Andy Lally, and not Bobby Labonte, will drive the #71 Chevy for TRG Motorsports in the Sprint Cup race this weekend in New Hampshire. Despite rumors that Labonte and TRG have parted ways, owner Kevin Buckler said that wasn’t the case. “We’re still trying to work through everything,” Buckler said. Lally, 35, has won three Grand-Am Rolex Series titles and also competing in the Continental Tire Sports Car Challenge. Lally is a six-year TRG veteran.(FoxSports)
AND: Bobby Labonte plans to part ways with TRG Motorsports, sources said Tuesday. An announcement is expected Wednesday that Labonte has left the team. Labonte possibly could end up in the #7 Robby Gordon Motorsports Toyota and run the full race this weekend at New Hampshire. The team and crew chief Doug Randolph parted ways a few weeks ago.(SceneDaily)(6-23-2010)
UPDATE: Andy Lally will make his NASCAR Sprint Cup oval debut in the #71 TRG Motorsports/Chevy in this Sunday’s running of the LENOX Industrial Tools 301 at New Hampshire Motor Speedway. Andy LallyThe Northport, NY native made his first official Sprint Cup start at Watkins Glen last year; posting a 15th place qualifying effort and a 27th finish for TRG Motorsports. Lally, a seasoned sports car ace, cut his teeth in the NASCAR ranks by participating in the Camping World Truck Series with TRG Motorsports in 2007 and 2008. Lally has won the coveted Grand-Am Rolex 24 Hours at Daytona two times (2009, 2001) and is a three time series champion (2006, 2004, and 2001). Lally is currently third in Grand-Am Rolex Series Presented by Crown Royal Reserve GT points on the strength of two wins at Virginia International Raceway and Watkins Glen. Lally is appreciative of the opportunity to perform on the world’s biggest motorsport stage. “I am going at this weekend with the most positive outlook that I can. I am getting a pretty neat opportunity to get some laps in on an oval in a Sprint Cup car on a track that I have never driven. This will be my first time on an oval in a Sprint Cup car. Having just one 90-minute practice session before we qualify to acclimate myself with how this car feels and drives with an oval setup on it and 44 other guys on the track at the same time will be pretty tricky. It will be a monumental challenge to be productive. I am going to take it one lap at a time, respect every other driver’s space out there and do the best that I can.” Team owner Kevin Buckler is managing change for his second year Sprint Cup team. “After Infineon we went through some soul searching regarding the direction and goals of our team as we have yet to achieve what we have set out to do this year. Bobby (Labonte) is a NASCAR Champion and a good guy. We figured out after Infineon though, that our relationship had run its course and we both needed to mix it up a little. We may still have Bobby in our car for a few more races this season, but for now we are going in different directions. We are a young team in this sport and we are trying very hard to attract a sponsor partner as we have a lot to offer on all of our programs. We are exploring our options for the Daytona weekend as we plan to race hard at the Coke Zero 400.”(TRG Motorsports)(6-24-2010)
