Bobby Labonte
Date of Birth: 8 May 1964
Birth Place: Corpus Christi, Texas, USA
Team: Mishumotors
Debut Season: 2017
Starts: 15
Wins: 0
Podiums: 1
Poles: 0
Fastest Laps: 0
Profile:
Bobby Labonte is a household name in the NASCAR circuit since he made his full-time debut in what is now the Xfinity Series in 1990. Bobby won his first NASCAR title when he won the Busch Series title in 1991 driving for his own team Labonte Motorsports before moving to Cup in 1993 with Bill Davis Racing.
A switch to Joe Gibbs Racing to replace Dale Jarrett in the JGR’s No. 18 team in 1995 proved to be the career-deciding move for Bobby, as he was able to finish as the runner-up to Dale Jarrett in 1999 before claiming the Cup title in 2000 to become the first driver to win the Cup Series title for Joe Gibbs. Bobby is the first driver to win both the Xfinity Series and Cup Series titles and with his brother Terry, they become the first pair of brothers to win the championship in the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series.
Initially retiring at the end of the 2016 season after a swansong ride with Go Fas Racing, Bobby made a surprise decision to unretire and compete in the NASCAR Whelen Euro Series full-time for RDV Competition in 2018. Not only Bobby is the first ex-Cup and Xfinity champion to compete in the Euro Series, Bobby is also the first American to compete full-time in the Euro Series. Fittingly, he scored his first Euro Series podium in the short oval track of Tours.
This year, with Bobby leaving RDV to focus more in his activities in the States – including his current job as an analyst for Fox, he will made a part-time campaign in the Euro Series for Mishumotors in the 2019 season with the No. 70 Hurst Shifters Chevrolet SS.
With news that Bobby has been inducted to the NASCAR Hall of Fame as part of its 2020 class earlier this year, he will become the first NASCAR Hall of Famer to have competed in the Euro Series.
Year-by-Year Statistics:
| Season | Class | Car # | Wins | Podiums | Top 5’s | Top 10’s | Points | Pos. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2019 | Elite 1 | 70 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 42 | 31st |
| 2018 | Elite 1 | 18 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 4 | 335 | 14th |
| 2017 | Elite 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 64 | 32nd |
2019 Race-by-Race Statistics:
| Race | Grid Pos | Finish Pos | Status | Points |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Valencia 1 | 23 | 18 | Running | 19 |
| Valencia 2 | 21 | 14 | Running | 23 |
Previous Career Accomplishments:
- 2001 – International Race of Champions Champion
- 2000 – NASCAR Winston Cup Series Champion
- 1999 – NASCAR Winston Cup Series Runner-Up, International Race of Champions 3rd Place
- 1992 – NASCAR Busch Series Runner-Up
- 1991 – NASCAR Busch Series Champion
Previous Career Accomplishments are courtesy of Driver Database.