Labonte brothers to compete as Petty Enterprises teammates
By SceneDaily Staff
Tuesday, May 13, 2008
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Jim Fluharty / NASCAR Scene
Terry Labonte (left) and Bobby Labonte celebrate together after one of Terry Labonte's NASCAR Cup victories.
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Terry Labonte and Chad McCumbee will share the driving duties in the No. 45 Petty Enterprises Dodge when Kyle Petty misses seven races later this year.
Petty will miss the race at Dover International Speedway to attend his daughter’s wedding. He will then return to the TNT booth beginning with the June 8 Pocono Raceway event and will not return to the car until the July 27 race at Indianapolis Motor Speedway.
McCumbee is scheduled to drive the car at Dover and Chicagoland, the final race that Petty will miss. He previously filled in for Petty at Pocono and the Michigan International Speedway in 2007 and at the Texas Motor Speedway last month. McCumbee’s best finish for Petty Enterprises (25th) came at Pocono.
“As a father there aren’t many days more special than the day you get to give your daughter away in marriage,” Petty said. “I appreciate Chad jumping in the car at Dover to allow me to do that. He is strong on the intermediate tracks, and I’m confident that he will do a great job at Dover as well as Chicagoland. It’s just another part of our evaluation process of him.”
For the other five races, two-time NASCAR Cup champion Terry Labonte will take the wheel. Not only will his status as a previous champion guarantee him a spot in each of the races, he’ll get to compete as a teammate to his brother, Bobby Labonte, for the second time in their Cup careers. The Labontes are the only brothers to win the series championship and have combined for 43 Cup victories.
“It is an honor for me, personally and professionally, to have Terry drive my car,” Petty said. “He is a longtime friend and one of the true gentlemen to ever compete in our sport. Everyone at Petty Enterprises is excited to have he and Bobby in our Dodge Chargers. I know Terry will do a great job for us and all of our partners over this five-race stretch, and I look forward to covering it from the TNT booth.”
Labonte retired from racing in 2006, but he returned for three races in 2007. Now, he’ll join his brother on the track once more. “Bobby
and I have always enjoyed the time we have spent together on the race track,” Terry Labonte said. “We haven’t been teammates very much, but when we are, it makes that time even better. And I’m honored that Kyle would ask me to get behind the wheel of the 45 car for these five races. I feel confident that we can go out and have some good runs.”
Bobby Labonte has no doubts that his brother can still get the job done.
“This was a great move by us because Terry is the same driver today that he was when he won the 2003 Southern 500 or when he finished third at Sonoma a few years ago,” he said. “When he jumps behind the wheel of a race car he is still the ‘Iceman.’ To have him as a teammate again is special for our whole family. It means a lot to me because I grew up wanting to be just like him.”
- Mentioned Drivers:
- Chad McCumbee
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