Race car driver Labonte reflects on Hall of Fame career

If it depended on Terry Labonte, you would likely never know he’s headed for inclusion into the NASCAR Hall of Fame in January.

He’s as understated as Donald Trump is brash.

Labonte was the ironman of his sport, a guy who showed up day after day, week after week and talked with his hands on a steering wheel.

Four decades after beginning a career in NASCAR’s top competitive level to modest expectations at the Southern 500 in Darlington, S.C., Labonte will be the first Texan inducted into the series hall of fame and formally take his place among the state’s greatest race car drivers.

Rutherford, Foyt and Texas Terry Labonte, the 58-year-old Corpus Christi native.

“It’s like showing up for your job every day,” Labonte said during a lunch hour promotional stop on Monday. “You don’t call in sick. You show up and do your job as well as you can every weekend.

“This is the biggest honor you could receive. It’s something I never dreamed of.”

Labonte’s Hall class includes Jerry Cook, Bobby Isaac, Curtis Turner and Bruton Smith, chairman of Speedway Motorsports, the parent company of TMS.

A two-time Cup series champion in 1984 and 1996, Labonte made 890 starts over a 37-year career. He won 22 races, including the race at Texas Motor Speedway in 1999, a personal favorite, he said.

In all, 506 top-10 finishes, including a fourth at Darlington in the Southern 500 in his first Cup race in 1978. He remembered that race every bit has much as his famed run-ins with Dale Earnhardt — a fellow rookie of 1978 — in 1995 and ’99.

Labonte had 14 top 10s in 30 starts during his rookie season.

Unlike today’s self-promoters seemingly everywhere with every self-serving social media tool at their disposal, Labonte displayed an old-school gentleman’s humility.

“That’s about as much as you’ll ever hear him talk about himself,” said TMS president Eddie Gossage, referring to Labonte’s hour-long discussion. “He’s always been one of my favorites, just because of the way he conducted himself.”

Not a man of many words, Labonte shared some memories Monday.

Labonte joked about his first race, recalling the rookie meeting in which a videotape was played of the race the year before. It showed the don’ts of racing at this level, such as entering and exiting pits. The guy driving his car the year before at Darlington was a constant in the picture frame.

“I sat there and thought ‘Oh, man … whatever you do, don’t make next year’s video.’ So I listened to what they said.”

Like the construction and opening of TMS in 1997, the Southern 500 would have an enduring place in Labonte’s career. In 1980, the track was the site of his first victory, and in 2003 it was the site of his last victory.

Labonte retired for good from a part-time schedule in 2014.

A searing memory, at least for fans, was what is considered by many the greatest finish at Bristol Motor Speedway in 1999. Labonte and Earnhardt, hunting and fishing associates, battled all night with the Texan finally overtaking the Intimidator with a lap to go.

Earnhardt wrecked him, he said, unintentionally.

“Just to rattle him,” said Earnhardt, who drove to victory. Labonte was miffed.

“He knew I was going to get him back. I never had the right opportunity,” Labonte said. “He was a different guy away from the track than on it.”

Labonte paused.

“We didn’t go hunting that year.”

This story was originally published October 19, 2015 at 5:40 PM with the headline "Race car driver Labonte reflects on Hall of Fame career."