Transcript: Bobby Labonte

February 11, 2001
8:03 PM EST (0103 GMT)

On Friday night, defending NASCAR Winston Cup Series champion Bobby Labonte chatted with his fans. Read what he had to say!

14:59:15 NASCAR_Host: Hang in there, folks, we are about to start our chat with Bobby Labonte here at NASCAR.com. It is a simulchat with AOL LIVE.

15:00:07 NASCAR_Host: Here's the first question: Hey, Bobby, just wanted to ask you what you think about the return of Dodge to the Winston Cup?

15:00:41 Bobby_Labonte: I think that Dodge coming back is good for the sport as there are a lot of fans out there that like Dodge. The teams they have out there are good and there is no doubt they will be in Victory Circle soon.

15:01:22 NASCAR_Host: QUESTION: Bobby, Now that you have won the Winston Cup What else is there to do?

15:01:36 Bobby_Labonte: There is a lot! Starting out winning the Daytona 500 would be nice. Every year you set your goals to win the championship so if you can follow that and do it right, that would be great.

15:02:19 NASCAR_Host: QUESTION: Hi Bobby, were there ANY changes in your crew this offseason? Keep up the awesome work!!

15:02:30 Bobby_Labonte: There was a guy that stayed back at the shop that isnt with us, but our road guys are still intact from last year.

15:02:42 NASCAR_Host: QUESTION: Does your son show an interest in wanting to drive for nascar when he gets older?

15:02:59 Bobby_Labonte: He kinda shows a little interest in racing but it is still kind of early. I am not pushing him but if he chooses to do it, I will support him.

15:03:14 NASCAR_Host: QUESTION: do you think that nascar is safer than f1 racing and if so why?

15:03:25 Bobby_Labonte: I havent even seen a F1 car up close but in certain incidents they are, and in others they may not because of how they are designed. I am not 100% sure if it is or isn't.

15:03:39 NASCAR_Host: QUESTION: Now that you are the Winston Cup Champion, do you plan to approach races different this year?

15:04:16 Bobby_Labonte: Probably not. I don't plan on approaching anything at all different.

15:04:04 NASCAR_Host: Bobby what a great year you had last year. DO you feel that the Pontiacs have an advantage over everyone since there were no changes? When do you think GM will make changes to a new Pontaic?

15:04:38 Bobby_Labonte: to have a body style change in a few years, and the older the bodystyle the harder it is to get to work. So when we get a new one, hopefully it will be better.

15:05:05 NASCAR_Host: QUESTION: Bobby, how are the Pontiacs running this year at Daytona?

15:05:18 Bobby_Labonte: Some are good, but they are all over the board. A lot of them might have to deal with their setup for qualifying right now.

15:05:34 NASCAR_Host: QUESTION: What goals have you set for yourself this year?

15:05:47 Bobby_Labonte: To do the same thing we did last year! We know that overall we led less laps and had less top 5s than the year before, so we would like to be better than that in those areas without losing anything else.

15:06:23 NASCAR_Host: QUESTION: What driver do you prefer to draft with in the Daytona 500?

15:06:30 Bobby_Labonte: I would say Tony because I know what we are going to do!

15:06:39 NASCAR_Host: QUESTION: How do you feel about your chances at Daytona?

15:06:48 Bobby_Labonte: I think it is anybody's race to win with the way the rules are set up. : If we get everything right, our chances are good.

15:07:30 NASCAR_Host: QUESTION: How was your offseason, Bobby?

15:07:49 Bobby_Labonte: It was good! It wasn't bad at all. We had a good Christmas, and we were busy sometimes, and sometimes we weren't.

15:08:05 NASCAR_Host: QUESTION: What do you feel is the one thing you would change if you could from last year?

15:08:15 Bobby_Labonte: I would have Terry run the Brickyard race instead of sitting it out.

15:08:41 NASCAR_Host: We are chatting with BOBBY LABONTE, and celebrating the NEW NASCAR.com! Thank you for joining us. Bobby is right here after practicing today.

15:09:18 NASCAR_Host: QUESTION: What do you think of the bigger plates? Have they made a decision yet?

15:09:30 Bobby_Labonte: The plates that we have on the car right are the same we had down here during testing. We don't have anything different than that. They feel OK.

15:09:58 NASCAR_Host: QUESTION: What do you think about DW being a race commentator this year?

15:10:18 Bobby_Labonte: If there was anything better he could rather than racing it would be a commentator. He is going to be big for the sport.

15:10:55 NASCAR_Host: QUESTION: Have you done any testing at either of the new tracks, Chicago or KC, and if you have, what report can you give us? If not, what is the word out there about those tracks?

15:11:03 Bobby_Labonte: I have not tested them and I have not even been to see KC except for when it was just dirt. They will be nice and be new, so they will be pretty neat. We plan on testing them though.

15:11:39 NASCAR_Host: We are chatting post-practice from Daytona with BOBBY LABONTE. He hopes you'll love the NEW NASCAR.com, where you get the exclusive NASCAR merchandise, total access, fan interactivity and much more!

15:11:51 NASCAR_Host: QUESTION: What do you think of NASCAR now that Mike Helton is the head of the sport? Do you think he will do good things?

15:12:06 Bobby_Labonte: Yes I think so. There is no doubt for me to think any different. He has been doing that for a year or so now without the title so that won't change a whole lot.

15:12:28 NASCAR_Host: QUESTION: What do you think about the length of the Winston Cup season?

15:12:33 Bobby_Labonte: It is pretty long! I think that if you are doing really good week in and week out I think it isn't too terrible, but if you struggle a little bit, you may not want to face the weekend grind.

15:13:17 NASCAR_Host: QUESTION: Bobby, I'm your No. 1 fan. How did it feel to be back on the track today and do you think you can give us an exciting season as you did last year?

15:13:26 Bobby_Labonte: Thank you. I appreciate that. I hope so. There is no doubt that we are going to try as much as we can.

15:14:01 NASCAR_Host: QUESTION: Hi, Bobby! Being the father of four kids myself, I'd like to know how you balance such a grueling schedule and a family life also.

15:14:11 Bobby_Labonte: Chances are it isn't as good as you do! It is hard and you have to really be delicate with everything. You have to be real conscious of what you are doing with your family.

15:14:50 NASCAR_Host: QUESTION: Have you ever had any major sponsor changes in the offseason?

15:15:06 Bobby_Labonte: One of our sponsors, easyz care is no longer on the car but everything else is about the same.

15:15:27 NASCAR_Host: QUESTION: Do you expect the Dodges to be in contention for the win at Daytona?

15:15:35 Bobby_Labonte: I think that there is a good chance they could be. I think everyone is pretty equal with the rule package they have.

15:15:56 NASCAR_Host: We are continuing our chat with Bobby Labonte live from Daytona. Get his practice time and others on NASCAR.com

15:16:11 NASCAR_Host: QUESTION: Tell us about your trip to Brazil.

15:16:13 Bobby_Labonte: That was a lot of fun! We had a great time with the people from Johnson Controls and Norm from Interstate. We had a big time fishing and saw a lot of stuff you just don't see around North Carolina, like rain forests.

15:16:54 NASCAR_Host: QUESTION: Does your brother ever give you racing advice?

15:16:59 Bobby_Labonte: Not really racing advice, more like brotherly advice.

15:17:09 NASCAR_Host: QUESTION: How do you keep fit during the racing season?

15:17:26 Bobby_Labonte: That is another one I am not very good with! I try to eat right and work out as much as possible. Unfortunately I don't get to do as much as possible and try not to overdue it too much. Getting good sleep is important.

15:20:03 NASCAR_Host: We hope you are enjoying the rollout of the NEW NASCAR.com today! The goal is to make it a total COMMUNITY for racing fans. Be sure to build your own driver page like other fans are doing on the site. Go to FANS on the site.

15:20:32 NASCAR_Host: QUESTION: Hello, Bobby. If you didn't race in NASCAR, which division would you most likely race in?

15:21:19 Bobby_Labonte: I think the World of Outlaws would be interesting. I enjoy watching it so maybe I would enjoy doing it.

15:21:55 NASCAR_Host: QUESTION: Who is really in charge of scheduling the races, and if you could be in charge, what would you do differently?

15:22:04 Bobby_Labonte: I would try to see how to make it easier on the competitors I suppose.

15:22:29 NASCAR_Host: QUESTION: Are there any skill differences between NASCAR drivers, other car drivers like Formula?

15:22:42 Bobby_Labonte: What little bit I have seen from the F1 guys, their races aren't as long, but I bet that if they did what we did, it would be an eye-opener, and vice versa.

15:23:11 NASCAR_Host: QUESTION: Bobby, how do you like Tony as a teammate?

15:23:26 Bobby_Labonte: Good! He really has a great feel for a race car and he definitely helps out when it comes to that.

15:27:36 NASCAR_Host: Everyone, Bobby has exited the chat track and heading home after a long day of practice. We thank you for your questions!!!

15:27:59 NASCAR_Host: We especially thank Bobby for taking the time to spend with us at NASCAR.com and AOL LIVE, which simulcast this as our new partner.

15:28:16 NASCAR_Host: NASCAR.com is your one-stop place for racing info and entertainment, and we'll have constant chats with favorite drivers...

15:28:32 NASCAR_Host: Look for LIVE RACECASTS -- our newest feature that will debut Thursday with Gatorade Twin 125s.

15:29:00 NASCAR_Host: Also look for exclusive merchandise in our new store, and be a big part with our AOL Hometown fanpages, with contests, chats, boards, Fan-atic columns and much more!

15:29:25 NASCAR_Host: Bobby Labonte ran a 179.033 in his first practice today -- 37th. He then turned it up a notch to 179.881 for 29th on his second run.

15:29:40 NASCAR_Host: GET ALL the Cup practice times today from Daytona now on NASCAR.com.

15:30:19 NASCAR_Host: We especially thank you, our great fans, for joining Bobby and us for today's celebration of the NASCAR.com relaunch! Have fun on our new site and be part of the show! Don't forget to build your own driver page by going to the Fans section...it's a lot of fun and you'll see other fans' examples.

15:30:35 NASCAR_Host: Thank you for joining us tonight here at NASCAR.com!