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Tag: Bobby Labonte

  • Surprising and Not Surprising: Auto Club 400

    Surprising and Not Surprising: Auto Club 400

    [media-credit name=”Simon Scoggins” align=”alignright” width=”225″][/media-credit]While sunny during pre-race activities, weather came in and played a prominent role at the Auto Club Speedway in Fontana, California. Here is what was surprising and not surprising in the 16th annual, but first ever rain-shortened, running of the Auto Club 400.

    Surprising:  While the race was caution free until the predicted rain appeared, the most surprising issue, other than weather, affecting the racing was that of problems on pit road. Even with the shortened number of laps run, there were five pit road speeding penalties, including Regan Smith, Joey Logano, Bobby Labonte, Brad Keselowski, and J.J. Yeley.

    Other penalties were doled out to Jamie McMurray, driver of the No. 1 Bass Pro Shop/Allstate Chevrolet for a lug nut violation and Matt Kenseth, behind the wheel of the No. 17 Ford EcoBoost Ford, who had to go to the tail end due to a team member not being in contact with the outside tires.

    The most costly errors on pit road, however, occurred for four-time champion Jeff Gordon and his No. 24 Drive to End Hunger Chevrolet crew. Gordon had two penalties; one on lap 107 for removing equipment, including the gas can man himself, from the pit stall and the second one on lap 126 for a tire rolling beyond the center of pit road.

    “It was just not our day on pit road,” Gordon said simply.

    Not Surprising: It was not surprising that the reigning champ proved that age 40 is just about the perfect time to peak in NASCAR racing.

    Tony Stewart, behind the wheel of the No. 14 Office Depot/Mobil 1 Chevrolet, scored his 46th victory, tying Buck Baker for 14th on the all-time Cup Series win list.

    This was Smoke’s second victory in the first five races of the 2012 season. This was his second victory and 12th top-10 finish in 21 races at Auto Club Speedway.

    “I mean you hate to have them end with rain like that,” Stewart said. “But I’ve lost some that way. The good thing is we didn’t back into the lead because we stayed out, the leaders came in.”

    “I mean, we were leading the thing and had earned that spot,” Stewart continued. “I’m proud of that.”

    Surprising:  Usually somewhat morose after a race, Dale Earnhardt, Jr. surprisingly deemed himself “pretty happy.” The driver of the No. 88 Diet Mountain Dew/National Guard Chevrolet finished third in the race and moved up to third in the point standings as well.

    This was Junior’s fifth top-10 finish in 20 races at Auto Club Speedway.

    “We had a really good car,” Dale Junior said. “I was really happy about that.”

    “We drove the car up to fifth before the weather came,” Junior continued. “We made the right choice by staying out and building ourselves into the top three.”

    Not Surprising:  On a day when the driver of the No. 18 Interstate Batteries Toyota led laps, clipped the wall, and then had to work his way back up front, it was not surprising to see Kyle Busch score the runner up spot.

    This was Busch’s 10th top-10 finish in 15 races at the Fontana track. It was also his second top-10 finish in the 2012 season.

    ‘I wish we would have been able to race the whole thing on one hand, but on the other hand I’m kind of glad we’re not because we kind of had a little bit of damage that slowed us down there,” Busch said. “All in all, it was a really good day.”

    Surprising:  It was a bit surprising that the driver who not only finished sixth in the race, but kept the points lead too, just was not all that pleased at the end of the race festivities.

    “I like this track but the last few times here, we’ve been off just a tick,” Greg Biffle, driver of the No. 16 3M Ford, said. “Today, I didn’t keep up with the track.”

    “I was a little bit too tight.”

    Not Surprising:   As so often happens, it was not surprising that the pole sitter did not win the race. In this case, pole sitter Denny Hamlin was well positioned to do so, however, pitted prior to the rain, which relegated him to an 11th place finish.

    “We were planning on the race going back to green,” the driver of the No. 11 FedEx Express Toyota said. “We had finally gotten to Stewart’s bumper when the rain came.”

    Surprising:  Granted, the race was rain-shortened, however, it was still surprising to see Kurt Busch in his new No. 51 Phoenix Construction Chevrolet score a top-10 finish, the best of the season for both the driver and his team.

    “This just goes to show what results when you are smart all day,” Busch said. “The car’s going back onto the trailer without a scratch on it.”

    “That’s a first for us this year.”

    Not Surprising:  Martin Truex, Jr., to no one’s surprise, continued flying the flag for Michael Waltrip Racing with another good run. The driver of the No. 56 NAPA Auto Parts Toyota finished eighth and is now sixth in the point standings.

    “Overall, it was a decent day,” Truex, Jr. said. “This place was really tough on us last year.”

