Post by dalejrfan on Jun 6, 2005 15:03:38 GMT -5
DOVER, Del. -- Bobby Labonte sat in his car during a red flag in the Coca-Cola 600. He was leading and no doubt going over how he was going to hold off the field for his first win since 2003.
Then he heard Darrell Waltrip's voice crackle over the radio, and the ensuing interview -- which consisted of roughly two dozen words -- was one of the best unintentional comedy moments of the year.
But that's typical Bobby Labonte. He didn't want to talk to anyone. He wanted to focus on the task at hand, because winning becomes a lot more critical when a race team has struggled as much as they have in 2005.
Labonte has six DNFs this year -- he's had four engines go awry already -- but he capped a decent May with his runner-up finish to Jimmie Johnson in the Coca-Cola 600.
Labonte talked with NASCAR.COM's Ryan Smithson last weekend at Dover, where he finished 38th after another engine failure.
Bobby, after last week, a lot of people wanted to know why you didn't block the 48 (Jimmie Johnson, on the final lap of the Coca-Cola 600).
I ran my line and that was the fastest line I could ever have at that point and time. I am pretty sure if I had moved up, he would have passed me on the bottom side, because he was a lot faster than I was.
You were so frustrated at Atlanta as far as the (new 2005 package) rules go, has that gotten any better?
Well, that was a wreck on the first lap if I am not mistaken, because we impounded the cars, and two cars wrecked on the first lap. My thoughts still haven't changed.
It was kind of humorous during the (Coca-Cola 600) broadcast when you had a six-word answer to three questions. Do they (TV) channel into your car out of the blue?
They did.
Does that shock you?
That is the first time that has ever happened. They didn't ask beforehand. And I don't know what the etiquette is on that, but usually they ask beforehand.
Joe Crowley, Labonte's publicist: They didn't ask me.
They didn't ask me, so.....
It became an issue, especially after Bristol, as far as young drivers vs. veterans, do you think the younger drivers respect you? On and off the track?
Well, I don't know. If you get crashed by a guy, that does not mean he does not respect you, it's just that he doesn't know what is going on every minute of the race (laughs).
But I think so. I think I have earned a lot of respect throughout the years and all that stuff, both on and off the track.
What have you done to keep Jason Leffler pumped up this year?
Final LapsJohnson passes Labonte on the final lap and wins the Coca-Cola 600 We will talk at times. Obviously, he has been around for a few years and he has been in the Cup deal before, and out of it and back in it, but you know, we just talk about things, about the race car more than anything else, and trying to figure out what we can do to make them better at times.
The weather has been miserable this weekend. You still watching The Weather Channel a lot?
You know, I watched it about all day yesterday, yeah.
How do you do that? It's the same thing over and over!
At 3 o'clock in the morning, it's the same thing over and over. Sometimes.
Doesn't that drive your wife crazy?
Nah. She is into it too.
Bobby, what is your best Mark Martin or Rusty Wallace memory off the top of your head?
Let's see. Rusty Wallace. Well, let's see. Mark Martin. We will go with him first. Mark was like a deal where, I asked him -- this was in the early 1990s -- I asked him to drive my Busch car one day while we were testing in Charlotte.
Justin, Bobby and Terry Labonte clown around for the camera. Credit: Autostock
We were struggling a little bit. He looked at me and said, 'I don't need to. OK? Put your spoiler up to about 90 degrees instead of 65 (laughs). That will help.' I said OK. Sure enough, it did. I said, that's cool. Good enough for me.
Rusty? I don't know. That is kind of hard to say. A lot of good stories and a lot of good times. I don't hang out with him too much. Rusty, after you hang out with him for about an hour, I need something to calm me down.
Does he fire you up?
Oh yeah. He's always on fire. He is fun to hang around, but you need a calming pill afterwards.
Bobby, you're 41 years old. Why did you see the need to bump up your schedule this year?
I didn't fill it up beforehand, I just felt like opportunities came about more now than they did two years ago, they didn't present themselves as good as they did right now.
You and your brother Terry bought a sports car (to race in the Grand American Rolex Series).
We are kind of partners in it, yeah.
That has got to be fun.
Yeah, it's all right.
Ever thought about doing anything with it in the offseason?
