Labonte Shifts To 2nd Goal

The big story so far this year on the Winston Cup circuit has been Terry Labonte breaking Richard Petty’s career record for longevity. An even bigger story would be Labonte winning the series championship.

Two races into the 1996 schedule, that seemed like the longest of long shots. No more.

Finishes of 24th and 34th in the season’s opening two races landed Labonte in 30th spot in the annual driver standings.

Since then, Labonte has reeled off five top10 finishes in a row, including a victory last Sunday at North Wilkesboro, N.C., where he tied Petty’s record with his 513th consecutive start on stock car racing’s top circuit.

The surge has vaulted Labonte into third place in the Winston Cup points chase, 59 points behind leader Dale Jarrett and 57 behind Dale Earnhardt in second.

“He’s going to be one to be reckoned with,” said Earnhardt, who is chasing his eighth season driving title, of Labonte.

Labonte’s only other championship came in 1984, his sixth full year in the Winston Cup ranks. He’s had two top-five finishes in the points since then, and both came in the late 1980s when he was driving for Junior Johnson.

Labonte’s career fell on lean times after that until he joined Hendrick Motorsports in time for the 1994 season. Seven of his 17 career victories have come since he began driving for Rick Hendrick, and Labonte finished seventh in the 1994 points chase and sixth last year.

“This really is the best team I’ve ever been with,” Labonte said. “This team has the resources and people to make us competitive week in and week out, and that really builds great confidence in you as a driver.

“We may not be the best team in Winston Cup racing, but at the same time, I know we’re not too far down the ladder.”

By the numbers

Rusty Wallace has all the credentials to make him the prohibitive favorite to win today’s race at Martinsville, Va.

In the last six races on the .526-mile, low-banked oval, Wallace has won four times, including three consecutive victories in Martinsville’s spring event.

He has led 1,387 of a possible 2,856 laps in those six events - 48.6 percent - and has led more than 300 laps in three of those races. In the spring 1993 race, he ran up front for 409 of the event’s 500 laps.

No sophomore jinx

Ricky Craven, the top rookie last year on the Winston Cup circuit, continues to shine in his second season.

Craven was seventh last week at North Wilkesboro, his third consecutive top-10 finish and his fourth in seven races this year. Craven, who hasn’t finished lower than 17th all season, remains in fourth place in the driver standings, 76 points off the lead.

The solid start hasn’t prompted Craven to re-evaluate his goals for his sophomore season, which remain to win a race and to improve.

“We could get selfish,” he said, “but we’re not going to. We’re going to be very thankful for what we’ve got. You can’t buy confidence, and it’s very important. We need to race with authority, and that’s what we’re closing in on.”

Andretti’s struggles

John Andretti is trying his best to remain focused during what has been a miserable start to his season.

Andretti was one of just two drivers in the 37-car field at North Wilkesboro who wasn’t running at the end. Andretti was involved in a wreck with Geoff Bodine late in the race, the second time they’ve tangled already this year.

The 34th-place finish marked the fourth time this year Andretti hasn’t finished a race, tops on the circuit.

He has no finishes better than 12th and he’s 39th in the points - 624 off the leading pace.

While Andretti was livid after his latest encounter with Bodine, he calmed down considerably after a day to think about it.

“Tempers get short sometimes,” Andretti said, “but I always try to look at it like this week is this week and last week was last week. Look at it any other way, and you’re deluding your effort.”

Who’s hot?

Defending Winston Cup champion Jeff Gordon, 43rd in the points after two races this year, has responded with five consecutive top-three finishes, including three victories. He’s currently sixth in the points, 103 points behind Jarrett.

Earnhardt has five top-fives and two victories in 1996.

Bobby Labonte has three consecutive top-10 finishes.

Terry Labonte has five consecutive top-10 finishes. He’s also the only driver on the circuit with six top-five starts.

Who’s not?

Steve Grissom has five consecutive finishes of 21st or lower.

Andretti has finished 21st or lower in five of his six races this year and did not make the field at Bristol, Tenn.

Johnny Benson, Brett Bodine, Geoff Bodine, Bobby Hillin, Elton Sawyer, Mike Wallace and Darrell Waltrip all are seeking their first top-15 finishes of 1996.

Ernie Irvan’s sixth-place finish at North Wilkesboro was just his second top-10 this year.

The final word

How impressed is Labonte with all the hoopla surrounding his pursuit of Petty’s record for consecutive starts? Not very.

“I think it’s attracted a little bit more attention than maybe I thought it would,” Labonte said. “It’s attracted a little bit more attention than maybe I think it deserves.

“But I guess when you think about it and kind of look around, there’s really not too many big stories right now. I guess everybody’s maybe kind of focusing on this one.”