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In NASCAR, tenacity inherits a charter spot while success means absolutely nothing

Sometimes you earn by doing, sometimes you earn by succeeding. In NASCAR, perseverance seems to trump performance as it announced the Charter teams heading into 2016 and beyond. It has everything to do with how tenacious a team has been in at least attempting to run, and absolutely nothing to do with their success, be it yesterday, today, or even at some future date.

Thirty-six teams need not worry, at least for the next three years, whether or not they will be racing each week in Cup action after NASCAR granted charters to 19 racing organizations. The agreement, which is slated to run for the next nine seasons, means that the holders of those charters will have no concerns, regardless as to how their seasons have gone or how they qualify. Good news for those seeking some guaranteed stability in their operation, knowing that they can tell sponsors and vendors that they will be running no matter what.

While 36 will be locked in, only four open slots will be available to anyone else. The field will be reduced from 43 to 40 cars, though when you consider that only a couple a dozen of them have any realistic chance of success any given week, the fans have not lost much.

Where they lose is that there are some bad teams that will not be going anywhere or replaced by anyone until at least 2025. The only way to lose a Charter is to finish among the three worst Charter teams for three straight years, and even then that would be at NASCAR’s discretion. If you want a Charter, you either got rewarded with one this week or you have to buy it. No Charters can be earned through racing performance. You can get the loan of one from a team for a single season, and that could happen with that particular Charter only once every five years. In addition, the maximum number of Charters an organization can have is four, the same number of cars they actually can own and operate.

NASCAR came up with the 36 charters after going over the past three seasons to determine which outfits were making the weekly commitment. The Wood Brothers No. 21, driven by Ryan Blaney, did not make the cut as that organization has been running part-time in recent seasons. Performance alone did not cut it, as the Kurt Busch ride, the Stewart-Haas No. 41 and the Joe Gibbs’ No. 19 team of Carl Edwards, also failed to qualify due to their relatively recent formations. Though Clint Bowyer’s entry made it, thanks to a million dollar Charter loan from Premium’s Jay Robinson, Harry Scott’s other car, the No. 46 of Michael Annett did not. With Michael Waltrip Racing going the way of the dodo, its two charters can be purchased from what is left of MWR. It is expected that Busch and Edwards will wind up as the beneficiaries of that.

Eight organizations, which include Petty, Hendrick, Roush, Gibbs, Childress, Penske, Stewart-Haas and Ganassi, have combined for a total of 942 victories. Two other teams, Front Row and Furniture Row, have a win each. That leaves eight, a list that includes such franchise entities as JTG Daugherty, Baldwin, Germain, Go Fas, BK Racing, Circle Sport and Premium Motorsports, all which have yet to taste the champagne. Meanwhile, the owners of cars driven by Kurt Busch and Carl Edwards, who both won twice in 2015, have to buy Charters to be locked in. Wood Brothers, returning to full-time operations after nine seasons, is an outsider. Those 98 wins, 116 poles over 1405 races since 1950 do not mean squat.

If one day all this equates into some sort of equality amongst teams, where today’s weak sisters grow and compete with the big boys, then fine and good. However, if we are left with a band of weak sisters at the expense of those who can demonstrate an ability to succeed, we shall all be the poorer for it.

February 10, 2016
Feel Good Story of 2014 Overshadowed

As the NASCAR touring series rolls into the central part of the United States I can’t help but reflect on last weekend. First, I’m going to discuss NASCAR racing and not opine about incidents that happened away from NASCAR sanctioned tracks. After the race in Watkins Glen AJ Allmendinger said it best, “I said on TV after the race, this NASCAR community, as a whole we’re a family, and when anything like that happens, it’s something that you don’t just kind of erase and you forget about. And all of our thoughts and prayers, and it may not seem like it, or I wish there was more to do, but it goes to the Ward family and what happened. It also goes to Tony because it’s not like he’s sitting there and forgetting about it. It’s a tough scenario.” Just yesterday during NASCAR’s weekly teleconference Brad Keselowski said about the incident, “I think my take on it right now is to just kind of let the dust settle for a little bit and let some cooler heads prevail.”

I could not agree more with Keselowski. My thoughts are with all of the people involved with the incident. NASCAR truly is like family and it’s hurting right now.

