Countdown: Texas

The stars at night are big and bright, deep in the heart of the Lone Star State. It's not the biggest state -- that's Alaska -- or the most populous -- that's California -- but don't dare mess with Texas, which prides itself on its history and independence.

	ACCELERATION 2006 There's more to the new season than just driver changes. Read more about what to watch for as we rev toward Daytona.  •   Testing archive,  click here •   Complete coverage, click here Preseason ThunderCatch all the highlights from Daytona Sign up for TrackPass now BUY THE NEXTEL i836

How big is Texas? El Paso is closer to San Diego than Beaumont -- and Beaumont is closer to Jacksonville, Fla. than El Paso.

The names from Texas' past still resonate today: Austin and Houston are named after two of the state's most famous founders. It's impossible to visit the Alamo in San Antonio and not think of the efforts of Travis, Bowie and Crockett.

Texas is a state of contrasts. Still home to sprawling cattle ranches and oil fields, the state's cosmopolitan big cities are home to some of the world's leading high-tech industries.

Native Texans include Gene Autry and Janis Joplin, Ben Hogan and Buddy Holly, Howard Hughes and George Jones, Willie Nelson and Admiral Chester Nimitz, Dan Rather and Tex Ritter.

Not surprisingly, the Lone Star State has produced some of NASCAR's best racing -- and best racers.

Best behind the wheel

• Bobby and Terry Labonte, Corpus Christi

With help from his father, Bob, Terry Labonte began racing quarter-midgets when he was 7 and won a national championship at age 9.

However, it was racing stock cars as a teenager that fueled his passion for the sport. Equally talented on both dirt and pavement, the driver known as the "Iceman" won track championships in Corpus Christi, Houston and San Antonio between 1975 and 1977, which caught the eye of Louisiana businessman Billy Hagan.

	Terry's son Justin is hoping to join Bobby and his dad as Labonte champions. Credit: Autostock
	DRIVER PAGE •   Terry Labonte •   Bobby Labonte •   Justin Labonte

Labonte's debut came in the 1978 Southern 500, and he responded with a fourth-place finish. Labonte would go on to post two more top-10s in five total starts, earning him the full-time ride for 1979. He lost rookie of the year honors that season to Dale Earnhardt, much like younger brother Bobby, who ended up second to Jeff Gordon in 1993.

Labonte's first win came in the 1980 Southern 500. Darlington is also the site of his most recent victory, the 2003 Southern 500. In between, Labonte won 22 times and captured NASCAR championships in 1984 and 1996. In addition, he's won the 24 Hours of Daytona, the 12 Hours of Sebring, the 1985 Busch Clash, the 1989 International Race of Champions and is a two-time winner of The Winston

Bobby's Cup debut came in 1991, driving an Oldsmobile owned by his father. The first of his 21 victories came in the 1995 Coca-Cola 600 at Charlotte -- and he joined brother Terry as the only brother-brother NASCAR champions with his title in 2000.

SUPERSTORE •   Get Terry Labonte gear! •   Get Bobby Labonte gear!

Corpus Christi named a park after the Labontes in 2001 and they were inducted into the Texas Sports Hall of Fame in 2002.

Other noteworthy drivers from Texas

• H.B. Bailey, Houston: In a 27-year career, two of his five top-10s came in Southern 500s

• Walter Ballard, Houston: 175 career starts, including a third in 1971 at hometown Meyer Speedway

• Eddie Bierschwale, San Antonio: 117-race career included a 10th-place finish in the 1989 Daytona 500

TAKE THE CHALLENGE Give the right side of your brain the day off as you juggle a field of NASCAR drivers while staying under a salary cap.  •   To play,  click here For Reese's, it's all about the Cup. Pick the best drivers from each group and walk away with the top prize. Build your point total week after week! Earn great prizes! Are you ready to make the hard choices?  •   To play, click here Streak to the Finish challenges you to guess a top-10 driver in next week's NASCAR race.  •   To play, click here Who do you want to make a superstar? The Superstar Fantasy Cap Challenge gives you that power. Just don't use the same driver twice this year.  •   To play,  click here Play the Ultimate Fantasy League. Draft, trade, add, and drop drivers throughout the season. Dominate your opponents with the best team of drivers you can assemble.  •   To play,  click here

• Bob Derrington, Houston: Finished sixth in the points in 1965, thanks to 19 top-10s in 51 starts

• Chet Fillip, San Angelo: Sprint car ace made 17 of his 24 career starts in 1986, with a best of 12th

• A.J. Foyt, Houston: Four-time Indy 500 winner had 30-year stock-car career, including 1972 Daytona 500 victory

• Bobby Hillin Jr., Midland: Lone victory in 334 races came at Talladega in 1986

• Shorty Rollins, Corpus Christi: Win at Busti propelled him to fourth-place points finish in 1958

• Johnny Rutherford, Fort Worth: Three-time Indy 500 winner won his NASCAR debut in a 1963 Daytona qualifier

• Billy Wade, Houston: Won four races for Bud Moore in 1964, killed at testing at Daytona a year later

We wish ...

Babe Didrikson Zaharias had become a NASCAR driver.

The Beaumont native may have been the greatest female athlete in history. She won five events at the 1932 AAU track and field championships, then a pair of gold medals in the Olympics. In addition, she won 31 pro golf tournaments.

Keeping it on track

• Texas Motor Speedway

Construction of the 1.5-mile quad-oval began in 1995, with a unique dual-banking system that had 24 degrees of banking for stock cars and 8 degrees for open-wheel cars. Jeff Burton won the inaugural Cup race in 1997 in front of a sellout crowd of more than 150,000.

TRACK PAGE •   Texas Motor Speedway

One year later, the transition from Turn 4 to the start-finish line was reshaped -- and following the NASCAR race that season, the dual banking was eliminated.

In the 10 Cup races held at the Fort Worth facility, there have been no repeat winners.

Gone but not forgotten

• Texas World Speedway, College Station

Built in 1969, the D-shaped 2-mile Texas World Speedway hosted eight races between 1969 and 1981, with Bobby Isaac winning the inaugural 500-mile race by two laps over Donnie Allison.

Five of the six race winners also won NASCAR championships, including three-time race winner Richard Petty.

Benny Parsons beat Dale Earnhardt in the final race held there. The track, which includes several road-course layouts, is used for testing and sports car racing.

Other tracks which have hosted NASCAR races

• Meyer Speedway, Houston: Bobby Allison won the 300-lapper on the paved half-mile in 1971

• San Antonio Speedway, San Antonio: This paved half-mile, currently part of the NASCAR Dodge Weekly Series, has been in operation since Terry Labonte won the track championship in 1977

A word from our sponsor

• Exxon Mobil, Irving

The official motor oil of NASCAR, Exxon Mobil Corporation is a leading international energy company whose subsidiaries have operations in approximately 200 countries and territories. In the United States, ExxonMobil has significant exploration and production, refining and marketing and chemicals operations.

Bayco Products (Wylie), Safety-Kleen Systems, Inc. (Plano) and Uniden America Corporation (Fort Worth) are also based in the Lone Star State.