Bobby LaBonte

At 59 years old, Bobby LaBonte has this physical status:

Robert Allen Labonte (born May 8, 1964) is an American professional stock car racing driver.

He now competes full time in the NASCAR Whelen Euro Series, tagging the No. 3 in the 2000 NASCAR Winston Cup Series. RDV is a production company that competes in RDV, and I'm an analyst for FOX Sports. Terry Labonte, his older brother, and Kurt Busch are two of only two brothers to win the Cup championships (along with Kurt Busch and Kyle Busch).

Justin Labonte, the uncle of former Xfinity Series race winner Justin Labonte, is now the uncle of a contest winner. In both series's current, touring form, Labonte is the first driver to have won both the Winston Cup championship (2000) and the Busch Series championship (1991).

(Ned Jarrett had previously won both under the old points championship system.)

Bobby also won the IROC championship in 2001.

Labonte is also the first person to complete the NASCAR Triple Threat at the same time by winning championships in Martinsville in each of NASCAR's top three racing series.

Personal life

Labonte and his partner Kristin are currently reside in High Point, North Carolina. He has two children from his previous marriage to Donna Slate, Robert Tyler, and Madison, and is an avid outdoorsman. Tyler recently graduated from Texas A&M and is now attending law school at Campbell University in Buies Creek, North Carolina. Tyler has worked on political campaigns for Thom Tillis and spent 2014 as an intern for Interstate Batteries, which sponsored Bobby's 2000 championship campaign. In the spring of 2017, Madison began attending Appalachian State University.

Breaking Limits, a branding, public relations, events, and sponsorship firm headquartered in High Point, North Carolina, is also owned by Labonte. On the campus of Duke University, Labonte continues to operate a Red Mango yogurt store. The Bobby Labonte Foundation continues to grant grants to non-profit organizations located in the Triad of North Carolina whose mission is to develop stronger foundations for children and families. Terry and Patrick Longhorn Chassis co-founded Longhorn Chassis in 2010. Longhorn Chassis builds dirt late model race cars.

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Racing career

Labonte was born in Corpus Christi, Texas, on May 8, 1964. He began racing in 1969 in quarter midgets in his home state of Texas, winning his first feature race a year later. He rode in quarter-midgets around the country from 1977 to 1977, winning numerous races. He rose to the top of the go-kart rankings in 1978, but his family and siblings migrated to North Carolina following Terry's promotion to the Winston Cup Series. Bobby made his NASCAR International Sedan Series debut in Atlanta in 1980, finishing third. Bobby made his Busch Series debut at Martinsville Speedway in 1982, finishing 30th. He worked as a fabricator on Terry's cars at Hagan Racing after graduating from Trinity High School. In 1985, Labonte returned to the Busch Series for two races in a car he owned at Martinsville. He finished 30th in his first run, but only $220 was earned. He finished in 17th in his next run, his highest finish so far.

Bobby prepared his car, Terry drove it, and Terry finished second at Road Atlanta, his first Busch pole position, and Terry finished second.

Labonte's most popular product was driving late-model stock cars. In 1987, Labonte won 12 races at Caraway Speedway, clinching the track championship in lieu of working with Jay Hedgecock. He competed at Concord Motorsports Park, winning six times and running six other Busch titles, finishing 16th at Darlington Raceway in the following season. He ran seven more Busch Series races and saw his first top-five finish at North Carolina Speedway this season. He had two more top-tens this year.

Labonte had already earned enough funds by 1990 to participate in the Busch Series full time. He formed his team and commanded the No. 1 in the No. 7 race. 44 Oldsmobiles. He was very successful, winning two poles (both at Bristol Motor Speedway), scoring six top-5s and 17 top-10s. He ended up finishing fourth in the standings and was also voted the Busch Series' "Most Popular Driver."

He continued his second-division triumph by winning the NASC Busch Series championship with two victories, 10 top-five, and 21 top-ten finishes. He also won his first Busch Series event in Bristol, then went back to O'Reilly Raceway Park in August. He made two Winston Cup appearances in a Bobby Labonte Racing car at Dover International Speedway and Michigan International Speedway, finishing 34th and 38th, respectively, according to his Busch Series schedule. He captured his first Busch Series title.

