NASCAR Busch Series Winston Cup Series
What sport did Bobby Labonte participate from 1991 to 1993?
Bobby Labonte Robert Allen Labonte ( born May 8 , 1964 ) is an American professional stock car racing driver . The 2000 NASCAR Winston Cup Series champion , he last competed full-time in the 2018 NASCAR Whelen Euro Series , driving the No . 18 Toyota for RDV Competition , and is an analyst on NASCAR RaceDay for FOX Sports . He and his older brother , Terry Labonte , are one of only two pairs of brothers to have both won the Cup championships ( along with Kurt Busch and Kyle Busch ) . He is also the uncle of former Xfinity Series race winner Justin Labonte . Labonte is the first driver to have won both the Winston Cup championship ( 2000 ) and the Busch Series championship ( 1991 ) in both series current , touring form . ( Ned Jarrett previously won both under the old points championship format ) . Bobby also won the IROC title in 2001 . Labonte is also the first driver to complete the NASCAR Triple Threat at the same track , by winning races at Martinsville in each of NASCARs top three racing series . Racing career . Beginnings . Labonte was born on May 8 , 1964 , in Corpus Christi , Texas . He began racing in 1969 in quarter midgets in his home state of Texas , winning his first feature race one year later . From then until 1977 , he drove in quarter-midgets throughout the United States , winning many races . In 1978 , he advanced to the go-kart ranks , but moved to North Carolina with his family following older brother Terrys advancement to the Winston Cup Series . In 1980 , Bobby made his NASCAR International Sedan Series debut in Atlanta , finishing third . Bobby made his Busch Series debut in 1982 at Martinsville Speedway , finishing 30th . Following his graduation from Trinity High School , he worked as a fabricator on Terrys cars at Hagan Racing . Labonte returned to the Busch Series in 1985 , running two races in a car he owned himself at Martinsville . In his first race , he finished 30th , bringing home only $220 . In his next race , though , he finished in 17th , his best finish so far . The next season , Bobby prepared his own car , which Terry drove , and Terry won his first Busch pole position and finished second at Road Atlanta . Labontes main success came driving late-model stock cars . In 1987 , Labonte won 12 races at Caraway Speedway , clinching the track championship , in addition to working for Jay Hedgecock . The following season , he competed at Concord Motorsports Park , winning six times , and ran six more Busch races , finishing 16th at Darlington Raceway . The next season , he ran seven more Busch Series races and had his first top-five finish at North Carolina Speedway . He had two more top-10s that year . Xfinity Series . 1990 . By 1990 , Labonte had finally earned enough money to race in the Busch Series full-time . He founded his own team , and drove the No . 44 Oldsmobile . He was successful , winning two poles ( both at Bristol Motor Speedway ) , scoring six top-5s , and 17 top-10s . He ended up finishing fourth in the standings and was also voted the Busch Series Most Popular Driver . 1991 . Next season , he continued his second-division success by winning the NASCAR Busch Series championship with two wins , 10 top-five and 21 top-10 finishes . He also won his first Busch Series race , at Bristol , then won again at OReilly Raceway Park in August . In addition to his Busch Series schedule , he made two Winston Cup starts in a Bobby Labonte Racing car at Dover International Speedway and Michigan International Speedway , finishing 34th and 38th , respectively . He won his first Busch Series title . 1992 . His 1992 season was a successful one , and he ended up winning three races ( at Lanier , Hickory , and Martinsville respectively ) , but lost the championship title to Joe Nemechek by three points . That championship finish is , to date , the second-closest finish in the history of NASCARs top three series ( behind the tiebreaker between Tony Stewart and Carl Edwards in the Sprint Cup Series in 2011 ) . 1993 . In 1993 , Labonte was called up by Bill Davis Racing to drive in the Winston Cup Series . He signed a contract to drive the No . 22 Ford Thunderbird . In his rookie season , he won his first pole at Richmond International Raceway , collected six top-10s and finished 19th in points . He was also second place behind Jeff Gordon for Rookie of the Year honors . He also competed in two Busch Series races , winning a pole and finishing second and 24th respectively . Also , Labonte continued to operate his main Busch Series team , hiring David Green to drive for him . Green finished third in points for Bobby Labonte Racing . 