Darlington: Bobby Labonte preview

Bobby Labonte:

"Coming home with a top-15 at Richmond should get momentum back on our side. We've got some pretty good tracks coming up for us. Darlington, Charlotte and Dover are all places where we can continue to gain some points on the guys in the top-12. We're less than 100 points out of the top-15. That's not a bad spot to be."

"I have enjoyed going to Darlington ever since I went there for the first time. I feel like most of the garage area will tell you the same thing. We definitely need more tracks like that, more unique racetracks. It's the most demanding place that we go, so it's a little unusual to like a place that is so difficult. But, as a driver, you like to be tested. Darlington is a test each time you go."

"I'm anxious to see how the new pavement feels and how it drives. I talked to the guys who went down for the tire test and they said that it's the same old Darlington, just faster. That was good to hear because when you pave a racetrack, there is always a chance that it won't turn like you wanted. It won't be the same as it was before. We've seen it happen at other tracks. I was at Darlington for the first race after it was paved last, in 1995, and they did a great job with it then."

-credit: pe