NASCAR: Labonte Bolts from JGR

I saw this one coming for over a year.

CHARLOTTE, N.C. - Former NASCAR champion Bobby Labonte and Joe Gibbs Racing said Monday they will part ways at the end of the season after 11 years together.

Labonte got all 21 of his career victories since joining JGR in 1995, and won his and Gibbs' first championship in 2000. He also has won three of NASCAR's signature races — the Coca-Cola 600 in Concord, N.C., the Southern 500 at Darlington, S.C., and the Brickyard 400 in Indianapolis.

Labonte's career has stalled since he won his title while that of teammate Tony Stewart has taken off. Stewart won the 2002 championship and leads this season's Nextel Cup points race with two events remaining.

Labonte, meanwhile, is 25th in the standings and has not won a race since the 2003 season finale. He has just six top-10 finishes this year and has come close to winning only once, when he lost a door-to-door battle with Jimmie Johnson in the Coca-Cola 600.

Labonte did not say which team he would join next year, but he's considered a key player in the expected driver shuffling that will follow this season. Speculation has him in line for several rides, including one with Chip Ganassi Racing.

Bobby has always been a class act but it has been quite a while since he has been a factor in the standings, best of luck to him, i hope that he winds up with a strong team with the right situation to make him a contender again