Track: Pocono Raceway
Event: GoBowling.com 400
TV/Radio: ESPN / MRN Radio
BOBBY LABONTE NOTES:
Bobby Labonte has three victories at Pocono Raceway. He swept both races in 1999 and also won the race on Sunday, July 29, 2001.
In addition, the 2000 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series champion has five top-five and nine top-10 finishes and has led 89 laps in 41 starts. His average start is 18.854 and his average finish is 20.122.
QUOTES:
Three wins: “Pocono Raceway has always been a good track for me in the past and I have three wins there,” Bobby Labonte said. “The last time at Pocono, we unloaded good. During the race, we had a decent run going. In the end, we lost some of our track position. I am hoping that is not the case this time around and we have a strong finish. It is a track I always look forward to racing at because of the success I have had there.”
It’s tricky: “The trickiest of the corners is the Tunnel Turn at Pocono Raceway,” Bobby Labonte said. “It is not a common corner. Pocono is indeed a tricky track and you have to negotiate all three corners. Going into this weekend you never know about how your car will handle because it might be different from last time. It is always a challenge.”
A few tough breaks: “We have had some tough breaks recently and we are looking to get the monkey off our back,” Bobby Labonte said. “Take Indy (Indianapolis Motor Speedway) for example. We had a top 25 run and something happened to the transmission. It kept jumping out of gear. We were fortunate that the motor did not blow up because sometimes that can happen.
“The week before that at Loudon (New Hampshire Motor Speedway), we ran out of gas,” continued Labonte. “It has been tough and we hope to turn our luck around at Pocono Raceway.”
Snakebitten: “We actually ended up in Indy (Indianapolis Motor Speedway) running better than we practiced and qualified with a good setup and then we had the transmission problem,” JTG Daugherty Racing co-owner Brad Daugherty said. “That’s a part of it. We have had some issues lately where it has been a snakebitten type of thing. We think we can get better.”
Bouncing back at Pocono Raceway: “We have built a car for this weekend that is aerodynamically sufficient for a place like Pocono Raceway, but this track will also demand horsepower,” JTG Daugherty Racing co-owner Brad Daugherty said. “We are putting our Triad (Racing Technologies) engine to the test. This is a track where they will be 200 mph going into the corners. It is flat and fast. We need terminal velocity and we are leaning on Triad to bring their best bullet. I’m excited because this is a good track for Bobby Labonte where he has multiple wins and it’s a great place for us to bounce back.”
BOBBY LABONTE STATS:
Career Starts: 709
Wins: 21
Top-five: 115
Top-10: 201
First Start: 06/03/1991 Dover
First Pole: 09/11/1993 Richmond
First Win: 05/28/1995 Charlotte
Last Pole: 04/04/2004 Texas
Last Win: 11/16/2003 Homestead (329 races since)
Driver DOB: 05/08/1964
Hometown: Corpus Christi, TX
Crew Chief: Brian Burns
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TAILGATER OF THE WEEK:
Do you want to win an all expense paid trip and be the VIP guest of JTG Daugherty Racing at the big race in Las Vegas in 2014?
If you answered yes, then get out to the track and let us know where you are tailgating! Each race weekend during the Sprint Cup season JTG Daugherty Racing will be scouting the infields and campgrounds, looking for the best tailgaters at the track. The best, most enthusiastic tailgaters each race weekend will win a custom prize pack and become eligible for our “TAILGATER OF THE YEAR” competition.
You can let us know where you are tailgating by tweeting us your location. Throughout the weekend, leading up to the green flag, our team members, owners and maybe even Bobby Labonte himself will be patrolling the infield and campsites looking for the best tailgaters. So, fire up your grills with Kingsford® Charcoal, heat up a can of Bush’s® Grillin’ Beans and clean up your messes with Clorox® and Scott® Brand Products!
Simply follow us on Twitter @NASCAR47 , send us a tweet with your tailgate location and include the hash tag #TweetYourTailgate.
