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By Dave Rodman, Turner Sports Interactive
September 28, 2002
4:34 PM EDT (2034 GMT)
KANSAS CITY, Kan. -- Former NASCAR Winston Cup champion Bobby Labonte walked to an ambulance after a vicious crash in the opening moments of final practice Saturday at Kansas Speedway.
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| Bobby Labonte Credit: Autostock |
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About an hour after Happy Hour ended, Labonte stopped to visit with his crew, which was dismantling his destroyed race car in a corner of the garage area.
He walked up normally, but while he stood talking to crew chief Jimmy Makar, his body language indicated he was favoring his right knee. After about 10 minutes, he walked to the infield care center to get his knee checked.
"It's not bad at all -- I've fell down steps before worse than this," Labonte said. "It's banged up a little bit, but I hate I tore up a race car -- that's the big thing."
Labonte's No. 18 Interstate Batteries Pontiac hit the outside wall exiting Turn 2 of the 1.5-mile oval and stopped with the nose of the car in the wall with heavy damage after Labonte kept the throttle buried, trying to recover.
"I probably should have gotten out of it at one point in time, there," Labonte said. "But I stayed in it, trying to get it down. It didn't work out, so we'll have to go see what we've got left."
 | PROTECTION ONE 400 |  | Labonte crashes in Happy Hour at Kansas.
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The practice had been open for less than 10 minutes and Labonte was on his seventh lap when he crashed. His best lap, his third, was in 166.108 mph.
"The car was just too loose to start with and I stuck with it, which was my fault," Labonte said. "But, in the first practice we were too tight, so we made a few changes.
"Sticker tires just aren't very good for me. I hate it for all the guys. We've just not been doing very good here lately -- especially today -- and I ruined a race car."
Labonte qualified 31st for Sunday's Protection One 400 with a lap averaging 174.076 mph, but the No. 18 will drop to the rear of the field on the pace laps Sunday. Labonte's best lap in the 45-minute Saturday morning practice was 170.288 mph, 36th on the list.
Labonte finished 29th in last year's inaugural Protection One 400 after qualifying 10th. He was involved in an accident after running 246 of 267 laps.
His team took out a backup car and Labonte underwent an in-depth exam at the track's infield care center before he continued practicing.
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| Labonte's crew unloads the No. 18 backup car. Credit: Autostock |
The final practice resumed at 12:40 p.m. ET, and Labonte was back on track about 20 minutes later with a car that raced this season at California (34th) and Michigan (13th).
Labonte ended up running 30 laps in Happy Hour, with a best of 167.483 mph, 37th fastest.
Steve Park ran the fastest lap in the final practice, averaging 171.189 mph, in the No. 1 Pennzoil Chevrolet. Hendrick Motorsports teammates Jimmie Johnson and Jeff Gordon were second and third.
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