Don't look now, here comes the 43.(NASCAR)

Bobby Labonte knows he's climbing a mountain. Though he doesn't expect to reach the pinnacle anytime soon, the tools and support system are present to maintain a steady uphill pace.

When the 2000 NASCAR Cup champ agreed to drive the No. 43 Dodge for Petty Enterprises, he understood the challenge. It has been seven years since the Pettys won a race. Heck, before Petty finished fifth at Bristol in March, neither the No. 43 nor No. 45 Petty team had scored a top five since John Andretti finished second in the spring race at Bristol in 2001. Still, Labonte wanted the opportunity to be part of the rebuilding process--a task the former mechanic relishes. Although he doesn't have time to be hands-on with the racecars anymore, his input is valued.

Flanked by Robbie Loomis, who oversees operations for both Petty teams, and crew chief Todd Parrott, Labonte receives guidance from two of NASCAR's top strategists. Both won championships as crew chiefs. The experience and information that Loomis and Parrott collected during their tenures at Hendrick Motorsports and Robert Yates Racing not only benefits the cars, but it gives Labonte the confidence he had been lacking at Joe Gibbs Racing.

The results in the past few races are indicative of the comfort zone Labonte has found at Petty Enterprises. Despite a slow start to the season, including an accident at Daytona and engine failures at Atlanta (where he qualified fourth) and Talladega, Labonte scored more top 10s in the first 10 races (three) than both Petty teams combined in 2005.

Labonte says the key to continued growth is for the team to keep from beating itself. Running leased engines from Evernham Motorsports, the No. 43 cannot control failures under the hood. What it can control is the caliber of the pit crews that service the car on raceday. However, with Petty headquarters more than an hour away from NASCAR's nucleus outside of Charlotte, the organization is at a disadvantage in trying to recruit top talent.

Labonte is a realist. He knows the team must be able to contend for races before it wins one. Still, he remains optimistic. He should be. He has won races at the five upcoming tracks: Darlington, Charlotte, Dover, Pocono and Michigan. When Labonte drives the No. 43 back into victory lane, the journey will have been well worth it.

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