    “It’s nice to come in here and have a decent run – something we can build on.”

    Surprising:  It was a bit surprising that the driver known as ‘The Closer’ did not seal the deal at the Auto Club Speedway. The driver of the No. 29 Jimmie John’s Gourmet Sandwiches Chevrolet finished fourth and is just seven points behind the points leader in the standings.

    “All in all, the guys on the Jimmy John’s Chevrolet did a pretty good job,” Harvick said. “We will just keep working away.”

    Not Surprising:  Jimmie Johnson, not surprisingly, seems to be well on his way to living up to his Twitter moniker of ‘Six Pack.’ After a successful appeal that restored his points and kept his crew and car chiefs intact, Johnson survived an oil leak to finish top-10 in the No. 48 Lowe’s/Jimmie Johnson Foundation Chevrolet.

    “Something happened and we developed an oil leak,” Chad Knaus, Johnson’s crew chief, said. “But the Jimmie Johnson Foundation Chevy ran well today.”

    “We were really happy with the performance.”

     

  • Getting to Know NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Driver Bobby Labonte

    Getting to Know NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Driver Bobby Labonte

    HARRISBURG, N.C. (February 2, 2012) – – Sure he’s won 21 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series races and not to mention the 2000 championship, but who is Bobby Labonte?

    From a brand perspective, we do know he drinks Coca-Cola, drives a Toyota Tundra, races a Toyota Camry, uses Kingsford Charcoal to cook his BUBBA burger with Bush’s Baked Beans on the side, uses SCOTT paper towels, cleans up with Clorox cleaning products, has a REESE Towpower hitch and Highland SportWing bike rack, but what else?

    For starters, he’s a family man. He married the love of his life Donna on March 29, 1991. Together they have a daughter named Madison who is 14 years old. Occasionally, Madison follows her dad around the circuit, but during the off season the shoe was on the other foot. Labonte was traveling to see her compete in volleyball tournaments. The Labontes also have a son. Tyler is 17 years old and towers over his father. His interests are politics and he’s in the process of obtaining his pilot’s license while determining which college he will attend.

    “Family is super important to me,” Labonte said. “I make sure I do the best job I can and at the same time wish I can do better. It’s not easy with the travel schedules, but it’s something you have to work really hard at doing. We make sure we take 45 minutes at the table for dinner and we get caught up during that time. Right now, Madison is busy with her volleyball games and Tyler has his political views that are a hot topic we talk about a lot. Tyler’s also interested in getting his pilot’s license and he has already soloed. We also talk about colleges he is interested in at the moment.

    “Donna and I try to spend as much time with the kids as possible,” Labonte continued. “Each night, we have a ping pong tournament at the house right now and the four of us have been to the racquet ball court in Thomasville, N.C. Also, Tyler and I fly remote control planes, race remote control cars and work out together in our gym at home some. It’s a hard balance and sometimes it’s hard for all of us to sit down and have a family dinner.”

    Labonte is also an avid cyclist and a philanthropist. Each year Labonte holds an event called Share the Road Memorial Ride and this time it will take place on May 20th. It came from members of the local cycling community who had a desire to honor and remember area cyclists who lost their lives while riding. The idea is to pay tribute to their lives by making the community a better place to live by helping provide housing to those in need and promoting cycling safety for adults and children. Last year, they started the ride at Bobby Labonte Enterprises in Archdale, N.C. They held two rides through Randolph County. One 30 mile ride and a 50 mile ride. Hundreds showed up and they expect more this year.

    “My brother-in-laws introduced me to the sport,” Labonte said. “I watched it on television and then started riding bikes. I enjoyed the challenge, the enjoyment of the road, the enjoyment of seeing things and going to different places and it’s a neat activity that is good for exercise. It’s fun and clears your heart and soul at times if need be.

    “We held a memorial ride last year for David Sherman that also benefited the Bikes Belong Foundation and Habitat for Humanity of High Point, Archdale and Trinity (N.C.),” Labonte continued. “This year we are stepping up the program in our community. It was nice to meet everyone that participated last year and I enjoy being a part of that culture.”

    Heavily involved in the community, Labonte formed The Bobby Labonte Foundation in 2003, which is responsible for the ride. His foundation is dedicated to providing aid for a variety of charities throughout North Carolina. In addition, Bobby has a great love for children and focuses on philanthropies that cater to children with special needs. Another event the foundation will host this year is a Celebrity Golf Classic benefiting Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation (JDRF) at TPC Piper Glen in Charlotte, N.C. on May 8. The Celebrity Golf Classic benefits the Charlotte Chapter of the JDRF.

    “We formed the Bobby Labonte Foundation because my family wanted to help people in the community,” Labonte said. “If we can make any impact at all, that’s what is really important to my family.”

