By: Jeff Dennison
Breaking Limits
Bobby Labonte Racing (BLR) will begin its 2011 race season this week. The two-car dirt late model team will compete at Screven Motor Speedway in Sylvania, Ga., on Wednesday and Thursday, February 2 and 3, in the unsanctioned $10,000-to-win “Winter Freeze” event.
The team will then compete this weekend at The “Super Bowl of Racing,” as it is known on Friday and Saturday, February 4 and 5, at Golden Isles Speedway in New Brunswick, Ga. Each night will consist of a full racing card along with a $10,000-to-win feature event.
Both Ear Pearson Jr. and Brad Neat are looking to open their 2011 campaigns with strong finishes as they prepare for the Lucas Oil Late Model Dirt Series schedule to begin later this month. For now, the first two events are major races for every dirt late model team.
“We are very happy to have them coming to both events,” said Kelley Carlton, CEO of KELCAR Motorsports, which will put on the shows at both Screven and Golden Isles. “Earl and Brad are both top-caliber racers that always bring excitement when they are on the track. Both of them are just super-nice guys who always take time with their fans. That really means a lot in this sport. Earl has a ton of fans in the area, too, so that will certainly be a plus for him having the hometown crowd on his side”.
Pearson Jr. will look to add to his already impressive resume with wins at the “Winter Freeze” at Screven Motor Speedway and “The Super Bowl of Racing” at Golden Isles. Last season Pearson Jr. debuted the brand new Longhorn Chassis with ease and confidence, winning the first four races he entered it within the Lucas Oil Series, setting a series record. He then capped off the 2010 season with a win at Dirt Track World Championship in West Virginia.
Neat is also looking to build upon his rookie season, in which he was able to capture his first Lucas Oil Series victory and claim the 12th position in points in his first full season with BLR and on the national Super Late Model stage with the Lucas Oil Series. He will look to capitalize on what he learned from last year and apply it to the 2011 season as Neat fights for that top-10 finish in Lucas Oil Series points.