Labonte Struggles at Martinsville, Finishes 18th
MARTINSVILLE, Va., Sunday, Oct. 24, 2004 – Bobby Labonte finished 18th in the Subway 500 Oct. 24 at Martinsville Speedway in Martinsville, Va.
Jimmie Johnson won the event, while Labonte has finished 16th, 17th or 18th in six of the last nine races.
“It was tough to pass anyone out there,” Labonte said. “I think everybody had a hard time passing anyone out there. Track position has always been critical here, but today it was really, really important, and we just didn’t have it.”
Labonte started the race in 17th-place and remained between 15th and 20th for much of the first half of the race, while he battled a tough track and tight No. 18 Interstate Batteries Chevrolet.
He was involved in a minor accident on Lap 353 in Turn 4 when he made contact with Ken Schrader, but the damage to the car was minor and Labonte was able to continue on.
He was as high as 12th on Lap 409 when he had to make his second-to-last pit stop under caution. He came out in 18th, and was never able to gain any positions before the end of the 500-lap event.
Despite the disappointing finish, Labonte remained 14th in the NASCAR NEXTEL Cup point standings 3,761 points. He is 48 points behind 13th-place Kevin Harvick and six points ahead of 15th-place Kasey Kahne.
The next NASCAR NEXTEL Cup Series event is the Bass Pro Shops MBNA 500 Oct. 31 at Atlanta Motor Speedway in Hampton, Ga. The race starts at noon (EST), and will be broadcast live on NBC and PRN.
|
