FORT WORTH, Texas -- There was a time when the Labonte brothers, Bobby and Terry, came to Texas to move the earth.

Now they're here to attempt doing it again, but in a different way. Bobby will drive the No. 10 Chevrolet that is partially owned by older brother Terry in this Sunday's AAA Texas 500, hoping to surprise folks and build momentum for the Stavola Labonte Racing team that Terry hopes will attract some sponsorship dollars to be able to run a partial Sprint Cup schedule next season.

“

It was kind of cool that we got to see this place as virgin soil, you might say, and then to come back here year after year and see the race track the way it is.

”

-- BOBBY LABONTE

The Labonte boys were born in Corpus Christi, Texas. They eventually moved to North Carolina to further their then-budding careers as race-car drivers. By the mid-1990s, it would be a bit of an understatement to say they were doing pretty well, and they were asked to come back to their home state to help break ground for the construction of Texas Motor Speedway where Sunday's race will be.

"To come back here is awesome. We were able to be part of a select group that came down and blew up part of the soil here to get the track started," Bobby said. "It was Dale Earnhardt, Jeff Gordon, myself and Terry. So it was kind of cool that we got to see this place as virgin soil, you might say, and then to come back here year after year and see the race track the way it is. You come down [Interstate] 35 and you see the lights, and it resembles obviously huge stadiums and all the big events that you see in other places.

"It's always great to get to come back down here. But this year, it's twice as good because I get to drive my brother's race car. So it's even better."

Both Labontes are former Cup champions. Bobby, 46, won the 2000 championship while driving for Joe Gibbs Racing, and Terry, who will turn 54 on Nov. 16, won titles in 1984 for owner Billy Hagan and in 1996 for Hendrick Motorsports.

Strange circumstances have led to them being paired up as driver and owner for a couple of races this season. Bobby first drove for Stavola Labonte Racing in Charlotte last month. Although Bobby began the year hoping to run a full season for TRG Motorsports, that deal fell apart and he had to begin piecing together rides with other owners for the remainder of the season -- driving a few for James Finch and one for Robby Gordon before Terry came to him with a proposition.

Terry had tried to qualify his own car for the race at Richmond on Sept. 11 and failed to make it in on speed, eventually transferring their sponsorship to Prism Motorsports and getting into the race that way. Immediately thereafter, Terry sought out his younger brother.

"He came to my motorhome that night and said, 'Man, I should get you to drive my car.' He called Billy Stavola on the phone and we had a three-way conversation right there, and next thing you know, it kind of happened," Bobby said.

"After Charlotte, I told him I'd love to drive their car at Texas. They called me a day later and said it made sense. It's a great race team. Billy and Terry started off this deal and they had three races they were going to run, to try to build for next year. I think they've got a great start at it as far as putting things together. I hope they can continue at it."

So does Terry. He admitted that he's skeptical that the race team will be able to find the funding it needs to run the 14 or 15 races it wants to participate in next season. He said running anything less than that type of schedule wouldn't make sense.

But he's happy to have his little brother in the car this weekend, hoping for a surprising finish that might help build momentum for next year not only within the team but with potential sponsors.

"He ran our car at Charlotte and we would up with a pretty decent finish. I felt like we had a good run there," Terry said of Bobby. "We finished 22nd, and I just felt like after the race that I sensed a little momentum here with Bobby and the crew. They were all pumped up after the race, talking about how they could have done this a little bit different and that a little bit different and maybe finished even higher. I told Billy, 'Man, we need to put him in our car for Texas.'

"We're working on some deals for next year, and I just think it's important for us to run as good as we can right now. Bobby being out here every week, I just felt like that's our best chance to guarantee we're going to be in the show and do well. It's pretty cool to have Bobby drive for us."

Terry made it clear that he believes Bobby still has what it takes to drive at a high level, pointing out that he's not alone. Bobby already has signed to drive the No. 47 Toyota full time next season for JTG Daugherty Racing, replacing Marcos Ambrose.

"It definitely will be the best car he's been in for a few years -- besides this one, of course," said Terry, laughing and jerking his thumb toward the Chevy that Bobby will pilot this Sunday.