Terry Labonte: Career

Two-time Cup Series champion Terry Labonte is expected to make his 848th -- and final -- start at Texas (2:30 p.m. ET Sunday, NBC). "The Iceman" began the season driving the No. 96 Chevrolet for Hall of Fame Racing, and also has run the No. 44 for Hendrick Motorsports. Labonte finished third at Sonoma in June, his 182nd top-five finish, which ranks 16th on the all-time list.

Inside the Numbers Multiple Cup Series titles Rank Driver No. 1. Dale Earnhardt 7   Richard Petty 7 3. Jeff Gordon 4 4. David Pearson 3   Lee Petty 3   Darrell Waltrip 3   Cale Yarborough 3 8. Buck Baker 2   Tim Flock 2   Ned Jarrett 2   Terry Labonte 2   Tony Stewart 2   Herb Thomas 2   Joe Weatherly 2 All-time top-five finishes Rank Driver No. 1. Richard Petty 555 2. Bobby Allison 336 3. David Pearson 301 4. Dale Earnhardt 281 5. Darrell Waltrip 276 6. Cale Yarborough 255 7. Buck Baker 246 8. Mark Martin 234 9. Lee Petty 231 10. Jeff Gordon 212 11. Buddy Baker 202   Rusty Wallace 202 13. Benny Parsons 199 14. Ricky Rudd 194 15. Ned Jarrett 185 16. Terry Labonte 182 17. Bill Elliott 175 18. Dale Jarrett 163 19. Jim Paschal 149 20. James Hylton 140 All-time top-10 finishes Rank Driver No. 1. Richard Petty 712 2. Bobby Allison 446 3. Dale Earnhardt 428 4. Darrell Waltrip 390 5. Mark Martin 373 6. Ricky Rudd 373 7. Buck Baker 372 8. David Pearson 366 9. Terry Labonte 361 10. Rusty Wallace 349

CUP SERIES RECAP

2005
Finished 40th in series points. ... Made 14 starts, racing for both Hendrick Motorsports and Joe Gibbs Racing. ... Best start (8th) was at Infineon Raceway. ...Top finish was ninth place at Richmond in September.

2004
Finished 26th in series points, worst career finish in final standings, other than 39th-place finish in 1978, when he ran only five races. ... No top-five finishes; best finishes were sixths at Chicagoland and second Pocono event.... Announced in October plans to enter 10 NASCAR NEXTEL Cup races in 2005 and '06, then retire.

2003
Finished 10th in series points, returning to the NASCAR Top 10 for the first time since 1998. ... Highlight of rebound season was winning Mountain Dew Southern 500 at Darlington on Aug. 31, his first victory since March 1999 at Texas. ... Won pole at Richmond spring race, his first pole since April 2000 at Texas.

2002
Finished 24th in series points. ...Did not post a victory for third season in a row. ... Had series-record streak of 655 consecutive starts broken by Ricky Rudd. ... Went over $30 million in career winnings and made 745th career start in the season's final race at Homestead.

2001
Finished 23rd in series points. ... One top-five finish, at Atlanta in March, was coupled with top-10 efforts at both Bristol races (sixth and 10th, respectively). ... Eight DNFs were the most since 1991 ... Best start of the year was eighth at Infineon in June.

2000
Finished 17th in series points. ... Second half of season was impacted by injuries suffered in an accident at Daytona in July; was forced to miss races at Indianapolis and Watkins Glen, ending record consecutive-start streak at 655. ... Had runner-up finish at Richmond in spring. ... Started 700th career race at Dover in September....Brother Bobby won series title, making them the first brothers to win series championships.

1999
Finished 12th in series points. ... Won at Texas in March. ... Won The Winston all-star race for the second time. ... Five-year streak of top-10 finishes in the points ended.

1998
Finished ninth in series points. ... Won at Richmond spring race and had four other top-five finishes including two at Talladega. ... Started on outside pole for Daytona 500 next to brother Bobby, the only time brothers have shared the front row for the prestigious event. ... The season marked the third time the brothers finished in the top 10 in the points standings.

1997
Finished sixth in series points. ... Hendrick Motorsports teammate Jeff Gordon won the series championship, bumping Labonte's 1984 mark as the youngest champion. ... Won at Talladega in October and also posted three runner-up finishes during the year.

1996
Won second series championship. ... Became fifth driver in the modern era and one of 13 in 54 overall years of NASCAR competition to win multiple titles. ... Won two races, North Wilkesboro in April from the pole (his career best fourth victory at one track) and at Infineon in May. ... Finished second a career-high seven times and tied his career-best with six third-place efforts. ... Teammate Jeff Gordon's was runner-up in the final points. ... Broke Richard Petty's record with his 514th consecutive start, in April at Martinsville.

1995
Finished sixth in series points. ... Won a trio of races for the second year in a row. ... Had a pole for the first time in three years, in April at Talladega. ... 14 top-five finishes were coupled with 17 top 10s.

1994
Finished seventh in series points. ... First year with Hendrick Motorsports resulted in best points finish in six seasons. ... .Set career-high with three wins: At North Wilkesboro in April, at Richmond in September and at Phoenix in October.... Secured two other top fives and 14 top 10s.

