Justin Labonte (born February 25, 1981 in
Trinity, North CarolinaTrinity is a city in Randolph County, North Carolina, United States. The population was 6,690 at the 2000 census.-History:The community was named after Trinity College, which later became Duke University. The "World's Longest Hot Wheels Track" was built at the Kyle Petty Farm in Trinity, North...
) is a former
NASCARThe National Association for Stock Car Auto Racing is a family-owned and operated business venture that sanctions and governs multiple auto racing sports events. It was founded by Bill France Sr. in 1947-48. As of 2009, the CEO for the company is Brian France, grandson of the late Bill France Sr...
Busch SeriesThe NASCAR Nationwide Series is a stock car racing series owned and operated by the National Association of Stock Car Auto Racing. It is promoted as NASCAR's "minor league" circuit , and is a proving ground for drivers who wish to step up to the organization's "big league" circuit, the Sprint Cup...
(now Nationwide Series) driver. He is the son of NASCAR driver
Terry LabonteTerrance Lee Labonte is a retired NASCAR driver who occasionally drives in the Sprint Cup Series when called upon. Labonte was introduced to the sport through his father, who had worked on race cars as a hobby for his friends...
, and the nephew of
Bobby LabonteRobert Alan Labonte is an American race car driver in the Nascar Sprint Cup Series. He currently drives the #96 Ask.com/Texas Instruments DLP HDTV/Academy Sports + Outdoors Ford Fusion for Hall of Fame Racing, in an association with Yates Racing and the #71 TaxSlayer.com car for The Racer's Group....
. He currently does not have a ride in the Nationwide Series, and is rumored to be racing late models on
North CarolinaNorth Carolina is a state located on the Atlantic Seaboard in the southeastern United States. The state borders South Carolina and Georgia to the south, Tennessee to the west and Virginia to the north. North Carolina contains 100 counties...
short tracks.
Labonte began racing at the age of 15 at Ace Speedway and Concord Motorsports Park. He also ran the Legends Summer Shootout Series at Charlotte Motor Speedway, where he won back-to-back championships in 1996 and 1997.
Justin Labonte (born February 25, 1981 in
Trinity, North CarolinaTrinity is a city in Randolph County, North Carolina, United States. The population was 6,690 at the 2000 census.-History:The community was named after Trinity College, which later became Duke University. The "World's Longest Hot Wheels Track" was built at the Kyle Petty Farm in Trinity, North...
) is a former
NASCARThe National Association for Stock Car Auto Racing is a family-owned and operated business venture that sanctions and governs multiple auto racing sports events. It was founded by Bill France Sr. in 1947-48. As of 2009, the CEO for the company is Brian France, grandson of the late Bill France Sr...
Busch SeriesThe NASCAR Nationwide Series is a stock car racing series owned and operated by the National Association of Stock Car Auto Racing. It is promoted as NASCAR's "minor league" circuit , and is a proving ground for drivers who wish to step up to the organization's "big league" circuit, the Sprint Cup...
(now Nationwide Series) driver. He is the son of NASCAR driver
Terry LabonteTerrance Lee Labonte is a retired NASCAR driver who occasionally drives in the Sprint Cup Series when called upon. Labonte was introduced to the sport through his father, who had worked on race cars as a hobby for his friends...
, and the nephew of
Bobby LabonteRobert Alan Labonte is an American race car driver in the Nascar Sprint Cup Series. He currently drives the #96 Ask.com/Texas Instruments DLP HDTV/Academy Sports + Outdoors Ford Fusion for Hall of Fame Racing, in an association with Yates Racing and the #71 TaxSlayer.com car for The Racer's Group....
. He currently does not have a ride in the Nationwide Series, and is rumored to be racing late models on
North CarolinaNorth Carolina is a state located on the Atlantic Seaboard in the southeastern United States. The state borders South Carolina and Georgia to the south, Tennessee to the west and Virginia to the north. North Carolina contains 100 counties...
short tracks.
Labonte began racing at the age of 15 at Ace Speedway and Concord Motorsports Park. He also ran the Legends Summer Shootout Series at Charlotte Motor Speedway, where he won back-to-back championships in 1996 and 1997. During those two years, he split 25 career victories at Ace and Concord. In 1998, he moved to the
USAR Hooters Pro Cup SeriesUSARacing is a stock car auto racing series in the United States. It is sanctioned by the United Speed Alliance Racing. The series races throughout the United States primarily on short tracks....
, where he finished 3rd in points and posted thirteen top-tens. He also won the Consistency award for finishing nearly 97% of all possible laps during the season. The next season, he had three top-tens in seven starts.
In 1999, Labonte began sharing the #44 Slim Jim
Chevrolet Monte CarloThe Chevrolet Monte Carlo was an American-made automobile. Originally introduced by Chevrolet for the 1969 model year , it has gone through six generations as of 2007...
with his father in the Busch Series. Qualifying nine times, he had a best finish of 14th at
Myrtle Beach SpeedwayThe Myrtle Beach Speedway, originally named Rambi Raceway, was built in 1958 and is located on US 501 in Myrtle Beach, South Carolina.The speedway is a .538 mile semi-banked asphaltic oval track...
