Event: Federated Auto Parts 400
Date: Saturday, September 7
Time: 5:30 PM ET
TV/Radio: ABC/MRN/SiriusXM NASCAR RadioBobby Labonte will miss Richmond International Raceway race:
2000 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series champion Bobby Labonte will not race the No. 47 BUSH’S Beans Toyota Camry this weekend at Richmond International Raceway after suffering three broken ribs in a cycling accident near his Trinity, N.C. home on the morning of Wednesday, August 28.
“I am feeling a lot better, but I don’t want to put the race team in any compromising position this weekend,” said Labonte. “It just makes more sense to focus on my rehab one more week to ensure that I’m ready to go at Chicago (Chicagoland Speedway) with no issues. I plan to be back with the team then and back behind the wheel.”
AJ Allmendinger is filling in for Labonte during the Federated Auto Parts 400 in Richmond, Va.
“Bobby means a lot to the JTG Daugherty Racing team and to our sport,” Allmendinger said. “For me, it’s a tough situation. I do not want to get more races with the team because someone is injured. Bobby is a guy that I believe is a Hall of Famer and he is a champion. It’s tough to have that type of injury. Hopefully, he gets better as soon as possible to get back into the No. 47 BUSH’S Beans Toyota.”
“We are all wishing Bobby a speedy recovery and look forward to having him back,” crew chief Brian Burns said.
AJ Allmendinger at RIR:
In 12 starts at RIR, Allmendinger has two top-10 finishes. His best finish is seventh-place (4/30/11). The 31-year-old’s average start is 17.500 and his average finish is 21.167.
Building on last weekend: “We are looking forward to Richmond,” Allmendinger said. “Last weekend showed we are working together to build relationships between myself and the team. Brian Burns (crew chief) and I are getting past a language barrier and working on developing a connection and learning each other. The whole weekend at Atlanta Motor Speedway was good. We had a good qualifying run and a solid race. I think there is still a lot of work to keep us moving forward. At the same time, the guys at the shop build really nice race cars and the cars are getting better. Overall, it was a good weekend. It could have been better finish wise, but we can build and learn from it. I was pleased with everything and hope we have a solid weekend at Richmond.”
Goals at Richmond: “Each week my goal is to keeping building and improving,” Allmendinger said. “Right now, for the team to finish inside the top 20 is a good weekend. We have Richmond this weekend and it is a fun track for me. It gets slick and it is easy to burn the rear tires off the car. The line widens out during the race. It is all about patience there and you do not want to burn your tires. You have to be careful not to get into the corners too hard and burn your breaks. Rhythm and patience is important at Richmond. The track changes through the night. I’m looking forward to it. I was able to test there with MWR (Michael Waltrip Racing) and learned some things.”
Striving to be better all around: “I do not look at it as I have something to prove,” Allmendinger said. “As a driver, I want to get better inside and outside the car. It is not about trying to prove that I belong here. It is about being competitive and having all the pieces fall into the right place to keep improving and have chances to win races. It is more about trying to prove to ourselves and not the outside world. This JTG Daugherty Racing team has good energy and works really hard.”
Feeling optimistic: “We feel optimistic about this weekend,” Burns said. “We have always ran well at Richmond with our JTG Daugherty Racing cars. With AJ recently testing there, it gives us another edge for this weekend.”
Career Starts: 186
Top-fives: 5
Top-10s: 29
First Start: 3/25/2007 Bristol
First Pole: 4/10/2010 Phoenix
Last Start: 6/16/2013 Michigan
Last Pole: 4/22/2012 Kansas
Best Start: 1 4/10/2010 Phoenix
Best Finish: 2 4/1/2012 Martinsville
Driver DOB: 12/16/1981
Hometown: Los Gatos, CA
Crew Chief: Brian Burns
RECIPES AND MEAL IDEAS:
Visit www.BushBeans.com for Recipes, Tips and Inspirations!
“Black and pinto beans are spiced up with green chilies to create this Tex-Mex favorite.” Prep Time: 15 Minutes. Cook Time: 10 Minutes. Ready In: 25 Minutes. Makes 6 servings.
Ingredients:
1 medium green pepper, diced
1 medium onion, chopped
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 tablespoon olive oil or canola oil
1 (14.5 ounce) can chicken broth
1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
1 (15 ounce) can BUSH’S® Black
Beans, drained and rinsed
1 (16 ounce) can BUSH’S® Pinto
Beans, drained and rinsed
1 (10 ounce) can diced tomatoes
with green chilies, undrained
1 (10 ounce) package frozen corn, thawed
1 tablespoon red wine vinegar
1 cup cooked rice
6 chicken breasts, grilled
Directions:
1. In large skillet, saute green pepper, onion, and garlic in oil for 3 minutes. Stir in broth and cumin. Bring to boil. Reduce heat; cover and simmer for 15 minutes. Add BUSH’S® Black Beans, BUSH’S® Pinto Beans, tomatoes, corn and vinegar. Heat thoroughly. Serve over rice and top with grilled chicken.
TAILGATER OF THE WEEK:
Last weekend at Atlanta Motor Speedway, Lucy helped draw the attention of the JTG Daugherty Racing Tailgate Patrol. Lucy is a Labrador that was hanging out at Kristine Mitchell’s campsite.
“We have been coming to Atlanta for 10 years with our family and friends,” Mitchell said. “We grill out here a lot and our favorite thing is brats and chicken wings. We also eat BUSH’S Beans. We love Duke and we have got our own dog – Lucy – with us. She was a rookie last year and now she’s a professional at tailgating.”
In addition to watching the race, Mitchell and her guests kept their eyes on football.
“In addition to watching the races, we will be watching football and I’m a Georgia Bulldogs fan,” Mitchell said. “Being here at the track is a lot of fun. We like coming to AMS. It is close to home. We had a big party planned Sunday with about 60 people. We like playing games and doing a low country boil before the race.”
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.
