Bobby Labonte The Champ.com
<body topmargin=0 leftmargin=0 marginheight=0 marginwidth=0><script> (function(i,s,o,g,r,a,m){i['GoogleAnalyticsObject']=r;i[r]=i[r]||function(){ (i[r].q=i[r].q||[]).push(arguments)},i[r].l=1*new Date();a=s.createElement(o), m=s.getElementsByTagName(o)[0];a.async=1;a.src=g;m.parentNode.insertBefore(a,m) })(window,document,'script','//www.google-analytics.com/analytics.js','ga'); ga('create', 'UA-47423994-1', 'fortunecity.ws'); ga('send', 'pageview'); </script> <center> <br> <div> <script language="javascript" type="text/javascript" src="http://ad.broadcaststation.net/ads/show_ad.php?width=728&height=90"></script> </div> </center> <table cellpadding=0 cellspacing=0 border=0><tr> <td valign="top" colspan=2 height=90 BGCOLOR="#000000" TEXT="#F7F7FF" bgproperties="fixed" background="04000660dvldtc.gif"> <div> <B>Bobby Labonte The Champ.com</B></div> <bR> <div> </div> </td> </tr><tr> <td valign="top" width=210 BGCOLOR="#FFFFFF" TEXT="#080000" bgproperties="fixed" background="04564643.gif"> <bR> <div> <B><IMG SRC="07aa11a0.gif" border=0 width="161" height="26" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"></B></div> <bR> <div> WCStandings<FONT SIZE="5" COLOR="#FFFFCC" FACE="Arial" >:</FONT></div> <div> Points: <B>21st</B></div> <div> 430 pts. behind 1st</div> <div> 25 pts behind 20th</div> <div> LAST RACE:</div> <div> Virginia 500</div> <div> Martinsville, Va</div> <div> Started: 24</div> <div> Laps Led: 0</div> <div> Finished: 8</div> <div> NEXT RACE:</div> <div> Sun. April 22</div> <div> Talladega 500</div> <div> Talladega, Al</div> <bR> <div> 2001 Stats.</div> <div> Wins:0</div> <div> Top 5's: 1</div> <div> Top 10s: 2</div> <div> DNFs: 3</div> <div> Poles: 0</div> <bR> <div> <FONT SIZE="5" COLOR="#FFFFCC" FACE="Arial" ><B> </B></FONT></div> <bR> <bR> </td> <td valign="top" height=390 BGCOLOR="#FFFFFF" TEXT="#080000"> <div> We would like to welcome you to the newest and best unoffical Bobby Labonte site on the web.</div> <bR> <div> <!-- Start of the Top50 code --></div> <div> <a href="http://nascartop50.com"><img src="http://nascartop50.com/top50/1006772.gif" alt="Visit the Nascartop50" border="0" width="88" height="31"></a></div> <div> <!-- End of the Top50 code --> </div> <div> </div> <bR> <div> <IMG SRC="0728e330.gif" border=0 width="398" height="51" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"></div> <div> Labonte hopes Martinsville provides rebound for team</div> <div> CHARLOTTE, N.C., (April 2, 2001) - Every race on the NASCAR Winston Cup schedule is critical, but for Bobby Labonte and the Interstate Batteries Racing Team, this weekend’s Virginia 500 in Martinsville is crucial. After seven races, the defending NASCAR Winston Cup Series championships find themselves mired back in 25th position and trying desperately to get back on the right track.</div> <div> "Someone asked Jimmy (Makar - Crew Chief) and I if we were hitting the panic button yet," said Labonte. "I don’t think we have hit it yet, but maybe we are making sure we know where it is. I’m not sure what has happened because we are not running as bad as our standing in the points shows, but for every bit of fortune we had last year, we are giving it all back this season."</div> <div> As the team prepares for this weekend’s Virginia 500 at the historical Martinsville Speedway, Labonte knows that he has not been the most consistent at the small half-mile. In eight starts on the spring event at Martinsville, Labonte has just an average finish of 15th, but that does not have him concerned. In fact Labonte is remarkable upbeat about his chances this weekend.</div> <div> "We will go into Martinsville like we do any other weekend throughout the season," explained Labonte. "I know I don’t have the finishes to prove much, but I know we have run better than our results show and I know our team will be hungry to prove this weekend we were not a fluke last season. We have worked hard to get to this point and we are just having a run of bad luck right now. We have to be able to weather the storm. If we can, we will be able to come back stronger than before I think."</div> <div> Echoing Labonte’s thoughts, crew chief Jimmy Makar sees this as a cycle of things that happens in the garage area. In his 10 plus years in the NASCAR Winston Cup garage as a crew chief, Makar has seen fortunes turn for some of the best teams in the business. He knows last season was pretty amazing in terms of how things went for the Interstate Batteries Racing Team and he also realizes that their luck will turn as well this year before it is all said and done.</div> <div> "We will come back from this," commented Makar. "We are a very good team, we just have not had things go our way this season like we did last year. Sometimes that happens. We just need to make sure there is nothing we are doing wrong either in the engine department or in the chassis department. If I had an answer for you to everything that has happened so far, we wouldn’t be here I guess."</div> <div> When asked about trying to get back on track at Martinsville, Makar added, "We are very capable of a great run this weekend. Nothing says we can’t do it, we just need to keep all the fenders on it and give Bobby everything he needs to get the job done. While that sounds trivial to you, at Martinsville things happen pretty fast and you have to be prepared for anything."</div> <div> [story courtesy of Camp & Associates]</div> <bR> <bR> <bR> <div> <A HREF="id17.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Photo Album"><U>Photo Album</U></A> | <A HREF="id18.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Favorite Links"><U>Favorite Links</U></A> | <A HREF="id19.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Contact Me"><U>Contact Me</U></A> | <A HREF="id20.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="2001 Stats"><U>2001 Stats</U></A> | <A HREF="id21.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Info."><U>Info.</U></A></div> <bR> <bR> <bR> <DIV ALIGN="LEFT"></DIV> <div> <A HREF="http://www.trellix.com/" TARGET="_top" TITLE="http://www.trellix.com"><U><IMG SRC="04752280.gif" border=0 width="82" height="40" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"></U></A></div> </td> </tr></table></body>