. He ran more races in 2000, his best finish a 20th at Nashville Speedway USA. He also made three starts in the ARCA series, posting two top-five finishes. In 2001, he ran a limited ARCA schedule, making five starts, including a race at
Nashville SuperspeedwayNashville Superspeedway is a motor racing complex located in Gladeville, Tennessee , United States, about 30 miles east of Nashville. It is a concrete oval track 1 1/3 miles in length...
, where he led 70 laps.
Labonte began running late model stock series in 2002 at Caraway Speedway. In his first season at the track, he won one feature event and had ten top-tens in twelve starts. He followed that up by winning the track championship the next season. Labonte also returned to the Busch Series in 2002, attempting but failing to qualify for three races in the #04 Victory Junction Gang Dodge for Kerry Scherer. He made his first start in three years in 2003, starting 23rd and finishing 29th at
Michigan International SpeedwayMichigan International Speedway is a two-mile moderate-banked D-shaped superspeedway located off U.S. Highway 12 on more than near Brooklyn, in the scenic Irish Hills area of southeastern Michigan. The track is used primarily for NASCAR events. It is sometimes known as a "sister track" to...
in the #06
Dodge IntrepidThe Dodge Intrepid is a large four-door, full-size, front-wheel drive sedan car model that was produced for model years 1993 to 2004. It was mechanically related to the Chrysler Concorde, Chrysler LHS, Chrysler New Yorker, Eagle Vision, and also the 300M sedans...
for Scherer.
In 2004, Labonte announced he would make a limited run in the Busch Series that season in the #44 car owned by his father and sponsored by the
United States Coast GuardThe United States Coast Guard is a branch of the United States Armed Forces and one of seven uniformed services. It is unique among the military branches in that it has a maritime law enforcement mission and a federal regulatory agency mission as part of its mission set...
. At the Twister 300, Labonte passed
Mike WallaceMike Wallace is a NASCAR race car driver. He is a younger brother to Rusty Wallace, older brother to Kenny Wallace, and uncle to Steve Wallace...
on the last lap to win his first career race. Out of seventeen starts that season, it was his only top-ten, but finished 35th in points. For 2005, Labonte's team merged with
Haas CNC RacingStewart Haas Racing is a NASCAR racing team based in Kannapolis, North Carolina, which runs Chevrolet Impalas. The team is owned by Tony Stewart and Haas Automation...
, and he posted two top-tens and finished seventeenth in points. At the end of the season, he was released from his contract. He ran his only Busch race of 2006 at
Memphis Motorsports ParkMemphis Motorsports Park is a race track located in just across the Loosahatchie River from Memphis, Tennessee, approximately ten miles south of Millington, Tennessee. It is owned by Gulf Coast Entertainment, L.L.C....
in the #5 for
Hendrick MotorsportsHendrick Motorsports is a stock car racing team that currently competes in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series. The team is principally owned by Rick Hendrick, but Jeff Gordon and Mary Hendrick are listed as the owners of the #48 and #5 respectively...
, finishing 22nd. He also made his
Craftsman Truck SeriesThe NASCAR Camping World Truck Series is a pickup truck racing series owned and operated by the National Association for Stock Car Auto Racing...
debut at
Texas Motor SpeedwayTexas Motor Speedway is a speedway located in the northernmost portion of the U.S. city of Fort Worth, Texas -- the portion located in Denton County, Texas. The track layout is very similar to Atlanta Motor Speedway and Lowe's Motor Speedway...
, driving the #24
Bill Davis RacingBill Davis Racing was a racing team that participated in all three of NASCAR's top divisions until 2009.The team had run Toyota-branded stock cars and trucks in both the Camping World Truck Series and Sprint Cup Series since 2007. Dodge, Ford, and Pontiac previously backed the team...
Toyota TundraThe Toyota Tundra is a full-size pickup truck introduced by Toyota in the year 2000. It was widely considered to be the first full-size import-brand truck built with an American look and feel and a refined V8 engine. The Tundra was eventually nominated for the North American Truck of the Year award...
to a 22nd finish place finish.
He most recently raced in the
Craftsman Truck SeriesThe NASCAR Camping World Truck Series is a pickup truck racing series owned and operated by the National Association for Stock Car Auto Racing...
in 2007 driving
Michael WaltripMichael Curtis Waltrip is a professional race car driver and co owner of Michael Waltrip Racing. He is the younger brother of Darrell Waltrip, a three-time NASCAR champion . Waltrip is a two-time winner of the Daytona 500 , and drives a self-owned #55 NAPA Toyota Camry in the Sprint Cup Series...
's #00
Aaron'sAaron's, Inc. is a lease-to-own retailer. It was founded by R. Charles Loudermilk in 1955. The company focuses on furniture, electronics, appliances, computer leases and retail sales....
Toyota Tundra. He finished 27th at O'Reilly Raceway Park, followed by a 12th place finish at Martinsville.
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