8
Piedmont
Labonte exceeds $1,5 million in earnings
Terry Labonte and the Piedmont
Airlines racing team set a goal
for tiie 1984 NASCARAVinston Cup
season that so far they've met; be
competitive and in position to win
each race.
With five of the 30 races on the
Winston Cup circuit behind them,
the team is second in Winston Cup
points and seventh in earnings.
They lead the highly sought Union
76 competition with its 876,000
first-place prize, are sixth in the
7-Eleven Miles Leaders event and
ninth in the Ingersoll-fiand/Proto
Pit Crew Championship — a com
petition that the crew won last year.
That kind of performance comes
from Labonte finishing in the top
seven of each race, except the Day
tona 500, which he was in position
to win when a tire failed with about
nine laps to go.
That kind of consistency has also
fattened the team's wallet. So far.
Labonte's 885,245 prize money
puts him well on the way to having
a fourth consecutive year of earn
ing more than $330,000. And after
he won $ 15,885 for finishing sec
ond at the Valleydale 500 in Bristol,
Tenn., April 1, Labonte crossed
another milestone in his five-year
NASCAR career: the $ 1.5 million
mark in total earnings.
Since joining the Winston Cup
circuit in 1978, he has won
$ 1,513,473 — an impressive figure,
especially considering that he drove
in just five races in his rookie year.
What has also impressed observ
ers this year is that Labonte has
placed high on various tracks
demanding different driving and
crew strategies. From the 2.5-mile
Daytona International Speedway
where he clocked a 200.325 mph
qualifying lap to the .533-mile Bris
tol International Raceway, where
average speeds are about 90 mph.
Labonte has stayed at or near the
lead in each race.
One reason for the success is that
the No. 44 Piedmont Airlines Chev
rolet has not had any major me
chanical or structural problems.
That's a tribute to not only
Labonte's driving skills, but to the
crew led by Crew Chief Dale Inman
and to the engines built by Dewey
Livengood, one of the best engine
builders in the business.
What Labonte and the team have
shown is that they are one of NAS-
CAR’s best — whether on long
superspeedways where raw engine
power is the greatest strength, or
shorter ovals where maneuvering is
perhaps the most important asset.
They're a team to be closely
watched during the rest of the
1984 season.
Labonte
Piedmont employees who want to
see Labonte and the racing team in
action at the World 600 in Charlotte.
May 27, can get 10 percent discounts
on all tickets. Contact Doug SmitK
manager-employee relations. INT. at
extension 360 (A260).
Also for the World 600. Piedmont is
giving away 750/ree tickets to watch
the drivers qualify/or starting posi
tions on pole day. May 23. Call Smith
for irformation.
Our record Number 1 in the industry
In 1983, Piedmont's safety record
was one of the best in the industry.
In fact, for the fourth year in a row,
we have had fewer injuries per one
million man-hours than any other
airline.
Last year, 25 stations had no
lost-time injuries and received
safety awards from Piedmont.
"We're especially proud of our
safety program in light of our rapid
growth and the addition of so many
new employees,” Jim Swartz,
director-ground safety, said.
"Employees in 25 Piedmont sta
tions worked a total of 725,000
man-hours in 1983 without a lost
time injury. Translated into a 40-
hour workweek for one employee,
that means about 350 years of
working without an injury.
"At the same time, the total
number of man-hours increased
27 percent and our total departures
rose 21 percent," he added.
Here are just a few examples of
our outstanding safety record in
the field last year:
• At Houston, there have been no
lost-time injuries since we
began service there four years
ago. These employees also have
one of the best on-time perfor
mance records on the system.
• At Fayetteville, there have been
no lost-time injuries in five
years.
• At Louisville, employees worked
more man-hours — 91,000 —
last year than any other station
without any lost-time injuries.
This station had one of the
poorest safety records in 1982.
• At Greensboro/High Point/
Winston Salem, lost-time inju
ries have decreased every year
for the past four years while the
number of employees has in
creased substcmtially. On top of
that, GSO has had the best on-
time performance (controllable
delays) of emy station.
In addition, no lost-time injuries
were reported in 1983 by AGS,
BDL, CAE, CAK, CHO, CLE, CMI,
DAB, DTW, FWA, GRR, GSP, LEX,
LWB, LYH, MEM, MSY, MYR, OAJ,
ORD, PVD, and SBN.
Swartz pointed out that many
other areas at Piedmont received
safety awards. In 1983, our Main-
tengmce Department's man-hours
increased 13 percent over 1982
while the injury rate dropped 10
percent. Line Maintenemce em
ployees in Roanoke had the best
record with 109,000 man-hours
without an injury. The Avionics
Department, GSO, also had no lost
time injuries, and our maintenance
facilities at BOS, TPA, MEM, aind
DAY also were injury-free.
Our reservations offices in Nash
ville, Reston, and Orlando worked a
total of946,000 man-hours without
a single lost-time injury.
ORF's Catering Department also
received an award as did General
Aviation’s Parts Department, INT,
its Avionics Department, INT, and
its ROA operation.
GSO's lost time injuries have decreased
every yearfor the pastfour years. Some of
the employees deserving credit include:
(kneeling) Frank Atencio and Van Ander
son: (front row. I to r) Lyle Cox. station
manager, Tammy Pickard, Deena Hayes,
Pam Freeman, Dwayne Lingle, Kim Harris,
Tony Wright Ted Mazyck, Wayne Morris,
and Jim Chandler: (second row) Dan
Brown. Dave Foster. Mark Yeatts. Arliss
Kanouse, Sonny Jameson, Danny Snow,
Bob Smith, Ray Campbell, John Kincaid,
Joe Hooker, and Mike Stewart. Piedmont
employs 140 people at GSO.