Labonte tests Busch car at Montreal road course

MONTREAL -- History was made Tuesday when Terry Labonte tested with members of Richard Childress Racing's Busch Series teams at Circuit Gilles Villeneuve in preparation for the inaugural Canadian Busch Series race scheduled for Aug. 4 at the Montreal road course.

It was the first time a Busch Series rac car has turned a lap on the 13-turn 2.709-mile circuit, which has been home to the Formula 1 Canadian Grand Prix since 1978.

The two-time Cup Series champion (1984, 1996) and four-time Busch Series road-course race winner drove RCR's No. 21 Chevrolet Monte Carlo SS. He made a total of 21 laps (57 miles) with a fast lap of 1:49:86 at an average speed of 105.602 mph.

"The test went very well and it was an honor and quite a thrill to drive the first laps here in a NASCAR stock car," Labonte said. "The biggest thing was figuring out the braking points that will be used for the race. We can't get into the corners as deep as the Formula 1 cars.

"I think there will be at least two good places to pass so track position will be very important but it's the same as Sonoma [Infineon Raceway] or some of the ovals that NASCAR races at."

Labonte, retired from full-time NASCAR competition, was chosen to be the test driver because he will not compete in the Canadian event. All the information collected from the test, including videotape taken of the course from laps in a street-legal sedan, will be shared with every Busch Series team that will participate in the event.

"There are some good passing places on this track," said Labonte, whose grandparents migrated to the United States from the Quebec area . "Everything went really well [with the test]. This will be a good show come August. The fans up here will love it."

RCR did a similar test in January 2005 with driver Jeff Burton prior to the first Busch Series race at Autodromos Hermanos Rodriguez in Mexico City.

"The RCR team was overly prepared for the test," Busch Series director Joe Balash said. "They were set up and ready to go as soon as the track was available."

On hand from RCR were NBS team manager Will Lind, all three Busch Series crew chiefs (Dan Deeringhoff/No. 2, Shane Wilson/No. 21, and Pat Smith/ No. 29), and crew members from all three teams.

Labonte has six road-course victories in his career, including four Busch Series wins at Watkins Glen.

"The experience of a driver like Terry Labonte allowed us to gather our information despite the short test," Balash said. "We'll be preparing the data as soon as we return and distribute it among our teams to assist in their preparation for the race.

"It's been a pleasure working with the track during our visits here and with their cooperation, we look forward to having a great event."

The NAPA Auto Parts 200 presented by Dodge is scheduled for 74 laps (200.054 miles) and will be broadcast on ESPN2 beginning at 3 p.m. ET.