(By Reid Spencer Sporting News NASCAR Wire Service)
Posted: Thursday,July 29th, 2010
Bobby Labonte’s concerns about an uncertain future in NASCAR Sprint Cup racing have been settled.
JTG/Daugherty Racing, which fields Toyotas in partnership with Michael Waltrip Racing, will put Labonte behind the wheel of its No. 47 Camry for a full 36-race Cup schedule next season, the team announced Wednesday.
Labonte, 46, the 2000 Cup champion, made his 600th consecutive start in the series and his 602nd overall in Sunday’s Brickyard 400 at Indianapolis Motor Speedway, where he finished 31st in James Finch’s No. 09 Chevrolet after sustaining damage in a wreck on the first lap.
Labonte started the season with TRG Motorsports, drove for Robby Gordon at New Hampshire and has spent the past three races in Finch’s car. Labonte will return to TRG’s No. 71 Chevrolet for Sunday’s Pennsylvania 500 at Pocono Raceway.
At JTG/Daugherty, Labonte will fill a void left by Marcos Ambrose, who on Tuesday announced his departure from the organization at the end of the season. Ambrose is the leading candidate to fill one of the empty seats at Richard Petty Motorsports, according to sources, though the driver denied he has already reached an agreement with RPM.
“JTG/Daugherty Racing is a solid race team that has come close to winning races with Marcos Ambrose, and I’m looking forward to developing our new partnership in 2011,” Labonte said.
“The team is thriving, and their technical alliance with MWR is intact. It’s great to have next year already set in stone so when this season ends we can begin focusing on next year right away.”
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