LABONTE HOPING TO ‘DELIVER’ THIRD ALL-STAR WIN:
Terry Labonte will drive a No. 44 Pizza Hut Chevrolet in the NASCAR NEXTEL All-Star Challenge on Saturday night at Lowe’s Motor Speedway, marking his fourth appearance of 2005. The veteran has won the event on two occasions, in 1988 and 1999.
‘TEXAS TERRY’ MAKING 20TH ALL-STAR START:
With the exception of the 1991 event, Labonte has participated in every all-star race since its inaugural running at Lowe’s Motor Speedway in 1985. Saturday night will mark his 20th appearance in the winner’s-only affair.
HENDRICK IN THE ALL-STAR:
Rick Hendrick, who founded Hendrick Motorsports in 1984 as “All-Star Racing,” has five NASCAR NEXTEL All-Star Challenge wins -- more than any car owner. He has earned those victories with three different drivers: Jeff Gordon (1995, 1997, 2001), Terry Labonte (1999) and Jimmie Johnson (2003).
TERRY LABONTE, DRIVER OF THE NO. 44 PIZZA HUT CHEVROLETS:
(ON THE ALL-STAR RACE.) “The all-star race has always been one of my favorite events because you’re competing against the cream of the crop -- drivers that have all won -- and everyone’s gunning for first place. When you win that race, you’ve beaten the best teams, so you know you’ve accomplished something special. I’ve been lucky enough to win it a couple times and come close another couple of times. It’s one of the races I look forward to every year.”
LABONTE:
(THIS WILL BE YOUR 20TH START IN THE ALL-STAR RACE. HOW MUCH HAS THE EVENT CHANGED? “Wow, I didn’t realize it was that many [LAUGHS]. I can remember the first one when Darrell Waltrip was first, Harry Gant second and I was third. You use a little bit more strategy today than you used to. Humpy (Wheeler) seems to tweak the format every year, just to keep things interesting. With the pit crews involved, it really gets the whole team into it. Not only do you need a great car, it takes a lot of strategy, too.”
LABONTE:
(YOU TESTED AT LOWE’S MOTOR SPEEDWAY. HOW DO YOU FEEL ABOUT YOUR CHANCES IN THE ALL-STAR RACE?) “We tested one night and it went really well. The car was pretty good and we learned a lot about what we need to work on when we go back. I feel great about it going in.”
LABONTE:
(YOU’RE ONE OF THREE DRIVERS TO WIN AN ALL-STAR RACE FOR RICK HENDRICK. WHAT DOES THAT SAY ABOUT HENDRICK MOTORSPORTS?) “Lowe’s Motor Speedway has always been a place where teams in our sport put in a lot of extra effort. I think Hendrick Motorsports certainly puts emphasis on it, with the track being right around the corner from the facility. That’s quite an accomplishment to be able to win five of those all-star events. It’s a hard one to win because everyone gets so geared up for it.”
LABONTE:
(YOU HAVE TWO TEAMMATES IN THE NEXTEL OPEN. HOW DO YOU LIKE THEIR CHANCES?) “A lot of times you can see a guy come out of the Open race and really do well in the all-star event. It’s almost an advantage because he’s been out there and been able to adjust the car a little bit. Kyle and Brian really run good at Lowe’s Motor Speedway and they both had good tests. I like their chances of getting in.”
