Looney Tunes ready for Richmond
By Marty Smith, Turner Sports Interactive
September 4, 2001
4:18 PM EDT (2018 GMT)
CONCORD, N.C. -- Much like the thought of a Roadrunner sandwich makes Wile E. Coyote salivate and visions of Tweety Bird stew make Sylvester’s mouth water, NASCAR Winston Cup Series drivers froth over the thought of a win in the Chevrolet Monte Carlo 400 at Richmond International Raceway.
When the Winston Cup Series takes to the ¾-mile RIR surface Friday for the weekend’s opening practice, one of the most highly-anticipated cross-promotions ever to hit the NASCAR Winston Cup Series will roar into action.
Seven Monte Carlo drivers, including series points leader Jeff Gordon and rookie phenom Kevin Harvick, will don Looney Tunes paint schemes for the first time ever.
Joining Gordon and Harvick in Looney Tunes colors are Terry Labonte, Jeff Green, Mike Skinner, Bobby Hamilton and Steve Park, or whomever is chosen to replace Park if he is still feeling the aftereffects of a concussion he suffered in the Busch Series event last weekend at Darlington.
Gordon, whose No. 24 Chevy will carry a Bugs Bunny scheme, is by far the most successful of the group at Richmond, having won there twice and garnered eight top-three finishes, including four runner-up efforts.
Gordon, who enters this weekend with a substantial 342-point lead over Ricky Rudd in the championship chase, hopes to extend that lead yet again this weekend by incorporating some of his running mate’s logic.
“Hopefully I’ll have some of Bugs Bunny’s wit,” Gordon said. “He’s always got that quick wit. I don’t remember too many races he was in that he didn’t win. We’re just really excited about this program. We’re seeing a younger audience already getting involved in NASCAR, and this just takes it to the next level.”
Aside from Gordon, Labonte sports the most impressive credentials among the Looney Tunes contingent at the Virginia track. Labonte has three career victories there, including the 1998 fall race.
Furthermore, Labonte is in select company at RIR, being the first of three drivers to compete in all three series at RIR in the same weekend.
Labonte actually won two of those races -- the Craftsman Truck Series affair and the Winston Cup event -- and finished fifth in the NASCAR Busch Series race.
Kenny Wallace (1996) and Elliott Sadler (2000) are the only two drivers aside from Labonte to attempt the Richmond trifecta, but Harvick is expected to give it a whirl this weekend.
Harvick has had his share of success at Richmond in the Busch Series, having posted a pair of top-fives in just three visits there. His lone Winston Cup start produced a 17th-place finish.
Green won the Busch Series event at RIR last year en route to the championship, but has fared no better than 20th in Winston Cup competition.
Skinner has been close at Richmond before, but a blown motor late in the race disallowed his elusive first career win. He’ll be teaming up with Yosemite Sam this weekend, and like Gordon, he’ll use the mentality of his cohort in his attempt to visit Victory Lane.
“We try to be rough and tough and always try to shoot the competition down,” Skinner said. “He’s a hunter, he don’t like all those other hunters out on the prairie. I’m the same way. Whether we run up front or not, we’re gonna have a lot of fun with this one.”
Suffice to say Skinner isn’t alone. With the Looney Tunes hooking up with NASCAR and its greatest talent, a fun time will be had by all.
| 
