Bobby Labonte

Statistics
Cheerios/Betty Crocker Dodge
Sue Bee Honey Racing
Driver #43
Birth Date: May 8, 1964
Height: 5'9"
Weight: 155 lbs.
Birthplace: Corpus Christi, Tex.
Resides: Trinity, N.C.
Wife: Donna
Children: Robert Tyler, Madison Elizabeth

Biography

The 2006 racing season brings about a season of change for Bobby Labonte. After 11 years and a NASCAR Cup championship with Joe Gibbs Racing, Labonte joins Petty Enterprises to drive the famed #43 Cheerios/Betty Crocker Dodge. The 41-year-old is hoping the change will do everybody good. One of the elite drivers on the circuit, he is looking to catapult both himself and Petty Enterprises back to championship status.

Labonte, like Petty Enterprises, knows what it's like to taste victory and reach domination. His life has revolved around racing. The younger brother of two-time NASCAR Nextel Cup champion Terry Labonte, Bobby is a native of Corpus Christi, Tex. He grew up not only watching his older brother compete, but deciding for himself that he wanted to be a winner too. At the age of five Labonte strapped himself into his first competitive machine, a quarter-midget, and began his path to success.

The early start to his racing career was met with good fortune. He won his first national quarter-midget race at the age of only seven. His pre-teen days were spent winning numerous quarter-midget races throughout the United States. Like champions, Jeff Gordon and Tony Stewart, who made their starts in quarter-midget racing, it was Labonte who dominated the scene years before.

The stepping stones complete, Labonte's racing career took more of a concrete shape during his teen years. His brother worked up the ranks of Nextel Cup, and Labonte moved with his family to North Carolina in 1979. It was soon after when he was first introduced to NASCAR and Nextel Cup. Labonte worked for Hagan Enterprises in 1982 as a mechanic and fabricator on the cars that his brother raced to a third-place finish for the national championship. The introduction into Nextel Cup racing convinced Labonte that he wanted to be a champion. A goal reached later in his career.

First, however, Labonte had to prove that he was a championship-caliber driver and had the commitment to the sport it commands. Labonte didn't take this challenge lightly. While continuing to work at Hagan Enterprises, he raced late models throughout North Carolina and in his spare time began building his own NASCAR Busch Series car. Labonte wanted to show others his skills of building his own car, taking care of his own equipment, and being a winning driver were better than none. This approach is almost unheard of in today's 'young gun' era where drivers rarely work on their own cars or have ever owned the machines they have driven.

The hours of work were countless, but the time was well spent. Labonte made his NASCAR Busch Series debut in 1982 at the age of 18 at the Martinsville (Va.) Speedway. The youngster finished 30th and took home just $220. The humble beginnings were the start of Bobby Labonte Racing, and the platform used to propel him into the NASCAR Busch Series.

Throughout the 80's Labonte continued making Busch Series starts for his own team, but really honed his driving skill racing late model stock cars at Caraway Speedway in Asheboro, N.C., and Concord Motorsports Park in Concord, N.C. Labonte won the late model championship at Caraway Speedway in 1987 and won six times at Concord Motorsports Park in 1988. His best Busch Series finish was fourth at the North Carolina Speedway in Rockingham, N.C..

With proper funding finally in place, Labonte was able to take his own team and compete in his first full season on the NASCAR Busch Series in 1990. His first full season was successful, and he scored six top-five and 17 top-10 finishes. Labonte finished fourth overall in the series and also was named the Busch Series "Most Popular Driver." Labonte proved that he could master the sport's most difficult tasks of being a driver/owner. He solidified that fact by winning the 1991 NASCAR Busch Series championship, and also won his first Busch Series race at the Bristol (Tenn.) Motor Speedway in April and won again at the Indianapolis (Ind.) Raceway Park in August. The highly rewarding 1991 season marked another first for Labonte when he made his Nextel Cup debut driving for his own team at the Dover (Del.) International Speedway. He finished 34th after running into engine problems.

Labonte continued his success in the Busch Series in 1992. He won three times and finished second in the championship by just three points-the closest in any of NASCAR's major touring series. Bobby Labonte was a household name, and like older brother Terry, proved that he was a champion. Labonte's biggest break came at the start of the1993 season when a call from winning car owner Bill Davis came. Davis offered Labonte a full-time ride in the Nextel Cup series. His dream was now being fulfilled.

Labonte's first full season in Nextel Cup earned him his first career Nextel Cup pole at the Richmond (Va.) International Raceway, and he finished runner-up in the rookie-of-the-year standings to Jeff Gordon, while scoring a top-five finish and two top-10 finishes. Labonte returned to race for Davis in 1994 and finished 19th in points. The 1995 season was when Labonte finally made a move that would be very long-term, especially in terms of motorsports - he began his first of 11 seasons at Joe Gibbs Racing. That first season Labonte won his first career Nextel Cup race at the Coca-Cola 600 at what is now Lowe's Motor Speedway. Labonte also won both of the races at Michigan to help him finish 10th in the point standings.

Labonte made starts for Joe Gibbs Racing and the #18 Interstate Batteries machine for 10 more seasons and won 18 more times. The 2000 season, however, was the season that fulfilled all of Labonte's dreams. He won the Nextel Cup championship after posting four wins, and along with brother Terry (1984 and 1996), became the first brothers to win the Nextel Cup championship. The championship put Labonte in the field of the elite and made him a part of Nextel Cup lore forever. He finished his career at Joe Gibbs Racing with 21 wins including a win in the prestigious Brickyard 400 at the Indianapolis (Ind.) Motor Speedway and finished in the top 10 in championship points seven out of his 11 seasons. It's now time for the next step in Labonte's career.

Labonte made the decision late in 2005 to drive for Petty Enterprises and take the reigns of the famed #43 Cheerios/Betty Crocker Dodge. The foundation for success is laid. The #43 Cheerios/Betty Crocker Dodge boasts seven NASCAR Nextel Cup championships, the most of any car in series history. Labonte, the 2000 Nextel Cup champion, will be working hand-in-hand with Executive Vice President of Operations, Robbie Loomis, who is the 2001 championship crew chief. A total of nine championships will lead Labonte and the #43 Cheerios/Betty Crocker Dodge team to the track this season. A season of change for Labonte, but one paved solidly with wins and championships.