| Texas governor Rick Perry has kept no secrets | | | | education, we're assuming this car is going to go |
| about playing favorites when it comes to | | | | mostly in reverse or drop out of the race." |
| NASCAR, and he'll be cheering along Bobby | | | | No matter how politics plays out, Bobby Labonte |
| Labonte's No. 71 stock car from the Texas Motor | | | | will get to drive in one more race this season, this |
| Speedway at the April 18 Samsung Mobile 500. | | | | time under the sponsorship of Rick Perry. He still |
| Perry has officially merged politics with NASCAR, | | | | has a ways to go, however, if he wants to take |
| as his re-election campaign is sponsoring Labonte's | | | | that checkered flag by storm in the April 18 race |
| car at the upcoming Texas race. | | | | at Texas. Labonte's 2010 NASCAR season has |
| For racing fans with <a rel="nofollow" | | | | gotten off to a slow start this year, with his best |
| onclick="javascript:pageTracker._trackPageview(' | | | | finishes at Daytona and Bristol, where he placed |
| outgoing/article_exit_link');" href=" tickets< | | | | 21st at both. |
| a> to this month's Texas Sprint Cup race, a | | | | The TRG Motorsports extraordinaire has been on |
| first glance at history in the making will be seen | | | | the Sprint Cup circuit since 1991, and Labonte's |
| zooming around the racetrack. Labonte's No. 71 | | | | longstanding clout with NASCAR is perhaps what |
| Chevy will feature red and blue lettering with the | | | | has led a Texas governor to make history in |
| words "Governor Perry" adorning the front and | | | | becoming the first politician to ever sponsor a |
| "Perry Governor 2010" penned on the car's | | | | stock car. Labonte spent most of his peak career |
| backside. Perry coughed up $225,000 for the | | | | years with Joe Gibbs Racing in the late '90s and |
| one-race sponsorship, and the Republican will be | | | | early '00s, and No. 71 has notched some very |
| rooting for the underdog (Labonte is currently | | | | impressive numbers on the Cup Series circuit, |
| 31st in point standings) to take the Samsung | | | | winning the Cup championship in 2000 and coming |
| Mobile 500 Sprint Cup Series race in mid-April. | | | | in second overall in 1999. |
| Speaking to Dallas Morning News about the | | | | Though last year was only mildly successful for |
| unlikely sponsorship, Governor Perry likened | | | | Labonte, who finished 30th overall after the 2009 |
| Bobby Labonte's driving to Texas' "strong | | | | season, perhaps Governor Perry's backing will help |
| economy," stating, "You build it right and you | | | | ignite a fire under the 45-year-old driver. The |
| know what it's capable of." Perry continued, "I | | | | Labonte name has deep NASCAR roots, with |
| know that he's going to take the checkered flag | | | | Bobby's brother Terry Labonte also having been a |
| at the speedway and we're going to take the | | | | NASCAR legend of old, and the Corpus Christi, |
| green flag for the economy." | | | | Texas native will have more than a little support |
| Despite the overflowing racing quips to compare | | | | from his home state of Texas as he makes his |
| politics and racecar driving, a burn was delivered | | | | way to the Texas Motor Speedway later this |
| from his rival – Democrat Bill White – | | | | month for the Samsung Mobile 500. As for Rick |
| earlier this week in the form of White's | | | | Perry's re-election campaign, that's a story for |
| spokeswoman Katy Bacon. Responding to Perry's | | | | another day. |
| speech, Bacon said, "Given Perry's record on | | | | |