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July 25, 2007
HUNTERSVILLE, N.C. – Two-time NASCAR Champion Terry Labonte returns to the driver’s seat of the No. 55 NAPA AUTO PARTS Toyota Camry for this week’s Allstate 400 at Indianapolis Motor Speedway. NAPA Racing’s driver and owner Michael Waltrip made the decision to add another race to Labonte’s schedule after receiving valuable input from Labonte at Infineon Raceway and at a recent test at Kentucky Speedway.
Labonte has 11 events under his belt at the Brickyard with a career-best finish of third back in 1996. His overall tally includes seven top-20 finishes. Waltrip is looking to his driver to bring home a similar result to add to the team’s momentum that has been building over the last two months.
Waltrip will be back in his NAPA Camry next week at Pocono Raceway --- one of Waltrip’s favorite tracks on the NASCAR NEXTEL Cup circuit.
NAPA AUTO PARTS driver Terry Labonte:
You rejoined the NAPA team on July 17 to test at Kentucky to prepare for Indy. How did it go?
“It went pretty well. I am glad we went because we made some gains on the car that I feel will help us in Indy. I think Buddy Sisco and the crew did a great job preparing the car and I think the time we spent together in Infineon and at Kentucky will help the overall NAPA program.”
What do you need to run well at Indianapolis?
“It takes everything to run well at Indy. The car needs to handle well. It needs a lot of downforce to get through the corners and it has to have a lot of power. Indy is a track where the teams with big power usually run well. The car has got to handle well because it has four turns that require you to get through them well so that you can carry your momentum heading into the long straightaways. It is a lot easier to run well there when you have a car that has a lot of horsepower. It is definitely a horsepower track."
NAPA AUTO PARTS driver Michael Waltrip:
Michael’s thoughts on adding Indy to Terry’s schedule
“I just felt like we needed to continue the momentum we were building. We are starting to run better. We are making races on a more regular basis. So in order to make sure we don’t run into a lull, I asked Terry to go to Indy to look at my oval-track program. I think he helped us out a great deal at Infineon Raceway by giving us great feedback and he really helped us prepare our car for Indy by climbing into our car at Kentucky. His help should help us at Watkins Glen, greatly. In my opinion, two heads are better than one. Four drivers feedback is certainly better than one. I know that he will give me great feedback and with the way we have been running, it can only make us a better race team. His help this weekend in Indy should definitely help me prepare for Pocono --- one of my favorite tracks and other events down the road. Terry continues to be a great addition to this team.”
Terry Labonte Fast Facts
NAPA AUTO PARTS driver Terry Labonte will qualify for his 850th NASCAR NEXTEL Cup Series race when the 20th event of the 2007 season, the Allstate 400 at the Brickyard, is held at Indianapolis Motor Speedway on Sunday.
Labonte will start in his 12th Cup race at 2.5-mile oval. His best start is 8th (Aug. 1, 1998) and best finish is 3rd (Aug. 3, 1996). In total, he has 1 top-5, 2 top-10 and 7 top-20 finishes at Indy.
Labonte has completed 1586 of 1761 laps (90.1%) at the track and has led a total of 13 laps in competition. His average start is 26th and average finish is 19th.
Entering this weekend’s NASCAR NEXTEL Cup Series event, the NAPA team is 52nd in the driver standings and 48th in owner standings. The NAPA team will need to qualify for the Allstate 400 on time since the No. 55 Camry is outside the top 35 in owner point standings. A total of 51 cars are entered at the Brickyard. Of the entrants, 16 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 a two-time NASCAR Cup champion. He won the title in 1984 and 1996
NAPA AUTO PARTS driver Terry Labonte Indianapolis Motor Speedway Statistics
Another Labonte to Drive for Waltrip at Indy
Terry’s son Justin will drive Michael’s No. 00 Toyota Tundra during this weekend’s Craftsman Truck Series race at Indianapolis Raceway Park on Friday night. Live coverage begins at 7:30 p.m. ET on SPEED and MRN radio.
NAPA Racing on the Tube
Waltrip and the NAPA Racing team will be featured on this week’s episode of “Survival of the Fastest”. It is scheduled to air Friday at 2:30 p.m. Eastern on SPEED and replayed at 11:30 p.m. It also airs on Saturday at 2:30 p.m., 6:00 p.m., and on Sunday at 10:30 a.m.
NASCAR NEXTEL Cup Allstate 400 at the Brickyard Broadcast Coverage
Live coverage of the Allstate 400 at Indianapolis Motor Speedway begins Sunday, July 29 at 1 p.m. ET on ESPN. It can also be heard on your local IMS Radio affiliate at the same time.
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