Evernham tabs Labbe to oversee plate program

CHARLOTTE, N.C. -- One of the important cogs in Dale Earnhardt Inc.'s restrictor-plate dominance has moved to another team.

'Slugger' Labbe, left, with Michael Waltrip Credit: Autostock

Richard "Slugger" Labbe, former crew chief for Michael Waltrip at DEI, has been hired to oversee Evernham Motorsports' speedway development program for drivers Kasey Kahne's and Jeremy Mayfield's restrictor-plate efforts.

Labbe has already started work in Evernham's Statesville, N.C., shop in preparation for the 2005 season, which opens with the Daytona 500 -- a restrictor-plate race.

Labbe joined DEI in September 2001 as crew chief for Michael Waltrip's No. 15 team, leading him to three victories, all on plate tracks. In October, Labbe was removed in favor of Pete Rondeau.

Labbe spent the rest of the season working with DEI's championship-contending teams in Nextel Cup and the Busch Series.

DEI's record on plate tracks is enviable. Either Waltrip or Dale Earnhardt Jr. has won 11 of the past 16 restrictor-plate races since 2001.

By comparison, the best an Evernham car could do in 2004 on a plate track was Mayfield's 21st-place finish at Talladega.