Bobby Labonte

Few racers can claim to have as many illustrious accolades as Robert Alan “Bobby” Labonte. However, for all his successes, his career hasn’t been without its share of difficulties, which he has overcome time and time again. Born on May 8 1964 in Corpus Christi, Texas, Labonte currently competes with the #43 Cheerios Dodge Charger for the Petty Enterprises NASCAR Racing team in the Nextel Cup Series. To this day, Labonte holds the distinction of being the only racer to win both the Winston Cup and the Busch Series NASCAR championships, in addition to the IROC title.

He began his career at a decidedly early age, starting to compete in quarter midgets in Texas in 1969 winning for the first time only one year later. He competed in that category until 1977, winning many races in the process and advancing to the go-karts the following year. After a few years racing in different divisions, he made his Busch Series debut in 1982 at Martinsville Speedway, finishing 30th. He put his racing career on hold after graduating from high school to for a few years work with another reputed racer, his older brother Terry. He returned to the Busch Series in 1985, winning his first pole position and finishing second at Road Atlanta the following year.

He would win several other victories in the following years, but his moment finally came in 1991, when he his first race at Bristol, winning again at Indianapolis Speedway Park, and ultimately winning the Busch Championship. Two years later, he moved to the Cup Series. Having being diagnosed with Graves Disease, he still managed to make a strong comeback in 1999, when he won five Winston Cup races, his highest performance, yet falling short of obtaining the championship, in a season where he also suffered a broken shoulder during an accident at the qualifying event at Darlington Raceway. Next season saw him win four races, enough to raise the championship cup. His latest accomplishments were his IROC title during the 2001 season, and two victories and four poles in 2003. So far, he has amassed 21 wins, 26 poles and 188 top-10’s in his career.