with the sponsor to RCR.

"RCR is honored to represent General Mills and its Cheerios, Hamburger Helper and many other brands in the NASCAR Cup Series," team owner Richard Childress said.

Labonte seems like an ideal fit for that ride, as he already is driving for Childress in the Nationwide Series. The move to Petty Enterprises for the champion hasn't panned out like he thought it would with a resurgence of success at PE.

You've got to think that Petty Enterprises has to be feeling a little bit of heat in losing a primary sponsor when Kyle Petty is having a tough time even making races and Labonte isn't able to perform at his level due to equipment.

Silly season each year in NASCAR just can't start soon enough anymore, can it?

Bobby Labonte Appears Headed to RCR originally appeared on Motorsports FanHouse on Tue, 01 Apr 2008 15:55:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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List of Wrecked Race Cars Grows at LVMS

Geoffrey Miller — Sat, 01 Mar 2008 18:40:00 EST

Filed under: Brian Vickers, Bobby Labonte, Clint Bowyer, NASCAR Crashes, Kyle Busch, Sprint Cup, Nationwide Series

It's been a rough weekend to be a race car at Las Vegas Motor Speedway.

From preparation for Sunday's UAW-Dodge 400 for the Sprint Cup Series to Saturday's qualifying and race for the Nationwide Series, plenty of drivers have found themselves spun out, in the wall, or both.

During Saturday's Nationwide Series Sam's Town 300, as of lap 78 there had been 7 cautions for 32 laps due to multiple wrecks. Steven Wallace, Brian Vickers, Bobby Labonte and a plenty of others had made hard contact with the wall.

Kyle Busch was running second on lap 103 and slammed the turn 3 wall after cutting a tire -- his second crashed car of the day.

Earlier in the day, Busch was trying to earn the pole for the Nationwide Series race in qualifying and spun on his second lap, sending him to the rear of the field for the race.

The Nationwide Series could be suffering from a few of the problems that both series suffered in 2007 at Vegas with tires that simply don't grip the track that well. Additionally, the wind has picked up quite a bit.

The Sprint Cup Series wasn't immune to problems on Saturday, either.

Clint Bowyer placed in the Top-10 in speeds during final practice but found the wall in the closing minutes of the session. Kyle Petty made some contact with Bowyer's car after he hit the wall.

Drivers who will go to the rear for Sunday's Sprint Cup race now include Bowyer, Juan Pablo Montoya, and Bobby Labonte. Montoya and Labonte had problems on Friday.

List of Wrecked Race Cars Grows at LVMS originally appeared on Motorsports FanHouse on Sat, 01 Mar 2008 18:40:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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NASCAR Warmup: Auto Club 500

Geoffrey Miller — Sun, 24 Feb 2008 13:05:00 EST

Filed under: Bobby Labonte, Denny Hamlin, Sprint Cup, Nationwide Series

What: Auto Club 500
Where: Auto Club Speedway (formerly California Speedway)
When: Sunday, Feb. 24, 3:30pm on FOX
Distance: 250 laps, 500 miles
Weather: Showers likely. Mostly cloudy, with a high near 56. Chance of precipitation is 60%. Visit the National Weather Service for up-to-date info and radar
2007 Winner: Matt Kenseth (also won in 2006)
Predictions: Keep Reading

Breaking Down the Auto Club 500:

19 Laps of Practice for a 200-lap race

Rain has been the main story all weekend in California. A canceled practice, a canceled qualifying, and a shortened happy hour have all been the direct impact of the precipitation.

The shortened final practice -- just 30 minutes in length -- was all of the time that Sprint Cup drivers had on the track in California this weekend. Denny Hamlin turned 19 total laps in No. 11 Toyota, which was the most of any driver.

So yes, Sunday's race (if it starts as scheduled with rain in the forecast) will prove to be interesting because teams have had virtually no time to prepare for it. I'd expect a planned caution flag 20-40 laps in to the race so teams can check tires.

Nationwide Race Scheduled for Sunday

For the first time in a long time, the Nationwide Series will run a race at the same track after the completion of the Sprint Cup race.

Call it the "5th quarter", if you will.

Rain, yes, more rain, kept the race from getting underway Saturday evening in California, so the Nationwide Series drivers will line up and drop the green one hour after the completion of the Sprint Cup race.

