Labonte Leaves Kansas with a 25th-Place Finish

Justin Labonte

KANSAS CITY, KAN. (October 8, 2005) – Justin Labonte and the U.S. Coast Guard team were set for their first visit to the 1.5-mile Kansas Speedway for the running of the United Way 300 Saturday. The weekend started off well with Labonte getting time on the track during practice and posting good practice speeds.

Labonte began the United Way 300 in the 22nd position, his 16th Top-25 start of the 2005 NASCAR Busch Series season. An early on-track altercation caused damage to Labonte’s No. 44 U.S. Coast Guard Shield of Freedom Chevrolet sending him down pit road several times during the ensuing caution period for repairs. The team was able to make the necessary repairs, which included mending cosmetic damage to both the left and right front of the car without losing a lap. Labonte struggled for the remainder of the event with a loose handling race car and crew chief Harold Holly made track bar and wedge adjustments during at every opportunity in an effort to tighten up Labonte’s Chevrolet.

Labonte went one lap down to the leaders on Lap 64 of the 200-lap event and avoided several incidents that occurred in front of him on the track during the remainder of the race. When the checkered flag flew after a green-white-checkered flag finish, Labonte had salvaged a 25th-place finish.

“It being my first time here I was looking forward to a good day and hoping that we could get a Top-15 finish,” said Labonte following the event. “Unfortunately we got caught up in an accident early on that I could not avoid, which caused some front end damage. The team pulled together and made the repairs that needed to be made and got me back out on the track with a car that still had potential for a decent finish. This wasn’t the finish that we were looking for, but we finished the race, got a 25th place and will go into Charlotte ready to have a good hometown showing.”

Labonte and the U.S. Coast Guard team will not have to travel far from home for the upcoming race at Lowe’s (Concord, N.C.) Motor Speedway. The Dollar General 300 will be held under the lights Friday, October 14th.