Bobby Labonte could find himself in the No. 45 instead of the 43 at Petty Enterprises should Kyle Petty fall out of the top 35 in Nextel Cup owners’ points over the next five weeks.
Petty said he would consider switching cars with his teammate so both would be guaranteed a starting spot, him on Labonte’s points [17th] and Labonte on his past champion’s provisional, the remainder of this season.
That also could help for next season if Labonte could race the No. 45 back into the top 35 that will be guaranteed a spot the first five races of 2008.
“Yeah, we’d consider it, ” Petty said Saturday between practices at Martinsville Speedway. “I’m not gonna lie. Look, as long as they don’t change the rules and the rulebook is written that way, we’re in the business to run racecars. David Newton, ESPN.com
Labonte left the Joe Gibbs Racing team he’d won the 2000 NASCAR Cup title with and moved to Petty Enterprises at the beginning of the 2006 season. He knew that he was joining Kyle Petty in an effort to rebuild the team.
Now, more than a season later, Labonte admits that the task has, at times, been a tough challenge. Petty sees that, too, and says that no matter how much Labonte thought he recognized the effort needed to rebuild the team that it is possible he didn’t really understand what that would mean to take over a team with a top finish of 29th in the standings the previous pair of seasons.
Labonte finished 21st in the standings last year and is 17th this year. But this year, that 17th must be more frustrating due to some strong runs that went awry. Most notably, Labonte was powerful at Atlanta in March, then blew an engine, and has run well the last two races but endured setbacks late in the races for those as well. REA WHITE, SceneDaily.com
Even as he prepares to make his 810th career Nextel Cup start, moving him into fifth place all-time, Kyle Petty’s eyes are on the future.
And if the future entails Petty falling out of the top 35 in owner points in his No. 45 Dodge, make no mistake. He will do whatever it takes to keep racing, and to get that car back within the top 35 as quickly as possible.
That includes possibly switching seats with fellow Petty Enterprises driver Bobby Labonte, whose No. 43 sits in 18th place in owner points heading into Sunday’s Subway 500 at Martinsville Speedway. As a past Cup champion, Labonte is permitted under current NASCAR rules to use a championship provisional to make up to six races per season. Joe Menzer, NASCAR.COM
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