|
 |   |
|
EVENTS Fantasy Central Inside Game Video Plus Statitudes Your Turn Message Boards Email Newsletters Golf Guide Cities 
CNNSI.com GROUP
COMMERCE
|  |
Many thanks Labonte credits parents, Gibbs for championship
Updated: Sunday December 10, 2000 10:08 PM
NEW YORK (AP) -- Bobby Labonte figured years ago he could drive his way to the NASCAR title if the circumstances were right. His got his first help from his parents, whom he thanked Friday night for spending "the time you didn't have and the money you didn't have." Now Labonte works for Joe Gibbs, who knows plenty about building winners. Six seasons after coming aboard, Labonte is the Winston Cup champion and Gibbs is threatening to dominate stock car racing the way his Washington Redskins once ruled the NFL. "The reality of being the Winston Cup champion has really begun to sink in," Labonte said," accepting the trophy and a check for $3,386,640 at the NASCAR awards banquet. The 36-year-old Texan joins older brother Terry as the first siblings to win stock-car racing's ultimate prize. Terry, 44, won in 1984 and 1996. "I grew up watching Terry and admiring his driving style," Bobby said. Neither blew away the competition nor came close to leading the circuit in victories. Terry won two races in each of his championship seasons, while Bobby took the checkered flag four times this year. Earlier, Bobby spoke of the turning point of his career and the season in which it finally came to fruition. "This was all about consistency, patience and having a great team," he said. "Once I started driving for Joe Gibbs Racing, I began to think I could win the title." Now that he has it, Labonte seems as humble as he has throughout his eight years in NASCAR's elite division. He credits Gibbs, crew chief Jimmy Makar and the team for his success.
"I'm so proud of this," Labonte said. "I have a responsibility to be a good champion, a good representative of my sport. "This is a tribute to Joe and Jimmy, and everybody who made it possible." And the man they still call "Coach" is back on top once more. Gibbs, who led the Redskins to three titles in four Super Bowl appearances before retiring after the 1992 season, might just be starting a dynasty. Always considered an outstanding evaluator of talent, he saw a potential champion in Labonte. He was right, but it might not stop there. Tony Stewart, the second-year driver for Gibbs, led the circuit with six victories, and he and Labonte will enter the 2001 season as perhaps co-favorites to win the crown. That brings a smile to Gibbs" face, but he knows how tough winning can be in a sport where 14 drivers divided the 34 races. Winning again will be difficult, Gibbs concedes. "I think that will be a real challenge," he said. "Trying to repeat at anything it hard. It's just a struggle to do that. "But we've got two great drivers. You give both of them great stuff, and whatever happens, happens. There's no deals. Just go out there and go for it." Labonte finds it interesting that his next title chase might be waged against teammate Stewart, who in 1999 nearly wrecked him coming out of the pits as their Pontiacs vied for the lead late in a Stewart win. Labonte was angry at first, but understands the fire that has made his teammate a major force in just two seasons. "I let Joe handle that stuff," Labonte says now with a laugh. "Tony apologized and we went on." That's the way it is with the low-key Labontes. Bobby has a little of the cool Terry has always displayed, something that won him the nickname "The Iceman." Bobby was hoping to carry a little of that with him to the rostrum. "I'm nervous," he said hours before accepting the Winston Cup at the Waldorf-Astoria. "I was thinking toward the end of the season about getting it over with, and now I'm thinking about getting through all this." Then his thoughts will turn to 2001, and he'll be back in the car next month, testing for the season-opening Daytona 500. Labonte will try to build on a season in which he did not fail to finish a race. He completed all but nine laps in 2000. Still, he insists he can do better, and knows he's smarter than he was in 1999, when he crashed after trying to gain some points near the end of a race. "I thought about that for a long while," said Labonte, who lost ground in his vain pursuit of eventual champion Dale Jarrett. "You learn from your mistakes. If you don't, shame on you."
| |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
