Bobby Labonte finished 21st in points last year -- the best showing for Petty Enterprises since 1999. Credit: Todd Warshaw/Getty Images

Labonte says challenge remains same: improve

DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. -- Imagine trying to put together a 1,000-piece puzzle in the dark. That's similar to what Bobby Labonte faced during the 2006 season.

His first crew chief, Todd Parrott, left the team in August for a job with Robert Yates. His second, Greg Steadman, was a fill-in until the third, Paul Andrews, came over from Kyle Petty's operation a month later.

"I hope it's not as hard to get in the top 15 as it was to [get to] 21st. ... The law of averages got us some last year." - Bobby Labonte

With so many pieces needing to fit together, it's no surprise that Labonte struggled through his third consecutive winless season, grasping for consistency until the late stages of the year.

"With Paul being the crew chief on the No. 43 car with me, it's great because he's been with Petty Enterprises for a couple of years working with Kyle," Labonte said. "And Billy [Wilburn] working with Kyle, that's a strong program right there in itself.

"Kyle and I have known each other for a long time prior to racing, [but] working with him and last year, there probably wasn't quite the relationship we needed, 100 percent. When Paul came over, it took a little bit but it became stronger by the end of the year."

Labonte could see the chemistry getting better with every race. At Dover, the No. 43 was seventh. At Talladega, Labonte wound up 10th. That was followed by top-five finishes at Lowe's and Martinsville.

Suddenly, it was as if Labonte and his team had finally fit together the puzzle's border -- and could begin to see the hint of an image appearing.

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"The chemistry's going to grow with our relationships and the crew chiefs' relationships, so that's going to strengthen our organization because we already see that it was helping toward the end of last year," Labonte said.

That confidence is evident in Jackson Hewitt Preseason Thunder testing at Daytona International Speedway. Both of Labonte's cars appeared to work well during Tuesday afternoon's drafting session.

"The new car didn't roll off the truck very good but we got a little better [Tuesday] afternoon and the older car's not bad, either," he said. "We're not bad. That's a good thing. I feel really good about it."

So will all the pieces fit together in a way that puts the No. 43 back at the front on a consistent basis? Labonte said that's the big challenge in 2007.

"It's true in a lot of ways that the next step is going to be harder," he said. "The crew chief change this year was difficult but we've overcome that. I think that's a plus on our side.

"I hope it's not as hard to get in the top 15 as it was to [get to] 21st. I know there's areas that I made mistakes in, we had some DNFs that we didn't have any control over. That'll get us there without even running any slower or faster. The law of averages got us some last year."

That, and the undeniable fact that Petty Enterprises is trying to break back into an exclusive club. Specifically, teams with more cars and more resources.

"To compete against Hendrick or Roush or Gibbs and Evernham, obviously it's difficult," Labonte said. "It's a big jump and hopefully we can be making those big jumps. We just have to keep making the right decisions as a team to do that.

"It's always a challenge, but I like that challenge."