Labonte Motorsports
Encyclopedia
Labonte Motorsports is a former part-time Winston Cup team and full-time Busch Series
team. It was owned by the Labonte racing family from Corpus Christi, Texas
and competed for several years under various incarnations.
in the #44 Oldsmobile, when it was owned Bob Labonte. Bobby Labonte drove the car, starting fifteenth and finishing twenty-sixth after dropping out 30 laps into the race. They did not run a race until 1985, when Bobby drove two races in the #81 at Martinsville, his best finish being seventeenth in the fall race. In 1986, Terry Labonte drove two races, winning the pole at Road Atlanta
and finished second at the same race. Bobby returned run six races in the #88 Winner's Circle Auto Parts Buick, but wrecked out of three of them. In 1989, he switched back to the #44 and had first three top-tens, including a fourth place finish at Rockingham Speedway.
. Terry also began fielding his own entries in Busch, driving five races in the #94 Sunoco
Oldsmobile and picking up a win at Watkins Glen International
. In 1992, Labonte won three races but lost the championship by three points. Terry failed to win a race, but switched to the #14 after picking up sponsorship from MW Windows.
Bobby moved up to Cup in 1993, and was replaced by Labonte Motorsports mechanic David Green
with Slim Jim becoming the team's new sponsor. Although he failed to win in his first season with the team, he had six top-fives and finished third in points. The #14 was shared by Bobby and Terry, who together won two pole positions. In 1994, Green won one race but also claimed the Busch Series championship. Terry had four wins out of twenty starts, and Bobby debuted the new #33 Dentyne
Pontiac, winning at Michigan International Speedway
. Green had another win in 1995, but fell to twelfth in the standings. Terry had one win and finished eighteenth in points.
In 1996, Bob retired from racing and Bobby became the new listed owner of the 44. With Shell Oil sponsoring, Bobby ran sixteen races and won at Nashville Speedway USA. Terry changed his number to 5 and picked up funding from Bayer
/Actron, and won three races that season. Bobby Hamilton
ran the season finale at Homestead, finishing 24th. He drove fourteen times in 1997, but failed to win a race. Andy Hillenburg
and Brad Leighton
drove in one-race deals for him, but they failed to finish in the top-ten. Bobby drove fifteen times in 1998, and had another win, along with sharing the ride with Tony Stewart
for five races, who had two top-tens.
At the end of the season, Bobby sold his team to this employer, Joe Gibbs Racing
.
, and had three top-fives. Jack Sprague
and Steve Grissom
drove one race deals for him, and Terry's son Justin began racing, making nine starts that season with a best finish of fourteenth at Myrtle Beach Speedway
. Labonte and Glenn Allen, Jr.
shared the ride to begin the 2000 season, before Justin finished it out. His best finish was 20th at Nashville.
Labonte Motorsports was inactive until Justin began running a part-time schedule in 2004. Driving the #44 United States Coast Guard
Dodge Intrepid
, he made sixteen starts and won the Twister 300 at Chicagoland Speedway
. The team partnered with Haas CNC Racing
in 2005 to allow Justin to run a full-time schedule in the 44 Chevy. Despite three top-tens and a seventeenth place finish in points, Coast Guard departed for Richard Childress Racing
at the end of the season, causing the team to close its doors again.
Busch Series
The 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 leagues"; the Sprint Cup circuit...
team. It was owned by the Labonte racing family from Corpus Christi, Texas
Corpus Christi, Texas
Corpus Christi is a coastal city in the South Texas region of the U.S. state of Texas. The county seat of Nueces County, it also extends into Aransas, Kleberg, and San Patricio counties. The MSA population in 2008 was 416,376. The population was 305,215 at the 2010 census making it the...
and competed for several years under various incarnations.
1980s
Labonte Motorsports debuted in 1982 at Martinsville SpeedwayMartinsville Speedway
Martinsville Speedway is an International Speedway Corporation-owned NASCAR stock car racing track located in Henry County, near Ridgeway, Virginia, just to the south of Martinsville. At in length, it is the shortest track in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series. The track was also one of the first paved...
in the #44 Oldsmobile, when it was owned Bob Labonte. Bobby Labonte drove the car, starting fifteenth and finishing twenty-sixth after dropping out 30 laps into the race. They did not run a race until 1985, when Bobby drove two races in the #81 at Martinsville, his best finish being seventeenth in the fall race. In 1986, Terry Labonte drove two races, winning the pole at Road Atlanta
Road Atlanta
Road Atlanta is a 2.54-mile road course located just north of Braselton, Georgia, USA. The facility is utilized for a wide variety of events, including professional and amateur sports car and motorcycle races, racing and driving schools, corporate programs and testing for motorsports teams...
and finished second at the same race. Bobby returned run six races in the #88 Winner's Circle Auto Parts Buick, but wrecked out of three of them. In 1989, he switched back to the #44 and had first three top-tens, including a fourth place finish at Rockingham Speedway.
