There would seem to be little more that Richard "Slugger" Labbe could learn about Daytona International Speedway and how to get the No. 15 Chevrolet around it better and faster than anyone else.
The crew chief, has, after all, won the Daytona 500 and Pepsi 400 with driver Michael Waltrip, and Waltrip and teammate Dale Earnhardt Jr. have dominated racing at restrictor-plate tracks the past few years.
But when the first of five NASCAR-mandated testing sessions begins Tuesday in Daytona Beach, Labbe and crew will have much to do, he said.
"You learn everything," said Labbe, whose crew was packing the No. 15 hauler Friday for a Saturday drive. "You take a brand new car and try to figure it out. You constantly build new cars and try to get the next greatest thing. What you hope is it's fast right out of the truck."
There's no guarantee of that however. Though Waltrip won at Talladega last fall after NASCAR adjusted superspeedway rules - lengthening spoilers and using bigger restrictor plates to allow more horsepower - his team cannot simply assume that package will win again. So Waltrip's new Daytona car ran seven wind-tunnel tests.
"Last year the cars were good," Labbe said. "But ... they're definitely closing the gap on us every year. We're constantly working hard to keep the gap. The rules are getting tighter and tighter, so you work between rules and get every possible advantage you can."
Those include Richie Gilmore, DEI's master at building restrictor plate engines, and the drivers.
"The best part is Michael and Dale Jr.," Labbe said. "They understand the cars, they understand how to work it, how to draft and pass at Daytona."
Teams finishing in odd positions in the final Winston Cup points standings last season will test Tuesday through Thursday at the 2.5-mile speedway. Even-numbered finishers test Jan. 13-15. The Wednesday and Jan. 14 sessions are open to the public; tickets are $10.
DOUBLE DUTY: Earnhardt and Tony Stewart will see DIS even more than usual this year after agreeing to drive in the 24 Hours at Daytona, scheduled Jan. 31-Feb. 1 over the 3.56-mile road course.
The Nextel Cup regulars are expected to split duties with three-time winner Andy Wallace in Howard-Boss Motorsports and Crawford Race Cars' No. 2 Crawford DP03 Daytona Prototype. Earnhardt finished fourth with his late father in a Chevrolet Corvette in 2001. Stewart competed in 2002.
Jimmie Johnson will make his first Rolex start, sharing a ride in the No. 4 Boss Snowplow DP03 Daytona Prototype entry.
SCREENING: Area fans hoping to see NASCAR 3D: The IMAX Experience have a long wait ahead. Shot throughout the 2003 season, the 40-minute film is a "tentative possibility" to be shown in March at Channelside in Tampa, according to management. The Museum of Science and Industry in Tampa has not decided whether to order the film.
BACK AGAIN: Lakeland native and NEMCO Motorsports owner Joe Nemechek will contest 14 Busch series events, including the opener Feb. 14 at Daytona, after re-signing Cellular One from Dobson Cellular Systems as primary sponsor for his No. 87 Chevrolet.
Nemechek won Busch races in 2003 at Las Vegas, Texas and Dover. He will run those races and add Bristol, Loudon and Fontana to his schedule.
Nemechek also competes full time in Nextel Cup in the No. 01 Chevrolet for MB2/MBV Motorsports.
PIT NOTES: Brendan Gaughan, whose bid for a NASCAR truck title ended with a crash in the season finale at Homestead, will test the No. 77 Dodge for Penske Racing at DIS. Bill Wilburn, replaced as Rusty Wallace's crew chief after two seasons, and Roy McCauley, Wallace's lead engineer in 2003, are listed on Gaughan's roster. ... Former Dale Jarrett crew chief Shawn Parker is listed as chief mechanic for driver Ted Musgrave's Ultra Motorsports No. 1 Dodge truck for testing Jan. 10-12 at DIS. Musgrave was third in points last year. Parker was replaced at Robert Yates Racing in November with former Bill Elliott crew chief Mike Ford.
