CONCORD, N.C. - This weekend at Texas Motor Speedway, Kasey Kahne will have a special decal on his Farmers Chevrolet SS – one that will honor a former driver of the No. 5 car, Terry Labonte.
Labonte, also known as “Texas Terry,” grew up in the Lone Star State and will be the first Texan inducted into the NASCAR Hall of Fame since its inception in 2010.
While driving for Hendrick Motorsports, Labonte competed in 387 Sprint Cup series races, earning 12 wins, 64 top-five finishes, 125 top-10 finishes. In 1996, Labonte became a two-time champion, which also marked the second Cup championship for the organization.
Labonte calls his time at Hendrick Motorsports “a chance of a lifetime.”
“Everybody doesn’t get the opportunity to drive for a team that’s as good as they are and a team that has an opportunity to win a championship,” Labonte said. “That just doesn’t happen all the time. It was a great organization, great team and you’ll not find a better owner to drive for than Rick Hendrick. For us to win some races and win a championship was really incredible.”
Keith Rodden, crew chief on the No. 5 team, remembers watching Labonte race the No. 5 as a kid, and now he will have the opportunity to have his name on the car this weekend.
“Terry has a lot of history with the No. 5, so it means the world to have his name on the car this weekend,” Rodden said. “He ran really well and won a championship in the No. 5 car. I think it’s really cool that he won his championships so far apart. It really shows what kind of a driver he was and what he meant to the sport. It's fitting that he is being inducted into the Hall of Fame.”
On January 22, 2016, Labonte will join four others who have made an impact in the sport at the NASCAR Hall of Fame induction ceremony.