If Sunday goes off without a hitch weather-wise, ESPN2 is expected coverage of the Stater Bros. 300 to start at 9pm/ET.

The Craftsman Truck Series managed to get their event in on Saturday afternoon with Kyle Busch taking the checkers.

Bobby Labonte Somewhat Confused by Yahoo! Report

A post Saturday here on the FanHouse carried a report made my Yahoo!'s Bob Margolis that Bobby Labonte would be leaving Petty Enterprises and his No. 43 at the end of the 2008 season for greener pastures at Richard Childress Racing. (Read that post here.)

Petty Enterprises officials and Bobby Labonte were quick on Saturday to rebuke some claims in Margolis' story. From the Roanoke Times:

"I don't really believe a whole lot of stuff that you read and half of what you say sometimes, so I don't put nothing into it,'' Labonte said Saturday afternoon of the Yahoo! Sports report.

Labonte, the 2000 series champion, is in the final year of his three-year contract with Petty Enterprises.

Robbie Loomis, vice president for operations at Petty Enterprises, said the team is awaiting word from Labonte on the contract offer.

"It's up to him what he wants to do with it,. Hopefully, he'll sign it,'' Loomis said. "We'd really like Bobby Labonte to finish his career out with Petty Enterprises and the contract that we presented him is kind of laid out that way. We think his values and what he stands for is a good fit with us.''

Part of me isn't so surprised that Labonte and Petty aren't exactly aware of the move that Yahoo! has talked about, but the other half says that they didn't exactly shoot it down.

Needless to say after the story that was Dale Earnhardt Jr. in 2007, anything can happen. But right now? This move doesn't seem too possible -- especially this early in the season.

FanHouse Predicts: Auto Club 500

Who's going to win Sunday's race? Well, I honestly don't know. There hasn't been qualifying, not too much practice, and conditions were much different when the teams were in California for the test session.

With that, I'm going to allow my prediction to follow two things. The only practice held for the race and karma.

Who's that bring me to?

Jeff Gordon.

The No. 24 led practice with the fastest speed and last week at Daytona, a suspension failure took him out of a likely Top-5 finish. Hendrick Motorsports won't stay down for long, and a win in California is a way to get back on track.

Season Stats on Predictions: 2-4 (50%)

NASCAR Warmup: Auto Club 500 originally appeared on Motorsports FanHouse on Sun, 24 Feb 2008 13:05:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Yahoo! Says Bobby Labonte to RCR in '09

Geoffrey Miller — Sat, 23 Feb 2008 00:53:00 EST

Filed under: Bobby Labonte, NASCAR Media Watch, NASCAR Rumors, Richard Childress Racing, Petty Enterprises, Sprint Cup

Richard Childress Racing could be bringing in that fourth car that they tried to unsuccessfully land for 2008 quicker than anticipated.

Yahoo! Sports' Bob Margolis reports that he has a source saying Bobby Labonte, the 2000 Sprint Cup Champion, will move from Petty Enterprises to the RCR stable beginning in 2009. From Yahoo!'s Margolis:

"Richard Childress acknowledged that his organization is close to fielding a fourth team in the Sprint Cup Series, and Yahoo! Sports has learned that the driver of that car beginning in 2009 likely will be Bobby Labonte.

Sources close to the deal point to General Mills, Labonte's current sponsor with Petty Enterprises, coming along with him to RCR.

According to Childress, he will field a fourth car sometime this season, though he wouldn't set an exact time frame. He did say things were progressing well and that he was pleased with how plans were coming together.

"We're looking at entering a few races before the end of the season," Childress said."

This report, it if holds true, might set the record for the quickest time in which NASCAR's silly season -- the time when drivers and teams swap around -- has started.

Labonte would be a great pickup for RCR's operations, especially if he can bring along a sponsorship. On the other hand, it would be a huge blow to Petty Enterprises.

I'm still taking this report as a grain of salt because Childress' quote isn't directly aimed at the report and during the Dale Earnhardt Jr. circus in 2007, Yahoo!'s coverage had some inaccurate reports coming out about the specifics.

2008 may have changed that, but we'll see. Look for this story to gather steam this weekend.

Yahoo! Says Bobby Labonte to RCR in '09 originally appeared on Motorsports FanHouse on Sat, 23 Feb 2008 00:53:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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