SCOTTR BRAND SPONSORS LABONTE AND JTG DAUGHERTY RACING IN NIGHT RACE AT RICHMOND
RICHMOND, Va. (September 7, 2011) – – For the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series (NSCS) Wonderful Pistachios 400 at Richmond International Raceway (RIR), JTG Daugherty Racing is proud to have SCOTTR Brand on board as the primary sponsor of the No. 47 Toyota Camry with driver Bobby Labonte.
“ScottR Brand is another product that is aligned with JTG Daugherty Racing with the heritage of a great brand,” said the 2000 champion, who has 21 wins, 26 poles, 115 top-five and 201 top-10 finishes in his NSCS career. “We’re fortunate to have a great relationship with Kimberly-Clark Corporation and are able to represent multiple brands of theirs that have long lasting value like SCOTT Products.”
Labonte has four top-five, 10 top-10 finishes and a pole at the .75-mile oval. His best finish is second that occurred in 1999 and 2003. Earlier this season, he finished 24th with JTG Daugherty Racing.
“We qualified decent and we were good on the short run, but we were not as good on the long run and that bit us,” Labonte said. “We made some gambles on pit stops that didn’t play out for us. We feel like we learned some things from the No. 56 (Martin Truex Jr.) and No. 00 (David Reutimann) Michael Waltrip Racing teams that will help us. Frank Kerr and I just talked about it moments ago. We feel better about this weekend.”
This weekend is the one last race for 12 drivers to make The Chase, which builds excitement around this race for the fans and eligible teams.
“Richmond is one of the most exciting races for the spectators and drivers alike because you can pass there and it helps kick off the start of The Chase,” Labonte said. “Then there’s the Wild Card deal that creates a different buzz in the air and a few different scenarios that can play out coming down to the end of the race. There are some guys still trying to get in. This race will be action-packed and one not to miss.
“It’s just a fun race,” Labonte continued. “You don’t have to worry about aero, you can pass like I said before, it’s a night race at a short track and there’s a lot on the line for several drivers.
It doesn’t get much better than that. It’s a special race.”
Every race is special to the men and women that participate weekly and dedicate their time for the love of the sport. However, this weekend is one that will be remembered as the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series race takes place on Saturday, September 10, just one day prior to the 10th anniversary of 9/11. Richmond International Raceway has a patriotic pre-race planned to recognize 9/11 and remember the victims and survivors of that unforgettable day.
“Everyone in this country remembers 9/11 and remembers where they were at that very moment,” Labonte said. “A few weeks after it happened, Jeff Burton and I toured Ground Zero. It was quite humbling to see the chaos and destruction and the firefighters, EMT and police doing their jobs. There were so many lives lost.
“It was a disturbing scene to see only weeks after it happened,” continued Labonte. “Being that it is the 10th anniversary, everyone will feel the emotion again.”
Live coverage of the Wonderful Pistachios 400 starts at 7:30 p.m. on ABC Saturday night at Richmond International Raceway. MRN and Sirius XM Satellite will also carry the event.