His 1992 season was a fruitful one, with him winning three races (at Lanier, Hickory, and Martinsville), but he lost by three points to Joe Nemechek for the championship. To date, the championship finish marks the second-closest finish in NASCAR's top three series (behind Tony Stewart and Carl Edwards' 2011 tiebreaker tiebreaker).

Bill Davis Racing called Labonte up in 1993 to race in the Winston Cup Series. He has signed a no. he has been granted a charter to drive the No. 4 in the United States. The 22 Ford Thunderbird is the first of the Thunderbird series. He claimed his first pole at Richmond International Raceway, collected six top-10s, and finished 19th in points in his rookie season. He also came in second place behind Jeff Gordon for Rookie of the Year awards. He also competed in two Busch Series events, winning a pole and placing second and 24th respectively. In addition, Labonte continued to operate his main Busch Series crew, with David Green appointed to drive for him. In terms of Bobby Labonte Racing, Green came in third place.

When his Busch Series pilot, David Greene, captured the championship, he achieved his second major success as a car owner. It was Bobby Labonte Racing's fifth top-five finish in five years. He also competed in the Busch Series himself, getting a win over Michigan in August and a series of others. Bobby continued to play full time in Bill Davis Racing's Winston Cup series in addition to his Busch Series exploits. He earned one top-5 and two top-ten best-fives in the standings and finished 21st in the standings, but he fell short of the top 20 due to Todd Bodine's two-position gains in the season's final battle.

In 2007, Labonte defeated the Busch Series at Talladega Speedway in April 2007, edging Tony Stewart to the finish in a thrilling finish. This was his first Busch Series victory since 1998. Labonte decided to a 15-race deal in the offseason following the 2007 season. Richard Childress Racing is a member of the United Kingdom Nationwide Series, which also includes Richard Childress Racing in the 2008 season. No. 2 in RCR stands for "no." Kevin Harvick, the 21 team's team's driver, won six victories in 2007 and two others have been awarded two of the organization's four series championships.

Labonte returned to Joe Gibbs Racing in Daytona in 2016 to compete in the Xfinity Series opener, driving the No. 96. 18 Camry.

Labonte departed at the end of the 1994 season to replace Dale Jarrett as the No.18 Interstate Batteries-sponsored Chevrolet for Joe Gibbs Racing. Labonte will win the Coca-Cola 600 for the first time in his career in 1995, a victory that he would call in 2018 as his favorite of his career. He would also sweep the Michigan races and finish 10th in the standings.

In 1996, Labonte defeated Atlanta in the season-ending race, the same one in which his brother Terry won the championship. In what Labonte described as one of the "most emotional and memorable moments of [his] life," the two runners rode a victory lap together. He came in 11th in the points standings this year.

Gibbs converted the car from a Pontiac Grand Prix in 1997. For the second year in a row, Labonte will win the season-ending contest at Atlanta. He finished seventh in the standings, his best finish in his career.

Labonte won both Atlanta and Talladega, as well as pole positions for both Daytona and Else, finishing second to Dale Earnhardt in the 500. He finished the year in sixth place in final rankings, improving by a spot.

Labonte won five Winston Cup races in 1999, the most he has ever won in a single season. He triumphed at Dover in the spring and swept both Pocono races (he was the third to win this sweep after Bobby Allison in 1982 and 1986; Dale Earnhardt Jr. in 2014), and the season finale in Atlanta. However, he suffered a broken shoulder while qualifying for a Busch Series event at Darlington Raceway during the season but then competed in the Cup event two days later. Labonte jumped into the competition, but Matt Kenseth pulled him out at 1st caution. He came in second in the points to Dale Jarrett, placing him second in the standings, losing by 201 points.

Labonte took four races in 2000, including the Fall race at Charlotte, the early-season marathon at Rockingham, the Brickyard 400 at Darlington, and the annual summer festival at Charlotte. He dominated the point standings for 25 weeks in a row after winning the Winston Cup championship and never relinquished it, finishing ahead of Earnhardt by 265 points, an average finish of 7.4 and zero DNF's. Labonte will win the championship for the second time in NASCAR history and not have a single DNF. Cale Yarborough was the first driver to attempt this feat in 1977. They are the only two drivers in history to do so as of 2022.