1993
Finished 18th in series points. ... No victories for fourth consecutive year.... Final season with Billy Hagan after 12 seasons divided between two stints (1978-86, 1991-93).

1992
Finished eighth in series points, first time back in the NASCAR Top 10 in four seasons. ... Did not win a race or a pole, but resurgence was built on 16 top-10 finishes including four top fives.

1991
Finished 18th in series points. ... Reunited with car owner Billy Hagan after a four-year separation. ... Second year in a row with a career-low in the points standings, but finished in the top 20 despite no wins and then-career lows in top-five (one) and top-10 (seven) finishes. ... Earned first pole in two years ... Raced against brother Bobby for the first time in NASCAR's premier series at Dover spring race; Terry finished 24th, Bobby 34th.

1990
Finished 15th in series points. ... First and only season driving for Richard Jackson. ... Did not win a race for the first time since 1982. ... Four top-five finishes were lowest since 1979 while nine top-10 efforts were a career low at the time.

1989
Finished 10th in series points. ... Posted two wins for the second time in his career, in June at Pocono and July at Talladega. ... Registered nine top five finishes and 11 top 10 placements in his final year driving for Junior Johnson. ... Did not win a pole for the first season since 1980. ... Won the International Race of Champions (IROC) title.

TERRY LABONTE •   By the Numbers •   Career statistics •   Superstore gear! The IcemanCheck out recent highlights from Terry Labonte's career Sign up for TrackPass now BUY THE NEXTEL i836

1988
Finished fourth in series points. ... Won for the second consecutive season at North Wilkesboro in April. ... Scored one pole in addition to 18 top-10 finishes; 11 of those were top fives.

1987
Finished third in series points in his first year driving for Junior Johnson. ... One victory, at North Wilkesboro fall race. ... Tied career high with four poles, and had 13 top-five finishes along with 22 top-10 efforts. ... Qualified in excess of 210 mph in May at Talladega; his 13 qualifying laps at 200-plus mph put him behind only Cale Yarborough (15) and Bill Elliott (14).

1986
Finished 12th in series points, his first year out of the top 10 since 1979 ... DNF 12 times, tying the most in his career.... Won from the pole at Rockingham in March, his only win and pole of the year.... Posted five top-five finishes and 10 top-10 efforts. ... Final season with Billy Hagan following nine years -- eight full-time -- before moving to Junior Johnson's camp.

1985
Finished seventh in series points. ... Won season-opening non-points race at Daytona, the Busch Clash. ... Set career mark with four poles and was on the outside pole a career-high four times as well. ... Won for a second consecutive season at Riverside, in June.

1984
Won first series championship. ... Won two races in a season for the first time in his career, from the pole at Riverside in June and at Bristol's summer event. ... Accumulated six second and third places, respectively.

	ALSO "There comes a time, I don't care what sport you're in, that you've got to walk away,'' says Terry Labonte. "I've been very fortunate over the years. I've won a couple of championships, done a lot of things, met a lot of cool people and gone a lot of cool places. It's been a dream of a lifetime.''  •   Complete story, click here

1983
Finished fifth in series points. ... Won for the first time in over two years at Rockingham fall race and grabbed three poles to go along with 20 top-10 finishes, 11 of those top fives.

1982
Finished third in series points. ...Fourth year in succession with a jump in the final standings despite a second straight season without a win. ... Earned two poles and had 21 top 10 finishes including 17 top-five efforts, a career high. ... His fourth-place finish at Martinsville fall race made him the youngest driver in motorsports history to win $1 million and the 12th NASCAR driver to reach that mark.

1981
Finished fourth in series points. ... Earned his first series pole at Atlanta spring race and grabbed a second pole at his home track at Texas. ... His surge in the final points standings was without the benefit of a win, but was buoyed by eight top-five and 17 top-10 finishes.

1980
Finished eighth in series points. ... Earned first series win on Sept. 1, in the Southern 500 at Darlington, in his 59th start. ... Claimed five other top five finishes.

1979
Finished 10th in series points. ... Started run of seven consecutive years in the top 10. ... First full season resulted in runner-up finish in the Rookie of the Year battle behind Dale Earnhardt. ... Two top fives, 13 top 10s driving again for Hagan, the first of 11 full years -- eight in succession -- with Hagan.

1978
Finished 39th in series points. ... Ran only five races for car owner Billy Hagan and placed in the top 10 in his first three events; his first was at the Southern 500 where he finished fourth; he was seventh at Richmond and ninth at Martinsville.

PREVIOUS RACING HISTORY
Started racing -- and winning -- in quarter-midgets when he was seven years old in Texas. ... Moved into stock cars at age 16 that were first owned by his father Bob, then by Billy Hagan. ... Family moved to North Carolina in the late 70s to get Labonte closer to NASCAR competition. ... Won first NASCAR Busch Series race in 1985 and has gone on to win 10 more in that series. ... Has also competed in the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series, winning at Richmond in 1995, which made him one of only eight drivers to win at least one race in each of NASCAR's national series.

NOTEWORTHY
Labonte was inducted into the Texas Sports Hall of Fame in 2001. Labonte and his brother, Bobby, are among the four auto racing inductees in the Hall, which also includes Carroll Shelby and Johnny Rutherford. ... Labonte's son, Justin, also has a racing career under way.