Trouble in Turn2

If you made a list of sentimental picks to win a race or have a successful season Bobby Labonte and the #43 car would probably each make the list. Since Labonte drives the #43 makes it an even easier call. It seems like everyone roots for good things from the historic Petty operation. Since joining the team in 2006, Labonte has driven the #43 car to heights not seen in years. The next step is a win. Is it possible in 2008?

If 2006 was a return to respectability for the #43, 2007 was about maintaining that progress. Labonte gained three points positions to finish 18th. It was his best finish since 2004, and Petty Enterprises best finish since 1999 when John Andretti finished 17th. In 2006 Labonte had 8 DNF’s including 4 for engine failures. The DNF number dropped to 3 in 2007 with zero engine-related DNF’s. Both figures are significant signs of progress for Petty Enterprises.

Labonte was again solid on short tracks and had several good runs. He also took to the CoT pretty well. His average CoT finish was 21.8. While his top 5’s and top 10’s declined from 2006, he managed to run more laps and finish more races. Labonte also scored one of the more popular Busch wins in 2007 with a slingshot pass of teammate Tony Stewart to win at Talladega. The move was indicative of his plate racing prowess. It’s also seen on the Cup side, although it’s not always seen in the results. That’s the nature of plate racing, though.

The biggest problem for the Petty cars is that they simply can’t run up front on a consistent basis. Labonte is still a capable driver, but without the tools and information that the larger teams have, his success is limited. Moving their shop closer to Charlotte, the capital of NASCAR, will help. Their talent pool for crew and shop members increases immensely. The dividends will show up, but probably not immediately in 2008.

The #43 team is beginning to have a Hendrick flavor. GM Robbie Loomis, former crew chief for Jeff Gordon, recruited former crewmate Jeff Meendering from Hendrick Motorsports to head up the #43 team. Meendering was the car chief for the #24 team. So once again Labonte begins the season with another new crew chief, his 5th in less than three years with PE. He has had relative success with each of the crew chiefs in his time at Petty, but rarely right off the bat. It has typically taken a few months for Labonte’s team to gel and that transition period has to be expected again. If Labonte and company aren’t ready to run for top 10’s right away, any Chase visions will evaporate.

Despite some disadvantages in the equipment, Labonte is still capable of running near the front at places like Bristol, Martinsville, Atlanta, Texas and Phoenix. Given how much he has accomplished at the Cup level, it’s sometimes easy to forget that he’s only 43. A top 20 points finish might be tougher to attain this year, but 5-6 top tens with 1 or 2 top five finishes is probably realistic. Can Labonte win a race for Petty? The competition for wins and top 5’s will be fierce. A lot of things will have to fall into place for Labonte and Meendering to visit Victory Lane. It’s not impossible at a place like Martinsville, but realistically it’s out of reach this year. The short answer is no, but with all of the moves PE is making, the answer could turn into a yes sooner than later.