Reflecting back on the weekend events at Watkins Glen I can’t help but smile. It’s my home track and once again it delivered some of the best racing action of the season in all three of the races they put on. The K&N Series saw a green-white-checkered finish that saw some incredible passing late in the race and one of the leaders spinning out in the last turn coming to the checkered flag. That spinning car took out the sand barrel barriers at the entrance to pit road at Watkins Glen in spectacular fashion. The Nationwide Series race, although not as exciting as the other two races, saw Marcos Ambrose flex his road course muscle. However, the Penske drivers of Joey Logano and Brad Keselowski flexed their muscles after Ambrose and runner up Kyle Busch spun out in the inner loop less than ten laps into the race. It was exciting to watch them recover and charge to the front.

The Sprint Cup race saw pole-sitter Jeff Gordon lead the field until a bad pit stop had him running in second but closing on Ambrose when he lost power and laps to the field while his crew fixed it. Perennial front runners Kyle Busch and Brad Keselowski also had issues and needed repairs to their cars. This allowed Ambrose and road course power AJ Allmendinger to battle it out for the win and battle they did. They race each other clean and very hard. Doors were banged, cars were moved over and Allmendinger got his first Cup victory and the first victory for JTG-Daugherty Racing.

One thing that should be mentioned is that Watkins Glen is a happening place. The grandstands are packed and so are the campgrounds. There are plenty of activities for all types to do. From playgrounds for the toddlers to concerts in the infield for the adults, there are plenty of things to do at Watkins Glen on a race weekend. The track has gone under continuous improvements over the last few years and the staff and volunteers are top notch, making sure that whether you’re a member of the media or a fan, your needs are addressed. Hats off once again to Michael Printup and his staff for another stellar job!

Victory Lane at the Glen was an experience for all that were in it. There was smiling and laughing like I have not seen at Watkins Glen since Marcos Ambrose and Steve Park got their first Cup victories years ago. A monkey was clearly lifted off the backs of not only the driver, Allmendinger, but his car owners, Jodi and Tad Geschickter and Hall of Fame basketball player Brad Daugherty were simply ecstatic and they should be. Not only were they ecstatic, they were entertaining. Daugherty is a full foot and a half taller than his driver and the bear hug and lifting of Allmendinger in victory lane was unforgettable.

In the media center Daugherty made no bones about it, they’re a small team and they kicked the butts of the big boys. But what I focused on was the feeling of family that was described by everyone involved with that team. It was the same thing that I heard when Ambrose won with their Nationwide team but more importantly what I heard in their old shop that they shared with the Wood Brothers quite a few years ago. Jodi Geschickter said, “We’ve been in the sport for 20 years, and it’s flown by, but you take it a week at a time and you hope and you pray that this is the week and you prepare, but you never really know what’s going to happen. There’s so many variables, and I try to explain that to some of the younger guys in the sport. You always have to be on your game, you always have to be prepared and be in a position to win. This week we were. I can’t be any happier to have won here in Watkins Glen with Scott Products on the car and with AJ Allmendinger and our family up here with us. It’s a wonderful place to win. It’s a real blessing.”

Co-owner Daugherty said about the Geschickters,”I don’t even feel like it’s business. We’re friends. We have a great time. We go racing. Jodi feeds us and makes sure we don’t get too sick and do what we’re supposed to be doing, and Tad hustles his behind, makes sure the lights stay on. We’ve got a true family atmosphere and we’re lucky to have a young man like AJ to have an opportunity to have a driver of his caliber. Our crew chief Brian Burns, unbelievable job this year. He’s coming into his own as a crew chief. He was texting me throughout the race to keep me from having a stroke up because I was questioning his pit strategy and about to lose my mind. He kept assuring me it was going to be okay so I needed the comfort. Great group of people. We’re not the biggest and not the baddest, but we’re the winners today.”

