FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
July 31, 2013
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Earl Pearson Jr. and Bobby Labonte Racing Bring Home Tenth Top-5 Finish of Season
Take Week Off to Prepare for Florence Speedway $50,000 Purse
 
Trinity, NC (July 31) - Coming off two weeks in the Mid-West, Bobby Labonte Racing (BLR) had a short week in the shop to prepare for two races up north. The team left Thursday evening for Roaring Knob Motorsports Complex in Markleysburg, PA where they would race Friday night. The Lucas Oil Late Model Dirt Series (LOLMDS) had 36 cars on hand for the event Friday, July 26.

Earl Pearson Jr. and Steve Shaver were both among the 36 entrants Friday night; both competed in Heat 4 with Pearson finishing third to transfer to the feature and Shaver finishing eighth. Shaver competed in B-Main No. 2 looking for a transfer spot to the feature. He finished third in his B-Main race and would start the feature in 22nd spot. Pearson Jr. started the feature in 12th. The 50-lap feature saw a lot of great action, with Pearson Jr. racing hard to the front in his No. 44 Lucas Oil Longhorn Chassis and ending up just short of the victory in fourth place. The fourth-place finish for BLR gave the team its 10th top-five of the 2013 season. Shaver also made a charge to the front to finish in 14th place.

"We didn't qualify well so started back in our heat race, but the guys worked hard and we were able to drive to the front in our heat to get a transfer spot," said Pearson Jr. "I drove the car hard in the feature and finished fourth. We will take that finish and hope to keep gaining in points."

Pearson Jr. and BLR, along with the LOLMDS, were supposed to race at Hagerstown Speedway in Hagerstown, MD on Saturday, July 27, however, Mother Nature had other plans. The "Conococheague 50" at Hagerstown Speedway had to be cancelled due to rain forecasted for the area into the night. The event will not be made up due to any available dates on the LOLMDS remaining schedule.

Bobby Labonte Racing will take the weekend off and return to action August 8th - 10th at the 31st Annual Sunoco North/South 100 presented by Lucas Oil at Florence Speedway, Walton, KY. With Pearson Jr.'s top-five finish he remains in fifth place in Lucas Oil Championship Point Standings, 285 points out of first place. For photos, team updates and news go to www.bobbylabonteracing.com. For live updates from the races each week be sure to follow Earl Pearson Jr. and Bobby Labonte Racing on Twitter and Facebook.