Labonte looking to capitalize this weekend

Bobby Labonte has one pole award, four top-five, and 10 top-10 finishes and has led 161 laps at Richmond International Raceway. His average start is 19.725 and his average finish is 19.250. The Corpus Christi, Texas-native's best finish is second twice occurring on 9/11/99 and 5/3/03.

The 2000 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series champion is currently 28th in the drivers points standings, 184 points behind leader Jimmie Johnson. Labonte is only 113 points out of 10th place.

JTG Daugherty Racing Quotes

BUSH'S Beans returns to No. 47 Toyota Camry: "BUSH'S Beans is on board this weekend," Bobby Labonte said. "They are a great partner of ours and their new Pop-Top cans make them really easy to enjoy, anytime, any day. We're always grilling out and having their beans as a side dish. We're actually grilling out this weekend before the garage opens on race day. There will be a lot of folks doing that in he coach lot before we have to go to work. It's a great time."

Labonte favors Richmond: "Richmond has been a favorite track of mine for years," Labonte said. "The last time we raced there it was a good race for us, but the rain got us behind. This is a better track for our group."

Looking back: "We had a decent weekend at Kansas Speedway. We got our bearings straight on a couple things," Labonte said. "This weekend qualifying will be important. Speeds will be fast for the new car. We were able to gain a couple positions in the points standings last weekend and we're looking to capitalize this weekend."

Track History: "I've been close to a win at Richmond International Raceway a couple times," Labonte said. "I have a pair of second-place finishes and I've won a pole there. I've also finished third twice. Richmond has been a good track for me. We're hoping this weekend will be a good race for us."

Turning the corner: "Last weekend, we felt like we made the turn and are starting to get things back on track," crew chief Brian Burns said. "Even though our finish does not reflect it, we were pretty competitive. We encountered some right-side damage to our Toyota Camry that hurt our finish. It upset the balance of the car. We feel like we are picking up on our intermediate program."

Near future looks bright: "We're looking forward to the next few weeks because we're coming up on races at strong tracks for us," Burns said. "Richmond will be a good one for us as well as Talladega Superspeedway and a few others in this stretch."

Approaching 700th Career Start at Talladega Superspeedway: "You don't go home after every race and count them," Labonte said. "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 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."

JTG Daugherty Racing