Labonte's seventh-place finish in the Bud Shootout began the 2001 season. He and his colleague Tony Stewart were two of the 18 drivers involved in a collision on lap 173. The hood of Labonte broke off and became attached to Stewart's vehicle, which flipped over twice. After being kicked out of his lab coat, Labonte was seen checking on Stewart to see if he was okay. Dale Earnhardt's fatal crash on the last lap of the same race dominated the accident.

In the rain-delayed Dura Lube 400, Steve Park was barely beaten to the finish line by the following week. He did not have another top-ten finish until the Virginia 500 in Martinsville, where he came eighth. In the Talladega 500, a fifth-place finish was followed by a fifth-place finish. In the Coca-Cola 600, his next Top ten was another fifth-place finish. Labonte had a second eighth-place finish at Pocono and a seventh-place finish at Sonoma, as well as his third fifth-place finish in the Pepsi 400. Labonte defeated Pocono in the Pennsylvania 500 at the end of July in his first points race of the year.

Labonte's next Top 10 was a ninth-place finish at Watkins Glen, followed by eighth and third-place finishes at Bristol and Darlington, as well as a sixth-place finish at Richmond. He did not have a back-to-back Top 10's until the fall races in Charlotte and Martinsville, where he came in 10th and fourth respectively, where he finished 10th and fourth respectively.

Talladega, Labonte's fall, he took the 34th position. On lap 107, he continued to work his way up the field and took the lead. He rode for 23 laps before plummeting to the bottom of the pack. On lap 184, he regained control but was involved in a horrific last-lap collision. Labonte was leading the white flag outside the lane after three laps of three laps. Dale Earnhardt Jr. overtook him in the lower groove, bringing Tony Stewart and Jeff Burton with him as he went into turn 1. Labonte began to block Bobby Hamilton while running down the back straightaway, but Hamilton tapped him from behind. Labonte contacted Johnny Benson Jr., throwing the driver into the outside wall and then spinning, flipping over, and skidding partway down the track on his roof. Jason Leffler, Sterling Marlin, Robby Gordon, Ricky Craven, Ricky Craven, Terry Labonte, Buckshot Jones, Ward Burton, and others were among the victims of this tragedy.

Labonte's next Top ten was another ninth-place finish at Rockingham. He finished sixth in the final points standings after winning at Atlanta and a third-place finish at the postponed New Hampshire 300.

Labonte won the IROC XXV championship in 2001, becoming the 13th consecutive NASCAR driver to win the IROC championship.

Labonte had just one victory in 2002, which was at Martinsville in the spring. On the hood, he rode a 9/11 Tribute vehicle in 2002 with the phrase "Let's Roll." At Martinsville, it was his first short-track victory in his career. He went on to finish 16th in the final points standings, dropping for the first time since 1996, while his teammate Stewart went on to win the championship.

After winning two races (Atlanta and Homestead [leading only the final lap]), Labonte recovered and finished eighth in the standings in 2003. In addition, Labonte went on a tear during the spring with three consecutive second-place finishes.

Labonte did not win a race for the first time since 1994 (ten years later) and finished 12th in the standings in 2004.

Much of the same was true in 2005. Labonte fell out of the top 20 in points and only had four Top 5s, one of which was a dramatic second at Lowe's Motor Speedway in the Coca-Cola 600. He went on to compete in several Truck Series games, including a win at Martinsville. His victory there made him one of a select group of drivers to win in all three divisions at one track. In fact, he became the first driver to do so, winning him.

Terry, Jan Magnussen, and Bryan Herta all participated in the 24 Hours of Daytona road race, sharing a car with his brother Terry, Jan Magnussen, and Bryan Herta. Labonte demanded and was released from Joe Gibbs Racing after the 2005 season, and he was eligible to be released after serving for the last eleven seasons. Labonte joined Petty Enterprises to drive the No. 1 in the world. 43.

In his debut season in the legendary No. 68, he was a top gunman. Three Top 5's and eight Top 10's have been earned by the 43 cars of Labonte, Labonte. His Top 5's included a spectacular run at the Martinsville Speedway, where he came in third after being in contention for the victory much of the day. He ended up finishing 21st in the points standings, three places higher than he did two years ago.