    Another interesting fact about Labonte is that he is an owner of a yogurt and smoothie business operation. Labonte recently opened a Red Mango in High Point, N.C. Red Mango boasts the best smoothies and frozen yogurt in town. There are over 150 locations nationwide with the first being opened over five years ago. Labonte loved Red Mango so much that he decided to open one in his community and he’s a regular.

    “I have a passion for trying to eat healthy and be healthy and I had a passion for the Red Mango brand,” Labonte said. “There was a local Greensboro business man, Steve Mosh, that owned a Red Mango and I was a frequent customer. Fortunately, I was able to meet Steve and we became partners on a store in High Point together. First and foremost, I was a fan of the product and then figured out how to be involved in it. I’m looking at opening another location in the future.”

    Labonte also owns his own Late Model team called Bobby Labonte Racing (BLR). His driver hails from Jacksonville, Fla. Earl Pearson Jr. (aka Hurricane) has driven to five national dirt late model championships and three of them occurred with Bobby Labonte Racing in 2007, 2008 and 2009. Pearson returns to BLR for another season.

    “I always wanted to give back to grassroots racing because it’s where we all came from,” Labonte said. “It’s been good having the team. Earl and the guys have won a lot of races, a few championships and we’ve been able to have a fun time with the team. We had an off year last year, but we reorganized and got back to basics. We were building our own chassis and got off base. We’re looking forward to a better season.”

    If owning a yogurt business and a Late Model team was not enough, Labonte has a marketing agency he is very passionate about called Breaking Limits. Founded in 2007, Breaking Limits is a sports and entertainment marketing agency that works with top brands to build and implement exceptional sponsorship programs with a focus on reaching defined business objectives. Breaking Limits is a full-service entity with a focus on communications, consulting and events.

    “I had an inkling to start a marketing agency and it’s something I want to do for years to come,” Labonte said. “I see firsthand what we do for sponsors and the work that goes into public relations and marketing to make the program successful. We have a good group of people formed that make it happen. I’m a very small percentage of it. As time goes on, I plan to be a bigger part of it. It’s a natural fit for me and having an agency was going to come about at some point in time anyway. So, I figured I’d do it now and let it grow and have a strong business as years go on.”

    When Labonte has downtime, he travels the country for hunting. One of his most recent hunts took him to Douglas, Wyoming at Wagonhound Outfitters that offers elite, trophy outfitted hunts for elk and more in the heart of the Laramie Mountain range.

    “At the end of last season, we went to Douglas, Wyoming to hunt for elk,” Labonte said. “I got one and it was awesome to be able to do that from 610 yards. We went twice this past year and look forward to going back. Bill Jordan has been gracious to let me be on his show during some of these hunts. It’s always a great time.

    “Then right before Christmas, Chris Williams, my son Tyler and I went up to Virginia and did some pheasant hunting,” Labonte said. “It was nice to get away and do that for a few days with Tyler.”

    Out of the woods, Labonte is a techy. He follows the latest trends with social media and has the latest gadgets to stay connected. He even has his own application and is a huge fan of Mac, iPhone and iPad.

    “I literally just left the Apple store after spending three hours in the place,” Labonte said. “That might sum it up right there. I’ve always been a gadget guy and tech person. The Apple product is a great product and so many people use it. For me, it’s easy to use, so vibrant, colorful and just endless on what you can do. I’ve always been on the cutting edge of something new it seems like.”

    To unwind, Labonte normally puts on his flip flops and finds his way to the nearest beach. However, Labonte’s next beach trip will entail a lot of work as he enters Daytona Beach, Fla. for Speedweeks. Labonte was in the hunt last season down to the final lap of the Daytona 500 in his No. 47 Kroger Toyota Camry and ended up with a fourth-place finish. He hopes this year, he’s in position to snatch the coveted Harley J. Earl trophy.

    “It’s our Super Bowl, it’s the race everyone wants to win,” Labonte said. “We were in the hunt last year and would like to be in a similar position this year to have a shot at winning. It’s the one trophy that’s missing that I would like more than anything to have and man, were we close last year.”

  • David Gilliland Shares Racing Pride with Son Todd on Race Finale Weekend

    David Gilliland Shares Racing Pride with Son Todd on Race Finale Weekend

    David Gilliland not only finished up the 2011 NASCAR season at Homestead-Miami Speedway behind the wheel of the No. 34 Front Row Motorsports Ford, but he also played the part of proud dad, watching son Todd do some racing of his own, all for charity.

