FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
August 23, 2011
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Bobby Labonte Racing Prepares for Three Nights of Racing
Weekend Triple Ends at Neat's Home Track



TRINITY, N.C. (August 23) - Bobby Labonte Racing's No. 44 Lucas Oil team, piloted by Earl Pearson Jr., and No. 41 Red Buck Cigars team, with driver Brad Neat, are excited to kick off three nights of Lucas Oil Late Model Dirt Series (LOLMDS) racing this Thursday, August 25, at Volunteer Speedway in Bulls Gap, Tenn. Following Volunteer Speedway, the team will compete at Lawrenceburg (Ind.) Speedway and Bluegrass Speedway in Bardstown, Ky.

Both Bobby Labonte Racing (BLR) drivers are looking to loosen the 930-point stranglehold that Jimmy Owens has on the championship point standings. And what better place to start their charge than at Bulls Gap this Thursday? They do, however, know they have to improve on last season's performance at the 4/10-mile, high-banked track. Pearson finished 16th in the "Scorcher 100" at Volunteer Speedway in 2010, while Neat finished eighth.

The No. 44 team had a solid run in last season's LOLMDS race at Lawrenceburg Speedway. Pearson drove to a fourth-place finish in 2010 and aims to uphold his strong run this Friday. Neat left Lawrenceburg Speedway last season with a 15th-place finish.

One driver that can't wait for Saturday's race at Bluegrass Speedway is Neat. A native of Dunnville, Ky., he's ready to bring the thunder to one of his home state's tracks. In Neat's most recent trip to the half-mile, clay oval, he captured the checkered flag in the STARS MDRL Series' "Bluegrass 50." He hopes to duplicate the performance in this weekend's "11th Annual Cornett Racing Engines Bluegrass Classic." Neat drove to a seventh-place finish at Bluegrass Speedway last season in LOLMDS competition, while Pearson scored a 10th-place finish.

"Racing at Bluegrass Speedway is always good for us," said Neat. "I love the track. I love the fans. I won last time I raced there. It's hard not to get excited about returning. When you have the support of the fans, and you know you can race well at the track, it feels like there's no stopping you. Last time I went to Bluegrass Speedway, we won the race. I hope we can have a repeat performance in the Lucas Oil Series this week."

Neat is coming off a 15th-place finish this past weekend at the "Topless 100" in Batesville, Ark., and before that a third-place finish in the "North/South 100" at Florence Speedway in Union, Ky. The finishes have him eighth in the Lucas Oil championship standings.

Pearson Jr. is looking forward to the three nights of racing. The team had engine issues two weeks ago during the "North/South 100," but before that had collected three straight top-five finishes in races in New York and Maryland. The Lucas Oil team bounced back this weekend earning a seventh-place finish in the "Topless 100." Pearson is now looking to keeping the momentum.

"We're coming up on some serious action tracks," said Pearson Jr. "We have been up front in four of the last five series races and just had engine issues at the one. I like racing at the tracks this weekend, especially Lawrenceburg, and I think we have a shot at winning one of these three. We should be competitive all three nights."

Pearson Jr. sits fifth in championship standings heading into the last events of August. The team will then have a full September with nine races scheduled.

LUCAS OIL LATE MODEL DIRT SERIES
2011 POINT STANDINGS (8/20/11)

1 20 Jimmy Owens Newport, TN 4,830
2 0 Scott Bloomquist Mooresburg, TN 4,690
3 71 Don O'Neal Martinsville, IN 4,195
4 15 Steve Francis Ashland, KY 3,995
5 44 Earl Pearson Jr Jacksonville, FL 3,900
6 777 Jared Landers Batesville, AR 3,765
7 23 John Blankenship Williamson, WV 3,685
8 41n Brad Neat Dunnville, KY 3,675
9 53 Ray Cook Brasstown, NC 3,635
10 11t Tyler Reddick Corning, CA 3,500