Since avoiding the many accidents that the race had, Labonte began the 2007 season with a 21st-place finish in the Daytona 500. Without a Top 5's and just three Top ten's, Labonte will finish the year. However, he came in 18th in the standings, a three-position increase over 2006. Labonte, a North Carolina-based marketing company, formed Breaking Limits in November.

Labonte's tenure with Petty Enterprises began in 2008, but he had a short season, with only three Top 10's and no Top 5's on his way to finish 21st in the Sprint Cup point standings. Labonte was released from Petty Enterprises in December of that year while the team was negotiating a deal with a private equity company that was unable to be negotiated, and Petty partnered with Gillett Evernham Motorsports.

Labonte was confirmed to be the No. 3 engine on January 13, 2009. 96 Ford Fusion for Hall of Fame Racing is now in a Yates Racing partnership. Shelby 427, Labonte, a member of Hall of Fame Racing, finished third in the 2009 Fall Martinsville race for the first time since finishing third. However, that was his only Top-five run for the year. Labonte was forced to leave seven of the final 11 races due to funding issues with the No. 113, which has 11 races remaining in the 2009 season. 96. Labonte rode TRG Motorsports, winning 7 races out of the 96. Labonte, who was in his first race at Atlanta, finished in the Top 20 all night and claimed an 18th-place finish. Labonte led TRG to its best qualifying attempt with its eighth-place debut, while Labonte came home 22nd. At Talladega, Labonte, they came in tenth place after finishing second in the same competition to Dale Earnhardt Jr.

Labonte rode for TRG Motorsports from February 2010 to June 2010, the No. 2 in the world's largest automobile manufacturer. 71. Despite that TRG's 2009 owner points were not strong enough to make the field promise for the first five races of 2010, Labonte's previous champion provisional gave the team another chance to fall back on, in the event that Labonte's qualifying runs are not fast. Doug Randolph, the crew chief of Labonte, was also reunited for 2010 when he was reunited with him. Randolph finished the 2007 season with Labonte in the No. 1 slot. Petty Enterprises has earned 43 runs, two out of three of Labonte's Top ten runs. For 2010, TRG revealed a partnership with Richard Childress Racing. For the season, RCR shared technology and equipment with TRG. Tony Stewart will also work with Stewart Haas Racing, as Tony Stewart will lead the team with a pit crew.

Labonte finished 21st in his first TRG race, placing him 21st in the Daytona 500, despite being ranked 42nd in a champions provisional. Labonte was in the Top 25 for a large portion of the competition. He will be back in a few races as he and the team continue to fail for consistency. Labonte and the 71 team parked the car after 66 laps on the May 16th Dover run due to a lack of sponsorship, Labonte, and the 71 crew parked the car after 66 laps. Some people may believe that this year is the worst of his full-time career, although he only had two top 20 finishes in 2010 and one at the Infineon Road course event.

Labonte would leave the No. 11 on June 22, 2010, according to the newspaper. 71 due to the team's inability to obtain sponsorship. On June 23, Labonte was hired to drive No. 19 in the state. In a one-race agreement, Robby Gordon Motorsports in New Hampshire made 7 people.

C&J Energy Services entered into a joint venture with Phoenix Racing, which allowed Labonte to be hired to take over the No. 0's. The rest of the 2010 season between Phoenix Racing and TRG Motorsports featured 09 cars beginning at Daytona and Labonte. On October 11, Stavola-Labonte Racing recruited Labonte to drive the No. 11 race. In a two-race contract, a ten-car car was sold in Charlotte and Texas. Bobby's older brother Terry, co-owned the team. Despite bouncing around, Labonte participated in every race of the 2010 season.

Marcos Ambrose was named as the full-time driver of the No. 301, replacing him. JTG Daugherty Racing Toyota Camry, 47, has received help from Michael Waltrip Racing. He came in 4th place in the Daytona 500, earning Labonte his 200th top-ten finish in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series. So far this season, there have been just one more top ten finishes. JTG Daugherty Racing and Michael Waltrip Racing received a fine for breaching section 12-1, 12-4-J, and 20-3.2.1A. Frankie Kerr, the crew's chief, was fined $50,000 and was barred from four NASCAR Sprint Cup Championship appearances, as well as a suspension from NASCAR until November 23, 23. Both Michael Waltrip Racing and the team's chief were given the same penalty. 47 (Tad Geschickter); 56 (Michael Waltrip); and 00 (Rob Kauffman); were fined 25 owner points. In addition, the drivers were also fined 25 driver points.

