"Still the most respected guy in the room" - Terry Labonte's daughter Kristy shares heartfelt message celebrating the NASCAR legend
Kristy Labonte, daughter of NASCAR legend Terry Labonte, shared a message on social media for her father's birthday.
Two-time NASCAR Cup Series champion Labonte competed in NASCAR for 37 years, between 1978 and 2014. He earned 22 wins in 890 starts and was known for his calm and steady racing style. Outside the track, he co-owns a Chevrolet dealership in North Carolina with Rick Hendrick.
Kristy wished her father, who turned 68 today, with a post on X and wrote about Labonte's retired life with family.
"Happy Birthday to my dad! He’s enjoying retirement and spoiling the grandbabies. He loves his dogs as much as he loves the rest of us, and he is still the quiet but most respected guy in the room. Love you Tex!"
Terry Labonte has the most road course wins in NASCAR Xfinity Series history. He won his first road course race in 1984, the same year he became champion.
"I just liked it from the first time I went there" - Terry Labonte on one of his favorite tracks
Terry Labonte and his younger brother Bobby are one of two pairs of brothers to win NASCAR Cup titles, along with Kurt and Kyle Busch. He is also the father of Justin Labonte, a former NASCAR driver.
Labonte, who joined Hendrick Motorsports in the No. 5 Kellogg’s car, won his second NASCAR championship for the team in 1996, 12 years after his first. One of Labonte's favorite tracks was Bristol Motor Speedway. He had many strong finishes at the 0.533-mile short track from 1995 to 1998.
Labonte also had big wins at Texas and Talladega. His first win came at the 1980 Southern 500 in Darlington and his last was at the same race in 2003.
“It was always one of my favorite tracks. I just liked it from the first time I went there. We had a setup that worked good. It was something that we kind of hit on, I guess. When you have that, you kind of know what you need in the car, the feel you’re looking for... You’ve got to be good at Bristol on long runs and you’ve got to be pretty good in the short run too,” Terry Labonte said (via Hendrick Motorsports).
Terry lost his father, two-time champion car owner Bob Labonte, in April this year. Bob was a crew chief in the Xfinity Series and ran Labonte Motorsports until he retired in 1996.
Bob moved his family from Texas to North Carolina so his sons, Terry and Bobby, could race in NASCAR. Bobby said his dad taught them how to race and had a big influence on their careers.