Team Joe Gibbs Racing Car/Make No. 18/Chevrolet Sponsor Interstate Batteries Crew Chief Michael McSwain
STATS	2003	CAREER
Rank	8	1*
Wins	2	21
Top 5	12	101
Top 10	17	166
DNFs	5	49
Top Finish	1	1
*Indicates best career points finish

2003 recap
The good: After the second-worst finish in his Cup career, finishing 16th in 2002, former champ Bobby Labonte got back on track in 2003, more than doubling his scorecard of the previous year. He had twice as many wins (two to one), more than double the number of top-five finishes (12 to five) and nearly triple the number of top-10 showings (17 to 7) in 2003 as compared to 2002.

The bad: The worst part of the season for Labonte was a seven-race stretch from Chicago to the season's second race at Bristol, when he dropped from fourth to ninth in points (and would never be able to get any higher than seventh in the standings from that point on). During that stretch, he suffered three of this season's DNFs (one crash, two engine failures), had three finishes of 30th or worse and two others of 22nd or worse. That stretch pretty much knocked Labonte out of the ballgame in his goal to finish the season in the top five.

Key stat: Labonte had four poles (tied a personal mark for second-most in a season for him) and two outside poles this past season, compared to none in 2002. Much of that was due to the addition of McSwain, who focuses so much on qualifying efforts and setup. In fact, overall, Labonte qualified in the top five in 13 races and in the top 10 in five other starts.

2004 outlook
What needs to be done: With the changes McSwain brought to the team, there's no need for the wholesale upheaval that took place during last offseason. A few minor tweaks here and there are all that is needed to get the team back in the top-five and potentially have a shot to win the Cup title. One area of concern that has been addressed during the offseason is engine development and stability. Both Labonte and teammate Tony Stewart each experienced three motor failures apiece in 2003.

Key change: Arguably the most significant change that contributed to Labonte's comeback in 2003 was the hiring of veteran crew chief McSwain in 2002. He made a number of personnel changes on the team, organized what had become a somewhat disorganized team operation and the results showed as a result.

Guarantee: Labonte turns 40 in May. That kind of milestone has always been significant for drivers in Cup racing because they want to prove they still have what it takes to not only win, but also be a bona fide championship contender. A proud Texan, Labonte will be looking to do things bigger and better in 2004 than he has the last three seasons.

Prediction: Labonte and McSwain together are a formidable team. And, given the way teammate Tony Stewart fell off the championship pace in 2003, Labonte and Stewart and the rest of Joe Gibbs Racing could have a much more intense motivation in 2004, particularly with the prize of winning the first championship under the Nextel Cup banner.

Did you know: Labonte and older brother Terry have a park named in their honor in their hometown of Corpus Christi, Texas.

Your take
Will Labonte be among the top contenders for this season's championship? Will last season's resurgence continue in 2004? Will the loss of Joe Gibbs from the day-to-day operations adversely affect the No. 18 and No. 20 teams? Here are your thoughts on Labonte's prospects for 2004.