[clutch]

Will he be back after the Brickyard....or has his time behind the wheel expired.

for you know where..(jayski)
Labonte in the #45 at Indy: UPDATE: Terry Labonte will be back behind the wheel of the #45 Marathon Oil Dodge this weekend at the Brickyard. Kyle Petty had been secheduled to return to the car. The team is now guaranteed to make the race with Labonte having the most recent past champion's provisional.(7-21-200
UPDATE: Kyle Petty's break from the Sprint Cup circuit has been extended by one race. Terry Labonte, who has driven the past six races in the #45 car while Petty served as an analyst for TNT, will be in the car again for Sunday's race at Indianapolis Motor Speedway. Petty Enterprises officials want to take advantage of Labonte's past champion's provisional -- Labonte won titles in 1984 and 1996 -- to guarantee the car will be in the field for one of the biggest races of the year. Officials said this was only temporary and Petty will return to the car

[Bob Tanner]

Originally Posted by clutch

Will he be back after the Brickyard....or has his time behind the wheel expired.

for you know where..(jayski)
Labonte in the #45 at Indy: UPDATE: Terry Labonte will be back behind the wheel of the #45 Marathon Oil Dodge this weekend at the Brickyard. Kyle Petty had been secheduled to return to the car. The team is now guaranteed to make the race with Labonte having the most recent past champion's provisional.(7-21-200
UPDATE: Kyle Petty's break from the Sprint Cup circuit has been extended by one race. Terry Labonte, who has driven the past six races in the #45 car while Petty served as an analyst for TNT, will be in the car again for Sunday's race at Indianapolis Motor Speedway. Petty Enterprises officials want to take advantage of Labonte's past champion's provisional -- Labonte won titles in 1984 and 1996 -- to guarantee the car will be in the field for one of the biggest races of the year. Officials said this was only temporary and Petty will return to the car

Makes sense. This race is one of the highest paying, highest sponsor exposure races on the circuit.

[clutch]

Originally Posted by Bob Tanner

Makes sense. This race is one of the highest paying, highest sponsor exposure races on the circuit.

...perhaps, but I'm thinking that Terry has found himself a job for the rest of the season

[DodgeFB]

I like Kyle, but I think his driving days are about up. He knows any other team would have replaced him before now. And I do like him as a "talking head" too.

[Bob Tanner]

Originally Posted by clutch

...perhaps, but I'm thinking that Terry has found himself a job for the rest of the season

I would hope not. I don't want to remember Terry as a latter day Darrell Waltrip, making races on the basis of something he did over a decade ago which has zero bearing on what is happening today.

Past Champion's Provisionals...The quote Bloom County's Bill the Car, "Phhhhfffffttttt!!!"

[clutch]

Originally Posted by Bob Tanner

I would hope not. I don't want to remember Terry as a latter day Darrell Waltrip, making races on the basis of something he did over a decade ago which has zero bearing on what is happening today.

Past Champion's Provisionals...The quote Bloom County's Bill the Car, "Phhhhfffffttttt!!!"

Agreed Bob, but I dont see Zucker putting up with too much sentimental cr#p....regarding Kyle. He's there to run a business and it would make sense to me..(which is probably why I am wrong) that the 45 make EVERY race

[Bob Tanner]

Originally Posted by clutch

Agreed Bob, but I dont see Zucker putting up with too much sentimental cr#p....regarding Kyle. He's there to run a business and it would make sense to me..(which is probably why I am wrong) that the 45 make EVERY race

If you're wrong, we both are. I think that you are absolutely right.

But the #!*@!* Champion's Provisional is just W-R-O-N-G, on so many levels.

[Racer Duck]

Originally Posted by Bob Tanner

If you're wrong, we both are. I think that you are absolutely right.

But the #!*@!* Champion's Provisional is just W-R-O-N-G, on so many levels.

unfortunately it may come down to the Z man having to fire Kyle unless he steps down voluntarily really really soon. the elder Labonte is even worse than Kyle, but at least he had the "making the race" guarantee. but like you, I think that was probably PE's biggest mistake of the 2008 season, besides being morally wrong.

[Bob Tanner]

Originally Posted by Racer Duck

unfortunately it may come down to the Z man having to fire Kyle unless he steps down voluntarily really really soon. the elder Labonte is even worse than Kyle, but at least he had the "making the race" guarantee. but like you, I think that was probably PE's biggest mistake of the 2008 season, besides being morally wrong.

I am still scratching my head over PE firing John Andretti a few years ago? That ranks right up there, in silly decisions made, with Penske letting Brenden Gaughn go and Ford not kicking Kasey Kahne's teeth in for breaking his contract and jumping to Dodge.

[clutch]

Have you seen this....

