One thing's for sure about Terry Labonte. He knows how to make a good first impression.
After toiling around the local stock car circuits in his hometown of Corpus Christi, Texas throughout the mid-1970s, Labonte set his sights on NASCAR in 1978.
In his first Cup start, at the Southern 500 at Darlington, Labonte crossed the line fourth. For the unassuming Texas gentleman, it was only the beginning.
He got his first Cup win at the Southern 500 in 1980. In 1984, Labonte got two victories, 15 top-five finishes and 24 top-10 finishes. As a result, Labonte captured his first NASCAR championship, becoming, at the time, the youngest Cup champ in history at 27 years, 11 months old.
Twelve years later, in 1996, Labonte scaled the mountain again, garnering a pair of wins and 24 top-10 finishes in 31 events to take his second championship.
Labonte is perhaps best know for his versatility. He has won on short tracks, intermediate tracks, superspeedways and road courses in his 25-year NASCAR career.
He also won the Busch Clash in 1985, The Winston in 1988 and '99 and the International Race of Champions title in 1989.