    [media-credit name=”Photo Credit: Breaking Limits LLC” align=”alignright” width=”215″][/media-credit]During the Ford Championship weekend, the younger ‘Gilly’ competed in ‘NASCAR Unleashed’, a newly released racing video game. The ‘race’ competition was held at the Speedway with each NASCAR kid choosing a charity for which to donate the winnings.

    “I did good,” Todd Gilliland said. “I finished second out of the NASCAR kids. There was one kid that was a wild card and he went all the way to the finals but then he lost. I finished third over all.”

    Each NASCAR kid also had to choose a charity for which to compete. Gilliland chose the Sherrills Ford Optimist Park, a recreation center in the family’s hometown that suffered fire damage to their concession stand.

    “I chose it because I played soccer there and I might play baseball there,” Todd Gilliland said. “Their concession stand burned down so I thought it might help rebuild it.”

    “I got $5,000 for them.”

    “I’m very proud of him,” David Gilliland said of his 11 year old son. “He picked the park for his charity.”

    “We just moved into the neighborhood and their concession stand burned down,” Gilliland continued. “He chose that charity all on his own and I’m very proud of him.”

    Although the youngster enjoyed playing the new X-Box game, ‘NASCAR Unleashed’, Todd Gilliland is a racer in his own right, hoping to follow in his dad’s footsteps. Although the youngster chose to wear a fire suit sporting his dad’s number, he deserted his dad for Carl Edwards’ No. 99 car to race in the video game.

    “I hope I will race like my dad,” Todd Gilliland said. “I race quarter midgets at Bobby Labonte’s track.”

    Dad Gilliland is also extremely proud of his son’s desire to follow in his racing footsteps.

    “He wants to race and we do as much as we can,” Gilliland said. “We’re trying to think of the next step to take. He’s a good little racer.”

    Unfortunately, Gilliland does not feel quite so positively about his own season behind the wheel in the Cup Series. In fact, he would give himself the grade of a ‘C’ for his 2011 performance.

    “Our main focus is to get better each week,” Gilliland said. “We started off that way and made progress but we kind of lost it along the way.”

    “We are a less funded team and we don’t have the resources like the other teams we race against,” Gilliland continued. “If we blow an engine or wreck, we just dig a hole deeper and deeper. So, we’ll use the offseason to rebuild and make progress to get more competitive.”

    While Gilliland is looking forward to improving for 2012, he is not totally sure that he will be back behind the wheel of the No. 34 again next year. As with so many teams in the sport, Gilliland’s team is also one of those struggling with sponsorship.

    “I’m not 100% sure about next year,” Gilliland said. “We’re hoping to be back and hoping we can get that worked out.”

    “We’ll know shortly,” Gilliland continued. “We definitely need sponsorship but everybody does right now.”

    “It’s been a difficult time for NASCAR but we’re going to work through it.”

    Now that the season is completed, Dad Gilliland, son Todd and the rest of the family are most looking forward to some down time, celebrating the holidays and recharging their batteries.

    “We’re going to go to California,” Todd Gilliland said. “And we will go to the desert and go to the sand dunes.”

    “I’m looking forward to some time off,” Dad Gilliland said. “We have some fun things planned with the family.”

    “I’m excited for the off season,” Gilliland said. “I’m as ready as I’ve ever been for it.”

    “But most of all, I’m very proud of my son and all he’s been able to do,” Gilliland said. “Both my kids are on honor roll and do well in school.”

    “I’m just a proud dad to have such a great family.”

     

  • Underdogs of the Good Sam Club 500

    Underdogs of the Good Sam Club 500

    The Red Bull Racing team of Brian Vickers and Kasey Kahne need to be recognized for their effort on Sunday at Talladega Superspeedway. Kahne started 26th, Vickers 30th, and used the two-car tandem to push their way into the top-five within 10 laps. They had troubles with the two-car tandem on Lap 159, when Kahne spun across the nose of Vickers race car to bring out the caution.

    [media-credit name=”Jared C. Tilton/Getty Images” align=”alignright” width=”225″][/media-credit]However, with 50 laps to go, the pair had already hooked back up and was heading to the front. Unfortunately they just couldn’t catch the RCR duo of Clint Bowyer and RCR, but still came home with fifth (Vickers) and sixth (Kahne) place finishes.

    Red Bull will be leaving the team at season’s end, with no word yet on if the team will continue on. Kahne will be taking his business over to Hendrick Motorsports where he will drive the No. 5 Farmers Insurance Chevrolet. Vickers has yet to announce what his plans are for the 2012 season.

    Dave Blaney’s third place finish at Talladega became Tommy Baldwin’s Racing’s best finish yet at the Cup level. This isn’t the first time Blaney has run well at restrictor plate tracks. He also was a front-runner in the Daytona 500 and the spring race at Talladega this year, but didn’t get the finishes he deserved. This is a big step for a small organization, with a short history in the sport. Team owner Tommy Baldwin hopes this is just the beginning for improvement in preparation of the 2012 season.

