Martin Truex Jr. called it quits from full-time Cup Series racing at the end of the 2024 season. He retired as a champion with 34 wins among other achievements. His legacy can be questioned by none and he is most certainly a future Hall of Famer. But how does he compare to another all-time great, Bobby Labonte? Here’s a short analysis of their respective careers.
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First off, Labonte is a one-time Cup Series champion as well. He scored more points than anybody else on the field in 2000. Truex won the Busch Series championship twice in 2004 and 2005. Labonte did it once in 1991. Truex has won two crown jewel races, the Southern 500 (2016) and the Coca-Cola 600 (2016 and 2019).
Labonte edges over in this category. He has won the Southern 500 (2000), the Coca-Cola 600 (1995), and the Brickyard 400 (2000). The former Joe Gibbs Racing driver was crowned the Most Popular Driver in the Busch Series in 2004 and 2005.
However, Labonte never got the honor of being a fan favorite. Does this mean he wasn’t respected by the stands and his peers? Definitely not. Labonte garnered huge admiration in many circles.
He was renowned for being able to expertly control races and tough situations. A smart and talented driver, he seldom drove harder than was required to secure the result that he wanted at the beginning of the race. That sure does sound a lot like Truex. The drivers share a similar attitude on the race track and are hugely respected for it.
Another commonness they share is that they spent the longest years of their career driving for Joe Gibbs Racing. Labonte drove the No. 18 car in coach Gibbs’s team for a solid eleven years. Truex’s final season was his sixth year in the No. 19 Toyota. Both were also named in the NASCAR’s Greatest 75 Drivers list in 2023. They’re perhaps two of the most deserving drivers to be there.
Coming to the total number of victories, Truex clearly trumps his elder counterpart. He has 34 wins in 693 starts. Labonte, meanwhile, secured 21 wins in 729 starts and was inducted into the Hall of Fame in 2020.
Currently 60 years old, he works for Fox Sports as an analyst. He also races at the grassroots level occasionally and serves as a brand ambassador for Joe Gibbs Racing. Unlike Labonte, Truex will be drawing up plans to go fishing and enjoy the outdoors away from the race track, if he isn’t already there.
So, who has had the better career in NASCAR? The statistics would suggest the name of Truex, but then, it is nothing less of a crime to compare these two icons on a serious nature for no value can be put on their contributions to the sport.
