BOBBY LABONTE AND NO. 47 CLOROX TOYOTA CAMRY
TALLADEGA SUPERSPEEDWAY PREVIEW
Track: Talladega Superspeedway
Event: Aaron’s 499
Date: Sunday, May 5
Time: 1 p.m. ET
TV/Radio: FOX / MRN Radio
Talladega Superspeedway:
Bobby Labonte makes his 700th NASCAR Sprint Cup Series start this weekend during the Aaron’s 499 at Talladega Superspeedway. He is the 14th driver to be able to accomplish that feat. He is not far behind NASCAR Hall of Fame driver Rusty Wallace, who is in 13th at 706 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series starts.
At Talladega Superspeedway, Labonte has one win, one pole, six top-five and 13 top-10 finishes. He has led 154 laps. His average start is 21.375 and his average finish is 18.850.
Bobby Labonte Stats
Career Starts: 699
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
JTG Daugherty Racing Notes and Quotes:
Clorox Teams with JTG Daugherty Racing and Earnhardt Ganassi Racing on Brand’s 100th Anniversary Celebration: The Clorox Company partnered with Earnhardt Ganassi Racing with Felix Sabates and JTG Daugherty Racing to celebrate the 100th Anniversary of their iconic brand for the weekend in Talladega, Ala. from May 3-5, 2013. The No. 42 Chevrolet SS of Juan Pablo Montoya will bear the 100th Anniversary paint scheme while the No. 47 Toyota Camry of Bobby Labonte will sport a brown retro look, reminiscent of one of Clorox’s first bottles of bleach.
Bobby Labonte, Driver, No. 47 Clorox Toyota Camry: “The Clorox Company has been a partner of JTG Daugherty Racing for over a decade and that’s pretty special to Tad and Jodi (Geschickter), Brad (Daugherty) and the entire racing organization. The Clorox Company first sponsored a NASCAR Nationwide Series car entered by JTG Daugherty Racing with driver Robert Pressley. Today, JTG Daugherty Racing is proud to celebrate Clorox’s centennial. It’s neat we are celebrating their milestone as I reach a milestone of my own when I make my 700th NASCAR Sprint Cup Series career start Talladega weekend.”
Juan Pablo Montoya, Driver, No. 42 Clorox Chevrolet SS: “It is always great to partner with great brands especially when there is as much excitement as there is this year with Clorox about their 100th Anniversary. I can’t wait to get that car onto the track.”
Tim Smith, Vice President, The Clorox Company: “The Clorox Company is honored to be a part of the NASCAR community, and we are thrilled to mark our 100th anniversary with two Clorox-themed cars on the Talladega track. With both cars in the race, we can celebrate our centennial and pay tribute to our rich heritage.”
Notes of Interest:
Join the 100th Anniversary Celebration: For the past 100 years, the Clorox Company has been making messes a thing of the past and the future continues to look bright as the company celebrates their centennial throughout 2013. Visit www.Clorox.com to join the party with centennial themed games, prizes, Some ecards and other anniversary loot.
Long-Term Partnerships: The on-track relationship between Clorox and both race teams extends over a decade. Clorox became a partner of Chip Ganassi Racing Teams in 1997 and has been a fixture in auto racing ever since. JTG Daugherty Racing and Clorox are celebrating their 16th anniversary this year as they have fielded cars in the NASCAR Nationwide Series and NASCAR Sprint Cup Series together.
How It All Began: On May 3, 1913, five California entrepreneurs invested $100 each to found America’s first liquid bleach factory, the Electro-Alkaline Company, now known as The Clorox Company. Using brine from salt ponds found in the San Francisco Bay, they created a powerful cleaning and disinfecting agent used throughout the world today.
Did You Know:
• The first gallon size of Clorox Regular-Bleach was sold to businesses like breweries, walnut bleachers and municipal water systems.
• In 1969, the Apollo space capsule was disinfected with bleach upon its return to Earth.
• Bleach has a long history of helping the American Red Cross and other global relief organizations disinfect and clean water during disasters, such as Hurricane Sandy and the cholera epidemic in Haiti.
Juan Pablo on the Track: Juan Pablo Montoya is in his seventh full-time season in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series. The former Formula One winner, CART champion and Indianapolis 500 winner has over 200 NSCS career starts with two wins, 20 top-five and 51 top-10 finishes.
