Bristol is a Link to NASCAR’s Roots

by Tom Jensen
SPEED TV,March 29

Nearly six years ago, on a typical heat-thick Tennessee August night, Terry Labonte led the Food City 500 going into the last lap at the demonic 0.533-mile, 36-degree banked torture chamber known as Bristol Motor Speedway.

As “The Iceman” exited turn two, Dale Earnhardt got into the rear of Labonte’s Chevrolet, sending it helplessly into the backstretch wall as the black No. 3 sped to victory.

A near-riot ensued among the 140,000 or so fans. Those in the Earnhardt nation mostly cheered wildly while others, many well-lubricated from a night of inhaling malt beverages 12 ounces at a time and worse, yelled, screamed, cursed and shouted, all the while administering the universal one-finger salute.

Some fans even tore their Earnhardt t-shirts off in disgust, angered that “The Intimidator” had won by wrecking Labonte. “I didn’t mean to wreck him,” Earnhardt said in victory lane. “I was just trying to rattle his cage.”

But no one believed him.

“It wasn't right. It wasn't right,” second-place Jimmy Spencer said of Earnhardt's roughhouse tactics. Spencer, himself no stranger to aggressive driving, added, “I used to fight for stuff less than that on Saturday nights.”

“In that situation, you have to know who you’re dealing with,” added third-place Ricky Rudd.

Later, as he rode the elevator up to the press box for his post-race interview amid the booing, the cheering and the unruly drunks, Earnhardt smiled. “God, I love this s—t,” he said.

Now, that’s real racing.

With the exception of Atlanta Motor Speedway, which seems to have thrilling finishes every spring, most mile-and-a-half to two-mile tracks feature deadly dull races where fuel mileage and aero push play more of a role in deciding the race winner than driving skill does. And that might be why there were 20,000 or so fans dressed as empty seats a couple of weeks back in Southern California.

Not so Bristol.

Respecting NASCAR

by Jerry Bonkowski
March 29

NASCAR's so-called young guns have taken the Cup series by storm in recent years. It's the arrival of a new generation in the sport, a generation which many believe doesn't have the same grasp of NASCAR's history and culture as do the sport's retired stars or older veterans.

Today, young drivers often hit the pavement running. Just barely removed from racing sprint cars or midgets or trucks, they are given strong cars and are expected to make an immediate impact – and often they do.

But with the allure of fast cars, fast speeds and fast money, many of these young drivers quickly fall prey to critics if they become outspoken or don't show respect toward the more than five decades of NASCAR history and tradition that has preceded them.

"I don't know if they really realize the opportunity that this is, to run in this series," veteran driver Terry Labonte said.

All too often, young drivers bring criticism upon themselves with their swagger and aloofness. Instead of wondering how they can make the sport better, many often display a "what's in it for me?" attitude.

One recent instance was the feud that began late last season at Martinsville between teammates Rusty Wallace and Ryan Newman. Wallace was going for the win and Newman wasn't going to give an inch, teammate or not, which immediately drew Wallace's ire. The ill feelings lasted through the offseason.

Some critics said Newman wasn't respecting his elder or the tradition of the sport, where young drivers are supposed to be subservient to their older and more experienced counterparts. Others castigated the South Bend, Ind., native for disrespecting one of the drivers upon which NASCAR's unprecedented success was built.

Even Wallace, never one to mince words, couldn't believe how a driver he helped bring into Cup racing would try to bite the hand that feeds him.

"I just don't understand some of the young kids today in racing," Wallace said. "It's almost like they've got no respect for teammates or other drivers who've been here for 15 or 20 years."

Terry Labonte cutting back, but not cutting grass
By Joe Jennings
Motorsport.com,March 29

Before the 2005 season, Terry Labonte spent 26 years racing full-time in NASCAR's Winston/Nextel Cup. After 817 career starts, 22 career wins, two Cup championships and numerous other accomplishments, he has decided it is time to pull back.

At age 48, the quiet-spoken Texan has devised a retirement plan that reduces his Cup schedule to just ten races in each of the next two seasons. His part-time schedule will allow him to spend more time with his family, including son Justin, who races full-time with the Busch Series.

Labonte's wind-down program has been dubbed "Shifting Gears Lone Star Style." "Instead of walking away from the sport I still enjoy, I will pick the races I want to do," he says. "I think it is time to step back and take the opportunity to thank the fans. I am really excited about it." He indicates his 2006 schedule will be revised somewhat to include other tracks that he likes.

Even though Labonte will have spare time on his hands, it doesn't mean he will be cutting his lawn and tending to other household chores. "I have never cut my own grass, and I am not going to do so now."

Labonte, who is known as the "Iron Man" after starting 655 consecutive Cup races, confides it took him a while to make the decision, but once he made it he was satisfied with the outcome. "I feel great about the decision," he says. "When it was obvious we weren't going to be in the top 10 (in points), it made my decision much easier."

For 11 seasons, Labonte has been one of the principal drivers for Hendrick Motorsports. During this timeframe, he has run 268 races, scoring 12 victories and winning the championship in 1996. He ranked in the top 10 during the first five years, but fell out of the top 20 in three of the last four seasons.

"To win a championship takes a tremendous effort," Labonte explains. "I knew our team wasn't where it needed to be, and it would take serious work to get it back on track. I didn't have two or three years in which to do it, so I thought it presented a good opportunity for me to step back and let Kyle (Busch) get in the car." Labonte had been noticing that the newer drivers were getting younger and younger. "When you see drivers that are younger than your kids, there's a message there. I feel fortunate to have been doing this as long as I have been."

Weight lifted off Edwards
By Mike Connolly
Bristol Herald Courier,March 29

Carl Edwards drove the No. 99 car with what felt like an extra weight slowing the car down at the end of the 2004 season.

Even though he scored five top-10 finishes, Edwards saw a dark cloud looming over his race team. Driving without a sponsor, Edwards, a mid-season replacement for Jeff Burton, thought car owner Jack Roush might shut the team down.

"You know, when you don't have a sponsor that pressure is 'man we're racing for our careers every week,'" Edwards said. "It's really tough on the team and I think it takes a special group of guys to be able to perform under those conditions."

Edwards fears of losing his ride were proved to be unfounded. Roush had every intention of keeping the team together with or without a sponsor in 2005. It would take too much effort to rebuild the team, Roush said. Plus, Roush recognized the 25-year-old's tremendous talent.

So did the sponsors. Edwards went from having no sponsors at the end of the 2004 season to rotating four sponsors - Scott, Office Depot, AAA and World Financial Group - in 2005.

"We can go to these races like Bristol and all we have to do is worry about racing Bristol," Edwards said.

"It's not like last year when we were going out there with a blank car and I'm thinking 'we've got to perform today.'"