    Underdogs Landon Cassill and Casey Mears had strong race cars at Talladega and were front-runners all race long. Before the first lap of the race was even complete, Mear’s No. 13 GEICO Camry had moved from its 42nd starting position into 26th. On Lap 3, Mears paired up with Cassill, who qualified 38th, to race to the front. They spent most of the race in the Top 10 and eyed the lead on multiple occasions.  This continued until Lap 174 when Cassill was collected in a turn two crash involving Bobby Labonte and Kurt Busch. This separated the pair and forced Mears to find another dancing partner.  They eventually found each other at the end of the race to finish in 16th (Cassill) and 17th (Mears)position.

  • Surprising and Not Surprising: Richmond’s Crown Royal 400

    Surprising and Not Surprising: Richmond’s Crown Royal 400

    After the sounds of the US Marine Drum and Bugle Corps playing the National Anthem and the command to start engines by surviving war hero and race namesake Staff Sergeant Matthew Hansen faded, Saturday night racing was officially underway at Richmond International Raceway.

    Here is what was surprising and not surprising from the Crown Royal Presents the Matthew and Daniel Hansen 400.

    Surprising:  It was surprising to see just how quickly the pole sitter Juan Pablo Montoya, in his No. 42 Target Chevrolet, fell from his prime starting position into a world of trouble with Ryan Newman, piloting the No. 39 US Army Medicine Chevrolet.

    After some tussling back and forth for position, Newman had had enough with the ever assertive Montoya, sending JPM into the wall on Lap 106. Montoya returned to the track and on Lap 236 took his revenge. [media-credit id=5 align=”alignright” width=”258″][/media-credit]

    After being spun out by Montoya, Newman was definitely hot under the collar. “I can’t believe they’re not going to black flag that 42 car,” Newman said. “I’m going to take care of this after the race.”

    Newman did indeed head straight for the NASCAR hauler after the race to share his concerns and see what the sanctioning body had to say about the incident. Montoya, on the other hand, waved off the media, jumped on his golf cart and headed back to the motor coach lot without comment.

    Newman declared he just wanted the situation to be handled fairly by the sanctioning body.

    “I know that he (Montoya) ran up on me of (Turn) 2 there and I clipped him. I mean I’m not going to try to dump myself into the wall,” Newman said. “But to retaliate the way he did just didn’t show much class.”

    Not Surprising:  Since the track was Richmond, it was not surprising to see the Joe Gibbs Racing team at the front of the pack when the checkered flag flew. While Denny Hamlin had dominated the weekend, winning his own charity race as well as the Nationwide event, it was JGR teammate Kyle Busch, in his award winning M&Ms Pretzel Toyota, that led 235 laps including the final 84, to claim the victory.

    “This race tonight was a good one,” Busch said. “We knew if we could go through traffic, we could win.”

    “We just really got beat by our teammate,” Hamlin said. “He drove a great race. Our cars were dead equal. We just got beat.”

    Surprising: There were definitely some surprising names in the top ten finishers when the checkered flag flew at RIR. Both Red Bull drivers, Kasey Kahne, driver of the No. 4 Red Bull Toyota, and his teammate Brian Vickers, behind the wheel of the No. 83 Red Bull Toyota, had good nights.

    Kahne, still smarting from his recent knee surgery, finished third and Vickers posted a tenth place finish.

    Another driver David Ragan, piloting his No. 6 UPS “We Love Logistics” Ford for Roush- Fenway Racing, had a strong car especially at the end of the race, finishing fourth.

    “It was a fun night,” Ragan said. “This is my favorite track to come to. Back in 2007, we finished third here and I have really liked the place since.”

    The final driver not usually in the top ten but with a great run at Richmond was AJ Allmendinger. With new sponsor Nautica on his No. 43 Ford Fusion, the ‘Dinger brought his car home in the seventh spot.

    “Sometimes in these races, you have to get a little lucky,” Allmendinger said. “We have been on the bad end before with good cars so I will take luck over skill any day.”

    Not Surprising:  Although mightily struggling for much of the race, five-time champion Jimmie Johnson found his inner rally and finished eighth.

    “We had a good finish out of it but it was a long, long night,” Johnson said. “We got the car semi-competitive and then finally got some strategy, got back on the lead lap and we went from there. So, frustrating night but a good points night.”

    Surprising: Johnson’s Hendrick Motorsports teammate, Jeff Gordon had a surprisingly bad night. Gordon yet again found a non-safer barrier wall and wrecked into it driver’s side first.