1994 . The next season , 1994 , Labonte achieved his second major success as a car owner when his Busch Series driver , David Green , won the championship . It was the second championship , and fifth top-five points finish in five years for Bobby Labonte Racing . He also ran in the Busch Series himself , making 12 starts and earning a victory at Michigan in August . In addition to his Busch Series exploits , Bobby continued running full-time in the Winston Cup series for Bill Davis Racing . He collected one top-5 and two top-10s and finished 21st in the standings , just missing out on the top 20 because of Todd Bodines two-position points standings gain in the final race of the season . 1996–present . In 2007 , Labonte won the Busch Series race at Talladega Speedway in April 2007 , edging Tony Stewart to the line in a thrilling finish . This was his first Busch Series win since 1998 . In the offseason following the 2007 season , Labonte agreed to a 15-race contract to drive the No . 21 Chevrolet for Richard Childress Racing in the now-Nationwide Series for the 2008 season . RCRs No . 21 team earned six victories in 2007 with driver Kevin Harvick , and has earned two of the organizations four series championships . In 2016 , Labonte returned to Joe Gibbs Racing to compete in the Xfinity Series opener at Daytona , driving the No . 18 Camry . Sprint Cup Series . 1995–2000 . At the end of the 1994 season , Labonte departed to replace Dale Jarrett as the driver of the No.18 Interstate Batteries-sponsored Chevrolet for Joe Gibbs Racing . Labonte would pick up his first career win in the Coca-Cola 600 in 1995 , a win he would call in 2018 the favorite of his career . He would also go on to sweep the races at Michigan and finish 10th in the standings . In 1996 , Labonte won the season-ending race at Atlanta , the same race where his brother Terry won the championship . The two took a victory lap together in what Labonte said was one of the most emotional and memorable moments of [ his ] life . That year , he finished 11th in the points standings . In 1997 , Gibbs switched car makes to a Pontiac Grand Prix . Labonte would go on to win the season-ending race at Atlanta for the second year in a row . He ended up seventh in the standings , his best finish at that point in his career . In 1998 , Labonte won at both Atlanta and Talladega , as well as pole positions for both Daytona races , finishing second to Dale Earnhardt in the 500 . He finished the year in sixth in final points , improving by a position . In 1999 , Labonte won five Winston Cup races , the most he has ever won in a single season . He won at Dover in the spring , swept both Pocono races ( he was the third to accomplish this particular sweep , after Bobby Allison in 1982 and Tim Richmond in 1986 ; since 1999 , Jimmie Johnson in 2004 , Denny Hamlin in 2006 , and Dale Earnhardt Jr . in 2014 have also done this ) , the second Michigan race , and the season finale at Atlanta . However , during the season , he suffered a broken shoulder in an accident while qualifying for a Busch Series race at Darlington Raceway , but raced in the Cup event two days later . Labonte started the race , but at the 1st caution was relieved by Matt Kenseth . He finished second in the points to Dale Jarrett , losing the championship by 201 points . In 2000 , Labonte won four races , the early-season race at Rockingham , the Brickyard 400 at Indianapolis , the Southern 500 at Darlington , and the fall race at Charlotte . He led the point standings for 25 weeks straight after taking over at California , and never relinquished it on the way to winning the Winston Cup championship , finishing ahead of Earnhardt by 265 points , completing all but nine of the 10,167 laps that season , with 4 wins , 19 top five finishes , 24 top ten finishes , 3 poles , an average finish of 7.4 , and had zero DNFs . 