Gillett Evernham Motorsports announced that Terry Labonte will drive the #10 Charter Dodge in the Aug. 3 Sprint Cup race at Pocono Raceway. Labonte, 51, the 1984 and 1996 Sprint Cup series champion, will substitute for Patrick Carpentier who is racing in the Nationwide Series race that weekend in his hometown of Montreal. "I think anyone who follows our sport knows the caliber of driver and person Terry Labonte is," said Tom Reddin, Gillett Evernham Motorsports CEO. "We appreciate Terry's willingness to step in and help us out for a weekend." Labonte owns 857 starts in his career including six in 2008 with Petty Enterprises. He finished 30th at Pocono in June. Carpentier is a veteran open wheel driver who moved to NASCAR late last season and is racing the #10 Dodge fulltime in the Sprint Cup Series. He finished second in the Montreal race last year and will pilot the #9 Subway Dodge in the race on Aug. 2.(GEM PR)(7-24-2008

so much for my thoughts..LOL

[Racer Duck]

Originally Posted by clutch

Have you seen this....

Gillett Evernham Motorsports announced that Terry Labonte will drive the #10 Charter Dodge in the Aug. 3 Sprint Cup race at Pocono Raceway. Labonte, 51, the 1984 and 1996 Sprint Cup series champion, will substitute for Patrick Carpentier who is racing in the Nationwide Series race that weekend in his hometown of Montreal. "I think anyone who follows our sport knows the caliber of driver and person Terry Labonte is," said Tom Reddin, Gillett Evernham Motorsports CEO. "We appreciate Terry's willingness to step in and help us out for a weekend." Labonte owns 857 starts in his career including six in 2008 with Petty Enterprises. He finished 30th at Pocono in June. Carpentier is a veteran open wheel driver who moved to NASCAR late last season and is racing the #10 Dodge fulltime in the Sprint Cup Series. He finished second in the Montreal race last year and will pilot the #9 Subway Dodge in the race on Aug. 2.(GEM PR)(7-24-2008

so much for my thoughts..LOL

I guess they couldn't get Stremme away from Penske...

[titans#1]

Originally Posted by Bob Tanner

If you're wrong, we both are. I think that you are absolutely right.

But the #!*@!* Champion's Provisional is just W-R-O-N-G, on so many levels.

the champion's provisional is part of the prize for winning the championship you get the trophy the money and a champion's provisional so if you take the champions provisional away than there competing for less.

[jks812]

Originally Posted by titans#1

the champion's provisional is part of the prize for winning the championship you get the trophy the money and a champion's provisional so if you take the champions provisional away than there competing for less.

I understand them getting to use a hampions provisional. But I say 5 years should be the limit, they shouldn't be able to use it for 20 years.

[Bob Tanner]

Originally Posted by titans#1

the champion's provisional is part of the prize for winning the championship you get the trophy the money and a champion's provisional so if you take the champions provisional away than there competing for less.

You mean the Cup itself, and a few measley million dollars aren't enough?

Labonte won the thing over a decade ago, It's just another way of letting people race who haven't earned it. A champs provisional for one year is wrong but I can understand it. But forever??? Giving it to a driver who doesn't even compete on a full time basis??? You surely don't think that's right, do you?

If so, let's bring Richard or Cale back! They can't be in any worst shape, physically than James Harvey Hylton. They could start at the rear of the field (like Terry will do) and motor around kind of competitively (like Terry will undoubtedly do), and take up a space a car which qualified faster (like the Woods Brothers did) could have used to actually race.

I'll add this matter (Provisionals) to the growing list of things I disagree with many on. Just my personal opinion.

[Racer Duck]

Originally Posted by titans#1

the champion's provisional is part of the prize for winning the championship you get the trophy the money and a champion's provisional so if you take the champions provisional away than there competing for less.

It's a retirement bonus. That's all it is and it's been mismanaged by NASCAR since it's inception. Applying the Past Champ's provisional as implemented by NASCAR to another sport shows how ridiculous it is: imagine last year's US Open champ (pick your Open: Golf, Tennis, etc.) not having to make the cut .. in other words they automatically make the field for the final round. So, Tiger Woods would have an automatic into the final round for life. Or, even worse if applied like NASCAR does: for any PGA event anywhere, anytime he doesn't have to qualify for .. anytime .. no matter how bad a year he's having! Or last year's Super Bowl winner getting an automatic wild car slot in this year's "playoffs".

Originally Posted by jks812

I understand them getting to use a hampions provisional. But I say 5 years should be the limit, they shouldn't be able to use it for 20 years.

I have a different, an possibly unpopular, perspective on this: it's my opinion that the Champ's Provisional should only be available for 1 race per year for life and the priority,aka pecking order, of the Champs should be reversed from what it is now = oldest to most recent.

That does several things:

1. it prevents debacles like this current PE-Terry Labonte thing where the past champ is finishing worse than the driver he's replacing and the only reason for doing it is to accumulate owner's points (which leads to another discussion about the "Chosen" which I'll not venture into at this time - suffice to say I'd like the "Chosen" to go the way of the Dodo;
2. it gives older past champs a chance to come back and run in a race which gives the tracks a tremendous marketing tool. can you imagine the clamor for tix to Talladega if Bobby Allison was to compete?
3. it stops this nonsense of giving recent champs who are still competing, an automatic bye on qualifying. if they're an active driver, they should have to compete for positions like any other driver.

What's in place now is nothing more than preferential treatment for the "haves" .. the intent of Past Champs provisionals is to bring back the oldies that are the cream of the "PAST", not to give the recent champs an automatic by when they have a bad day. If that's what you want, make it the choice of the track to select the Champ who will receive the provisional.