32-time NASCAR winner Bobby Labonte, aged 58, has had many brushes with retirement, but none of them have seemed to stick.
What Does Retirement Mean to Bobby Labonte?
Technically, Bobby Labonte retired in 2016. That is to say, he retired from racing in NASCAR. He hasn’t entirely retired from racing, nor does he see himself doing so for a while.
However, not even a year later, in 2017, Labonte found himself in Europe competing in the NASCAR Wheelen Euro Series. He finished in a respectable 10th and 14th place, in the two races he participated in, and was the first American NASCAR champion to race in the Euro series.
Another year later, in 2018, Labonte stayed in the Euro series by driving the No.18 Toyota full-time for the RDV Competition. The Euro series held his attention the next year as well.
Solid first practice in Valencia @EuroNASCAR Here’s a good look at the Rdv Compétition #18 Toyota Camry. Getting to know the racetrack and sponsor @yaccosas today #NWES #international #NASCAR pic.twitter.com/CpWA3hIS8T
— Bobby Labonte (@Bobby_Labonte) April 13, 2018
Labonte was inducted into the NASCAR hall of fame in 2020. The next year, Labonte competed on the SMART modified tour and won two features, but couldn’t compete full-time.
What stopped him was his commitment to the Superstar Racing Experience or the SRX. 2022 has already proven to be a busy year for Labonte as he has been slated to compete in both the SMART Modified Tour, full-time, and the SRX.
He just scored his first-ever SRX victory in Nashville. Suffice it to say that Bobby Labonte is not stopping anytime soon.
If you look back at his life, it’s not a surprise that Bobby Labonte has carved out such a niche for himself in racing even after retiring. That’s just who he is.
A Brief Biography of Bobby Labonte
Born May 8, 1964, in Corpus Christi, Texas, racing was an inevitability not only for Bobby but his older brother as well: Terry Labonte.
The two brothers are the only pair of brothers, along with Kurt and Kyle Busch, who have both won championships in NASCAR’s top series.
Labonte started racing in 1969, at an unbelievably early age in quarter midget racing in Texas, and won his first feature race only a year later. His early success led to him racing in quarter midgets throughout the country from 1977 onward.
In just a year, he graduated from midget racing to go-karts and moved to North Carolina with his family, as his brother had advanced to the cup series. The younger Labonte made his debut a couple of years later, but ended up finishing 30th.
After previously racing in various divisions, Labonte returned in 1985 and drove his car. Although he finished 30th again in his first race, he vindicated himself by finishing 17th in the second.
The following season he finished second and thus began his rise through the ranks to the champion he ended up becoming. Since 1990, when Labonte earned enough to race full-time, his star has not dimmed.
Bobby Labonte’s Early Career Highlights
Labonte’s career is one of the highest highs, and he has a long career of highlights to show for it.
His first career victory was in 1991 at Bristol, the first of two wins that occurred that year. He would go on to win the Busch ( now called Xfinity) Series title, along with 10 top-fives and 21 top-10s.
He would win three Busch races in 1992 and round it out with 13 top-fives and 19 top-10s. Still, he couldn’t win the title by three points.
The year 1993 came with Labonte finishing second to Jeff Gordon for Rookie of the Year. It was also the year he ran his first full Cup season.
It was from the year 1995 that Labonte’s career began to flourish. And from 1995 to 2003, he would finish in the top 10 seven times and won all 21 of his career races, as well as the 2000 championship.
A Look at Bobby Labonte’s Family
Bobby Labonte comes from a family deeply entrenched in racing, as evident by his brother Terry Labonte
Bobby Labonte is currently married to his wife Kristin. He was previously married to Donna Slate and has two children from that marriage. Robert Tyler and Madison.