There’s so much more that I could write about that team but I don’t think it’s necessary. On a weekend where there was so much sorrow and pain the feel-good story of the year was buried. The weather, typically an issue at least one day of a race weekend at the Glen was stellar (including a super moon). The track and its staff were on top of their game. The grandstands and campgrounds were packed with fans. The comeback of Allmendinger was complete. Many competitors and big names were in victory lane to congratulate him (Childress and Penske come to mind). Some of the most genuine people in the garage area own the team and frankly, I couldn’t be happier for them, regardless of my objectivity in reporting. Congratulations JTG-Daugherty, you’re making the 2014 Chase!!

August 13, 2014
Labonte’s streak to end, JTG/Daugherty under fire

You have to go all the way back to the last race of the 1992 season to find a race that Bobby Labonte did not compete in. That is a streak of 704 consecutive starts. Labonte did start two races in 1991 driving an Oldsmobile owned by his father, but did not start again until the 1993 Daytona 500 driving the Maxwell House Ford for Bill Davis. This weekend, however, that streak will come to an end.

Since 2011, Labonte has driven for JTG/Daugherty racing. Results have been less than stellar, to say the least. In 88 starts with the team, Labonte has only scored one top-5 finish and two top-10’s.

Recently, team owners Brad Daugherty and Tad Geschickter have decided they need to do something to improve the performance of the team. With five races coming up in the schedule in which the car would be un-sponsored or under-sponsored, the decision was made to take Labonte out of the car in favor of AJ Allmendinger in an effort to get a new perspective and feedback on what the team needs to do to make improvements.

The decision to remove Labonte from the car was not popular with many fans. On Tuesday, Daugherty and Labonte addressed fans in an online chat session hosted on the team’s website.

One of the first things announced was that Labonte would not only not be in the 47 car this week, but he also would not be racing at all, thus ending the second longest active consecutive start streak. Labonte was also removed from the car at Michigan two weeks ago, but picked up a one race deal with Phoenix Racing, an effort that kept the streak alive.

Some fans in the chat session were outraged by this fact and instantly began blaming the team for not supporting their driver. It would seem the fans are more concerned with the streak than Labonte is. Labonte commented, “I have had a couple offers this morning, but have declined them because I don’t want anybody else that has an opportunity to do what I do, what they love, to have to sit on the sideline for my sake.” Removing the possibility of a last minute deal over the weekend, he also pointed out, “I will not be at the track this weekend.”

Daugherty was asked if the “fan uprising” affects his decision at all. He replied, “No. The fan uprising doesn’t affect me at all. We have to continue to conduct business the way that it will be best for our company. Tremendous amount of respect for Bobby, but we have to remember that his streak would have ended years ago before we gave him the ride. The fan uprising is just a handful of people and that doesn’t direct the way that we do our business. We obviously love our fans and need them to do what we do, but at the end of the day we have to make the decisions that are best for our company.”

Labonte defended his team and team owners, commenting, “We have great sponsors here at JTG Daugherty, and we have a great race team. There are a lot of committed people that work here. Our sponsors are what keep us funded and racing. Our owners juggle all of the balls in the air at all times. We don’t question how our sponsors run their business.”

Daugherty re-iterated the team’s support for Labonte saying, “In the end, Bobby is our driver and we hope this process will enhance his ability to get back up front.” He continued later saying, “I’m huge Bobby Labonte fan, have been for a long time. I have a tremendous amount of respect for him and his character. We are very lucky to have Bobby as our driver.”

Daugherty seemed to be pleased with the results from the first race with Allmendinger. When asked about what the team had learned he said, “The biggest thing we learned was the pickup torque of our engines is not quite where we want it to be. We also learned our car is a lot tighter than we’d like it to be, robbing it of speed. Valuable information that we have stalled out over the past few weeks and he was able to give us great feedback.”

The team currently purchases engines from Triad Racing Technology. Toyota Racing Development (TRD) supplies engines for the top tier Toyota teams such as Joe Gibbs Racing and Michael Waltrip Racing. Daugherty pointed out, “We believe TRD provides an excellent product and at this point TRD has told us that they don’t have the room to provide us with an engine set.”

Without the ability to receive engines from TRD, and with little or no support from Toyota, I asked Daugherty if there was a current effort to create an alliance with a larger team. Daugherty replied, “Yes, we have had conversations and we are trying to figure out what would be the best move for us going forward. We came out of the MWR situation simply because we were all struggling. Obviously, they have fixed a lot over at MWR so someone like that may be a suitable partner again. We will have to see.”

