Texas Terry, The Iceman, and later, The Ironman. These were all nicknames for two time NASCAR Winston Cup champion Terry Labonte. Terry Labonte started racing midget cars at age seven and won a national title when he was nine. He came to the NWC series in 1978 and made his first start at Darlington. It was the first time he had ever seen the track, and the 21 year old finished fourth. Labonte started five Cup races in 1978 and had two top five finishes and three top tens.

 

                                                  
                                                  
                               

                                                 
                                                 

                                                 
                                                  
                     Texas short track Terry

Labonte ran for the rookie of the year award in 1979. That year's rookie class also included Harry Gant and eventual ROY Dale Earnhardt. He earned his first Cup victory in 1980 at Darlington in the Southern 500. Darlington is special to Labonte. The Lady in Black is the site of his first start, first win, and last win. All in the Southern 500.

Texas Terry won the Winston Cup championship in 1984 and again in 1996. He was the Iceman on his way to his first title in 1984, and then the Ironman, after breaking Richard Petty's record of consecutive starts,in route to title number two in 1996. He would run the consecutive starts streak up to 655 until inner ear problems from a wreck in the Pepsi 400 in 2000 caused him to miss the next two starts.

                                   Terry Labonte in the Billy Hagen owned Chevy in 1983

Labonte's feats behind the wheel are widespread. He has been on championship teams in the 24 Hours of Daytona and the 12 Hours of Sebring. He was the IROC champion in 1989 and 1993. He won the Busch Clash in 1985, and The Winston in 1988 and 1999. He and brother Bobby were both inducted into the Texas Hall of Fame in 2002.

                              

                                

                                                 
                                            The Iceman, IROC Champion

Terry Labonte was named one of NASCAR's 50 greatest drivers in 1998. His total wins during his career were 22, along with 27 pole posititions in 851 starts. He also won multiple times in NASCAR's then Busch Series, and once in the Craftsman Truck Series.

                                     

                                                Labonte in the Junior Johnson Chevy

Two time champion, Terry Labonte, made his final Cup start last year at Watkins Glen. With his valuable past champion's provisional he is sure to get more offers from desperate car owners to drive for them. I for one would prefer to remember The Iceman taking the checkered flag for a victory lap around Darlington, holding it through his window, after winning his last race, the Southern 500.