2001–2005 . Labonte began the 2001 season with a seventh-place finish in the Bud Shootout . At the Daytona 500 , he and his teammate Tony Stewart were two of the 18 drivers involved in a crash on lap 173 . Labontes hood broke off and got attached to Stewarts car , which flipped over twice . After getting out of his , Labonte was seen checking on Stewart to make sure he was okay . The accident was overshadowed by Dale Earnhardts fatal crash on the last lap of the same race . The following week at Rockingham , Labonte was narrowly beaten to the finish line by Steve Park in the rain-delayed Dura Lube 400 . He did not have another Top 10 finish until the Virginia 500 at Martinsville , where he finished in eighth . This was followed by a fifth-place finish in the Talladega 500 . His next Top 10 was another fifth-place finish in the Coca-Cola 600 . After less successful finishes at Dover and Michigan , Labonte had a second eighth-place finish at Pocono and a seventh-place finish at Sonoma , and a third fifth-place finish in the Pepsi 400 . At the end of July , Labonte won his first points-race of the year in the Pennsylvania 500 at Pocono . After the win , Labontes next Top 10 was a ninth-place finish at Watkins Glen , then eighth and third-place finishes at Bristol and Darlington , and a sixth-place finish at Richmond . He did not have back-to-back Top 10s again until the autumn races at Charlotte and Martinsville , where he finishing 10th and fourth respectively . In the fall at Talladega , Labonte started 34th . He managed to work his way up the field and took the lead on lap 107 . He led for 23 laps before falling back in the pack . He retook the lead on lap 184 but was involved in a frightening last lap crash . After leading three laps , Labonte was leading at the white flag on the outside lane . Going into turn 1 , Dale Earnhardt , Jr . overtook him in the lower groove , bringing Tony Stewart and Jeff Burton with him . Labonte moved up the track , trying to block Bobby Hamilton , but coming onto the back straightaway , Hamilton tapped him from behind . Labonte made contact with Johnny Benson , Jr . — sending that driver into the outside wall — and then spun , flipping over , and skidding partway down the track on his roof . This crash also collected Jason Leffler , Sterling Marlin , Robby Gordon , Mike Wallace , Ricky Craven , Terry Labonte , Buckshot Jones , Ricky Rudd , Ward Burton , and more . Labontes next Top 10 was another ninth-place finish at Rockingham . After winning at Atlanta and a third-place finish at the postponed New Hampshire 300 , he finished sixth in the final points standings . During 2001 , Labonte won the IROC XXV title , becoming the 13th consecutive NASCAR driver to win the IROC championship . In 2002 , Labonte only had one win , which was at Martinsville in the spring . He also drove a 9/11 Tribute car in 2002 with the phrase Lets Roll on the hood . It was his first career short-track win at Martinsville . He went on to finish 16th in the final points standings , and failed to finish in the Top 10 for the first time since 1996 , while his teammate Stewart went on to win the championship . In 2003 , Labonte rebounded and finished eighth in the standings after winning two races ( Atlanta and Homestead [ leading only the final lap ] ) . Also , Labonte went on a tear during the spring with three straight second-place finishes . In 2004 , Labonte did not win a race for the first time since 1994 ( ten years later ) , and finished 12th in the standings . 2005 saw much of the same . Labonte fell out of the Top 20 in points , and only had four Top 5s , one of which was a dramatic second at Lowes Motor Speedway in the Coca-Cola 600 . He also went on to race some Truck Series events , which included a win at Martinsville . His win there made him join an elite group of drivers that have won in all three divisions at one track . In fact , with his win , he became the first driver to do so . He also ran the 24 Hours of Daytona road race , sharing a car with his brother Terry , Jan Magnussen and Bryan Herta . After the disappointing 2005 season , Labonte asked and was granted to be released from Joe Gibbs Racing , having spent the last eleven seasons there . Labonte joined Petty Enterprises to drive the famous No . 43 . 2006–2008 . In his inaugural season in the famous No . 43 car , Labonte collected three Top 5s and eight Top 10s . His Top 5s included an impressive run at the Martinsville Speedway , where he finished third after being in contention for the win much of the day . He ended up finishing 21st in the points standings , three spots better than he did two years before . Labonte began the 2007 season with a 21st-place finish in the Daytona 500 , after avoiding the many accidents the race had . Labonte would end the year with no Top 5s and only three Top 10s . However , due to a more consistent season , he finished 18th in the standings , a three-position improvement over 2006 . In November , Labonte formed a full-service marketing agency , Breaking Limits , which is based in Huntersville , North Carolina . In 2008 , Labonte continued his contract with Petty Enterprises , but experienced a largely unsuccessful season , gathering only three Top 10s and no Top 5s on his way to finishing 21st in the Sprint Cup point standings . In December of that year , Labonte was released from Petty Enterprises while the team was negotiating a deal with a private equity firm that fell through , and Petty partnered with Gillett Evernham Motorsports . 