THE JOURNEY CONTINUES FOR JTG DAUGHERTY RACING AS THE CURTAIN CLOSES ON THE NASCAR SPRINT CUP SERIES SEASON AT HOMESTEAD-MIAMI SPEEDWAY
HOMESTEAD, Fla. (November 13, 2012) – – With Thanksgiving Day around the corner, the curtain closes on the 2012 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series year at Homestead-Miami Speedway this Sunday. It’s been a long season, but JTG Daugherty Racing’s driver Bobby Labonte is already preparing for a fresh start in February 2013.
Next year, the 2000 champion driver will return to the seat of the No. 47 Toyota Camry that is sponsored by Clorox this weekend in the 267-lap event at the 1.5-mile oval. Labonte, who finished 15th in the most recent event at Phoenix International Raceway, aims to finish the season on a high note in Homestead.
“We are continuing to make strides,” Labonte said. “We’ve come a long way. We have some momentum on our side going into Homestead and the off season. We hope to close out the year and give Clorox and all of our partners a strong finish.”
Labonte has experienced a good bit of success at Homestead-Miami Speedway. The 21-time NASCAR Sprint Cup Series winner has recorded one victory, three top-five and four top-10 finishes in 13 visits.
“Homestead has changed so many times now, but it’s a really good track and I’ve had some success there,” Labonte said. “We’ve gotten better at mile-and-a-half tracks. We have some more work to do. This race will allow us to try a few things before we head into the off season.”
Indeed this season has had some highs and lows, but the JTG Daugherty Racing team definitely turned a corner midseason. Overall, Labonte collected two top-10, six top-15 and 14 top-20s in 35 starts. It gives the team a good baseline as they continue to grow.
“For starting the year off behind schedule, we’ve made a lot of progress through the season and that is a major accomplishment for us,” Labonte said. “We’ve also added a lot since midseason that has helped us and it shows with us coming out with more top-20s, top-15s and 10s than the first half. We have some momentum on our side. We will continue to work in the right direction this winter. Now, we have a year under our belt as a new team and that helps with preparation for next year. With the new car, we know we have a lot of work in front of us.”
Live coverage from Homestead-Miami Speedway begins at 2 p.m. ET on ESPN. MRN and Sirius XM will also broadcast the event.