Labonte returned to the No. 1 in 2012 for the 2012 season. The majority of the sponsors have returned to their respective countries. JTG Daugherty Racing also confirmed that they will no longer operate out of Michael Waltrip Racing's Michael Waltrip Racing store. Todd Berrier took over as the crew's chief. Frank Kerr, the crew's chief at the time, took over the shop foreman's position.

Labonte competed in the 47 for the entire season before winning the 2013 Quicken Loans 400 at Michigan International Speedway, where he claimed No. 77 at No. 88. Phoenix Racing has a 51 percent success. Labonte started at Sonoma Raceway in the 47 but was later replaced by A. J. Allmendinger in the 47 for selected races starting at the 2013 Quaker State 400 at Kentucky Speedway, snapping Labonte's streak of consecutive starts at 704. The streak came in second only to Jeff Gordon's. Labonte was hospitalized in a cycling crash early in the year, causing him to miss three races, beginning with the AdvoCare 500 in Atlanta.

JTG Daughtery's last race together was at Phoenix International Raceway in November 2013; he later revealed that he would be racing in the 2014 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series in a second vehicle for HScott Motorsports in December 2013. During training for the 2014 Daytona 500 Labonte, he blew an engine, but despite being relegated to the back of the starting grid for his 22nd straight 500. In the 15th edition of the labonte race, he came in 15th.

In additional races, a contract with James Finch was not able to run, so Labonte did not get off to a new start in the first half of the season. Rather, he tried cars for Richard Childress Racing. He rode the No. 66 in the summer Daytona race. Brian Scott of RCR Chevrolet had driven to the pole at Talladega, running under the Circle Sport banner, but not much has been accomplished. Labonte qualified fourth and fought for the lead at the start of the season, but the Big One ended last, finishing 26th. The No. 4 will be fielded by Tommy Baldwin Racing. Labonte, Indiana, is sponsored by Accell Construction, a 37-car.

Labonte revealed in December 2014 that he would drive for Go FAS Racing on the restrictedor-plate track in 2015, replacing his brother Terry, who retired after the 2014 GEICO 500. At the 2015 Daytona 500, he came in 24th. Labonte finished 27th in the spring Talladega race. The 2015 Coke Zero 400 did not go well for Labonte, as he was involved in an early crash causing by David Gilliland and ended 43rd. He finished 23rd in the Fall Talladega race, his highest finish of the season. Labonte received the support of Bombardier Recreational Products and Cyclops Gear in 2016, allowing him to compete in the four restrictedor-plate races for Go FAS Racing. Labonte will finish 31st on the Daytona 500. Labonte, Talladega, will finish 19th. Labonte will finish 24th in Daytona, Daytona. The 31st to Talladega, Labonte, will finish. Following the 2016 season, it was revealed that Labonte would not return to GoFAS.

Labonte competed in the NASC Whelen Euro Series race weekend at Brands Hatch in June 2017, delivering the No. 1. Alex Caffi Motorsports is the only Ford in the United States. He became the first Cup Series champion to compete in the Euro Series. He started 22nd in both of the weekend's two events, placing 10th and 14th.

Labonte competed in the RDV Competition in 2018 to become the No. 1 in the national competition. In the Euro Series, there are 18 Toyota full-time.

In 2021, Labonte first competed on the SMART Modified Tour. In 2021, he won two appearances, but he couldn't run full time because of schedules with him participating in the Superstar Racing Experience (SRX). In 2022, the two series are not linked, and he is competing full time on the SMART Tour.

Broadcasting career

Labonte will appear as a racing analyst for NBCSN's latest program NASCAR America in February 2014. He made his television debut early in the 2014 season.

Labonte joined FS1 as an analyst on Race Hub and Race Day's systems in 2017.

Motorsports career results

(Bold): The key (Bold) (by the qualifying time) was awarded a pole position. Italics – pole position earned by points standings or practice time. (Most laps led.)

* Season is still in progress. Ineligible for series points

(Bold): (Bold – Pole position.) (Most laps led) : Most laps led.)

(key)

(key): Most laps led. Heat 1 champion. 2 – Heat 2 champion.

* Season still in progress

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