2009 . On January 13 , 2009 , Labonte was confirmed to be the driver of the No . 96 Ford Fusion for Hall of Fame Racing , now in a partnership with Yates Racing . In the 2009 Spring Las Vegas race , the Shelby 427 , Labonte recorded his first Top 5 with Hall of Fame racing , and his best finish since he finished third in the Fall Martinsville race in 2006 . However , that was his only Top 5 run for the year . With eleven races remaining in the 2009 season , Labonte was replaced for Erik Darnell for 7 of the final eleven races due to sponsorship problems with the No . 96 . Labonte found a ride with TRG Motorsports and its 71 for the 7 races he was out of the 96 . In his first race at Atlanta , Labonte ran inside the Top 20 all night and scored an 18th-place finish . Two races later Labonte gave TRG its best qualifying effort with an eighth-place start , Labonte came home 22nd . At Talladega , Labonte finished 10th after , at one point , running second in that race to Dale Earnhardt , Jr . 2010 . From February 2010 – June 2010 , Labonte drove for TRG Motorsports and its No . 71 . Even though TRGs 2009 owner points were not enough to make the field guaranteed for the first five races of 2010 , Labontes past championship provisional gave the team that to fall back on , in the case that Labontes qualifying runs are not fast . For 2010 , Labonte was also reunited with Doug Randolph as his crew chief . Randolph finished the 2007 season with Labonte in the No . 43 for Petty Enterprises , posting two of three of Labontes Top 10 runs . TRG also announced an alliance with Richard Childress Racing for 2010 . RCR shared technology and equipment with TRG for the season . They also formed an alliance with Stewart Haas Racing , as Tony Stewart will provide a pit crew to the team . In his first race in the TRG , Labonte finished 21st in the Daytona 500 after he started 42nd with a champions provisional . For much of the race , Labonte was in the Top 25 . He would end up fading back over the next few races , as he and the team would struggle for consistency . On the May 16th Dover race , due to lack of sponsorship , Labonte and the 71 team parked the car after 66 laps . Arguably , some people might say that this season is the worst of his full-time career , as he only had two top 20 finishes in 2010 one at the Daytona 500 and one at the Infineon Raceway road course event . On June 22 , 2010 , it was announced that Labonte would be leaving the No . 71 due to the team being unable to secure sponsorship . On June 23 , Labonte was hired to drive car No . 7 for Robby Gordon Motorsports at New Hampshire in a one-race deal . C&J Energy Services entered into a partnership with Phoenix Racing which allowed Labonte to be hired to take over the No . 09 car beginning at Daytona and Labonte split the rest of the 2010 season between Phoenix Racing and TRG Motorsports . On October 11 , Stavola-Labonte Racing hired Labonte to drive its No . 10 car at Charlotte and Texas in a two-race deal . The team is co-owned by Bobbys older brother Terry . Despite bouncing around , Labonte competed in every race for the 2010 season . 2011–2012 . Labonte replaced Marcos Ambrose as the full-time driver of the No . 47 JTG Daugherty Racing Toyota Camry , with support from Michael Waltrip Racing . He finished 4th in the Daytona 500 , earning Labonte his 200th career top 10 finish in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series . Earning only one more top 10 finish so far in the season . JTG Daugherty Racing and Michael Waltrip Racing received a penalty for violating section 12-1 , 12-4-J , and 20-3.2.1A . Crew Chief Frankie Kerr was fined $50,000 and was suspended from 4 NASCAR Sprint Cup Championship events , and suspended from NASCAR until November , 23 . The same penalty was for Michael Waltrip Racing and the car chief for each team . The owners of the numbers 47 ( Tad Geschickter ) ; 56 ( Michael Waltrip ) ; and 00 ( Rob Kauffman ) ; were penalized 25 owner points . The drivers were also penalized 25 driver points . For the 2012 season , Labonte returned to the No . 47 car with most of the sponsors returning also . JTG Daugherty Racing also announced they will no longer operate out of the Michael Waltrip Racing shop . Todd Berrier took over the role as the crew chief . The crew chief at the time , Frank Kerr , moved to the position of shop foreman . 