Bobby on the Track: Bobby Labonte will make his 700th NASCAR Sprint Cup Series start Talladega weekend. The 2000 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series champion has amassed 21 victories, 115 top-five finishes and 201 top-10 finishes. Labonte’s first win was the Coca-Cola 600 (5/28/95).
For more information about Clorox, visit www.TheCloroxCompany.com
700th NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Start:
BOBBY LABONTE’S TOP 7 MOST MEMORABLE MOMENTS APPROACHING HIS 700TH NASCAR SPRINT CUP SERIES START THIS WEEK IN THE AARON’S 499 AT TALLADEGA SUPERSPEEDWAY
Bobby Labonte has a lot of celebrating to do this weekend. The 2000 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series champion makes his 700th career start, his birthday is May 8th and he’s running a special Clorox paint scheme to celebrate their 100th Anniversary.
As Labonte reaches that milestone in the Aaron’s 499 at Talladega Superspeedway, he has been reminiscing his top 7 best career moments and his comments are as follows:
No. 7: FIRST EVER NASCAR SPRINT CUP SERIES RACE AT DOVER INTERNATIONAL SPEEDWAY
“My first ever NASCAR Sprint Cup Series race was in Dover, Delaware on June 3, 1991 and it was a car that was built out of our Busch Grand National (NASCAR Nationwide Series) race shop. It was an Oldsmobile that my dad and I built and he was my crew chief. That was kind of cool because it was our car. We built it. We put it together, made the race, ran about 70 laps and our day ended when the engine blew up. It was still such an achievement for us to be able to compete at that level. It was the start of it all. I had been racing in the Busch Grand National Series and after winning the championship, the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series was the next obvious step to take.”
No. 6: FIRST DAYTONA 500 WITH BILL DAVIS RACING
“My first race for Bill Davis Racing was at Daytona in February 1993 after Jeff Gordon was hired away by Rick Hendrick. Bill asked me to drive his car. We worked hard all winter. Let me say this, December 1st we didn’t have a car in the shop. It was a struggle to get to the track. We finished 13th in the qualifying race, the Duels, which we had to finish in the top-15 or we wouldn’t have made the race. We didn’t qualify fast enough. So, that was nerve-racking for our first Daytona 500. We also had Maxwell House as a sponsor, which was a big deal and a lot of pressure to perform. I started 25th and finished 20th in my first Daytona 500. A side note is that during the weekend we had to go and work on an intake. I ended up welding up the intake in Jack Roush’s trailer because I was the only one that could TIG weld on our team at the time that was at the track. I thought that was kind of cool. Nobody really knows that.”
No. 5: FIRST RACE WITH JOE GIBBS RACING AT DAYTONA 500 AFTER BEING DIAGNOSED WITH GRAVES DISEASE
“My first race with Joe Gibbs at the Daytona 500 in 1995 after being diagnosed with Graves Disease in late-1994. I was told by one doctor that I probably wouldn’t race for six months. When I told Joe what they said, he ordered me to go to the Mayo Clinic and after an evaluation and follow up with radioactive iodine, I didn’t look back on it. Not only were we able to race, but I was in the top-10 late in the race and spun out. That’s when you could spin out on your own though.”
No. 4: 1995 SPRING MICHIGAN RACE WIN BEATING OUT JEFF GORDON
“The spring Michigan race in 1995 was a good one. In practice, our engine messed up. It was an engine supplied by Hendrick and Randy Dorton was trying to figure out the problem. I went to Terry’s (Labonte) hauler and asked Gary DeHart if they had a spare I could buy. All I had was $500. So, we laughed about it. All joking aside, we took the motor out of Terry’s trailer and put it in my car for the race on Sunday. And, I beat Jeff Gordon. I won the race. I beat Jeff Gordon and he was really mad because we beat him with the same engine guy, but little did he know that it was actually Terry’s spare, not our spare. He didn’t know that at the time. All good though.”
No. 3: FIRST NASCAR SPRINT CUP SERIES WIN DURING THE 1995 COCA-COLA 600 AT CHARLOTTE MOTOR SPEEDWAY
“The 1995 Coca-Cola 600. I started second, was running well and leading on several occasions. I even roughed up Dale (Earnhardt Sr.) on the frontstretch one time, which made him mad. We got down towards the end of the race and Kenny Schrader was leading. I thought I could catch him, but not sure about passing him. Then his engine blew up and I thought, ‘Now what am I going to do?’ I’m leading going for my first win. I ended up winning the race over six seconds in front of my brother (Terry), who finished second. It was the first race I won and my brother Terry finished second. Pretty cool.”