No, not really. Thought about it. Travel sucks right now as it is. I would go, but I don't have a good PR guy to do it.
Joe Crowley, Labonte's publicist: Oh, geez. Come on.
Then he heard Darrell Waltrip's voice crackle over the radio, and the ensuing interview -- which consisted of roughly two dozen words -- was one of the best unintentional comedy moments of the year.
But that's typical Bobby Labonte. He didn't want to talk to anyone. He wanted to focus on the task at hand, because winning becomes a lot more critical when a race team has struggled as much as they have in 2005.
Labonte has six DNFs this year -- he's had four engines go awry already -- but he capped a decent May with his runner-up finish to Jimmie Johnson in the Coca-Cola 600.
Labonte talked with NASCAR.COM's Ryan Smithson last weekend at Dover, where he finished 38th after another engine failure.
Bobby, after last week, a lot of people wanted to know why you didn't block the 48 (Jimmie Johnson, on the final lap of the Coca-Cola 600).
I ran my line and that was the fastest line I could ever have at that point and time. I am pretty sure if I had moved up, he would have passed me on the bottom side, because he was a lot faster than I was.
You were so frustrated at Atlanta as far as the (new 2005 package) rules go, has that gotten any better?
Well, that was a wreck on the first lap if I am not mistaken, because we impounded the cars, and two cars wrecked on the first lap. My thoughts still haven't changed.
It was kind of humorous during the (Coca-Cola 600) broadcast when you had a six-word answer to three questions. Do they (TV) channel into your car out of the blue?
They did.
Does that shock you?
That is the first time that has ever happened. They didn't ask beforehand. And I don't know what the etiquette is on that, but usually they ask beforehand.
Joe Crowley, Labonte's publicist: They didn't ask me.
They didn't ask me, so.....
It became an issue, especially after Bristol, as far as young drivers vs. veterans, do you think the younger drivers respect you? On and off the track?
Well, I don't know. If you get crashed by a guy, that does not mean he does not respect you, it's just that he doesn't know what is going on every minute of the race (laughs).
But I think so. I think I have earned a lot of respect throughout the years and all that stuff, both on and off the track.
What have you done to keep Jason Leffler pumped up this year?
Final LapsJohnson passes Labonte on the final lap and wins the Coca-Cola 600 We will talk at times. Obviously, he has been around for a few years and he has been in the Cup deal before, and out of it and back in it, but you know, we just talk about things, about the race car more than anything else, and trying to figure out what we can do to make them better at times.
The weather has been miserable this weekend. You still watching The Weather Channel a lot?
You know, I watched it about all day yesterday, yeah.
How do you do that? It's the same thing over and over!
At 3 o'clock in the morning, it's the same thing over and over. Sometimes.
Doesn't that drive your wife crazy?
Nah. She is into it too.
Bobby, what is your best Mark Martin or Rusty Wallace memory off the top of your head?
Let's see. Rusty Wallace. Well, let's see. Mark Martin. We will go with him first. Mark was like a deal where, I asked him -- this was in the early 1990s -- I asked him to drive my Busch car one day while we were testing in Charlotte.
Justin, Bobby and Terry Labonte clown around for the camera. Credit: Autostock
We were struggling a little bit. He looked at me and said, 'I don't need to. OK? Put your spoiler up to about 90 degrees instead of 65 (laughs). That will help.' I said OK. Sure enough, it did. I said, that's cool. Good enough for me.
Rusty? I don't know. That is kind of hard to say. A lot of good stories and a lot of good times. I don't hang out with him too much. Rusty, after you hang out with him for about an hour, I need something to calm me down.
Does he fire you up?
Oh yeah. He's always on fire. He is fun to hang around, but you need a calming pill afterwards.
Bobby, you're 41 years old. Why did you see the need to bump up your schedule this year?
I didn't fill it up beforehand, I just felt like opportunities came about more now than they did two years ago, they didn't present themselves as good as they did right now.
You and your brother Terry bought a sports car (to race in the Grand American Rolex Series).
We are kind of partners in it, yeah.
That has got to be fun.
Yeah, it's all right.
Ever thought about doing anything with it in the offseason?
No, not really. Thought about it. Travel sucks right now as it is. I would go, but I don't have a good PR guy to do it.
Joe Crowley, Labonte's publicist: Oh, geez. Come on.