Team Hendrick Motorsports Car/Make No. 5/Chevrolet Sponsor Kellogg's/got milk? Crew Chief Jim Long
STATS	2003	CAREER
Rank	10	1*
Wins	1	22
Top 5	4	181
Top 10	9	353
DNFs	0	146
Top Finish	1	1
*Indicates best career points finish

2003 recap
The good: Labonte notched his best points finish in four years and first victory in 3½ in 2003. Though he was just 31st in the standings seven races into the year, Labonte's crew came through with durable cars that he took care of and kept out of trouble. The 5 team averaged a finish of 16.6 and got Labonte on the stage at the banquet for Winston's curtain call.

The bad: If not for three finishes out of the top 25 in those first seven races, who knows how well Labonte might have performed and finished this season. Still, a 10th-place finish and a victory in the last fall race at Darlington ain't a bad way to celebrate his 25th full season at the Cup level.

Key stat: 98.3. That's the percent of laps Labonte completed this season.

2004 outlook
What needs to be done: Labonte and Co. just need to keep things moving the way they have been. The crew has jelled and Labonte and Long have terrific chemistry. The key question is whether the team can use the momentum built up over the last part of 2003 to get off to a faster start in 2004.

Key change: Hendrick has got rookie Brian Vickers in the No. 25, now. Vickers is a promising young talent who will probably get more attention than previous drivers in that seat. Labonte is hoping that resources earmarked for him don't find their way over to that garage.

Prediction: Labonte's nearing the end of his career, and though he's ready to keep going it's going to be hard for him to top 2003. Expect a competitive performance, but not necessarily another top 10 kind of year.

Did you know: Labonte has started 121 straight races.

Your take
Can Labonte repeat his successful 2003, or was it a brief return back to the top ranks for the veteran? Here are your thoughts on Labonte's prospects for 2004.