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This week
is monumental to those in the sports world as we bid adieu to
two legends. Arnold “Red” Auerbach passed away this week at the
age of 89, a legend in the NBA and whose shoes will never be
filled, his records probably never broken. We also say thanks to
Terry “Ice Man” Labonte at Texas Motor Speedway, as he retires
from a career of stock car racing, which officially started in
1979.
The
personalities of these two gentlemen seem to be total opposites,
but they share the same morals and ethics; something that more
people in this world need. Red was flamboyant, spoke eloquently
and honestly. When he spoke, everyone in the NBA listened.
Terry, on the other hand, was quiet and reserved, but always
honest. When Labonte spoke, you had to be silent to listen, but
that you did – you listened. Terry, no matter how he was
treated, never had a bad word to say of his teammates or his
employer.
 Both
men were leaders in their sport. The Boston Celtics always
remembered Red. They never had to be reminded what he
accomplished with the teams throughout the 56 years with him as
coach and general manager. On the other hand, Hendrick
Motorsports pushed Terry Labonte to the back burner when they
brought Jimmie Johnson into their organization, as he was older
than Johnson was and not as valuable.
Rick
Hendrick brought Terry Labonte to his team in 1994. At that
time, Terry had already won a Winston Cup Championship in 1984
driving for Billy Hagan. Labonte had also driven for Junior
Johnson and a couple of other teams. Within two years of joining
Hendrick, he won a second Championship, despite driving with a
broken hand during the final two races of the season. He also
broke Richard Petty’s consecutive starts record in 1996, until
Ricky Rudd passed his record a few years later.
Terry
Labonte is a two-time Winston Cup Champion, IROC Champion, a
winner of an All-Star Race, won a Budweiser Shootout, won a
total of 22 points races, 11 Busch races, 1 Craftsman Truck
race, 12 Hours of Sebring, and 24 Hours at Daytona. He amassed
361 Top Tens and 27 Pole positions throughout his 27 years of
racing. He truly belongs in the top 50 Drivers of All-Time in
NASCAR, an honor that he received in 1998.
Terry
Labonte had many memorable races, but they weren’t always
victories. He was part of the Hendrick Sweep in the 1997 Daytona
500. Jeff Gordon won the race, and Ricky Craven, driving the #25
Budweiser Chevy finished 3rd behind Terry. It’s my
opinion this was the beginning of the multi-team organizations,
and the dominance by them that we see today in Nextel Cup.
Terry and
his brother, Bobby Labonte, set a NASCAR record at Atlanta in
1996. Bobby won the season finale and Terry was officially named
the Winston Cup Champion at the conclusion of the race. For the
first time in history, brothers won the race and the
championship at the same track and race.
The two
memorable races at Bristol Motor Speedway have to be the ones
that define Terry Labonte’s career. The first race in 1999
resulted in Terry spinning across the finish line after a battle
with Dale Earnhardt. Earnhardt even had a water bottle thrown at
him by Rusty Wallace for his actions on the track. The second
race was not such a happy conclusion for Terry, as again he was
in a spin on the final lap after contact with Dale. However,
Dale won the race and uttered the famous quote “I didn’t mean to
wreck him; I was just trying to rattle his cage is all”. To that
adage, Labonte then said, “That’s the way it always is with
Earnhardt, he never means to wreck anyone.”
A couple
of years ago, Terry announced he was semi-retiring from racing,
and would only drive on a limited schedule, the same way Bill
Elliott was leaving the sport. While it was a few years in
coming, I was surprised that as Labonte drove for the final time
at some of the tracks, there was no fanfare, and barely a
mention by the media. Eddie Gossage and the Texas Motor Speedway
have some pre-race festivities planned this weekend to say so
long to Terry, something that is definitely owed to him and the
fans. The media has done the same as the Hendrick organization
-- put Labonte on the “after thought” notepad.
Hendrick
has relegated Terry to driving R&D equipment; which gives him
almost a zero chance to win a race. He makes the field because
of his championship provisional's, thus giving them an
opportunity to see if their equipment performs to standards. The
provisional has earned Labonte a handful of rides with Hall Of
Fame Racing, in a what-can-you-do-for-our-team driving position.
The races were more for his provisional than for his abilities
or respect for him. Hendrick even used Labonte to scuff tires
for Brian Vickers, a rookie, instead of trying to fix his
ill-handling car, even when Vickers was further back in
positions than Terry. What a tragedy for this two-time champion,
yet he never said anything negative about Hendrick.
However,
the real travesty has to be the interviews conducted throughout
the past five years with the Hendrick drivers. Each time Jeff
Gordon, Jimmie Johnson, Kyle Busch, and Brian Vickers were
interviewed by the media, they always thanked their teammates
and mentioned them all by name – with the exception of one man –
Terry Labonte. Before Busch and Vickers joined the organization,
Johnson was always thanking his teammate, singular not plural.
Then the Hendrick organization was rocked by the airplane
tragedy, I did not hear of any interview done with Labonte
asking about his feelings and thoughts on losing people he
worked with for 10 years. Terry attended the press conference a
few days later, but the media asked him very few questions, if
any that I can recall.
In five or
so short years, we have said good-bye to Darryl Waltrip, Dale
Earnhardt, Rusty Wallace, Ricky Rudd, Bill Elliott, Mark Martin
(sort of), and now Terry Labonte. The sport is certainly having
a change of the guards, and the old guard will certainly be
missed. I respect Terry Labonte for his tenacity, determination,
leadership, and abilities on the track and off. The Kellogg’s #5
Chevrolet just isn’t the same without the Ice Man behind the
wheel.
Mr.
Auerbach, as a fan of the Boston Celtics, I could never put into
words everything you mean to the sports world and how much you
are respected. Therefore, I think I will end by quietly saying,
you both will be missed not only in your sport and by your fans,
but by the sports industry as a whole. I will light a victory
cigar for both of you and thank you for all the life lessons and
memories you gave us throughout your careers. Godspeed Red and
farewell Terry. |
