B. Labonte has nowhere to look but up

DOVER, Del. -- At the time it's taxing. Annoying. Unyielding. A constant hassle.

But when it's gone, it can demoralize a guy.

Ask any driver who's fallen from championship grace, and they'll readily admit the adulation they formerly garnered is sorely missed. Constant media attention. Appearances galore. That warm, fuzzy feeling.

Bobby Labonte  2002 Stats: 28 starts, 1 win, 0 runner-up finishes, 1 third-place finish, 22 finishes of 11th or worse  2000 Stats: 34 starts, 4 wins, 4 runner-up finishes, 4 third-place finishes, 10 finishes of 11th or worse

Gradually, the wins and top-fives come less frequently. So do the interview requests.

"That's bad. Bad, bad," Bobby Labonte said. "We'd much rather be at the top of our game."

Two years ago, Labonte was the game. He tallied four wins and a career-high 24 top-fives and won the championship going away. These days, he's in the midst of his worst season since 1994, ranked 18th in the championship standings.

When you've reached the pinnacle, nothing else will suffice.

"It's frustrating, on our part, because we haven't been able to do any kind of good to speak of, as far as getting up there and being able to compete for a championship like we did in 2000," Labonte said.

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"But, it looks like at the same time, if we got a little bit better we might could be up there. If we were better at some places, I guess the problems that we have been having wouldn't look so bad this year as compared to other years."

To Labonte's credit, his luck has been utterly miserable. At Atlanta, he was running in the top-five when he made a routine pit stop under caution. As he exited his pit stall, Jimmy Spencer spun him around on pit road.

Labonte gunned it, trying to right his machine. In doing so, he broke a valve spring, forcing him to complete the event on seven cylinders. He finished 37th.

	Calming presence: Crew chief Jimmy Makar has been with Labonte since 1995. Credit: Autostock

At Talladega, he had a top-10 car and got caught up in the Big One. He finished 41st. At Richmond in May, he was running seventh when Dale Jarrett got together with John Andretti right in front of him. He finished 32nd.

At Richmond two weeks back, he was once again running seventh and broke a gear on a restart. He finished 32nd. He has but four top-fives, one of which came last week at New Hampshire.

And then there was Sunday. Labonte struggled from the outset of the MBNA All American Heroes 400 at Dover, making a series of pit stops during the first 50 laps before the motor blew up on lap 118, ending his day in 41st position.

	Credit: Autostock

"We've been running better the last few weeks and we're just looking forward to getting out of here the rest of the season," said Labonte, who cited a series of personnel changes as a major reason for the recent improvement.

The season a virtual throwaway, the Interstate Batteries outfit is unconcerned with consistency. These days, it's about winning races and preparing for the future.

"We're not in a position in points to be battling for a championship, so we're in a position right now to say, 'Hey, let's make some advancements. Let's not make little changes. We need to make bigger changes.'" Labonte said.

"We need to try to get confidence in our race team and myself and Jimmy (Makar, crew chief) and everybody there to end the year on a high note so we can start next year."

	Poor qualifying has dogged Labonte all season -- he has started 10th or better just four times. Credit: Autostock

Looking ahead to next season, Labonte eyes a switch from Pontiac to Chevrolet. He's tested the Monte Carlo, and said Joe Gibbs Racing plans to do again next week. He likes the Chevy, and said its progression is coming along well.

"You get frustrated if you're not running good -- I don't want to sit here being happy running 17th in points," he said. "But, at the same time I understand that we've got some work to do. But everything is fine. Next year I'd like to see a repeat of what I did in 2000."

Constant media attention.

Appearances galore.

That warm, fuzzy feeling.