HUNTERSVILLE, N.C. – Two-time NASCAR Champion Terry Labonte rejoins the NAPA Racing team for his final stint behind the wheel of the No. 55 Toyota Camry at this weekend’s Centurion Boats at The Glen. In his three races with the team, Labonte has noticed respectable strides and believes Michael Waltrip has all the key elements in place at his organization. With more track time and continued support from Toyota, Labonte sees success in the future for Michael Waltrip and his NAPA AUTO PARTS team.

Labonte is looking forward to the final road course of the season as Watkins Glen International is his favorite road course on the NASCAR circuit. His credits boast 2 poles and six top-10 finishes.

Meanwhile, Waltrip will be back in his NAPA AUTO PARTS Camry next week at Michigan International Speedway --- the site of his best performance of the year, a tenth-place result back on June 17.

NAPA AUTO PARTS driver Terry Labonte:
Entering your second road-course event and third race with NAPA Racing, have you seen progress made with Michael’s team?
“I honestly believe Michael has a better team than it has shown. I really look forward to going with them to Watkins Glen. We are taking a brand new car. I am thinking we will be much better at Watkins Glen. Hopefully, we can go up there and get a good result.”

Is there an area at Watkins Glen that you particularly want to run well?
“Every area of the track is important. It is really important to come off of turn 1 really well so that you can carry the momentum through the esses. From there, you need to carry a lot of speed through the straightaways. The esses are so important, in my opinion. That’s an area where you can really gain positions.

“We went to Road Atlanta last week (Aug. 1) to prepare for this event. We tried a bunch of different things. We are like a lot of other people. We are still learning the COT and have had very little time with it on the road courses. The set-up is different than the regular cars so it is a little bit of a challenge for us. I see us getting a little better handling on that.

“Every road course is different. I’ve had more success at Watkins Glen than at Infineon Raceway. With that said, I have more confidence going to The Glen, so I hope to see better results there this weekend.”


Terry Labonte Fast Facts

* NAPA AUTO PARTS driver Terry Labonte will qualify for his 851st NASCAR NEXTEL Cup Series race when the 22nd event of the 2007 season, the Centurion Boats at The Glen, is held at Watkins Glen on Sunday.

* Labonte will start in his 21st Cup race at 2.45-mile road course. His best start is 1st (Aug. 10, 1987 & Aug. 11, 1991) and best finish is 2nd (Aug. 10, 1987 & Aug. 11, 1996). In total, he has three top-5 and six top-10 finishes at The Glen.

* Labonte has completed 1583 of 1763 laps (89.8%) at the track and has led a total of 35 laps in competition. His average start is 14th and average finish is 20th.

* Entering this weekend’s NASCAR NEXTEL Cup Series event, the NAPA team is 52nd in the driver standings and 47th in owner standings. The NAPA team will need to qualify for the Centurion Boats at The Glen on time since the No. 55 Camry is outside the top 35 in owner point standings. A total of 48 cars are entered at The Glen. Of the entrants, 13 are go-or-go-home teams. Labonte will be competing for eight qualifying spots, one of which may be used as a past champion’s provisional by Labonte, if needed.

* Labonte is a two-time NASCAR Cup champion. He won the title in 1984 and 1996.

Source: http://wwwmichaelwaltrip.com

Date: 8/9/2007 5:49:19 AM