Terry Labonte, a two-time Winston Cup champion and a 23-year veteran of the stock car racing circuit, told Elon University students Jan. 10 that nothing matches the thrill of winning. Details...
Labonte and his wife, Kim, visited with students in “The Business of NASCAR,” taught by professor Christopher Joiner. Terry Labonte described life on the road, explained the role corporate sponsorships play in the sport and talked about winning at stock car racing’s highest level.
“I think the excitement doesn’t come from actually driving, but winning,” says Labonte. “When you leave the track on Sunday afternoon and you know you’ve beaten the best, that’s a feeling that’s hard to describe.”
Sponsorship dollars are critical for racing teams and drivers in NASCAR, says Labonte. In racing’s early years, team owners and car owners would use their own funds to participate in the sport, Labonte says. “Now, it costs $10 – $12 million a season for a racing team to operate, and you aren’t going to see many owners foot that bill by themselves. This is a sponsor-driven sport, and the sponsors realize that the fans buy these products.”
Kim Labonte told the students NASCAR remains a family-oriented business, something she is grateful for. “We’re lucky to be part of a sanctioning body which welcomes families at the race track,” she says. Terry Labonte estimates he spends about 125 nights away from home each year between races and sponsor events.
In 1984, Labonte became the youngest driver in the modern era to win the Winston Cup championship when he won the title at age 27. Labonte also won the title in 1996, and he has finished in the top 10 of the Winston Cup point standings race 16 times during his career.
Labonte, 45, has won 21 Winston Cup races during his career. His string of 655 consecutive starts, a NASCAR record, finally came to end during the 2000 season.