2006
Justin Labonte returned to Caraway Speedway and won three feature races while campaigning on a limited basis.  He also drove a Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet to a 22nd-place finish in the October Busch Series race at Memphis (Tenn.) Motorsports Park and competed in his first-ever Craftsman Truck Series event in November at Texas Motor Speedway, finishing 23rd in a Bill Davis-owned Toyota.

RACING REMAINS A FAMILY AFFAIR FOR JUSTIN LABONTE

For a number of years, now, friends of the Labonte family have heard the pride in Bob Labonte’s voice whenever he talks about his two famous racing sons: Terry and Bobby.

Today, you still hear that same proud tone when Bob speaks of the family’s racing interests … and more frequently, it’s now the voice of a proud grandfather singing the praises of Justin Labonte.

Away from the bright lights and media glare of NASCAR, Justin (son of two-time Cup Series champion Terry Labonte) is quietly working his way back to the big leagues by working diligently on short tracks throughout the Carolinas.

Tirelessly supporting this effort is his grandfather Bob – who has now become crew chief, head engineer, main mechanic and No. 1 cheerleader all rolled into one.

“It’s hard to compare where Justin is today with where Terry and Bobby were at this point of their careers,” Bob Labonte says of Justin, now 26.  “Times have changed so much.”

But what hasn’t changed is the Labonte work ethic.  Now two years removed from competing regularly in the NASCAR Busch Series, Justin has set about building his own racecars, loading his equipment week in and week out, driving to the track and competing in a completely new arena: on half-mile dirt tracks throughout North Carolina.  And of course, he’s doing all this under the watchful eyes of his grandfather.

“I did say to Terry and Bobby a couple years ago that I thought Justin was better than both of them at this point of their careers,” Bob said.  “When Justin really got going in the Busch Series, I felt that he had better knowledge of his racecar and so much more confidence in his ability than either of them did in their early years.  And the feedback that Justin would send back to the team … well, it was very rare that he was wrong.”

The famed Labonte tenacity is now evident in the progress being shown by Justin on North Carolina dirt tracks Friday and Saturday nights throughout the summer.  Just as the Labonte name first grew famous at venues like Daytona, Darlington and Martinsville, the new generation is making his mark in Dublin, Fayetteville and Madison.

“It’s taken us some time, but we’re finally learning how to read the dirt.” Bob Labonte points out.  “There are subtle characteristics from one track to the next that make it challenging.”

For instance, the track composition of two ovals less than 30 miles apart will be completely different and demand a completely different set of specifications when setting up the racecar.

Perhaps the best measure of Justin’s progress came in recent comments from one of his competitors, who said:  “He knows the fundamentals, he’s got great equipment and he’s very mature for his age.  He’s keeping his car in one piece and everyone else’s, too.”

But make no mistake about it, Justin’s ultimate aim is a return to NASCAR competition on a grand scale.  One of the big steps in that direction will come later this year in a 300-lap late-model event at Martinsville, Va.

“I just can’t go 80 hours a week with Justin like I used to with Terry and Bobby when they were getting started, and worked halfway through the night,” said Bob Labonte.  “But we get things done that are absolutely necessary to get him ready to go back to the track each week and Justin will have plenty of support when he returns to NASCAR.”

Superspeedway dreams often are born of short-track success.  The Labonte legacy is alive and well with Justin’s racing aspirations … under the careful guidance of a savvy grandfather.