Labonte's generosity feeds passion of young drivers (cont'd)

Q: Do you gain satisfaction that this track will remain part of your legacy in racing?

Labonte: [Last] Tuesday at the [NASCAR] Hall of Fame, I ran into Ernie Irvan and he said [his son] Jared was still racing quarter midgets. He raced there for awhile. Jeff Burton's kid races there. The ages are from 5 to 15. They can race there until they're 15. Obviously some of them, when they're 10, 11, 12, they might go do something else. But it's an opportunity to race and it's great for character building, developing skills, meeting people.

It's no different than my daughter [Madison], who plays volleyball and softball. You meet people. It cultivates relationships between families, and it's the same sort of thing in racing with the quarter midgets. The competition is still there, and with the popularity of our sport, for that kid who wants to be a race car driver in 10 years, it's their ladder to grow. The families and parents make friends with other families and parents along the way, and the kids who are racing learn how to be nurtured in the right way. It's not an outlaw thing; it's a good thing.

Q: How old is your son now and what is he doing since he's not racing any longer?

Labonte: He's 16. He plays in a recreational softball league and he's taking flying lessons and he had his first gig in a band last [Friday] night in a coffee shop in Lexington [N.C.]

Q: What's he play in the band?

Labonte: Bass guitar. They videotaped it for me.

Q: As a dad you just have to let him do what he wants to do, right?

Labonte: I actually pushed [the racing] to start with. He didn't really want to do it. So after awhile I said, OK, let's take a few weeks off -- and I was OK with that. Some parents have one kid who wants to race and one who doesn't, or one who wants to play softball and one who doesn't. Because he decided not to do it, that didn't hurt my feelings.

I mean, he's vice president of the Guilford County [Young] Republicans Committee. If he was racing quarter midgets and winning all the trophies and ribbons or whatever, or if he's doing what he's doing, I'm just as proud of him. You have to let them do what they have an interest in doing instead of trying to make them do what you want them to do. I learned that lesson. It took me a little bit, though. Meanwhile, the track is still there for others to enjoy and I'm proud of that as well.