XENIA, Ohio – Just a year after his induction into the NASCAR Hall of Fame, Bobby Labonte will be chasing the checkered flag in the Dayton 100, a new event for the JEGS/CRA All-Stars Tour presented by Chevrolet Performance.
The June 27 race at Kil-Kare Speedway will be a new challenge for Labonte, who will be driving the No. 26 Platinum Express pro late model for the first time on the tricky third-mile oval, where he’s never before competed.
Labonte’s Kil-Kare appearance comes 20 years after being there with his son, Tyler, who was competing at the adjacent quarter midget race track.
“I remember walking over and looking at the big track and thinking, ‘Wow, that’s an odd shape,’ ” Labonte reminisced.
The tight asphalt oval was once described as an 11-turn race track by fellow NASCAR Hall of Famer Darrell Waltrip, presenting a challenge for Labonte and the rest of the JEGS Tour drivers.
The Platinum Express team fielding Labonte’s Hamke late model is one of the country’s premier operations. With dozens of wins and championships, team owner Myna Burba goes to the track to win. Labonte’s Platinum Motorsports entry will look similar to that of Kody Swanson, who has been racing for the team this season.
“I’m really looking forward to having someone of Bobby’s caliber in one of our race cars,” Burba said. “This will be very special for our team.”
The team has a full schedule of late model competition in 2021 with five-time USAC Silver Crown champion Swanson also entered for the Dayton 100. The addition of a car for Labonte will be extra work, but it was an opportunity that was just too good to bypass, according to crew chief Marc Metz.
“Although we have an excellent pro car, Kody will be driving it. We also have a great super late model car, which we’re going to have to switch over. There’s a good bit of work involved going from a Chevy to a crate Ford, but with help from Jeff Wooten of Wooten Automotive we jumped at the chance,” Metz said.
Metz has always been a huge Labonte fan and recalls an encounter with longtime Labonte team owner Joe Gibbs while crewing for Jeff Fultz in 1996.
“We were running an All Pro Late Model race at Volusia County Speedway. J.D. and Coy Gibbs were racing, and I was sporting my favorite bright green Labonte/Interstate Battery T-shirt,” Metz explained. “I was bent over working on the car, and someone tapped me on the shoulder and said, ‘Nice shirt.’ It was Joe Gibbs, and I’ll never forget it.”