Labonte can still drive, so lay off the rumors

This has been the worst Silly Season in NASCAR history. It's been borderline disgusting.

Owners are talking to drivers whom they have no business talking to. Drivers are waking up, launching a browser, and reading rumors that they are headed to other teams.

BOBBY LABONTE •   Driver Page •   2005 Statistics •   Superstore: Labonte gear! •   Coke Track Access •   Join Bobby's fan club Inside the Numbers Bobby Labonte in 2005 Track Start Finish Result Daytona 20 43 engine California 14 13 running Las Vegas 31 41 crash Atlanta 19 37 crash Bristol 38 22 running Martinsville 6 33 engine Texas 22 38 running Phoenix 4 6 running Talladega 15 23 engine Darlington 36 17 running Richmond 39 8 running Charlotte 34 2 running Dover 24 38 engine Pocono 7 26 crash Michigan 6 14 running Sonoma 33 18 running Daytona 22 35 running Chicago 26 13 running Loudon 10 3 running Pocono 23 8 running Indianapolis 36 40 crash Wat. Glen 23 36 engine Michigan 18 16 running Bristol 42 21 running California 42 20 running Richmond 23 22 running Loudon 17 24 running Dover 28 32 running Talladega 6 11 running Kansas 39 39 crash Charlotte 5 18 running Martinsville 10 4 running Averages 22.4 22.5   • Wins: 0 • Top 5s: 3 • Top 10s: 6 • DNFs: 10 • Winnings: $4,143,330 Watch it now!Bobby Labonte's on-track highlights from TrackPass Sign up for TrackPass now BUY YOUR NEXTEL DRIVER PHONE

Unfortunately, a lot of these rumors come true, and they have a snowball effect. And here is where I have to defend Bobby Labonte a little bit.

Bobby Labonte better hope he does not win the pole on Friday night. Or finish in the top three Sunday. Basically, he will have an easier weekend if he qualifies fifth and finishes seventh; he'll have to face fewer questions about his future.

He needs to be left alone until he is ready to talk. Knowing Bobby, that might be a while. These are questions that Bobby Labonte won't be answering.

Labonte has been at Joe Gibbs Racing for nearly 11 years, or half of Brian Vickers' life. Labonte isn't going to simply admit -- certainly not with three years left on his contract -- other teams have talked to him about driving for them.

The longer a driver's tenure with a team, the more messy the divorce is going to be, but we have to remember that Labonte and Gibbs are not divorced yet.

"The reason the rumor mill is so bad is that there are a couple drivers that really want out of their rides and the car owners can rest assured that some of these rumors are being planted to help these car owners let them out," Kenny Wallace said. "A lot of this stuff is because the people are using the media to their advantage.

"I have seen a lot of planted rumors on purpose, [so] we have to be careful not to bite on everything."

Contracts in NASCAR are a funny thing, and all this started back in the summer when two owners hired drivers who were already under contract.

All hell broke loose. It like an airplane dumped its entire load of fuel on NASCAR's rumor mill, which is usually a small campfire. Now, it's a towering inferno -- and Labonte is currently on the 100th floor.

Wallace knows what Labonte is going through. After the 2000 season, Wallace left Andy Petree Racing and joined Eel River Racing. (If you're new to the sport, yes, there once a team called Eel River Racing. They had a shop and everything.)

The move was disastrous. Wallace lasted only a dozen races with the team, never finishing better than 25th.

Asked how the car performed, Wallace gave the best quote I have ever heard. He said the car drove like someone was standing on the roof holding up a piece of plywood.

Meanwhile, Bobby Hamilton won a race in Wallace's old ride, which made Wallace look bad.

Wallace eventually found work as a replacement for the injured Steve Park. Wallace won the pole at Rockingham and finished second.

That weekend saved his career. As Wallace said, timing is everything.

SILLY SEASON •   Who's in, who's out?

But everything isn't as it seems. Labonte looks bad right now because Tony Stewart has led a billion laps this year. Denny Hamlin has two top-10s in only three starts.

"We are seeing an example right now," Wallace said. "There is proof that if you have a competitive racecar, you can take someone like Denny and have a great year."

Labonte has suffered through an off year, but he's had five blown motors. He's been caught up in five accidents, and Labonte is not known as someone who tears up a lot of cars.

He hasn't forgotten how to drive. The sad thing is that it often takes a change of scenery to make people remember that.

The opinions listed here are solely those of the writer.