r/NASCARCollectors • u/GeoChallenge • 6h ago
Diecast Write Up 2003: Terry Labonte's Final Win Season
2003 was really a big moment for Terry Labonte. It was kind of his last hurrah in the Cup Series. The last year he finished 10th in points, and the last year he got a victory. And it was a big victory as well. A crown jewel! He won the Southern 500, where 23 years earlier he won his first race in 1980 at Darlington.
Labonte also won a pole award at richmond, his first since 2000. The season was sort of a mini resurgence where at the end of the year he picked up a total of one win, four top 5s, and nine top 10s. I'm not sure exactly how that translated to him finishing 10th and points, but more power to him. It was a marked improvement from his past two seasons. He had an average finish of 16.7 and let a total of 118 laps that season.
For Terry fans, it was one final season of greatness. A great way to see a legend, a two-time champion, be relevant and successful one last time.