Bobby Labonte. As if you didn't know that.
The news that Bobby Labonte has severed ties with the #71 team and is now free-lancing, this weekend at New Hampshire running Robby Gordon’s #7 car while Gordon is occupied elsewhere and then taking a couple of turns in the #09, invokes a sense of relief rather than ruminations on a career reaching an end.
Outside of maybe Kurt Busch, Labonte is the least recognized champion of the modern era. Some of this may be due to how his title run in 2000 thwarted what turned out to be Dale Earnhardt’s final run at an eighth Winston Cup, although given how he won by 265 points in those pre-Chase days it’s not like he squeaked in. The fact that Labonte leans toward being a laconic, laid-back person probably contributes to his low-key standing. It’s not that Labonte lacks for fans; one would be hard-pressed to find anyone in the stands or garage who doesn’t like him. He’s just cool like that.
The hope is that Labonte can give some peer pointers to Gordon, who hasn’t been setting the world on fire this year, although his second place finish at Infineon this past Sunday was a pleasant change of pace. Whether he’ll be able to wrestle anything out of the car at New Hampshire remains to be seen.
The other hope is Labonte isn’t turning into a scuffling journeyman, wandering from team to team. A good showing this weekend would go a long way toward dispelling that notion. If he’s a rolling speed bump, though, one has to wonder.
