rpm.espn.com: Bobby Labonte

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Monday, January 13
Updated: January 20, 4:47 PM ET

Bobby Labonte
By Jerry Bonkowski
ESPN.com

Team: Joe Gibbs Racing
Car/sponsor/make: No. 18 Interstate Batteries Chevrolet

Bobby Labonte
Labonte

STATS

Year
Rank
Wins
Top 5
Top 10
Best finish

2002 16 1 5 7 1st, M'Ville (spring)

Career 19 71 136 First, 19 times

2002 recap
The good: Last season was not a good one for Labonte. He struggled in races and in qualifying. If there was a bright spot, he did finish 32 of his 36 starts, dropping out just four times (three due to mechanical failure and one due to a crash).

Season highlight: His lone win of the season, at Martinsville, Va., last April. Other than that, there wasn't a lot for Labonte to write home about.

The bad: Labonte suffered through his worst season since 1994, when he finished 21st in the standings. He also failed to win more than one race for the first time since 1997. He didn't earn a pole for the first time since 1994. Team owner Joe Gibbs said at the end of last season that major changes were coming for 2003, and that's just what has taken place during this offseason.

Season lowlight: Labonte managed to qualify only twice in the top-five and two other times in the top-10.

Bobby Labonte
Former Winston Cup champion Bobby Labonte and his team struggled mightily last season.

Key stat: Labonte had just one win, five top-fives and seven top-10s. That means Labonte was shut out of the top-10 29 times last season. It was the fewest top-10s he's collected since his second season in Winston Cup in 1994, when he had just two.

2003 outlook
What needs to be done: Gibbs embarked on a off-season rebuilding program for Labonte's team, including bringing in new personnel, plus a switch in car bodies (along with teammate and reigning champ Tony Stewart) from Pontiacs to Chevrolets for 2003. Judging by the fact Labonte was fastest on the third day of testing at Daytona last week, that rebuilding appears ready to pay dividends once the season gets underway.

Prediction: The new car make and personnel may be just what Labonte needs to not only get back on the winning track, but also to once again become a championship contender. To drop from a champion in 2000 to 16th in 2002 is too steep a decline for a driver with Labonte's talent. Look for 2003 to be a comeback year.

Your take
Here are your thoughts on Labonte's prospects for 2003. Can he bounce back or will he continue to struggle?

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