HIGH POINT, N.C. –Â NASCAR Hall of Fame Class of 2020 inductee Bobby Labonte will compete in a tour-type modified this Saturday at Bowman Gray Stadium in Winston Salem, N.C.
Labonte will be driving the No. 36 Alliance Insurance Services modified in the first modified race of his career.
The race marks Labonte’s return to competition in the United States since becoming the first American NASCAR champion to join the NASCAR Whelen Euro Series in 2017. He raced full-time in the NASCAR Whelen Euro Series in 2018, finishing 14th in points with one top-five and four top-10s. At Tours in France, in what was his first outing on a European short track, the Corpus Christi, Texas, native grabbed his first NASCAR Whelen Euro Series podium finish.
His upcoming Twin 50-Lap race at Bowman Gray Stadium presents a different challenge for Labonte, a stock car driver. It is NASCAR’s first and oldest weekly series sanctioned track, and it also plays host to Sportsman, Street Stock, Stadium Stock and Modified division races throughout the season.
“I have been to Bowman Gray Stadium a few times, watching and testing this summer, and it’s a lot of fun,” said Labonte. “It reminds me of some of the racing I did before Cup racing. The modified races there are really competitive, and the teams and drivers are serious and talented. I am sure they will make it tough on me, but I am looking forward to strapping on my helmet and giving them a run for it in the No. 36 Alliance Insurance Services car on Saturday night.”
The first NASCAR driver to win a championship in both the NASCAR Cup Series and in the NASCAR Xfinity Series, Labonte won 21 races at the highest level of NASCAR in the United States, conquering some of NASCAR’s crown jewels like the Coca-Cola 600 at Charlotte Motor Speedway, the Southern 500 at Darlington Raceway and the Brickyard 400 at Indianapolis Motor Speedway. Labonte is set to be inducted into the NASCAR Hall of Fame in January 2020.
“Alliance Insurance Services is proud to sponsor NASCAR legend Bobby Labonte for this weekend’s special race at Bowman Gray Stadium,” said Christopher Cook, owner of Alliance Insurance Services. “Bobby is a fierce competitor and a proven winner, and we are honored to be part of his team.”