No. 47 BUSH’S® Beans Toyota Camry Driver Feels Right at Home in Texas
FORT WORTH, Texas (April 10, 2012) – – Corpus Christi, Texas-native Bobby Labonte and JTG Daugherty Racing return from the Easter off weekend set for the Samsung Mobile 500 night race at Texas Motor Speedway on Saturday, April 14th.
Labonte has been fairly successful at Texas Motor Speedway. In 22 starts, the 2000 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series champion has led five times for 59 laps, recorded three top-five, five top-10 finishes and two pole awards (2003, 2004). His best finish is third with Joe Gibbs Racing, which has occurred three times (1997, 1999, 2000). During the most recent events in 2011, he finished 25th and 28th respectively. He’s looking to improve upon that during the 334-lap (501 mile) event under the lights.
“I really like the track and look forward to this weekend,” said Labonte, whose best finish is 14th this season at Daytona International Speedway. “I like the way it falls off during the race and the track gets wider. You can run up top, in the middle or on the bottom. With multiple grooves, you can easily move around and change your line. You really need a strong car at Texas that handles pretty good. Fuel mileage also plays into the race.”
Even though it was the first of two off weeks for the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series, it was busy for the single-car No. 47 BUSH’S® Beans Toyota Camry operation led by crew chief and general manager Todd Berrier. Coming off a solid run at Martinsville Speedway’s short track, Labonte and the team tested at Nashville Superspeedway before racing at the 1.5-mile Texas quad-oval.
“We went to Nashville for more of an engine evaluation, but we did learn a few things for Texas,” Labonte said. “I’m hoping we get better fuel mileage Saturday night.”
Labonte is pleased with the Toyota Camry the team has elected to race at Texas.
“We’re bringing the car we ran at Vegas (Las Vegas Motor Speedway),” Labonte said. “It’s a good car and I feel good about racing it at Texas.”
Being from Texas and racing there over the years, Labonte has a deep appreciation for the state he is from originally.
“Going home is always great and Texas is a state that has a lot to offer,” Labonte said. “The Dallas/Fort Worth area is beautiful. They are two great towns. There’s a lot of pride in the state of Texas. There’s so much to do. From a sports standpoint, you can come out to the races at Texas Motor Speedway, go to the world’s largest domed structure to watch a Dallas Cowboys football game or catch a Texas Rangers baseball game at their beautiful ballpark. Texas Motor Speedway is one of the biggest venues on our circuit and it’s just neat to be able to go and visit the great state of Texas a couple times a year for the races.”
Bobby Labonte appearance in market:
This Thursday, Bobby Labonte will be appearing at Tom Thumb located at 101 Trophy Lake Drive, Trophy Club, Texas from 7:30 p.m. to 8:30 p.m. Central for fans that would like to meet him and receive an autograph.
Live coverage of the Samsung Mobile 500 at Texas Motor Speedway begins at 7:30 p.m. ET on FOX. PRN Radio and SIRIUS/XM NASCAR Radio will also broadcast nationally.