    The crash on Lap 301 also collected Paul Menard, Mark Martin, David Reutimann, Bobby Labonte, Jamie McMurray and Matt Kenseth.

    “It knocked the wind out of me,” Gordon said after his visit to the infield care center. “I seem to find the worst angles of walls.”

    “What a shame,” Gordon continued. “The Dupont Chevrolet was so strong. With 100 laps to go everyone was losing their patience including me. I just wish they had a safer barrier there.”

    Not Surprising: Unfortunately, it was not surprising that Team Penske continued their struggles. Kurt Busch, in the No. 22 Shell/Pennzoil Dodge, had all kinds of trouble, from the initial wreck involving Montoya, continuing throughout the race. Teammate Brad Keselowski, in the Blue Deuce, was also involved in several crashes. Busch finished 22nd and Keselowski finished 36th.

    Surprising:  After returning to the lead lap via the ‘lucky dog’ process, Dave Blaney, with his newly committed sponsor Golden Corral on his No. 36 race car, managed to move forward at the end of the race to finish 13th, his season’s best. Blaney, racing not start and parking for Tommy Baldwin Racing, has now locked himself into the top 35, firmly ensconced in 32nd in the point standings.

    Not Surprising: Carl Edwards had another strong run, posting a fifth place finish in his No. 99 Scotts EZ Seed Ford. He also maintained the top spot in the point standings, nine points over second place Jimmie Johnson and thirty points ahead of race winner Kyle Busch in third.

    “That was a lot of work,” Edwards said. “I think that feeling of fifth here tonight will be replaced with the points lead feeling in a little bit and that will feel better.”

  • AJ Allmendinger, Bobby Labonte and David Gilliland Part Of Unusual Top Ten

    While it is most certainly early in the NASCAR season, with just two races under their collective belts, a few unusual names are present in the top ten in points.

    With Kyle Busch, his brother Kurt Busch and Tony Stewart forming the familiar trio at the top, AJ Allmendinger, driver of the No. 43 for Richard Petty Motorsports, sits in the fourth position in points.  Other relatively unfamiliar drivers, at least in the top ten standings, are Bobby Labonte who currently sits in the seventh spot, and David Gilliland, who rounds out the top ten.

    [media-credit id=41 align=”alignright” width=”300″][/media-credit]Of all the drivers new to the top ten, AJ Allmendinger seemed most surprised about being so high in the points this season. When Kerry Tharp of NASCAR introduced Allmendinger as fourth in the point standings, Allmendinger quickly asked “I am?”

    “I vote we just start the Chase right now,” Allmendinger said. “Right now. Starting now. Starting here.”

    Allmendinger was visibly excited to be so high in the points. But he also recognized that there is a great deal of racing left to do before he can truly celebrate.

    “It is still really early, just two races in,” Allmendinger noted. “But I feel like between Daytona and Phoenix we have had a good race car.”

    “We got through all the wrecks and have been a little bit lucky there,”Allmendinger continued. “This is definitely a lot better start than where we were last year at this point, but it is only two races in. We have to stay calm about that and can’t get too excited.”

    “I am happy with where our race team has started and if we can stay focused on getting through this weekend, which is a big one for us because we have really struggled here in Vegas,” Allmendinger said. “If we can get through this weekend we will have something to really build on.”

    Another surprising driver in the top ten is Bobby Labonte. While Labonte is a familiar name in the sport, he most certainly is another driver who is finding himself in unfamiliar territory in the point standings.

    Labonte, piloting the No. 47 for JTG Daugherty Racing, currently is in the seventh position in points and is quietly celebrating that feat.

    “Well a lot of hard work by the boys at the shop and we have had a good start to the season,” Labonte said. “It always builds confidence when you run good, have good finishes and get a good start to the season.”

    “I hope we can continue that,” Labonte continued. “I just know that watching the hard work that everyone puts into it and all the resources we have to work with, we are not leaving many stones unturned. It gives me confidence when you get to the race track that you should have all the stuff to put together when you get here.”

    Labonte noted that his good start to the season has already paid dividends when it comes to sponsorship and other support.

    “When you have a couple good weeks and things are starting off good, it helps out,” Labonte said. “Obviously when you get your name out there and your sponsor’s name out there, it definitely helps out.  All of our sponsors are happy about that.”

    “I think we are doing a lot of the right things and hopefully we can just continue that.”

    Another fairly unfamiliar name in the top ten in standings is David Gilliland, driver of the No. 38 for Front Row Motorsports.

    “Yeah, it is so far so good this year,” Gilliland said of his season beginning. “Front Row Motorsports is definitely off to a better start than last year.  I am really excited with everything we have accomplished so far.”

