X
Bobby Labonte through the years
By Zack Albert, NASCAR.com | Sunday, May 8, 2022
Jamie Squire | Getty Images
1 of 27
View Fullscreen
Bobby Labonte has enjoyed a stellar racing career in NASCAR, claiming one championship each in what are now referred to as the NASCAR Cup Series and NASCAR Xfinity Series. On his 58th birthday, we provide a look at Labonte's career through the years.
ISC Archives | Getty Images
2 of 27
View Fullscreen
Bobby Labonte's driving career was often part of a family affair. Brother Terry Labonte (left), eight years his elder, led the way for his generation. Their father, Bob Labonte (center), was a guiding force as a team owner and sometimes crew chief.
ISC Archives | Getty Images
3 of 27
View Fullscreen
Bobby Labonte enjoyed his first major successes behind the wheel of the family-owned team's No. 44. Bobby took Labonte Motorsports to the Xfinity Series championship in 1991, and the team enjoyed another title with driver David Green in '94.
Bill Hall | Getty Images
4 of 27
View Fullscreen
Team owner Bill Davis tapped Labonte for his first full-time ride in NASCAR's top division in 1993, driving the No. 22 Maxwell House Ford. Labonte spent two seasons driving for Davis' operation and wound up just behind Jeff Gordon in the '93 race for Rookie of the Year.
ISC Archives | Getty Images
5 of 27
View Fullscreen
After his tenure with Davis, Labonte landed with Joe Gibbs Racing, embarking on the most successful partnership of his career. Labonte scored all 21 of his Monster Energy Series wins driving for Gibbs from 1995-2005. Primary backing came from Interstate Batteries, and the team ran a commemorative paint scheme in 1996 to mark Gibbs' induction into the Pro Football Hall of Fame.
ISC Archives | Getty Images
6 of 27
View Fullscreen
Bobby Labonte races ahead of his brother, Terry, during the 1996 season finale at Atlanta Motor Speedway.
David Taylor | Getty Images
7 of 27
View Fullscreen
The 1996 season-ender wound up being a special one for the Labonte brothers. Bobby won the 500-mile race from the pole position, and Terry came home fifth to clinch his second series championship.
David Taylor | Getty Images
8 of 27
View Fullscreen
The two brothers savored another special moment together in qualifying for the 1998 Daytona 500. Bobby edged out Terry for the pole position and the two shared the front row. Bobby Labonte ended up as the runner-up to Dale Earnhardt in Earnhardt's only Daytona 500 win.
Robert Laberge | Getty Images
9 of 27
View Fullscreen
Labonte scored a pair of signature victories in the 2000 season, kissing the Brickyard 400 trophy at Indianapolis Motor Speedway and then adding a Southern 500 triumph four weeks later.
ISC Archives | Getty Images
10 of 27
View Fullscreen
The 2000 season provided a crowning moment for Labonte as he won the NASCAR Cup Series championship. He collected four wins and stayed on top of the points standings for all but three weeks during his championship run.
Jonathan Ferrey | Getty Images
11 of 27
View Fullscreen
Labonte clinched the title at Homestead-Miami Speedway with one event left in the season, earning a champagne shower from Joe Gibbs Racing teammate Tony Stewart, who won the race.
Jamie Squire | Getty Images
12 of 27
View Fullscreen
No track served as friendlier territory throughout Labonte's career than Atlanta Motor Speedway. Labonte landed six of his 21 career wins at the Georgia track and added two poles to his resume there.
Jamie Squire | Getty Images
13 of 27
View Fullscreen
Labonte excelled at many of the sport's faster tracks, but also prevailed in 2002 at Martinsville Speedway for his only big-league short-track win.
Darrell Ingham | Getty Images
14 of 27
View Fullscreen
Labonte posted his final Cup win in the 2003 season finale at Homestead-Miami Speedway. He took advantage when leader Bill Elliott slowed with a flat tire on the final lap. 'I just absolutely couldn't believe it,' said Labonte, who won the final race under the Winston banner.
ISC Archives | Getty Images
15 of 27
View Fullscreen
Labonte also found success in other forms of motorsports, winning three times in the former International Race of Champions (IROC) Series. Labonte scored two of those victories (Talladega, Indianapolis) in 2001 on his way to the series championship.
Nick Laham | Getty Images
16 of 27
View Fullscreen
Labonte also ventured out for spot duty in the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series, making 10 career starts. That brief tenure included one victory at Martinsville Speedway, edging out Ricky Craven.
Doug Benc | Getty Images
17 of 27
View Fullscreen
Labonte also branched into sports-car racing, driving 10 times in IMSA competition. That stretch included six starts at Daytona International Speedway, including this 2007 effort in the Rolex 24.
Jason Smith | Getty Images
18 of 27
View Fullscreen
Labonte scored his last NASCAR Xfinity Series win in 2007, driving for team owner Kevin Harvick. Labonte led just two laps that day at Talladega Superspeedway, taking the lead for a final time on the last lap.
Rusty Jarrett | Getty Images
19 of 27
View Fullscreen
After Labonte's tenure with Joe Gibbs Racing ended, he landed in Richard Petty's No. 43 for the 2006 season. Here, he talks with his crew during the 2007 event at Indianapolis Motor Speedway.
Geoff Burke | Getty Images
20 of 27
View Fullscreen
Labonte worked closely with (from left) Richard Petty, vice president Robbie Loomis, and his brother and occasional teammate Terry. His term there lasted three seasons, producing just eight top-10 finishes.
Jason Smith | Getty Images
21 of 27
View Fullscreen
Labonte was on the move again for 2009, taking a ride with Hall of Fame Racing's No. 96 operation. Labonte managed just one top-five result in their lone year together; the operation shuttered after the season.
Rusty Jarrett | Getty Images
22 of 27
View Fullscreen
Labonte managed to keep his full-season goals -- and his consecutive starts streak -- intact despite competing for four different teams in 2010. Among those was TRG Motorsports' No. 71 ride, which fielded Labonte in 19 of the 36 races that year.
Tom Pennington | Getty Images
23 of 27
View Fullscreen
Labonte found more steady work in 2011, joining JTG Daugherty Racing's No. 47 operation. The two sides hit it off in their first event together, contending for the win before snagging a fourth-place finish in the Daytona 500.
Jonathan Ferrey | Getty Images
24 of 27
View Fullscreen
Labonte raced for JTG Daugherty for three seasons, dialing back to part-time duty in the latter part of the 2013 campaign. He also missed three races that summer after breaking three ribs in a bicycle accident.
Patrick Smith | Getty Images
25 of 27
View Fullscreen
Labonte's final three seasons (2014-16) in NASCAR's top division were contested primarily on restrictor-plate tracks. His final starts came in Go Fas Racing's No. 32.
Jared Wickerham | Getty Images
26 of 27
View Fullscreen
Labonte's career in the NASCAR Cup Series may have wound to a close, but he's stayed involved in the sport with a second career in broadcasting, races overseas and more chapters to unfold from behind the wheel.
Jason Miczek | Getty Images
27 of 27
View Fullscreen
Bobby Labonte was part of the NASCAR Hall of Fame Class of 2020 with his former team owner Joe Gibbs, a former teammate in Tony Stewart as well as Waddell Wilson and Buddy Baker.
Presented By: