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Bobby Labonte Racing Starts Off 2013 With A Win
Bobby Labonte Racing (BLR) and Earl Pearson Jr. returned to Victory Lane Saturday night after overcoming engine troubles at East Bay Raceway Park. The team had been in Tampa, Fla., for a week of races on the Lucas Oil Late Model Dirt Series (LOLMDS) tour and finished the trip on a high note by winning Saturday's feature.
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BLR started Wednesday night's heat strong with some great competition. Pearson Jr. was leading Heat 3 when something went wrong with the engine. Because it was not a points race, the BLR team decided to take the rest of the night to regroup. The crew, lead engineer Kevin Rumley and Pearson Jr. gained more valuable time when Mother Nature dumped rain on the area, moving Thursday night's race to Saturday afternoon.
The BLR team, which includes Kevin Rumley, Lee Roy Rumley, Steve Shaver, Justin Labonte and Bryan Liverman, had the No. 44 Lucas Oil Longhorn Chassis ready to go for Friday night's races. The team won its B-Main event, which put Pearson Jr. starting the feature in 18th position. The driver known as "The Hurricane" was back in full force and tore through the field to gain 14 spots and finish with a fourth-place finish on Friday night.
"We were very happy with the car Friday night," said Pearson Jr. "That was about the first time we've been able to have our newly redesigned chassis out on the track. We planned on testing late January but the weather in North Carolina didn't cooperate.
"With the addition of Kevin, redesigning the Longhorn chassis, and having Kevin's dad, Lee Roy, on the engines, we've been able to make great strides in a short amount of time during the off season."
On Saturday, the team took the momentum gained on Friday night and was ready to capitalize. Pearson Jr. steered his Longhorn Chassis to the front of Heat 4 for the win and a fourth-place starting position in the feature. On Lap 37 the No. 44 suffered a flat tire, forcing Pearson Jr. to pit and go to the rear of the field. However, knowing he had a great car, the driver tore through the field and on Lap 52 took the lead from Don O'Neal. The Hurricane led the remainder of the feature and took the checkered flag for his first win since July 2010.
"It feels great to be back in Victory Lane. It's been a long time," Pearson Jr. said. "Thanks to Bobby and the whole team, this has been a group effort. It's taken everyone working long hours the last month but well worth it. Special thanks to Lucas Oil for the support. It's an exciting and happy time for all of us at BLR."
BLR takes a couple nights off and heads to Volusia Speedway in De Leon Springs, Fla., looking to pick up where they left off at East Bay. The team will be back in action Tuesday at Volusia.
PaddockTalk Perspective
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