Labonte/U.S. Coast Guard Set Anchor in 10th Place at LMS

Justin Labonte

CONCORD, N.C. (October 15, 2005) – It was survival of the fittest under the full moon and lights of Lowe’s Motor Speedway Saturday night. Over three hours after the green flag waved for the start of the race, fourteen caution flags for 67 Laps, and two red flags, Justin Labonte and his U.S. Coast Guard Team scored their first Top-Ten finish since Talladega in the spring.

The finish did not come easy. Labonte was one of the lucky ones to stay out of trouble, fighting his way to the front after started 30th. Labonte’s No. 44 Chevrolet started off the night with loose conditions going into turns one and two. Under the first caution flag his team made a few minor chassis adjustments and sent Labonte back on the track with four fresh tires. With Harold Holly making the calls in the pits, Labonte’s car continued to get better over the course of the night. He was scored as high as eighth at one point during the 200-Lap event. A few more chassis adjustments were made on Lap 125 to take Labonte to his 10th-place finish.

“Man I cannot say enough about these guys,” said Labonte. “They gave me a great car this weekend, I think it was one of the best we have had. It was a rough night out there, a lot of big hits and we were lucky enough to stay out of trouble and get the finish we have been looking for. We had to start further back than we had planned, but we were able to make good changes all night that allowed me to move up through the field. Harold made great calls all night, and the guys turned good pit stops. It was a long night; I didn’t realize that 200 Laps could take that long. I’m glad that everyone that wrecked was able to walk away, this track just never slowed up all night.

“Next weekend should be another good weekend for us. We tested at Memphis this past Tuesday and learned a lot of stuff on how the track might handle and what set-up to bring. I’m looking forward to it. We have our confidence up and will go in there expecting no less that what we deserve.”