TERRY LABONTE NOTES & QUOTES
LABONTE ‘DELIVERING’ 50TH POCONO START:
Driving a No. 44 Pizza Hut Chevrolet, Terry Labonte will make his 50th career start at Pocono Raceway on Sunday. The race will mark the two-time champion’s sixth NASCAR NEXTEL Cup Series appearance of 2005.
PERFECT 10:
Rick Hendrick leads all car owners with 10 Cup Series wins at Pocono Raceway. Hendrick Motorsports has sent five different drivers to Victory Lane there: Tim Richmond (3), Jeff Gordon (3), Jimmie Johnson (2), Geoffrey Bodine (1) and Terry Labonte (1). Roger Penske is second all-time with five first-place finishes at the 2.5-mile venue.
LABONTE SHOWS POCONO PROWESS:
Labonte has finished no worse than ninth in his last five starts at Pocono Raceway, where he has two victories, two pole positions and 21 top-10 performances in 49 career races.
WINNING FROM THE BACK:
Labonte won the June 1995 event at Pocono Raceway from the 27th position on the qualifying grid. That is the furthest back a race winner has started in the track’s 31-year history.
TIM RICHMOND IN ’87:
The legendary Tim Richmond won the final two races of his career in 1987, the first coming at Pocono Raceway on June 14. He went to Victory Lane again one week later at the now-defunct Riverside (Calif.) International Raceway. The triumphs marked the first two of Richmond’s eight Cup Series starts for Hendrick Motorsports that season. He won nine of his 37 races -- including three at Pocono -- in 1986 and 1987 combined.
TERRY LABONTE, DRIVER OF THE NO. 44 PIZZA HUT CHEVROLETS:
(ON THE PERFORMANCE OF THE NOS. 5 AND 25 TEAMS THIS SEASON.) “Everyone saw the success of the 24 and 48 working together (in the same shop). When Rick (Hendrick) made the commitment to build that new facility to bring the 5, 25 and 44 together, he also brought Brian Whitesell (team manager) over. Brian is one of the smartest guys in the garage area and he’s on top of it. You can see the progress. All five Hendrick cars led the race at Charlotte (on May 29). He’s helped bring the 5 and 25 up to par quickly with his input and knowledge.”
LABONTE:
(WILL WE SEE THE 5, 25 OR 44 IN VICTORY LANE SOON?) “Oh, I think there’s no doubt. The cars have already run well, but with Lance (McGrew), Alan (Gustafson), Peter (Sospenzo) and Brian (Whitesell), it’s just going to get better with more experience working together. Everything’s somewhat new, so it’s pretty amazing the teams are running well with not much time as a unit. That’s a real positive.”
LABONTE:
(ON TEAMMATE KYLE BUSCH.) “I think he’s done just a great job. I’ve watched Kyle compete for a few years and he’s a very clean driver. He’s done a super job running well at some tough race tracks and uses his head a lot. I think that’s what’s impressed me the most. He hasn’t really gotten himself in trouble (on the race track), which is kind of unusual for a lot of the younger guys. He’s doing a good job adapting to the Cup Series and the way he and Alan (Gustafson) have worked together has been neat to watch. It’s all about chemistry. Alan is a great leader for that team and he’s really gotten those cars where they need to be.”
LABONTE:
(WHAT IS IT ABOUT POCONO THAT YOU LIKE?) “Over the years, I’ve had some really good runs at Pocono. I’ve won twice and come close another few times. It’s a different animal. All three corners are unique and it certainly doesn’t remind me of anywhere else that we run. It’s a fun place to race, but a tough place to get your car set up right. A team can be great in one corner, but not too good in the others, which makes for a long day. You have to be pretty decent in all three corners.”
LABONTE:
(WHY DID YOU PICK POCONO AS ONE OF YOUR 10 RACES THIS YEAR?) “I tried to pick places where we’ve run well in the past. The last several trips to Pocono have been pretty successful, so that’s why I really wanted to go back. I’ve just got a lot of confidence there and it’s a fun place to race.”
LABONTE:
(ON STARTING 27TH AND WINNING THE RACE AT POCONO IN 1995.) “I did it twice [LAUGHS]. I had the record and then set it again. I started 23rd in 1989 and won, then moved it back to 27th in ’95 and won again. Pocono is a place where you can pass people if your car is working right. A great thing about the track is you can actually catch somebody and get by them, unlike some of the other tracks we run. It has great places to pass.”
LABONTE:
(ON NASCAR’S TRANSMISSION RULE.) “I’m not a big fan of the rule. I don’t know what to expect (at Pocono), but I think if somebody really gets it right with the engine combination, they’ll be able to wear you out. It will probably close the field up a little and make it more difficult to pass.”