2013–2016 . Labonte ran in the 47 for the entire season until the 2013 Quicken Loans 400 at Michigan International Speedway , in which he ran the No . 51 for Phoenix Racing . Labonte ran at Sonoma Raceway in the 47 , but was subsequently replaced by A . J . Allmendinger in the 47 for selected races starting at the 2013 Quaker State 400 at Kentucky Speedway , ending Labontes streak of consecutive starts at 704 . The streak was second only to Jeff Gordons . Later in the year Labonte suffered broken ribs in a cycling accident , forcing him to miss three races , starting with the AdvoCare 500 at Atlanta . His last race with JTG Daughtery was at Phoenix International Raceway in November 2013 ; released afterwards , in December 2013 he announced that he would be running part-time in the 2014 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series in a second car for HScott Motorsports . During practice for the 2014 Daytona 500 Labonte blew an engine , and although he qualified for his 22nd consecutive 500 , he was relegated to the back of the starting grid . Labonte finished the race in 15th . A deal to run for James Finch in additional races fell through , thus Labonte did not make another start for the first half of the season . Instead , he tested cars for Richard Childress Racing . At the summer Daytona race , he drove the No . 33 RCR Chevrolet that Brian Scott had driven to the pole at Talladega , running under the Circle Sport banner . Labonte qualified 4th and contended for the lead at the beginning of the race , but was caught up in the Big One , finishing 26th . Tommy Baldwin Racing would field the No . 37 car with Accell Construction as the sponsor for Labonte at Indianapolis . In December 2014 , Labonte announced that he would drive for Go FAS Racing on the restrictor-plate tracks in 2015 , taking over for his brother Terry who retired after the 2014 GEICO 500 . He finished 24th at the 2015 Daytona 500 . In the spring Talladega race , Labonte finished 27th . The 2015 Coke Zero 400 did not go well for Labonte , as he was caught up in an early crash caused by David Gilliland and finished 43rd . For the Fall Talladega race , he finished 23rd , his best finish of the season . In 2016 , Labonte received the sponsorship of Bombardier Recreational Products and Cyclops Gear allowing him to run the four restrictor plate races for Go FAS Racing . For the Daytona 500 , Labonte would finish 31st . For Talladega , Labonte would finish 19th . Coming back to Daytona , Labonte would finish 24th . Coming back to Talladega , Labonte would finish 31st . Following the 2016 season , it was announced that Labonte would not return to Go FAS . Whelen Euro Series . In June 2017 , Labonte competed in the NASCAR Whelen Euro Series race weekend at Brands Hatch , driving the No . 1 Ford for Alex Caffi Motorsport . He became the first Cup Series champion to race in the Euro Series . He started 22nd in both of the weekends two races , and finished 10th and 14th . In 2018 , Labonte joined RDV Competition to drive the No . 18 Toyota full-time in the Euro Series . Broadcasting career . In February 2014 , it was announced that Labonte would appear as a racing analyst for the new program NASCAR America on NBCSN . He made his TV debut early in the 2014 season . In 2017 , Labonte made the move to FS1 as an analyst on Race Hub and Race Day programs . Personal life . Labonte currently resides in High Point , North Carolina with his wife Kristin . He has two children from his previous marriage to Donna Slate , Robert Tyler and Madison , and is an avid outdoorsman . Tyler recently graduated from Texas A&M and is now in law school at Campbell University in Buies Creek , North Carolina . Tyler has worked on political campaigns for Thom Tillis and served in 2014 as an intern for Interstate Batteries , which sponsored Bobbys 2000 championship season . Madison began school at Appalachian State University in the spring of 2017 . Labonte also owns Breaking Limits , a marketing , public relations , events and sponsorship agency , working out of High Point , North Carolina . Labonte continues to own a Red Mango yogurt shop on the campus of Duke University . The Bobby Labonte Foundation continues to provide grants to non-profit organizations located in the Triad of North Carolina whose work supports building stronger foundations for children and their families . Labonte also founded Longhorn Chassis with his brother Terry in 2010 . Longhorn Chassis builds dirt late model race cars . Motorsports career results . NASCAR . Whelen Euro Series - Elite 1 . Season still in progress External links . - Bobby Labonte at NASCAR.com