Columnist Brian Hilderbrand: Bobby Labonte happy to be with Gibbs Racing

Thursday, Jan. 30, 2003 | 9:55 a.m.

Brian Hilderbrand covers motor sports for the Las Vegas Sun. His motor sports notebook appears Friday. He can be reached at bh@lasvegassun.com or (702) 259-4089.

Bobby Labonte is joining Joe Gibbs Racing teammate Tony Stewart in the switch from Pontiac to Chevrolet this season and the 2000 NASCAR Winston Cup champion said he is pleased with the transition.

"I think it's working out good for us," Labonte said Wednesday during a break in testing at Las Vegas Motor Speedway. "I have a lot more confidence in the car this year than last year so I think we're adapting to it real well.

"I'm probably not the best person to ask because we didn't run that good last year, but I think (the Chevy) is definitely better -- or at least more comfortable to me and better balanced (than the Pontiac)."

Labonte said the test this week was important to him after disappointing finishes in the Las Vegas Winston Cup race the past two years. After a pair of fifth-place finishes here in 1999 and 2000, Labonte was 29th in 2001 and 12th last year.

"The last two years, we didn't run that good here so I think we're starting off with a lot better test this time than we did last time here," Labonte said.

Stewart's speed was the fastest (in race trim) on the first three days among the 24 Winston Cup drivers testing here. Todd Bodine posted the fastest lap in qualifying trim, on Monday, at 169.758.

Kevin Harvick, in Las Vegas testing his Busch Series car, posted the fastest lap among the 13 Busch Series drivers at 164.885.

McKean was testing a Busch Series car that he purchased from Jeff Burton in anticipation of running some Busch Series races this season.

Wallace is winless in 20 career Daytona 500 starts.