Labonte also commented, when asked what the team needed, “We probably need an alliance with another team. That would be a start.”

Smaller teams forming alliances with larger teams seems to be the new trend in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series. Furniture Row Racing has recently found success after forming a strong alliance with Richard Childress Racing.

It seems that Brad Daugherty and Tad Geschickter are making a legitimate effort to improve their team’s performance. Their support for Labonte has been consistent and direct. This situation is just another example of how NASCAR racing is a business. Race teams have to make decisions based on technical information, facts, budgets and the needs of their sponsors and business partners. Major decisions cannot be based on emotions or the desire to keep streaks alive. No one in this sport would have a bad thing to say about Bobby Labonte. He is a man of proven ability and character. The fact that many fans are upset over him being removed from the car temporarily is evidence of that. Those factors, however, are not enough to be successful when competing against the best of the best.

The JTG/Daugherty team seems to be committed to their driver and also seriously committed to becoming a better race team. It is this writer’s opinion that they are doing what they need to do to accomplish their goals.

June 26, 2013
Surprising and Not Surprising: Party in the Poconos 400

With a picture-perfect race day after a qualifying rainout, here is what was surprising and not surprising from the 32^nd annual Party in the Poconos 400.

Surprising: With good practice times and a decent starting position set on owner’s points, it was most surprising to see the No. 5 Hendrickcars.com Chevrolet head to pit road and then to the garage on the first lap of the race.

“We have no idea what happened with the car yet,” Kasey Kahne said. “The crew and engineers have been looking at things but they’re still unsure.”

“II know that when I took off, in second gear, I had no power and it was just vibrating like crazy,” Kahne continued. “The faster I went, the worse the vibration was.”

With the garage time, Kahne finished nineteen laps down in the 36^th position. He also lost two positions in the point standings, falling from the fifth to seventh spot.

Not Surprising: With the controversy of the Dover restart still ringing in his ears, Jimmie Johnson put it all behind him, leading a record setting 128 laps out of the total 160 at Pocono Raceway.

And with a lap leading percentage of 80%, there was no surprise that the driver of the No. 48 Lowe’s/Kobalt Tools Chevrolet found Victory Lane for the third time of the season and the third time at Pocono.

“I’m sure we’ve had some other really strong races like that, but not in recent memory,” Johnson said. “What a race car.”

“There are only so many tricks you have if you play by the rules with those restarts,” Johnson continued. “Fortunately, I was able to get the lead and have clean air again at the end.”

Surprising: With all the struggles of team Ford, it was most surprising to see Greg Biffle, in the No. 16 3M Ford, surge at the end to score the runner up position.

“We had some good restarts and we were lucky with the lane choices and my car ran pretty good on restarts,” Biffle said. “Clearly we’re not celebrating that we finished second quite yet and have our cars figured out, but this is definitely a step in the right direction.”

“We certainly ran better here than we have been all season and certainly that’s a positive for us going to next week, so hopefully we’ll continue to build on that.”

Not Surprising: With a third place finish in the books, NASCAR’s most popular driver pronounced it all good, as well as predicting that the momentum might just carry the No. 88 National Guard Chevrolet into Victory Lane soon.

“We are all right,” Dale Earnhardt, Jr. said. “We know what we need to do.”

“Confidence is there so all the fans can rest assured we feel like we are on the right track,” Junior continued. “We want to get a win, man.”

“If we keep getting close, we are going to get one.”

Surprising: The announcement of Toyota Racing Development backing down the horsepower to improve reliability surprisingly came at the worst time for Denny Hamlin, who has been battling intently to recover from his injury and make the Chase.

“We weren’t competitive,” the driver of the No. 11 FedEx Ground Toyota said after finishing eighth. “We’re just trying to do everything we can and grind and finish good when we don’t have a winning car.”

“And by no means did we have a winning car this weekend.”

Not Surprising: Fellow Toyota teammate Kyle Busch was the top Toyota finisher, bringing his No. 18 M&Ms Toyota Camry home in the sixth position.

“The car was loose in turn three all day, but we got the car feeling pretty good towards the end,” Busch said. “We probably had a seventh place car all day long.”