    Because of his performance to date, Gilliland has also been able to capitalize with additional sponsorship on the race car.

    “We have TM1 back as an associate sponsor for the second week and they are going to be a co-primary in two weeks at Bristol,” Gilliland announced. “We are excited to have those guys on board. They are one of the fastest growing companies in the heartland and they do a great job and we are happy to have them on board.”

    Gilliland is very much looking forward to the upcoming race at Las Vegas Motor Speedway.

    “I feel real good about this weekend,” Gilliland said. “Before we went to Daytona, this was the race that I was really looking forward to as far as our cars and motors and everything else. I feel like this can be a really good weekend for us.”

    While Allmendinger, Labonte and Gilliland may be relative strangers to the top of the heap in the points, they will have their work cut out for them to stay there. In the first practice for the Kobalt Tools 400 at Las Vegas Motor Speedway, Allmendinger finished 16th, Labonte practiced 26th and Gilliland was in 42nd.

  • Fairy Tales Do Come True, Just Ask Trevor Bayne, Daytona 500 Winner

    Fairy Tales Do Come True, Just Ask Trevor Bayne, Daytona 500 Winner

    For Trevor Bayne, fresh off his 20th birthday and in only his second race in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series, dreams really do come true.  Bayne became the youngest winner of “The Great American Race”, the Daytona 500.

    [media-credit name=”David Yeazell” align=”alignright” width=”281″][/media-credit]”I keep thinking I’m dreaming, I really do,” Bayne said in Victory Lane. “We said a prayer before the race and this just shows how powerful God is and the good job these guys did on this race car. This is just incredible.”

    “I drove down here in my F150 and I was planning to drive back, but I think someone else will have to drive it back for me,” Bayne said, acknowledging that he must now do his Daytona 500 duties in New York City as the race winner. “I guess I will have to call someone to get some clothes down here.”

    “This is so crazy,” Bayne continued. “I felt a little undeserving, but I’m just glad that I got to be the guy behind the wheel to get the win.”

    Bayne’s team owners Eddie and Len Wood were beside themselves after the win. It was so emotional that they both, particularly Eddie Wood, had to stop talking several times to get their tears in check.

    “It hasn’t really sunk in yet,” owner Eddie Wood said, with a hitch in his voice. “We’ve struggled just to make the Daytona 500.”

    “It’s unbelievable we are sitting here,” Wood continued. “Trevor Bayne did such a good job. Now he is a Daytona 500 winner.”

    Donnie Wingo, Bayne’s crew chief, was also elated at his driver and team’s success.

    “I couldn’t be happier and the job the kid done today, you couldn’t ask for anything else,” Donnie Wingo, crew chief, said. “At the end, he did what he needed to do.”

    “He just might be the next big deal.”

    The race not only left Trevor Bayne and his car owners and crew chief shaking in disbelief, but many of the other drivers as well. There were a record 74 lead changes, a record 22 different race leaders, and a record 16 cautions in the event.

    “I’ve never run one like that,” veteran Terry Labonte, driver of the No. 32 U.S. Chrome Ford Fusion, said. “It’s a good thing the race wasn’t much longer because we were about done.” Labonte finished the race in the 15th position.

    Just as in the Bud Shootout and the Gatorade Duels, this running of the Daytona 500 necessitated a dance partner, with all cars running in the now familiar duo pack. The tandem racing put even more pressure on the spotters, who were not only having to guide their drivers around the track but strategize on the spotter stand as to who to partner up with next.

    “It was a pretty crazy day overall,” Kyle Busch, driver of the No. 18 M&Ms Toyota, said. “Everything was just all over the place and pretty nuts.”

    Busch had his own set of challenges, spinning early in the race on lap 4 after getting tagged by his pusher, who was at the time Michael Waltrip.  Busch managed to recover and snag a top-ten finish, scoring in the eighth spot.

    Another major factor in the race was engine failure, especially given the hotter ambient temperature at Daytona. Both Kevin Harvick and Richard Childress Racing teammate Jeff Burton lost their engines, an anomaly for sure for ECR engines.

    Harvick denied any forewarning of his engine failure, saying “No, it just let loose.”

    “I just blew water out of the bottom of the thing,” Harvick continued. “I hadn’t done anything different.”

    Burton echoed his teammate’s sentiments about the engine failure.

    “We are asking a lot out of the engines here for sure,” Burton said. “These are tough situations. I thought we were well within our limits but maybe not.”

    It would not be a Daytona 500 without the “big one” and this was delivered at lap 29 of the race.  Fourteen cars were involved, including three of the Hendrick teammates Jeff Gordon, Jimmie Johnson, and Mark Martin, taking them for the most part out of race contention.

