Terry Labonte facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Terry Labonte
Labonte in 2013
Born	Terrance Lee Labonte (1956-11-16) November 16, 1956 (age 68) Corpus Christi, Texas, U.S.
Achievements	1984, 1996 Winston Cup Series Champion 1989 IROC Champion 1993 IROC Champion (Assist) 1980, 2003 Southern 500 Winner 1988, 1999 The Winston Winner 1985 Busch Clash Winner Holds all-time Cup Series record for longest drought between Cup Series Championships (12 years)
Awards	NASCAR Hall Of Fame (2016) Named one of NASCAR's 50 Greatest Drivers (1998) National Quarter Midget Hall of Fame (1989) Motorsports Hall of Fame of America (2017) Named one of NASCAR's 75 Greatest Drivers (2023)
NASCAR Cup Series career
890 races run over 37 years
2014 position	40th
Best finish	1st (1984, 1996)
First race	1978 Southern 500 (Darlington)
Last race	2014 GEICO 500 (Talladega)
First win	1980 Southern 500 (Darlington)
Last win	2003 Southern 500 (Darlington)
Wins Top tens Poles 22 361 27
NASCAR Xfinity Series career
124 races run over 11 years
Best finish	13th (1996)
First race	1985 Miller 400 (Charlotte)
Last race	2000 MBNA Platinum 200 (Dover)
First win	1985 Miller 400 (Charlotte)
Last win	1999 Touchstone Energy 300 (Talladega)
Wins Top tens Poles 11 68 4
NASCAR Gander RV & Outdoors Truck Series career
3 races run over 1 year
Best finish	37th (1995)
First race	1995 Skoal Bandit Copper World Classic (Phoenix)
Last race	1995 Fas Mart Supertruck Shootout (Richmond)
First win	1995 Fas Mart Supertruck Shootout (Richmond)
Wins Top tens Poles 1 3 1
Statistics current as of October 19, 2014.

Terrance Lee Labonte (born November 16, 1956) is a famous American stock car driver. People often called him "Texas Terry" or "the Iceman". He raced in NASCAR from 1978 to 2014. He won the top NASCAR Cup Series championship twice, in 1984 and 1996. Terry also won the IROC in 1989. His younger brother, Bobby Labonte, also won a Cup Series championship in 2000. Terry is also the father of former Nationwide Series driver Justin Labonte. Besides racing, he owns a Chevrolet car dealership in Greensboro, North Carolina. In 1984, he even appeared on the TV show The Dukes of Hazzard as a pit crew member.

Early Life and Racing Start

Terry Labonte was born in Corpus Christi, Texas, in 1956. He loved racing from a young age. His dad worked on race cars as a hobby. Terry started racing small cars called quarter midgets when he was seven. He won a national championship at age nine. As a teenager, he raced stock cars on local dirt and asphalt tracks. He won championships in his hometown, Houston, and San Antonio between 1975 and 1977. During this time, he met Louisiana businessman Billy Hagan.

NASCAR Cup Series Career

Terry Labonte had a long and successful career in NASCAR's top series. He raced for several teams and achieved many wins.

Starting with Hagan Racing

Terry's first NASCAR race was in 1978 at Darlington Raceway. He started 19th and finished fourth. He raced four more times that year and had two more top-10 finishes. In 1979, he competed for NASCAR Winston Cup Rookie of the Year. He finished in the top 10 in points, with 13 top-10 finishes.

His first big win came in 1980 at Darlington. He won the Southern 500 race. He finished eighth in the points standings that year. In 1983, he won his second career race. In 1984, his team got a new sponsor, Piedmont Airlines. He won races at Riverside International Raceway and Bristol Motor Speedway. That year, he also won his first Winston Cup championship! He was seventh in points in 1985.

Moving to Junior Johnson's Team

In 1987, Terry joined Junior Johnson's team. He won the Holly Farms 400 and finished third in points. In 1988, he finished fourth in points and won The Winston (an all-star race). In 1989, the team switched to Ford Thunderbird cars. He won two races but finished tenth in the championship.

Time with Precision Products and Return to Hagan

In 1990, Terry drove for Precision Products Racing. He had four top-5 finishes and nine top-10s. He finished 15th in points.

