NASCAR Sprint-Cup Series
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CUP: Menard Teams With Crew Chief Slugger Labbe
A new year and Paul Menard will have a new crew chief...
Bob Pockrass  | http://www.scenedaily.com  |  Posted January 16, 2010   Daytona Beach, FL
NASCAR Sprint Cup Driver Paul Menard will start 2010 with Richard "Slugger" Labbe as crew chief. (Photo: LAT Photographic)

Richard Petty Motorsports driver Paul Menard confirmed Friday that Richard "Slugger" Labbe would be his crew chief on the Cup side for 2010 and they already have one big challenge ahead of them – Menard's plan to run the entire Nationwide Series season.

Labbe, who has been with several teams in his career including Robert Yates Racing and most recently TRG Motorsports, will replace Larry Carter atop the pit box for Menard.

Finishing 31st in the standings in his first year at Yates Racing following two years at Dale Earnhardt Inc., Menard is part of the driver lineup formed by the merger of RPM and Yates Racing.

"I thought it would be more of a stroll than it was with the transition," Menard said Friday during the preseason Fan Fest at Daytona International Speedway. "Yates was based in Concord [N.C.], that's where RPM ultimately is going to be based is Concord. Right now we have to redo the shop, so we're out of Statesville. Everything is a recipe for things not getting done, but things are getting done.

"I was at the shop for about five hours [Friday] and just amazed at how well everybody is mixing together, the Yates people and the RPM people combining. From what I can see, there's no egos getting involved and everybody is working hard with the goal of getting cars ready for Daytona and Fontana and Atlanta and Vegas and [to] start out the season right."

Menard has started the season with a different crew chief in each of his four years of Cup racing.

"Sometimes you just need a little change to spark something good, and that's what we're looking for this year," Menard said. "Last year was a frustrating year. We had really good runs, we had really bad runs. Nothing really in between. … We need to consistently run better, and with everything that's happened in the offseason, that's our plan."

While Menard has a change in his Cup crew chief, he will keep Mike Puccia as his crew chief on the Nationwide side. Menard drove in 16 Nationwide races last year. The team will be a Roush Fenway Racing team.

"Last year, it opened my eyes to racing on Saturday is going to help you on Sunday," Menard said. "[It helps] driving and understanding what the tires are doing. You know what the tracks are going to do, just general racing stuff.

"So this year we put together a deal to run the whole year. Some races will be a struggle."

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