    Dale Earnhardt, Jr., in the spotlight due to the commemoration of the tenth anniversary of his father’s death at Daytona, also had a good run, at least until the final laps of the race when a crash took him out of contention. Earnhardt came in 24th, after claiming the pole, wrecking in practice, and starting from the rear of the field.

    “We run good,” Earnhardt, Jr. said. “I had as much fun as I could under the circumstances. It was wild.”

    Carl Edwards took the runner up spot to Bayne’s fairy tale ending.

    “Trevor, he did a good job of blocking the bottom,” Edwards said. “All day we waited and waited, trying not to tear up the race car.”

    “There at the end, it almost worked out perfectly,” Edwards continued. “We didn’t have a chance to be able to mount up a real charge on him.”

    “I think that I can tell you that second place in the Daytona 500 feels way worse than any other position I’ve ever finished in the Daytona 500,” Edwards said. “But that is made better by listening to Trevor and how excited he is. He is really a nice young man, a great guy to represent this sport with this win.”

    David Gilliland, veteran Bobby Labonte, and Kurt Busch rounded out the top five in “The Great American Race.” The rest of the top ten included Juan Pablo Montoya in sixth, Regan Smith in seventh, Kyle Busch in eighth, Paul Menard in ninth, and Mark Martin, who rebounded from the big one to finish tenth.

    Unofficial Race Results

    Daytona 500, Daytona International Speedway

    February 20, 2011 – Race 1 of 36

    Pos. St. No. Driver Make Pts. Bon. Laps Status
    1 31 21 Trevor Bayne Ford 0 0 208 Running
    2 12 99 Carl Edwards Ford 42 0 208 Running
    3 5 34 David Gilliland Ford 41 0 208 Running
    4 6 47 Bobby Labonte Toyota 41 1 208 Running
    5 25 22 Kurt Busch Dodge 40 1 208 Running
    6 4 42 Juan Montoya Chevrolet 39 1 208 Running
    7 27 78 Regan Smith Chevrolet 38 1 208 Running
    8 39 18 Kyle Busch Toyota 37 1 208 Running
    9 1 27 Paul Menard Chevrolet 36 1 208 Running
    10 34 5 Mark Martin Chevrolet 34 0 208 Running
    11 35 43 A.J. Allmendinger Ford 34 1 208 Running
    12 42 9 Bill Elliott Chevrolet 32 0 208 Running
    13 3 14 Tony Stewart Chevrolet 31 0 208 Running
    14 18 6 David Ragan Ford 31 1 208 Running
    15 37 32 Terry Labonte Ford 30 1 208 Running
    16 16 7 Robby Gordon Dodge 29 1 208 Running
    17 15 33 Clint Bowyer Chevrolet 28 1 208 Running
    18 2 1 Jamie McMurray Chevrolet 27 1 208 Running
    19 29 56 Martin Truex Jr. Toyota 26 1 208 Running
    20 36 77 Steve Wallace Toyota 0 0 208 Running
    21 38 11 Denny Hamlin Toyota 24 1 208 Running
    22 20 39 Ryan Newman Chevrolet 24 2 206 Running
    23 11 20 Joey Logano Toyota 21 0 206 Running
    24 13 88 Dale Earnhardt Jr. Chevrolet 21 1 202 Running
    25 17 4 Kasey Kahne Toyota 19 0 199 Running
    26 21 36 Dave Blaney Chevrolet 19 1 198 In Pit
    27 24 48 Jimmie Johnson Chevrolet 17 0 189 Running
    28 23 24 Jeff Gordon Chevrolet 17 1 173 Running
    29 8 2 Brad Keselowski Dodge 16 1 166 Running
    30 10 0 David Reutimann Toyota 14 0 164 Running
    31 30 83 Brian Vickers Toyota 13 0 160 Running
    32 7 38 Travis Kvapil Ford 0 0 153 In Pit
    33 33 71 Andy Lally * Chevrolet 11 0 149 Running
    34 26 17 Matt Kenseth Ford 10 0 133 Running
    35 14 16 Greg Biffle Ford 9 10 126 Running
    36 32 31 Jeff Burton Chevrolet 9 1 92 Out
    37 19 9 Marcos Ambrose Ford 7 0 82 Running
    38 40 37 Robert Richardson Jr. Ford 0 0 45 Running
    39 22 87 Joe Nemechek Toyota 0 0 29 In Pit
    40 9 115 Michael Waltrip Toyota 4 0 28 In Pit
    41 41 192 Brian Keselowski* Dodge 3 0 28 Running
    42 28 29 Kevin Harvick Chevrolet 3 1 22 Out
    43 43 46 J.J. Yeley Chevrolet 1 0 10 Out