Labonte’s passion goes beyond setting records

Thursday, Oct. 29, 1998 | 1:34 a.m.

By MIKE HARRIS

AP Motorsports Writer

It began with a blown engine just seven laps into the race.

Terry Labonte, running for the first time as a regular in NASCAR's top series, finished dead last in the 1979 Winston Western 500.

Disappointed and frustrated, he had no way of knowing on a January day nearly two decades ago that a NASCAR record for longevity had begun.

"It doesn't seem like it's been that long," said Labonte, who last Sunday in Phoenix quietly - as he does almost everything - finished 10th in his record 600th consecutive start.

Over the years, as his stature has grown, Labonte has acquired a handful of nicknames.

Labonte was "Texas Terry" when he came out of Corpus Christi in 1978, driving five races that first year for friend and fellow Texan Billy Hagan. Labonte offered a hint of what was to follow, finishing fourth in his debut in the Southern 500 at difficult Darlington Raceway.

By the time he won his first Winston Cup title, in 1984, Labonte was "The Iceman," cool under pressure.

When he won his second series championship in 1996, he was "The Ironman," eclipsing Richard Petty's record of 513 consecutive starts.

Now, three weeks shy of his 42nd birthday, Labonte is "Mr. Consistency," likely to make the record for consecutive starts as difficult to reach as Cal Ripken's baseball standard of playing in 2,632 consecutive games.

"Back then, we were just trying to prove we belonged," said Hagan, also Labonte's car owner in 1984. "I knew Terry had a lot of talent before we ever came to NASCAR, but I don't think anybody could have foreseen what he has accomplished. He's a phenomenon."

Last month, Ripken finally took himself out of the Baltimore Orioles' lineup, a move somewhat surprising to Labonte.

"I admire Cal," Labonte said. "I met him when I broke Richard's streak. When he first did it, I thought, 'What did he do that for?'

"But I think he made his decision to do what he did because his team wasn't playing as well as he hoped and he didn't want people to feel he was hurting the team."

Could Labonte end his own run similarly?

"I guess, if I ever felt I was hurting my team by continuing, I'd make the same decision," he said.

But, in a sport where drivers stay the course despite virtually anything short of a head injury, that shouldn't be soon.

"I've got age 50 in the back of my mind," he said. "That's how long I want to compete. But, if I can still compete on this level, at that point 52 might look good."

He'll be setting no precedents, however.

"I look back at Harry Gant.," Labonte said. "He started at 39 and was a rookie the same year I was, and he was still winning races at 52."

As he prepares for his 605th career start Sunday in Rockingham, N.C., Labonte has many pleasant memories of his days of thunder.

His favorite was clinching the 1996 championship at Atlanta Motor Speedway as younger brother Bobby was winning the race.

"Driving that victory lap next to Bobby was the greatest moment of my life in racing," he said. "Someday, I'd love it if I could win the race and Bobby won the championship, and we could do that again."

But that second championship meant more to the elder Labonte than simply brotherly love.

"I went 12 years between championships, and I had gone four years without a win," he said. "A lot of people in the garage area had doubts about me.

"And my kids were too young to remember that first championship. The second one, they were a part of."

Although he hasn't had a great year in 1998, there's not much question Labonte is still one of the best drivers. He won for the 20th time in his career and is ninth in the points race.

He is proud of his records and somewhat amazed by the way NASCAR has grown.

"Who'd have ever dreamed there'd be 30 million cereal boxes with my picture on them," he said with a grin.