1990s
Labonte ran his first full season 1990, with sponsorship from Penrose Firecracker. Although he went winless, he had seventeen top-tens and finished fourth in the final standings. In 1991, he won two races and the Busch Series championship. That same season, Labonte Motorsports, ran five races at the Winston Cup level. Bobby ran two races for Bob, first in the 14, and then the 44, dropping out of both races with engine failure. Irv Hoerr then ran three races for Terry in the 44, his best finish being 19th at Pocono RacewayPocono Raceway
Pocono Raceway also known as the Tricky Triangle, is a superspeedway located in the Pocono Mountains of Pennsylvania at Long Pond...
. Terry also began fielding his own entries in Busch, driving five races in the #94 Sunoco
Sunoco
Sunoco Inc. is an American petroleum and petrochemical manufacturer headquartered in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States, formerly known as Sun Company Inc. and Sun Oil Co. ....
Oldsmobile and picking up a win at Watkins Glen International
Watkins Glen International
Watkins Glen International is an auto race track located near Watkins Glen, New York, at the southern tip of Seneca Lake. The facility is owned by International Speedway Corporation...
. In 1992, Labonte won three races but lost the championship by three points. Terry failed to win a race, but switched to the #14 after picking up sponsorship from MW Windows.
Bobby moved up to Cup in 1993, and was replaced by Labonte Motorsports mechanic David Green
David Green (NASCAR)
David A. Green is a NASCAR driver. He won the Nationwide Series championship in 1994. His two younger brothers, Jeff and Mark have also competed in the NASCAR circuit...
with Slim Jim becoming the team's new sponsor. Although he failed to win in his first season with the team, he had six top-fives and finished third in points. The #14 was shared by Bobby and Terry, who together won two pole positions. In 1994, Green won one race but also claimed the Busch Series championship. Terry had four wins out of twenty starts, and Bobby debuted the new #33 Dentyne
Dentyne
Dentyne is a series of brands of chewing gum available in several countries globally. It is owned by Cadbury Adams, a division of Cadbury.In 1899, a New York City druggist named Franklin V. Canning formulated a chewing gum which he promoted as an aid to oral hygiene. "To prevent decay, To sweeten...
Pontiac, winning at Michigan International Speedway
Michigan International Speedway
Michigan International Speedway is a two-mile moderate-banked D-shaped superspeedway located off U.S. Highway 12 on more than in 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 Texas...
. Green had another win in 1995, but fell to twelfth in the standings. Terry had one win and finished eighteenth in points.
In 1996, Bob retired from racing and Bobby became the new listed owner of the 44. With Shell Oil sponsoring, Bobby ran sixteen races and won at Nashville Speedway USA. Terry changed his number to 5 and picked up funding from Bayer
Bayer
Bayer AG is a chemical and pharmaceutical company founded in Barmen , Germany in 1863. It is headquartered in Leverkusen, North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany and well known for its original brand of aspirin.-History:...
/Actron, and won three races that season. Bobby Hamilton
Bobby Hamilton
Charles Robert Hamilton, Sr. was a driver and owner in the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series circuit and the winner of the 2004 NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series championship. Hamilton owned Bobby Hamilton Racing, which fielded three entries in each NCWTS event...
ran the season finale at Homestead, finishing 24th. He drove fourteen times in 1997, but failed to win a race. Andy Hillenburg
Andy Hillenburg
Andy Hillenburg is an American race car driver, team owner and track owner. He began his racing career at age 11, when he competed in the Indianapolis soap box derby. He currently owns Fast Track Racing Enterprises, a racing team that competes in the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series and ARCA...
and Brad Leighton
Brad Leighton
Brad Leighton, born June 12, 1962 in Center Harbor, New Hampshire, is a former NASCAR driver. He competed in five career Busch Series events in his career....
drove in one-race deals for him, but they failed to finish in the top-ten. Bobby drove fifteen times in 1998, and had another win, along with sharing the ride with Tony Stewart
Tony Stewart
Anthony Wayne "Tony" Stewart is an American auto racing driver and owner. Throughout his racing career, Stewart has won titles in Indy cars and stock cars as well as midget, sprint and USAC Silver Crown cars, giving him the recognition of "one of the finest racers of his generation."Stewart...
for five races, who had two top-tens.
