Joe Gibbs Racing to visit mobile health unit

BRISTOL, Tenn. -- Bobby Labonte, the 2000 NASCAR Champion, his crew chief Michael "Fatback" McSwain and J.D. Gibbs, president of Joe Gibbs Racing will visit the GlaxoSmithKline (GSK) Racing For Life Mobile Health Unit outside of Bristol Motor Speedway at 10 a.m. Friday.

Wellbutrin XL, a medicine indicated for the treatment of major depressive disorder in patients 18 years and older produced by GSK, will serve as the primary sponsor for Labonte's No. 18 Chevrolet at Bristol and seven other races in 2004.

In addition to their sponsorship, GSK officials announced in February at Daytona that they would offer free health screenings to fans across the nation at 23 races in 2004.

The unique Racing for Life mobile health unit expands into a patient education and health-screening center, and provides screenings and information on such health topics as hypertension, type II diabetes, osteoporosis, asthma, men's health, smoking cessation, migraine and depression.

Labonte, McSwain and Gibbs will each be screened in the unit as part of the "Green-flag Ceremony," which helps kick off Wellbutrin XL's primary sponsorship at Bristol.

Labonte will drive the Wellbutrin XL Chevrolet in Sunday's Food City 500, while throughout the weekend physicians will be on hand at the exhibit to answer questions from individuals who visit.

Joe Gibbs, JGR owner and head coach of the Washington Redskins, knows the importance of maintaining good health from personal experience. Since being diagnosed with diabetes, he has followed a treatment regime that includes diet and medicines prescribed by his doctor to keep his disease under control.

"No one can expect a race car to run, let alone win races, if we don't constantly keep it well-maintained," Joe Gibbs said. "Why should we expect our bodies to keep working without the appropriate maintenance? You should know the health risks you face, talk to your doctor, make the necessary adjustments to your lifestyle, and take medicines as prescribed by your doctor to take care of yourself.

"GlaxoSmithKline is offering a tremendous opportunity to fans at many of our races with this Mobile Health Exhibit. I encourage everyone to stop by and learn how you can better manage your health."

Labonte, who won the 2000 NASCAR championship driving for JGR, does not suffer from depression, but he knows the importance from personal experience of maintaining good health and a positive attitude. He has dealt with asthma since childhood.

"I'm proud to have GlaxoSmithKline as a major sponsor and help build awareness around the pervasiveness of depression among adults," Labonte said. "We can't take our health for granted, and visiting the exhibit, getting screened, taking the depression questionnaire and discussing the results with your doctor could make a tremendous difference to you or someone you love."

"We worked very successfully with Bobby Labonte and Joe Gibbs Racing last year to raise awareness of asthma and its treatment," said Stan Hull, GSK senior vice president of United States Pharmaceuticals. "This year, we're broadening our efforts to build awareness around the availability of options to treat depression and offer a way for race fans to obtain information and free screenings for a number of disease areas in which GSK has expertise.

"I commend Joe, Bobby and the rest of the team for recognizing the importance of good health care, for sharing their own stories, and for joining us in this effort to help race fans and others improve their health."