Spouse: Donna Kids: Robert Tyler, Madison Elizabeth Hometown: Corpus Christi, TX Birthdate: May 8, 1964 Personal Vehicle: Chevrolet Suburban Hobbies: Fishing, Remote control cars, Flying Bobby Labonte quickly found out in 2001 the pressure that is brought to bear on the Winston Cup champion, but the genial Texan's soft smile and systematic nature are ideally suited to the varied responsibilities inherent with the champion's crown. Labonte's first Winston Cup championship season was charmed in numerous ways, but the Corpus Christi native won the title in his ninth season based on excellence and consistency, a trend fashioned the year before by Dale Jarrett. Labonte's No. 18 Interstate Batteries Pontiac scored a remarkable 19 top-5 finishes, including victories at Rockingham, Indianapolis, Darlington and Charlotte; and 24 top-10s. Labonte was one of only two drivers, along with second place Dale Earnhardt, to complete the season with no DNFs. His worst finish was 26th; one of only two finishes outside the top-20. Of course, Labonte and crew chief Jimmy Makar created a lot of their luck, but among their more fortuitous brushes with disaster occurred at Darlington in the fall, where Labonte wrecked his primary car in practice when its throttle apparently stuck. Then, after escaping serious injury there, he won the race without leading a green flag lap when his crew got him out of the pits first under a caution for rain, after which the race was called. Labonte created milestones for becoming one of the first set of brothers, along with 1984 and 1996 champion Terry Labonte, to win the Winston Cup title as well as becoming the first Busch Series champ (1991) to win the Winston Cup crown. Labonte finished sixth in the Daytona 500 to open the season then won the very next week. He took the point lead after finishing fifth in the third race of the season, at Las Vegas, and only lost the lead for one week after that, when he finished 21st at Talladega on April 16. In the course of the season Labonte led in more races than anyone in the series, 23 of 34 events, and he clinched the title with a single race remaining. He won the prestigious Brickyard 400 at Indianapolis Motor Speedway to win a career best first-place check of $831,225, calling it one of his career highlights. That pushed him toward an obvious career high in season winnings of $7,361,386. Labonte forecast his Joe Gibbs Racing team as a championship favorite in 1999 with a career high five victories and an astounding 23 top-5 finishes, as he finished second to Jarrett, who he ironically replaced as Gibbs' driver. Labonte began racing Quarter-Midgets in Texas in 1969, then graduated to karts in 1978. He began his Winston Cup career in 1984 as a crewmember at Hagan Racing, where his brother Terry won the series championship. He went to work for car builder Jay Hedgecock in 1987 and also raced Late Model Stock Cars at Caraway Speedway in Asheboro, N.C., winning the track championship with 12 wins and seven poles in 23 races. He ran the full Busch Series schedule for the first time in 1990, finishing fourth in the point race. He won the 1991 Busch Series championship and scored his first series victory, at Bristol. He won three Busch Series races in 1992 but was edged out by Joe Nemechek in the closest point race in series history. Labonte's first career Winston Cup victory came in 1995 in the Coca-Cola 600 at Charlotte. Later that year he swept both races at Michigan. The No. 18 has won at least one race every year since.