“I just couldn’t get going on that last restart,” Busch continued. “I just didn’t do a good job there and we found ourselves in sixth.”

“We’ll take that and go on to Michigan.”

Surprising: Stewart-Haas Racing had a surprisingly good time at the Party in the Poconos, with Tony Stewart finishing in fourth, Ryan Newman finishing fifth, and Danica Patrick finishing on the lead lap at her first ever try on that tricky track.

“It’s one thing if one car runs good, but to have two or all three of us running good shows that we are gaining momentum,” Tony Stewart, team owner and driver of the No. 14 Mobil 1/Bass Pro Shops Chevrolet, said . “Really proud of our group at SHR.”

Not Surprising: Kurt Busch, behind the wheel of the No. 78 Furniture Row Chevrolet, once again faced adversity, this time with a problem on pit road. And not surprisingly, he and his team rallied yet again to finish top-10.

“We had a fast car again, ran up front but a mistake on my part on pit road stalled our momentum,” Busch said. “But we battled back with a solid finish.”

“The good news is that we know how to overcome adversity and the more we perform the way we have been, the better we’ll get.”

Surprising: Matt Kenseth had an uncharacteristically and surprisingly tough day, doing some synchronized spinning with Juan Pablo Montoya and then wheel-hopping on pit road and having some contact with Dale Earnhardt, Jr.

“I mean, disappointing,” the driver of the No. 20 Home Depot/Husky Tools Toyota said. “I thought we had a top-five at the very worst or seventh or eighth-place car.”

“Whenever you don’t finish where you are running, it’s always disappointing.”

Not Surprising: Earnhardt Ganassi Racing just keeps gaining ground, this week with Jamie McMurray finishing thirteenth and Juan Pablo Montoya finishing fourteenth.

“We just have to execute,” Montoya said. “Each person has got to do its own little thing.”

“We just have to keep our heads down and keep doing our work and we will be fine.”

Surprising: AJ Allmendinger had a surprisingly difficult day in the No. 51 Phoenix Construction Services Chevrolet, finishing a disappointing 33^rd. The ‘Dinger was responsible for the next to the last race caution after experiencing significant tire troubles.

In spite of this, Allmendinger was surprisingly chosen to replace Bobby Labonte when the Cup crowd heads to Michigan next weekend. JTG Daugherty Racing’s leadership apparently selected ‘Dinger to shake down the car to see if and how the performance can be enhanced.

“I have raced for Phoenix Racing some this year and feel confident I’ll be able to provide JTG Daugherty Racing with a good comparison,” Allmendinger said. “I’m thankful for this opportunity to work with the team and Bobby.”

Not Surprising: For Chad Knaus, crew chief, and team Jimmie Johnson, the focus still remains on the point standings. And this team not surprisingly knows exactly how important their points lead is, now 51 points ahead of Carl Edwards.

“As far as points go, it’s always important,” Knaus said. “We’ve got some very tricky race tracks coming up and we want to make sure that we get as many points accumulated as possible.”

“That’s just the way we roll.”

June 11, 2013
2013 Sprint Cup Team Preview: JTG Daugherty Racing

Photo Credit: AP Photo

Up next in our 2013 Sprint Cup team previews is the team of JTG Daugherty Racing, a single car operation that fields the No.47 Toyota Camry in the Sprint Cup Series.

The team, owned by the husband and wife team of Jodi and Tad Geschickter as well as former NBA player and ESPN analyst Brad Daugherty, will once again field the No.47 Toyota Camry, sponsored by numerous sponsors, including Clorox, Kingsford, Kroger, Bubba Burgers, Reese Towpower, Bush’s Baked Beans, Charter, and Scott, among others. Bobby Labonte, 2000 Cup champion, returns to the team in 2013 along with crew chief Brian Burns, who has been promoted from an interim role in 2012 to full time in 2013.

While having a former Cup champion as the driver for your team is never a bad thing, JTG Daugherty Racing will have an uphill battle as a single car operation against the numerous multi-car teams in the Sprint Cup Series.

Labonte and JTG Daugherty Racing showed flashes of brilliance in 2012 with a few top 10 finishes after stumbling out of the gate to start the season. With Labonte and Burns having a year under their belt together, look for the team to improve upon its 2012 progress and have some more good finishes this year.

