CHARLOTTE, N.C. — Blog by Race Chaser Online Managing Editor Jacob Seelman — Scott Halleran/Getty Images North America photo —

There’s been a lot of speculation this week going into Talladega, so I want to make something very clear to kick off this blog.

I don’t know if this weekend’s GEICO 500 at Talladega Superspeedway will be Terry Labonte’s final NASCAR Sprint Cup Series start…but if it is the end of the road for “Texas Terry”, it’s been a fun, fun ride.

Labonte will make his 890th career premier series start this Sunday at Talladega — the 61st time he will strap in at the 2.66-mile behemoth of a superspeedway over his 37-year Cup career.

He will do so in a very special car.

The paint scheme, designed by multi-year Go FAS Racing supporter C&J Energy Services, combines three of Labonte’s most famous paint jobs: his very first Cup series scheme from 1978 when he drove the Billy Hagan-owned, Duck Industries-sponsored No. 92 machine, his first championship-winning scheme from 1984 when he drove the Piedmont No. 44, also for Hagan, and arguably the most famous Terry Labonte paint scheme of all, the red, yellow and green Kelloggs scheme from his time with Rick Hendrick and Hendrick Motorsports when he won his second Cup title in 1996.

Josh Comstock, founder, chairman and Chief Executive Officer for C&J Energy Services and a fellow Texas native, was the one who introduced the idea of a special tribute to Labonte, who calls Corpus Christi home.

“Even in the early days in Corpus Christi, Terry was already a legend,” said Comstock. “His career has been truly phenomenal and C&J is honored to have been part of Terry’s team the last few years. From a company standpoint, it was a great association. On a personal level, I am proud to know him. We thank him for giving C&J employees, customers and race fans many thrilling memories. We wish him the best in the future in whatever he decides to do.”

The car tells a lot of history. Labonte began his Cup career in 1978 at the legendary Darlington Raceway in arguably the toughest race in NASCAR, the Southern 500. He started 19th, but the remarkable thing about that day wasn’t the fact that an at-that-time 21-year-old young gun was making his debut in the most grueling race in NASCAR. It was where he finished.

Labonte was fourth that day.

You read that correctly. Fourth.

Now, granted, he was eleven laps in arrears to the eventual race winner, Cale Yarborough, but it was still a top five in his debut, a feat that few drivers in the 60+ year history of the sport have even come close to (especially when you consider only three drivers in NASCAR history have won in their debut start, and the last of those was Johnny Rutherford in 1963. Yes, “Texas Terry” made a statement that afternoon that he would be a force, and he backed it up in later years.

The first championship in 1984 came amidst a remarkable season, especially when you consider Labonte had already finished third and fifth in the previous two campaigns. With two wins, including one in the fall Bristol race that broke Darrell Waltrip’s string of seven straight at the half-mile bullring, 17 top fives and 24 top tens in 30 starts, Labonte claimed his first series title over Harry Gant and Bill Elliott — driving again for Billy Hagan.

Following that 1984 championship, Labonte hit a very tumultuous time in his NASCAR career, where multi-car teams began to expand and sponsor needs grew rapidly. Labonte signed with Rick Hendrick and Hendrick Motorsports in 1994, and the pairing brought instant success.

Three wins apiece in 1994 and 1995, including the thrilling Bristol night race in ’95 that Labonte crashed across the line to win, set the stage for the Texan to win his second championship in 1996, driving the No. 5 Kelloggs Chevrolet, locking the Cup up in Atlanta on a day when his brother Bobby scored the victory.

With the second title, Labonte set the NASCAR premier series record for time between titles at a 12 year gap and established his place in NASCAR history. Labonte was placed on the ballot for the most recent NASCAR Hall of Fame induction class and was not selected for the 2015 class, but few doubt his legacy in NASCAR and believe it will lead to a future slot in the Hall of Fame.

Labonte’s full-time career ended in 2004 and since then, the driver nicknamed “The Iceman” has driven for multiple teams including Hendrick, Michael Waltrip Racing, Petty Enterprises and now, the FAS Lane Racing team led by Frank Stoddard. Stoddard says that Labonte’s experience and leadership has been an key part of building the team over the past several years.

“Terry was an integral part of FAS Lane Racing for the past several years,” Stoddard said. “He helped the team secure sponsorship with C&J Energy Services in 2010 and it continues today. He is an extraordinarily honest man, who has always given 110% of himself to this race team. When he gives his word, he honors every commitment he has made. He has had a storied career, that has included championships and numerous victories and I am honored to have been a small part of it. I am proud to call him a friend.”

In all, Labonte’s career record tallies 22 victories, 182 top fives, 361 top tens and 27 poles in his prior 889 career Cup starts, as well as 11 Nationwide Series victories and one Camping World Truck Series victory, making him one of only 25 other drivers to have recorded a win in all three of NASCAR’s national touring series.

Away from the race track, Labonte is an avid hunter and fisherman, as well as owner of a marketing company based out of Archdale, North Carolina. SSG/Brandintense is an experiential marketing company that specializes in the fabrication and activation of mobile marketing units, including concept, design, logistics and event execution. While his racing career has slowly tapered off to select races, he is still seen helping clients and employees at various NASCAR races and events over the course of the year.

Has he been competitive in recent years? Not anywhere close to what he was during the prime of his career. But does it really matter?

Labonte’s legacy in NASCAR is already secure — anyone who has been a student of the sport over the past two decades knows that. But when I really started thinking about it, I realized how refreshing it is to see a veteran driver slowing up his career on his own terms and doing what he wants to do instead of racing due to sponsor obligations or feeling pressured to continue performing as he had in the past.

I’ll say it one more time — I don’t know if this weekend’s Talladega event will be Terry’s final career Cup start and I’m not trying to insinuate it is for sure — but if it happens to be? I’m glad Terry’s leaving the sport when he chooses to and not by any other reasoning.

Either way, congratulations on a stellar career Ice Man. You’ve earned all the accolades coming your way in the future and been a role model for many younger drivers who have followed you into the sport, and I’m glad to say that I’ve been a fan of yours over the years.

Best of luck this weekend, and best of luck as you continue down the road to the future.