Terry Labonte Quietly Ends His NASCAR Career

Terry Labonte's final NASCAR Nextel Cup start at Texas has taken a back seat to all of the hoopla surrounding the Nextel Cup Chase for the Championship, and that is a shame.

Terry Labonte has never been accused of being gregarious or chatty. You will not see Labonte make a desperate attempt to grab people's attention like wannabe comedians/NASCAR drivers Kenny Wallace and Michael Waltrip.
You will never see Terry Labonte being pursued by middle aged women on an All-State commercial, nor will you see him on MTV Cribs. You will not see Labonte knock another driver out of the way on the last lap to win a race.

That's just not him.

The 1984 and 1996 NASCAR Winston Cup champion was branded as the Iceman years ago because of his cool under pressure demeanor. Rarely did Labonte crack under pressure.

Labonte was serene and never allowed his temper to get the best of him. Right off the bat, I can remember two occasions when Labonte appeared to be hot. After being wrecked by his pal Dale Earnhardt at Bristol in 1999, he was visibly peeved, but he withheld his anger, knowing that it would not have taken much to say something he may later regret.

In 2003, after being wrecked by Kurt Busch at Indianapolis, Labonte was vocal in his displeasure and even made a crack on Busch's ears. But other those instances, and the alleged fist fight with Michael Waltrip in 2002, Labonte was controversy-free.

Even in his championship seasons, Labonte seemed to take a back seat. The 1984 season is most remembered as being the year Richard Petty won his 200th and final NASCAR race, not the year that Terry Labonte won his first championship.

In 1996, Hendrick Motorsports teammate Jeff Gordon won 10 races, eight more than Labonte. Still, Labonte's consistency brought another championship trophy to his mantle.

And Terry Labonte didn't celebrate his 1996 Winston Cup championship alone. His little brother Bobby Labonte won that very same race at Atlanta.

The Texas Motor Speedway is considered the Corpus Christi native's home track, so it is fitting that his final Nextel Cup start come at the 1.5 mile facility, but the track that may hold the fondest of memories for Labonte is Darlington Raceway. His first career start came at the South Carolina speedway in 1978, and he finished fourth. Two years later, Darlington was the scene of Labonte's first career win. Twenty-three years later, Labonte won his 22nd and final Cup race at Darlington, a win that was arguably the most popular of the 2003 season.

Labonte never saw the need for a farewell tour; he preferred to go out on his own terms. He was able to pick and choose the races he wanted to run in 2005 and 2006, and now he is prepared to ride off into the sunset.

Many drivers will win races and championships, but let's not forget Terry Labonte and his accomplishments.

Career Statistics
Starts: 847
Wins: 22
Poles: 27
Top-fives: 182
Top-10s: 361
Average start: 17.2
Average finish: 16.0
Laps: 246,776
Laps led: 7,035
Miles: 303,650
Earnings: $40,596,485