'TEXAS TERRY' MAKING '05 DEBUT AT CALIFORNIA:
Terry Labonte will enter his first event of the NASCAR NEXTEL Cup Series season this weekend at California Speedway. The Corpus Christi, Texas, native will compete in nine additional 2005 races as part of his two-year, 20-race "Shifting Gears" tour. The two-time circuit champion has competed in nine Cup Series races at California, including consecutive top-10 starts and finishes in his first three (1997-99). Last season Labonte came in seventh in May and 19th in September.
DUCHARDT Q&A:
Hendrick Motorsports vice president of development Doug Duchardt will be available to the media Friday morning at California Speedway. He will take questions outside the No. 44 NEXTEL Cup transporter beginning at 10:30 a.m. PT.
HENDRICK DREAMIN' OF FIFTH FONTANA WIN:
Car owner Rick Hendrick has claimed four Cup Series victories in nine opportunities at California Speedway. Roger Penske and Jack Roush each have two wins at the two-mile D-shaped oval, while Robert Yates owns one.
THAT CAR LOOKS FAMILIAR:
Labonte will "re-debut" his 1996 championship-winning paint scheme this weekend at California Speedway. Yellow and red with green and white trim, the No. 44 Chevrolet Monte Carlo will feature Kellogg's Corn Flakes and the famous green rooster, "Cornelius."
VICKERS AND LABONTE AT RACEFEST:
Vickers and Labonte are two of the drivers making appearances Thursday evening at the Racefest in Fontana, Calif. Both are scheduled to arrive at 6:30 p.m. PT for autographs.
KELLOGG'S SUPPORTS MARROW PROGRAM:
For every Kellogg product that is purchased/scanned in an Albertson's grocery store in the state of Florida during the month of February, Kellogg Company will donate 10 cents to the Hendrick Marrow Program (up to a maximum of $15,000). Kellogg's pledged to double the contribution following Jeff Gordon's Daytona 500 victory.
BRISTOL ON DECK FOR LABONTE:
Labonte's next Cup Series race will come at the half-mile Bristol Motor Speedway on April 3. Later in the month he will visit his home state with the first of two Texas Motor Speedway starts in 2005.
TERRY LABONTE, DRIVER OF THE NO. 44 KELLOGG'S CHEVROLETS:
(WHY DID YOU DECIDE TO RUN PARTIAL SCHEDULES OVER THE NEXT TWO SEASONS?) "I still enjoy the sport. I still love it. I'm looking forward to going to the races that we've picked. This gives me the opportunity to choose the places that I want to go and not just walk away from the sport. For me, that would be hard. This gives me the chance to ease out of it with kind of a laid-back schedule."
LABONTE:
(ON MAKING THE DECISION TO RUN PART-TIME.) "Getting to the point where I made the decision was the hard part. I wrestled with it. But ever since I made the choice, I've felt great about it. You go to the driver's meeting and these guys in there are younger than your kids (laughs). I'm thinking, 'Man, I've been doing this a long time.' I feel fortunate to have done this for as many years as I have, and I've loved every minute of it. To win a couple championships (1984 and 1996), it's been fantastic."
LABONTE:
(DO YOU THINK THE SPORT WILL MISS YOU?) "There are great drivers that will be the stars of tomorrow. The same thing happened when I was a younger guy. There were guys like Richard Petty, Cale Yarborough, Bobby Allison and David Pearson that retired. The same question came up: 'What's the sport going to be like without those guys?' Eventually there were people who filled the void. It's no different than that."