No. 2: 2000 BRICKYARD 400 VICTORY
“The 2000 Brickyard 400. I knew on Friday evening that I was going to win. I’m not sure that I have ever been that confident before a race that I could say I was going to win. We qualified third. I rode around the track before the race with Darrell Waltrip and had him sign my Interstate Batteries hat for me. It was also the race that my brother couldn’t race because of injuries that he suffered a few weeks prior. I remember during practice when Gary DeHart came down to my car crying telling me that Terry couldn’t drive. So, I went down there and we all cried in the trailer. Then on race day, after passing Rusty with a few laps to go driving away from him, I backed off so much. It was because my car was so fast and I didn’t want to get too far ahead. I remember coming down pit road after the race and Terry standing there congratulating me as I went to victory lane. Alongside me was my beautiful wife. That was a special day.”
No. 1: 1996 ATLANTA MOTOR SPEEDWAY WIN AS BROTHER TERRY CLINCHED THE CHAMPIONSHIP AT ATLANTA MOTOR SPEEDWAY
“My most memorable moment took place in 1996 at Atlanta Motor Speedway when Terry won the championship and I won the race. After winning three races the year before we had gone winless and we were hungry. We qualified first and Jeff Gordon was second. Terry had asked me the night before if I was leading and he was running second, would I let him lead a lap? I said sure. I said, ‘Wouldn’t it be cool if I won the race and you won the championship?’ We said yep it would be. So, I let him lead right away. After beating Dale Jarrett to the line and Terry winning the championship we did a so called victory lap together and I will never forget the feeling that happened. Victory Lane photo afterwards with team owners Joe Gibbs, Rick Hendrick, parents and family was really cool. To have our parents siblings win, basically both of us win on the same day.”
Bobby Labonte comments on making 700th start:
“You don’t go home after every race and count them. You don’t keep track. You just don’t. Looking back, it gives you a cold chill knowing how incredible that really is. It’s really happening. It’s just an awesome accomplishment in this sport. It’s hard to achieve in a lot of ways. I’m thankful to be able to get to that point.”
Crew Chief Brian Burns comments on Labonte and Clorox’s milestone:
“Our organization has definitely shown improvement over the last two weeks and we plan on continuing to move forward again this weekend in Talladega. This weekend has special significance for our driver who marks his 700th career start. It is also a big event for Clorox in celebration of their 100th anniversary. I can’t think of a better way to celebrate both of these benchmarks than to come back home with a win.”
Funs Facts:
Did you know that if you added all the miles that Bobby Labonte has driven in his NASCAR Sprint Cup Series career he could have driven to the moon?
Did you know that if you lined up bottles of Clorox bleach side-by-side that it would take 2.6 billion bottles to equal the distance that Bobby has driven in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series?
Bobby has raced 256,645.10 miles in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series.
Tailgater of the Week:
Do you have what it takes to be the “TAILGATER OF THE WEEK”? Mark “Big City” Coradi and his crowd won last weekend at Richmond International Raceway.
Coradi’s selection came down to all the brands he had set out that included JTG Daugherty Racing major sponsors. Coradi said he’s been tailgating at Richmond International Raceway for five years. His guests and his favorite drivers included Bobby Labonte, Clint Bowyer and Tony Stewart.
When the Tailgate Patrol team rolled up on the site located in D5 outside Turn 1, Big City’s team had a pork butt on the grill. He said he learned his grilling skills from his Coach, Kevin Fillman.
Are you the ultimate “Grillmaster” at the race track? 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
Visit www.RaceSavers.com for more details!
Bobby Labonte Scheduled Appearances:
Friday, May 3
11:30 AM to 12 PM
Clorox autograph session at their display in the midway
Saturday, May 4
9:25 AM to 10:25 AM
Catch a peek of Bobby while filming at SPEED Trackside Stage. He usually signs a few autographs for fans hanging around the stage.
4:30 to 5:30 PM
WALMART Autograph Session at 165 Vaughan Lane, Pell City, AL
6:40 to 7:15 PM
Race Fever Appearance for Alabama Institute for Deaf and Blind at AT IMHOF SPEED Channel Dome on track property
Sunday, May 5
8:45 AM to 9 AM
Talladega Experience Q&A Supported by Coca-Cola at the track
