Slugger Labbe has returned to work in the Robert Yates Racing garage. Credit: Autostock

Slugger's return prompts more change at RYR

Fill-in Burdett now Labbe's assistant; Dantinne still car chief

BROOKLYN, Mich. -- Sometimes change prompts more change, and team owner Robert Yates put that belief into practice this week with the return from a NASCAR suspension of crew chief Slugger Labbe.

At Michigan International Speedway for Sunday's 3M Performance 400, Labbe and his driver, Dale Jarrett, will have a new full-time car chief; while Labbe has an official right-hand man with the promotion of former car chief and fill-in crew chief, Jason Burdett, to assistant crew chief.

	Slugger Labbe is back calling the shots for Dale Jarett and the 88. Credit: Autostock
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"Jason's really smart," Labbe said. "When I got suspended, we moved Brian Dantinne up to car chief, so we're going to leave that the same and Jason's just going to help me, you know, be the assistant crew chief and be in my back pocket -- because he deserves that.

"He did a great job stepping in for me, so we're going to let him be more actively involved and that will allow me to do more things during the week that I need to be doing, like research and development and working on projects to get us three months down the road.

"Jason's still a big part of this deal and he's still going to talk on the radio -- we're just going to do it together."

Labbe sat out four races after Jarrett's No. 88 Ford Fusion was determined to have an illegal sway bar mount at Richmond in May. Labbe worked the race at Darlington while his suspension was appealed, then was banned from the garage for two weekends at Lowe's Motor Speedway and subsequent events at Dover and Pocono.

"I respect NASCAR for what they did," Labbe said. "Like any other crew chief will tell you -- we all push the rules, and obviously I went in a direction they didn't like. But I paid the price and I deserved to pay the price, but Michigan's a new day and let's move on."

Far from being idle, Labbe said he didn't get caught up on many home improvement projects, or many goals at the Yates shop.

"Going to the races still, but not being able to come in the garage area was tough [because] I still came to the racetrack every weekend," Labbe said. "John Darby [Nextel Cup director] told me I couldn't come in the garage and I couldn't talk on the radio -- but I could go anywhere else."

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Away from the racetrack, Labbe still had plenty to do.

"I tested twice with Elliott [Sadler], once with Dale and once with Marc Goossens, our road racing guy," Labbe said. "So I've been really busy, plus traveling. I've probably worked harder while I was suspended."

And that did point out what might be a more efficient organizational structure.

"The good thing [about the suspension] was I let Jason and Brian Dantinne and Joe [Berardi], our engineer, take it and let 'em run," Labbe said. "I was there if they wanted to talk -- and we did talk -- but they did their own thing and I just watched them, I watched some [other] cars and learned some things."

3M Performance 400 Lineup Pos. Driver Speed Time 1. K. Kahne 185.644 38.784 2. J. Gordon 185.543 38.805 3. B. Vickers 184.995 38.920 4. J. Johnson 184.943 38.931 5. B. Labonte 184.810 38.959 6. Dale Jr. 184.606 39.002 7. Nemechek 184.252 39.077 8. M. Martin 184.007 39.129 9. C. Bowyer 183.758 39.182 10. G. Biffle 183.589 39.218 • Complete lineup, click here Pole winnerKasey Kahne wins the Bud Pole at Michigan Michigan PreviewBenny Parsons, CNN Radio preview the action at Michigan FedEx PreviewNBC/TNT's Marty Snider previews the action at Michigan NASCAR PerformanceListen to the Michigan edition of NASCAR Performance Live Sign up for TrackPass now BUY THE NEXTEL i836

With Jarrett announcing at Darlington that he's leaving the team after this season, it might be hard for a time to tell what is affecting what around the 88 camp.

At Michigan -- a track where Jarrett won his first career Cup race in 1991 and three other victories -- he qualified 40th on Friday, his worst starting position in 39 career attempts.

"It's neat [to be back], but it stinks," Labbe said. "It's one of the toughest things I've had to do in my life. When you're a racer all you want to do is race and when you can't do it, it really hurts.

"I suffered the last four weeks by not seeing all of your friends in the garage [plus] you get out of tune with what's going on. You miss four weeks and technology changes every day and you miss out on some things, so we're playing catch-up.

"Obviously, we've got to get running better and that's our number one goal."

And that's what Labbe said he was doing in the grandstands at Lowe's, Dover and Pocono.

"I'd go up in the grandstands in Turn 1 or Turn 2 or wherever I wanted to go and what I did was let the guys just run the deal like I wasn't here," Labbe said. "I just wanted to watch cars.

"At Dover, me and Robert hung out all day on Friday and learned a lot because there are certain things you can't see from on top of the truck or pit road. I saw a lot of different things and theories that people are doing and you just have to write them all down and have some discussions about it [because] what everybody sees on the frontstretch is different than what they see in the middle of Turn 1 and 2.

"I definitely learned a lot. Now I know why other race teams take a lot of pictures of racecars and shoot video because there's a lot to be learned out there from people in the garage without asking and just watching.

"Even though I worried about [Jarrett's car], I didn't that much because I had three good guys taking care of the deal. I focused on watching other cars and learning about that.

NO. 88 TEAM •   Scanner and Headset

"Will it help us [Friday] or [Saturday]? No, but it will point us in the right direction. We're not gonna fix our deal overnight, obviously."

An alliance between owner Jack Roush and Yates on more than the current engine deal has been talked about -- and if what Labbe saw is any indication it might be valuable.

"It was neat watching everything," Labbe said. "[Matt Kenseth] and [Greg Biffle] would go by and I was like, 'Gee, look at that.' And then [Sadler] and [Jarrett] would come by and I could see that we had some work to do."

In conjunction with his fellow Yates crew chief, Tommy Baldwin, Labbe immediately buckled down.

"I would talk to Tommy about it and discuss different things," Labbe said. "Technology changes every day [and if] you win on Sunday, you better be working on Monday for a new plan because things change every day."