#5-Terry Labonte said Thursday his future with Hendrick Motorsports and the series remains up in the air beyond this season. Labonte, 47, is currently working under a year-to-year contract with owner Rick Hendrick and has said he didn't expect to drive past age 50. The quick rise of Hendrick's young talents, Brian Vickers and Kyle Busch, have prompted questions about how soon Labonte, a two-time Cup series champion, would leave the Hendrick organization. "I told Rick last year I didn't know how much longer I wanted to do this and we needed to be up front about it so they could make plans for their future down the road," Labonte said. Labonte said several possibilities remain open beyond this year, including remaining with Hendrick, driving for another team and driving a partial schedule the way veteran Bill Elliott has with Evernham Motorsports this season. "I will be honest with you, there are probably only a handful of teams I would consider driving for and it would have to be a Chevy. I'm not going to drive for another make of car and Rick and I are partners in a Chevrolet dealership," Labonte said. "If somebody came up and said they had a three-year deal, I wouldn't do it because I don't want to run three more years." Labonte's name has been mentioned in connection with Richard Childress Racing's #30 Chevrolet, which has Dave Blaney signed through the end of the year, and a new third team planned for Joe Gibbs Racing [that would give J.J. Yeley another year in Busch and makes sense]. Retirement, whether at the end of this season or later, would be a difficult decision, Labonte said. Earlier Thursday, Busch, 19, confirmed his original contract with Hendrick expires this season, although it includes an option year Hendrick can pick up, but hasn't yet. "Supposedly, I am going to have some contract conversations sometime in September, or whenever they give me a piece of paper that I can sign," Busch said. "I hope they give me something to sign because my deal is up. I'm sure they are going to give me something." Busch said he would like to run in the Cup series next year, but if he did, either a current Hendrick driver would have to leave, or the organization would need to expand to a fifth Cup team. Hendrick spokesman Pat Perkins said Thursday it was "a given" Busch would remain with the organization. Perkins also said Busch was slated to run in the Busch Series again next season, but added, "Anything can happen."(see full story at ThatsRacin.com)(7-2-2004)

UPDATE: Terry Labonte is nearing the end of his racing career and hinted Friday that this season could be his last. Labonte, a two-time champion, is in his 26th full season in NASCAR's top series. He's on a year-to-year contract with car owner Rick Hendrick, and after finishing last season 10th in the standings with a victory in the Southern 500 at Darlington Raceway decided the end might be near. "I told Rick last year that this year would probably be my last," the 47-year-old driver said Friday. "You have to sort of decide those things in advance in order to make plans and move ahead." Labonte is struggling with the decision. After consecutive seventh-place finishes in Dover and Pocono, he realized he was still having fun racing. But when he ran into Bill Elliott, who has partially retired and will make just his third start of the season in the Pepsi 400 on Saturday night, Labonte started thinking about retiring again. "When I saw Bill and he said, 'I'm having so much fun, I'm having the time of my life,' I said 'Man, you are killing me,' " Labonte said. So Labonte seemed unsure Friday about what the future holds. Should Hendrick decide he wants to hand the keys to the No. 5 Chevrolet to young Kyle Busch next season, Labonte said he could consider driving for another team. Labonte is only certain of a few things. He knows that when he does retire, it will be for good and he's not likely to consider occasional NASCAR races or events in smaller series. And he has no interest in owning a team, even if it was with his son, Justin, as the driver.(NASCAR.com/AP)(7-3-2004)

redriderbob

 

There is no doubt in my mind, because of the six starts he will make this season in cup... driver of the #5 Lowe's Busch Car, Kyle Busch (younger brother of Kurt), will make it into the seat starting next year for Hendrick!

redriderbob

 

UPDATE 2: Car owner Rick Hendrick said that he'll sit down with Terry Labonte soon to discuss the future. Labonte could cut back to run only selected tour events, opening up his current ride to promising young Kyle Busch. "When the year started, it was decided that Terry and the sponsors would sit down after Daytona," Hendrick said. "I think we were planning on talking in the next week or two. We want to look at what Terry wants to do, and we want to get the sponsors involved in the decision-making process, too. We haven't made any decisions, and we were hoping we'd stay out of silly season and do it on our timetable. So I think in the next couple of weeks we'll make that decision and make an announcement."(Winston Salem Journal)(7-5-2004)

UPDATE 2a: Hendrick sources say Labonte, one of the most respected and popular drivers in the garage, could continue to race for HMS for the remainder of his career. But if the organization decides to move Kyle Busch up to Cup in 2005, one option for Labonte could be the Cup team [Hall of Fame Racing last news back in March] expected to be owned by former Cowboys quarterbacks Troy Aikman and Roger Staubach, with technical assistance from Hendrick.(FoxSports/Sporting News), Hmmmm.....how about a year in the #11 FedEx Chevy at JGR, teaming with brother Bobby, with J.J. Yeley taking over in 2006.(7-5-2004)

jayski.com

redriderbob