Daytona 500: 18 Days and Counting

Wednesday, January 30th, 2008 6:58pm UTC

User Avatar Latest Nascar News And Info! By Luke, Thunder Lounge
Published on Thunder Lounge.



Bobby Labonte

Bobby Labonte, 2007

  • 2007 Stats

    • Organization: Petty Enterprises
    • Car Number: 43
    • Crew Chief: Paul Andrews/Doug Randolph
    • Sponsor: Cheerios
    • Points: 18th :: 3517 :: -3206
    • Starts: 36
    • Poles: 0
    • Wins: 0
    • Top 5′s: 0
    • Top 10′s: 3
    • Winnings: $4,586,960

  • 2008 Preview

    • Organization: Petty Enterprises
    • Car Number: 43
    • Crew Chief: Jeff Meendering
    • Sponsor: Cheerios

One word sums up the 2007 season for Bobby Labonte. Improvement. In 2006, his first year with Petty Enterprises, he finished 21st in the points. In 2007, he improved three positions to 18th.

Three positions isn’t earth shattering. However, in 2006 he also had 3 Top-5′s and 8 Top-10′s. In 2007, he simply had 3 Top-10′s. Wow, you say? What this shows us is that while the numbers at the top might not quite reflect improvement, overall he was running better.

Then again, he also scored 50 less points in 2007, vice 2006, so take it how you see it.

The positive side of this 2008 equation is Jeff Meendering. Yes, thatJeff Meendering. The same guy that was the car chief for a certain Mr. Gordon. And, for the record, I don’t mean Robby. With the addition of Jeff Meendering as Bobby’s new crew chief, 2008 could prove to be a year of marked improvement. I’m sure it also hasn’t hurt that one Mr. Loomis has been able to “interpret” between a familiar Hendrick lingo, and the Petty speak as well.

The drawback to this whole equation: Dodge. The unknown factor: Full time with the new car. If the Dodge camp can get the manufacturer backing that has been missing in strength, it may be enough to pick up some momentum for the #43 team.

Note: information is accurate as of date published. Check Thunder Lounge for additional updates and information.

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Filed Under: Bobby Labonte, Drivers, Nascar, Nextel Cup, Petty Enterprises #43, Sprint Cup, Teams

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