He went back to Hagan Racing in 1991. He won his first pole position since 1988. In 1992, he started strong with eight top-8 finishes. He ended the season eighth in points. In 1993, the team changed to the No. 14 Kellogg's car. He had ten top-10 finishes but dropped to 18th in points.

Success with Hendrick Motorsports

1997 racecar

Terry Labonte at RIR in 1998.

Terry joined Hendrick Motorsports in 1994. He drove the No. 5 Kellogg's Chevrolet. In 1995, he won three races. One win was at Bristol, where Dale Earnhardt crashed into him on the last lap. Terry still won!

In 1996, he won at North Wilkesboro. He then won his second championship. This was 12 years after his first, a record for the longest gap between championships. In the final race, he raced with a broken hand. His brother Bobby won the race, and Terry won the championship. They did a special victory lap together.

In 1997, Terry had 20 top-10 finishes. He won at Talladega Superspeedway. In 1998, he won the Pontiac Excitement 400 and finished ninth in points. He won at his home track, Texas Motor Speedway, in 1999. He also won the Sprint All-Star Race again.

The year 2000 was tough for Terry. He missed two races due to ear injuries. This ended his streak of 655 straight starts. His brother Bobby won the championship that year. Terry's famous mustache returned in 2001, but his luck didn't change much.

In 2003, Terry won his first pole since 2000 at Richmond. He also won the Mountain Dew Southern 500 at Darlington. This was the same race he won his first career race 23 years earlier. This win helped him finish tenth in points. Many NASCAR fans called it the most popular win of 2003.

In 2004, Terry announced he would stop racing full-time. He planned to race only part-time for the next two years. This was called "Shifting Gears: Lone Star Style".

Semi-Retirement Years

Labonte in 2005

Terry started his semi-retirement in 2005. He drove the No. 44 car for Hendrick Motorsports. His best finish was twelfth at Pocono Raceway. He also raced for Joe Gibbs Racing and Hall of Fame Racing. In 2006, he finished third at Infineon Raceway by saving fuel.

In 2007, he drove for Michael Waltrip Racing. In 2008, he raced for Petty Enterprises, joining his brother Bobby. He had two top-20 finishes. He also drove one race for Gillett Evernham Motorsports.

In 2009, Terry tried to race in the Daytona 500 for Prism Motorsports. He finished 24th. He also drove for Carter/Simo Racing. He tried to start his own team, Stavola Labonte Racing, but it didn't last long.

From 2011 to 2014, Terry raced part-time for FAS Lane Racing and Go Fas Racing. He mainly raced on superspeedways. In 2014, he said the Daytona 500 would be his last. He finished 11th in his final Daytona race.

His very last race was the 2014 GEICO 500 at Talladega Superspeedway. His car had a special paint scheme showing his past cars. NASCAR didn't allow the full design, but he still raced. He finished 33rd in his 890th and final start.

Other Racing Achievements

Besides his 22 wins in the Cup Series, Terry Labonte won 11 races in the Nationwide Series and one in the Craftsman Truck Series. He also won three all-star races: the Busch Clash in 1985 and The Winston in 1988 and 1999.

He won the IROC championship in 1989. He also helped Davey Allison win the 1993 IROC championship. Terry finished in the top 10 in year-end standings 17 times. About half of his races ended with him in the top 10.

Terry also won two big endurance races: the 24 Hours of Daytona and the 12 Hours of Sebring. He drove a GTO-class Chevrolet Camaro in 1984.

Honors and Awards

Terry Labonte has received many honors for his racing career.

NASCAR Hall of Fame

In 2014, Terry was nominated for the NASCAR Hall Of Fame. He was chosen to be in the Hall of Fame in 2016. Other racing legends joined him in the 2016 class. In 2017, he was also named to the Motorsports Hall of Fame of America.

Other Recognitions

In 1998, Terry was named one of NASCAR's 50 Greatest Drivers. In 2001, a park in his hometown of Corpus Christi was renamed for him and his brother Bobby. They were also put into the Texas Sports Hall of Fame in 2002. Terry supports many charities, helping groups like the Ronald McDonald House and the Victory Junction Gang Camp.

TV and Movie Appearances

Terry Labonte appeared in the 1983 movie "Stroker Ace". He played himself in the film, along with other NASCAR drivers.

Images for kids

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  1983 racecar

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  1985 racecar

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  1989 No. 11 car

^* Season still in progress
¹ Ineligible for series points