Labonte to sub for Waltrip in No. 55 at Indianapolis

CORNELIUS, N.C. -- Michael Waltrip Racing announced Wednesday that two-time Cup Series champion Terry Labonte will again step into the No. 55 Toyota for the Allstate 400 at the Brickyard at Indianapolis Motor Speedway.

"While we've planned to bring Terry back for the Watkins Glen road course event, I felt having him in the car next weekend at Indianapolis would be a great opportunity for me to continue to evaluate my entire organization from an owner's perspective," Waltrip said.

"The feedback related to road-course racing that Terry was able to provide my team after Infineon Raceway was very valuable. We look forward to more of the same input after Indy."

Labonte piloted the No. 55 car last month at Infineon Raceway, where he started 25th and finished 35th.

"It felt good to get back in the car in Sonoma and while it wasn't the finish I had hoped to deliver to the guys at MWR and NAPA, I believe we learned quite a few things in which we can build on," Labonte said.

Labonte has 11 starts at Indianapolis. His best finish came in 1996 when he finished third.

Waltrip returns to his No. 55 for the Pennsylvania 500 at Pocono on Aug. 5.