JTG Daugherty Racing welcomes back Bobby Labonte to the No. 47 BUSH’S Beans Toyota Camry at New Hampshire Motor Speedway after missing races due to three broken ribs from a cycling incident.
In 37 starts at the 1.058-mile Loudon, N.H. track, Labonte has one pole award (9/16/00), five top-five, 11 top-10 finishes and has led 72 laps overall. His best finish is second (9/17/2000).
His average start is 16.595 and his average finish is 17.162 at Loudon.
The 2000 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series champion’s best finish of the season is 15th, which occurred at Daytona International Speedway in February.
QUOTES:
Back in the saddle again:“Having a few weeks off was not what I planned on doing, but I have healed up well,” Labonte said. “I am still sore in some places, but it could be a lot worse. I sat in the seat to feel comfortable. It seemed like everything went good.”
Concentrating on rehab from rib injury: “These weeks off I have been really concentrating on rehab as far as my rib injury goes,” Labonte said. “I have been working with machines to heal the bone and muscle faster.
“Dry needling has helped with getting the bruising down,” Labonte continued. “I have been trying to work on those things more than anything else along with relaxing to get better.”
Glad to have him back: “We are excited Bobby’s back in the BUSH’S Beans Toyota,” JTG Daugherty Racing co-owner Brad Daugherty said. “His commitment to our race team has been tremendous. We want him 100 percent. If he says he’s ready to go, he’s ready. We’re concerned and don’t want him to get injured, but we support him and his efforts at New Hampshire.”
Team excels at Loudon: “New Hampshire Motor Speedway seems to be a good track for us,” Labonte said. “We run pretty good up there and have ran in the top 10 quite a bit.”
Favors this track: “This track has always been a favorite of mine,” Labonte said. “It is fun, but at the same time it is hard to pass. The groove is two wide and there seems to be a single groove in the middle of the corner. You tend to use your brakes a lot and most drivers struggle with forward drive. I am really looking forward to getting back in the No. 47 BUSH’S® Beans Toyota Camry there.”
Good baseline: “We are happy to have Bobby back in the car at Loudon,” crew chief Brian Burns said. “In the spring race, we had a strong setup and were looking at a top-five finish, but we were short on fuel. We plan to unload with the same baseline setup in hopes that the driver should not have to work as hard to get it tuned in.”
Driver’s track:“This type of track seems to fall in our favor,” Burns said. “Bobby seems to be stronger at these flatter tracks. It is a finesse track where a veteran driver can shine. It is more about driving style and taking care of your equipment.”
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