At the end of the season, Bobby sold his team to this employer, Joe Gibbs Racing
Joe Gibbs Racing
Joe Gibbs Racing is a group of NASCAR racing teams owned and operated by former Washington Redskins coach Joe Gibbs, who first started racing on the NASCAR circuit in 1991, and J. D. Gibbs, his son...
.
2000s
After taking 1998 off, Labonte Motorsports returned in 1999, with Terry owning and driving the #44 Slim Jim Chevrolet. He won his final career Busch race at Talladega SuperspeedwayTalladega Superspeedway
Talladega Superspeedway is a motorsports complex located north of Talladega, Alabama, United States. It is located on the former Anniston Air Force Base just outside the small city of Lincoln. It was constructed by International Speedway Corporation, a business controlled by the France Family, in...
, and had three top-fives. Jack Sprague
Jack Sprague
Jack Sprague is a NASCAR Camping World Truck Series driver. He is currently a free agent. Sprague has finished in the top-ten in the points standings almost every year he has raced in the trucks, and won three championships in 1997, 1999, and 2001 while driving for Hendrick Motorsports.-...
and Steve Grissom
Steve Grissom
Steve Grissom is a NASCAR driver. Grissom was the 1993 Busch Series champion and has eleven Busch wins in 185 starts. He turned down a scholarship to play quarterback at the University of Alabama to focus a career on racing....
drove one race deals for him, and Terry's son Justin began racing, making nine starts that season with a best finish of fourteenth at Myrtle Beach Speedway
Myrtle Beach Speedway
The Myrtle Beach Speedway, originally named Rambi Raceway, was built in 1958 and is located on U.S. Route 501 near Myrtle Beach, South Carolina.The speedway is a semi-banked asphaltic oval track that spans...
. Labonte and Glenn Allen, Jr.
Glenn Allen, Jr.
Glenn Allen, Jr. is the co-owner of Allen-Hock Motorsports, an American Speed Association team. He is a former auto racer, participating in both the ASA and the NASCAR Busch Series during his career, and earning the 1996 NBS Rookie of the Year award.-Busch Series:Allen participated in two Busch...
shared the ride to begin the 2000 season, before Justin finished it out. His best finish was 20th at Nashville.
Labonte Motorsports was inactive until Justin began running a part-time schedule in 2004. Driving the #44 United States Coast Guard
United States Coast Guard
The United States Coast Guard is a branch of the United States Armed Forces and one of the seven U.S. uniformed services. The Coast Guard is a maritime, military, multi-mission service unique among the military branches for having a maritime law enforcement mission and a federal regulatory agency...
Dodge Intrepid
Dodge Intrepid
The 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...
, he made sixteen starts and won the Twister 300 at Chicagoland Speedway
Chicagoland Speedway
Chicagoland Speedway is a tri-oval speedway in Joliet, Illinois, USA, southwest of Chicago. The speedway opened in 2001 and currently hosts NASCAR racing including the opening event in the 2011 Chase for the Sprint Cup. Until 2011, the speedway also hosted the IZOD IndyCar Series, recording...
. The team partnered with Haas CNC Racing
Haas CNC Racing
Stewart-Haas Racing, formerly known as Haas CNC Racing, is a NASCAR racing team based in Kannapolis, North Carolina, which runs Chevrolet Impalas. The team is owned by Tony Stewart and Gene Haas, and runs the #14 Office Depot/Mobil 1 Chevrolet Impala driven by Stewart and the #39 United States...
in 2005 to allow Justin to run a full-time schedule in the 44 Chevy. Despite three top-tens and a seventeenth place finish in points, Coast Guard departed for Richard Childress Racing
Richard Childress Racing
RCR Enterprises, LLC, doing business as Richard Childress Racing, is a NASCAR team based in Welcome, North Carolina, and is owned and operated by former driver Richard Childress...
at the end of the season, causing the team to close its doors again.