January 13, 2013
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.”

February 2, 2012
Surprising and Not Surprising: Daytona 500

The kickoff race for NASCAR, the Daytona 500, is always one of the biggest and most prestigious races of the season. Here is what was surprising and not surprising from the 53^rd running of the Great American Race, the Daytona 500:

[media-credit name=”David Yeazell” align=”alignright” width=”250″][/media-credit]Surprising: In a race that set the record for lead changes, different leaders, and cautions, the biggest surprise to all, including himself, was Trevor Bayne, channeling his inner David Pearson in the famed Wood Brothers No. 21 car, to take the checkered flag. Bayne is the second youngest race winner, accomplishing the feat on the second green, white, checkered, even while running low on gas.

Bayne is the tenth different Ford driver to win the Daytona 500. This was the youngster’s first win in only his second Cup Series start.

Not Surprising: Carl Edwards, exhibiting great patience, came in the second spot. Edwards, however, took solace in “how nice a guy Trevor is” as he savored his runner up status.

“I don’t know if you guys noticed, but it was pretty wild out there today,” Edwards said. “But I was there at the end and that’s what I had to do.”

Surprising: It was indeed surprising that there were no Hendrick Motorsports, Joe Gibbs Racing, or Richard Childress Racing representatives in the top five finishing order. The story instead was one of the underdog teams, with the Wood Brothers, Front Row Motorsports and JTG Daugherty instead in the top five.

Not Surprising: Dale Earnhardt, Jr. had a great day, leading laps and staying competitive. Unfortunately, as has happened to Junior all too often, he was caught up in a tussle on the final laps, pushing him back to a 24^th place finish.

Surprising: Incredibly surprising was the amount of deal making prior to the race, as well as throughout the race itself. Crew chiefs and spotters were exchanging frequency numbers, and probably cell phone numbers, in the garage area so that they could communicate and work together during the race. Even on the spotter’s stand, it was “like the New York Stock Exchange,” according to Darrell Waltrip, with deals aplenty being made.

Not Surprising: All of this deal-making seemed to wreak some degree of havoc on the track, including some tandem drivers causing each other to wreck. Some of the drivers, crew chiefs, and spotters seemed almost lax on their primary responsibilities as they focused instead on coordinating with other drivers and teams.

The best example of this confusion was a radio exchange between Kyle Busch and defending Daytona 500 champion Jamie McMurray, who thought they would be working together until McMurray remembered that he had a deal with his teammate Juan Pablo Montoya.

Surprising: One of the biggest surprises was the expiration of Team Childress engines. Kevin Harvick was the first to lose his engine, early in the race on lap 22. At about lap 96, teammate Jeff Burton lost his engine.

“We had just a 10 to 15 more degree oil temp that what we have been running,” Harvick said. “We never blow motors. Everybody at ECR does a great job.”

“We are asking a lot out of the engines here for sure,” Burton said. “I am disappointed. Exceptionally disappointed. But I am really proud of everybody.”

Not Surprising: Daytona, infamous for the big one, had one of course. Early in the race on lap 29, Michael Waltrip, former Daytona 500 winner, got into the back of his teammate David Reutimann and the big one was on. Fourteen cars were involved in the crash, including the three Hendrick cars of Jeff Gordon, Jimmie Johnson, and Mark Martin. Other drivers involved were Joe Nemechek, Andy Lally, Brian Vickers, Marcos Ambrose, Matt Kenseth, Greg Biffle, A J Allmendinger, and David Gilliland.

“Our chances to win the Daytona 500 are over,” Jeff Gordon said after the wreck. “It is such a bummer. We had such a fast race car, such a great race team.”

Surprising: While it is the Daytona 500 and this is the first race of the season, the crowd on hand was healthy and the excitement in the air was palpable. Hopefully the start is a harbinger for what is in store for NASCAR for the rest of the season.

Not Surprising: Probably the most moving moment of the race occurred on lap 3, when the track went silent, except for the roar of the engines. The crowd stood as one, holding up three fingers in memory of the Intimidator. There is no doubt Dale Earnhardt would have like that.

February 20, 2011