Bobby Labonte has one victory in the Truck Series, a 2005 win at Martinsville. Credit: Autostock

Labonte to drive BHR truck at Michigan race

DETROIT -- Dodge Motorsports has announced that Nextel Cup driver Bobby Labonte will drive Bobby Hamilton Racing's No. 4 Dodge Ram in Saturday's Con-way Freight 200 at Michigan International Speedway.

	Saturday will be the first time Bobby Labonte has driven a Dodge in the Truck Series. Credit: Autostock
	Inside the Numbers Bobby Labonte's NCTS statistics Year Starts W T5 T10 1996 1 0 0 0 2004 2 0 1 1 2005 5 1 3 3 Totals 8 1 4 4 • Complete NCTS stats, click here

It will be Labonte's first Craftsman Truck Series start since Atlanta last October, and will also mark the first time he has competed in the Truck Series driving a Dodge. Labonte has one career Truck Series victory, in a Chevrolet at Martinsville in 2005.

As part of the deal to put Labonte in the truck, Scott Lagasse Jr., a Chip Ganassi Racing development driver, will again sit out a race as Dodge Motorsports' regular driver, Timothy Peters, moves to the No. 04 BHR truck at Michigan.

"Bobby Labonte has been an awesome asset to Dodge in the Nextel Cup Series," said Scott Richter of Dodge Motorsports. "We thought this would be an excellent opportunity for Labonte to assist with our NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series program.

"We are trying to put together a multi-race deal this season. Timothy Peters will continue to be a part of our program and run a full season."

Labonte has made eight starts in the Craftsman Truck Series since 1996, garnering the win and four top-five finishes.

Dodge Motorsports also announced its No. 04 Dodge will run only three more NCTS races after this weekend.

"This move was made to give more focus to our other two full-time teams," Richter said. "This will allow us time to assess where our development should be focused, and what changes we need to make to improve to what we want to be in the future."

"Scott [Lagasse] is a great talent and this is in no way a reflection of his performance," said Chip Ganassi Racing with Felix Sabates driver development coordinator Lorin Ranier. "He will drive the No. 04 Hemi Dodge for three more NCTS races and will supplement seat time by competing in selected NASCAR Busch Series and ARCA RE/MAX events."