Bobby Labonte had the famed No. 43 on the pole for most of qualifying before settling for sixth-fastest at Daytona. Credit: Autostock

Petty gets early boost with Labonte's first run

DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. -- Robbie Loomis had a longer than normal walk to his racecars when he first arrived at Daytona International Speedway, where he helped Jeff Gordon win the Daytona 500 a year ago.

He walked past the large Nextel Cup garage stalls that have viewing windows for fans, a crosswalk above and sliding metal doors that can be closed to keep out wind and rain.

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He walked past the inspection area to a second set of garages, the temporary homes of Petty Enterprises drivers Bobby Labonte and Kyle Petty, under a tin roof with a yellow curtain the only thing separating workers from the weather.

It's the difference between being one of the haves and the have-nots.

"In the past year you come in and it was something that would upset you if your truck was back there,'' said Loomis, who resigned as Gordon's crew chief at Hendrick Motorsports late last season to run the day-to-day operations at struggling Petty Enterprises.

"I told our guys, 'Right now I want you to think of it as a parking space. When we move up there it will be no different.' ''

Petty Enterprises on Sunday took a small step in moving up as Labonte, who left Joe Gibbs Racing to drive the No. 43 that team owner Richard Petty drove to seven championships, had the sixth fastest qualifying speed for the Daytona 500.

A solid runBobby Labonte turns in a great lap for Petty Enterprises Sign up for TrackPass now BUY THE NEXTEL i836

There was hope that Kyle Petty would join him in the top 10 after posting the third-fastest lap in Saturday's first practice, but engine problems left him 41st.

Only the front two spots, claimed by Jeff Burton and Jeff Gordon, were determined by qualifying. The remaining order will be set by Thursday's two 150-mile qualifying races.

But Labonte's run was a sign things may be turning around at Petty Enterprises.

"Bobby's lap was really good,'' Kyle Petty said. "That excites our crowd.''

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Nobody was more excited than Loomis, who spent 11 years with the Pettys before joining Gordon in 2000.

"It means the world for Petty Enterprises to be up there where they're supposed to be,'' said Loomis, who won a title with Gordon in 2001. "We've done a lot of work, the guys in the fab shop, the mechanics.

"Guys are really putting in a lot of hours, working seven days a week since the first of January. It's just another step in our process of getting better.''

Richard Petty, who won the Daytona 500 seven times as a driver, said Loomis brought a different vision and angle to the company.

"We were sitting there in the middle of the forest; can't see the forest for the trees,'' he said. "Robbie comes in and he's on the outside. He looks at the trees before he gets in the forest. He woke us up to some of the stuff.''

The seven-time Winston Cup champion said the improvements are enough to put at least one of the Petty drivers in the top 15 in the 2006 points race. That would be a substantial jump from last season when Kyle was 27th and Jeff Green was 29th.

Kyle has finished no better than 18th in the past nine seasons driving for his father and the company hasn't won a race since John Andretti's victory in 1999.

"Our future, from our standpoint, looks a whole lot better than it looked in the past,'' Richard said. "In my mind, I know where the Yankees used to be and where they went and where they're at. I know Green Bay was there, they went away and came back.

"I look at it and say, 'Why can't we do the same thing?' I don't know of anybody in racing that's done that, but we've done a bunch of stuff in racing that nobody's ever done anyway.''

Petty, 68, said becoming consistent will be the key. He can't wait for the day one of his cars is back in Victory Lane.

BURTON EARNS POLE The hug told the story. Team owner Richard Childress locked Jeff Burton in a bearhug Sunday and didn't seem to want to let go after the driver put his Richard Childress Racing Chevrolet on the pole for the Daytona 500.  •   Complete story, click here

"It puts you back on the map,'' he said. "If you did that, then it makes a lot of the things you've done and suffered through [worthwhile]. One race would be big. If you luck into it, it don't make any difference.''

Loomis hasn't ruled out a win in the 500. While his cars moved back into the main garage after the 22 drivers in the Budweiser Shootout left to open up more space, it's his goal to move the whole organization forward.

"I have a saying: 'Don't get caught up in the circumstances at hand; look forward to the opportunities that lie ahead,' '' Loomis said. "We've got a lot of great opportunities coming up if we can just take advantage of them.

"I'm looking forward to when they roll the 24 [Gordon's car] out of Daytona USA and to seeing the 45 or 43 car in there.''