JTG Daugherty Racing announced today that 2000 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series champion Bobby Labonte will take the reins as driver of the No. 47 Toyota Camry for the 2011 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series 36-race schedule.
“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 (Michael Waltrip Racing) 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. Everything is in place and we have all the right ingredients to win races together.”
Labonte’s credentials speak for themselves. The Corpus Christi, Texas native is a 21-time NASCAR Sprint Cup Series winner with 26 pole awards, 114 top-five and 199 top-10 finishes. Team owners Jodi and Tad Geschickter and Brad Daugherty are pleased Labonte accepted the offer to drive the JTG Daugherty Racing NASCAR Sprint Cup Series entry as they enter their third full-time season of competition at Daytona International Speedway on February 13th.
“We are really happy Bobby has decided to join our team because I have known him for a long time and I have always admired him as a professional driver and as an individual,” Daugherty said. “He will do an outstanding job representing our products and team. He has gotten to a point in his career that he still has some things to accomplish. He is highly experienced with a championship on his résumé’ and we know he is capable of winning.”
“We would like to give a warm welcome to Bobby as he joins the JTG Daugherty Racing family,” said Jodi Geschickter. “We know he is an amazing fit for our sponsors and racing organization. The Labonte name has a history of excellence. Bobby is a proven winner, a NASCAR Sprint Cup Series champion and his character is solid. We share similar goals and views regarding the future. We are pleased that he has accepted the offer to join JTG Daugherty Racing in 2011.”
JTG Daugherty Racing’s partners concur.
“We are extremely excited to have Bobby coming on board,” said Grant LaMontagne, Senior Vice President and Chief Customer Officer of The Clorox Company, the longest running sponsor partner of JTG Daugherty Racing. “He’s a champion and a great fit for our brands. We expect to have a serious run for the Chase next season.”
This announcement follows Marcos Ambrose’s decision to part ways with JTG Daugherty Racing at the end of the year, which was confirmed on Tuesday by team officials.
AUSTIN, Texas — Tavo Hellmund, managing partner of Full Throttle Productions LP, revealed Red McCombs as the primary investor for the Formula One United States Grand Prix racing project.
McCombs is the co-founder of Clear Channel Communications and the former owner of the Denver Nuggets and San Antonio Spurs in the NBA and the Minnesota Vikings in the NFL. He also owns McCombs Partners, an investment management company.
Hellmund and McCombs Partners announced Tuesday the location of the proposed Formula One track in Austin, Texas. The track will be located on a 900-acre site in southeast Austin along the State Highway 130 corridor near Farm to Market Road 812.
The majority of land involved in the project is formerly known as the Wandering Creek property. The site’s natural topography is expected to provide an excellent canvas for the facility. The group plans to have the track completed by 2012.
“This project has been a tremendous undertaking,” stated Hellmund. “But for at least the next decade, Texas will host a global sporting event on an annual basis in a new world-class multipurpose facility. Knowing that our hard work is being rewarded and that my dream is becoming a reality is extremely gratifying.
“It is a great honor to have Red McCombs and McCombs Partners as our primary investor and partner. Red’s success in business and the professional sports arena is legendary. Working together as a team and under Red’s direction, we will ensure that this project will make all Texans very proud and will benefit our great State.”
“Bringing Formula One back to the United States represents the opportunity of a lifetime and one that any city in the world would want,” stated McCombs. “The size and scope of an F-1 event is comparable to hosting a Super Bowl and will bring substantial economic benefit to Austin, San Antonio and the entire state of Texas.”
In addition to McCombs Partners, Hellmund’s team includes Prophet Capital Management, an Austin based private investment company founded in 1995, and MotoGP World Champion Kevin Schwantz.
Jeff Picoult:
Senior Auto Sports Writer
If you're one of the few that happens to have Versus on your cable network then you may have witnessed one of the most ridiculous auto ports broadcasts in recent memory. Not ridiculous because of the broadcasters. Not ridiculous because of the coverage. And not ridiculous because it just wasn't worth watching. Well… maybe that last one fits the bill, too. If you watched the Honda Indy Edmonton IZOD IndyCar Series race at Edmonton this week then you saw one of the most ridiculous officiating calls in history.
With just 4 laps left until the checker flag waived Helio Castroneves was penalized with a blocking penalty that took him out of contention for the win. The moment it happened the entire broadcast crew changed from their typical end-of-the-race excitement to a completely deflated tone that created a feeling of 'what the heck just happened.' And on live television nonetheless.
In a professional auto racing series that is struggling to find its current identity and at the same time keep even a handful of fans both in the stands and in front of TV sets in homes around the world, the IRL officials certainly blew it big time. What a joke. But, it's no laughing matter.
Jeff Picoult:
Senior Auto Sports Writer
With the checkered flag waiving, Jamie McMurray's #1 Bass Pro Shops Chevrolet crossed the yard of bricks at the 2010 Brickyard 400 to take the win and to mark a significant moment in auto sports history. At that very moment Chip Ganassi became the only team owner in auto sports to win the Daytona 500, Indianapolis 500, and the Brickyard 400 in a single season. A feat that he's sure to enjoy for a long time to come.
It didn't come without a twist, though. Chip Ganassi also owns the #42 car driven by Juan Montoya which was heavily favored to win Sunday's Brickyard 400. But, with only a handful of laps to go (15 to be exact) Montoya hit both the wall and Dale Earnhardt Jr's #88 Chevrolet within a matter of seconds bringing an abrupt end to what was supposed to be his day at the Brickyard. However, it was not meant to be. Instead it was Jamie McMurray who kissed the bricks and was showered in champagne in victory lane with team owner Chip Ganassi.
Many of the drivers commented on Ganassi's success this year. "To win all those in one year is remarkable," Said Kevin Harvick. "It will probably never happen again.'' In a post race interview Tony Stewart, owner of the #14 and #39 Stewart-Haas Chevrolets, added; "Can I appreciate what he's done here? Oh yeah.''
Hoping to pick up where he left off during last year's Brickyard 400, 2000 Indy 500 winner Juan Montoya will sit on the pole for this Sunday's Brickyard 400. Montoya had the car to beat in 2009 as he lead the field for much of the race. However, luck was not on his side as he was hit with a pit road speeding penalty late in the race.
Other top contenders at this year's Brickyard 400 are P2 Jimmie Johnson, P3 Mark Martin, P4 Jamie McMurray, and P5 Ryan Newman. All five drivers are running Chevrolets.
