Food City 500 - Bobby Labonte Notes

LABONTE SAYS BRISTOL IS EXHAUSTING BOTH MENTALLY AND PHYSICALLY

HUNTERSVILLE, N.C. (March 17, 2003) – One might not think that a track like Bristol Motor Speedway would be that demanding mentally or physically on the drivers. Given that it is just over a half-mile in length, looks can be very deceiving at the high-banked concrete oval.

With everything happening so fast on the 36-degree banking, a driver is constantly trying to avoid the numerous accidents that are sure to happen at Bristol. And in the end, most drivers would agree that Bristol is one of the toughest tracks to win at.

“Racing at Bristol is unlike anyplace else we go to,” said Interstate Batteries Chevrolet driver Bobby Labonte. “It seems you are always turning the car. The straightaways don’t give you much time to catch your breath and with lap times down under 20 seconds, everything is happening so fast. You’ re constantly watching everything in front of you and just waiting for something big to happen.”

“It’s not just a matter of if it’s going to happen, but when it’s going to happen,” added Labonte. “So that just wears on you mentally. It’s a never-ending cycle until the checkered flag falls. I love racing there, but it can wear me out sometimes too. I get out of the car after the race and it feels like I’m still going in circles.”

Given the fact that Labonte knows how demanding Bristol can be on a driver, he says a cars handling will play a large role in driver’s fatigue as well.

“We all know what a huge role handling plays at every track we go to,” explained Labonte. “But when you think of how demanding Bristol is just in terms of the lap times and the high banking, then the better the handling the car, the less you fatigue the driver. If your car is off just a little bit, you’re really working the wheel and it takes it’s toll on you. I have seen a lot of guys fall out of the seat there and it’s not hard to do.”

Knowing that Bristol’s track surface will change throughout the course of the event is also a key element to getting the car to handle well. Labonte says the communication between he and crew chief Michael “Fatback” McSwain is critical.

“You really start thinking about before you even get there,” indicated Labonte. “You just start thinking about the rubber building up in the turns and what that’s going to do to the handling of the car. You start thinking about what the tracks done in the past and how that has affected you.”

“Once we’re in race trim and practicing on Saturday, Bobby and I might start looking at the track’s surface and try to predict what we think it’s going to do during the Busch race,” added crew chief Michael McSwain. “We’ll watch the Busch race closely to see what changes the track is going through. My job is to make the car is as adjustable as possible on Sunday and to keep Bobby comfortable. If I can do that, then he can go out and drive the car harder. That’s what it’s all about.”

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