SRX is in some ways an extension of his affinity for grassroots racing as it visits historic short tracks around the country, but more than anything it gives him an opportunity to race both with old friends and alongside drivers from other disciplines in equally prepared cars.
“It’s pretty cool to be around all these people, great drivers, some I’ve admired and never got the chance to race with, and some I have,” he said.
Labonte, who is also a co-owner of Longhorn Chassis in the dirt arena, never planned to be involved in so many different kinds of racing after stepping away from full-time Cup Series competition, rather he is simply a racer who has taken opportunities as they have presented themselves. In fact, after having had his life scheduled every day for close to 30 years, he preferred not to have a plan.
One of those opportunities that arose was a chance to compete in the NASCAR Euro Series in 2018. He had driven in two series races and had spent some time doing work in Europe, getting a taste for the continent and its people. During downtime he and his wife visited Paris, he took his kids to London and attended the Monaco Grand Prix with his son.
He equates his time racing in Europe to “a big vacation,” but also noted the challenge of driving 400-horsepower cars after competing in vehicles with twice that power for much of his career. He also has kept up with many of his competitors, some of whom have their eyes on racing at the highest levels in America, just as so many short trackers do stateside.
“I think the best part about it was the people,” Labonte said. “It’s still a racing community, like anywhere in America, just they speak a different language. And they all spoke different languages. You could have the French, you could have the Germans, you could have the Italians, the Spaniards. It was like the most fun you could ever have and also get to race and get to enjoy the people, the towns, cities, small to large. We just had a great time and a great experience doing it. I’m so glad I got to do it.”
Labonte is still in communication with NASCAR fans as well through his television work, something he didn’t necessarily expect to do after getting out of the car.
“It’s a lot like racing to me,” he said. “You’ve got to prepare, you’ve got to have your ducks in a row, you’re on live TV again and there’s a butterfly situation. You’ve got to know what you’re talking about and explain the story.
“The people that are part of the production become your team members, your teammates, they’re the ones that are making you better and you hope you can add to that.”
Labonte is a fan of all forms of motorsports, ranging from NASCAR to F-1, Supercross and beyond.
In addition, his work with Breaking Limits keeps him even busier. He helped found the company while he was driving for Richard Petty Motorsports and when he and his wife got married they combined his business and her marketing agency. Over the years they’ve handled public relations, marketing and branding for multiple well-known clients, and kicked off the 2021 season at the Firestone Grand Prix of St. Petersburg working on at-track hospitality activations for NTT IndyCar Series teams.
It may seem as though Labonte is busier than ever, and he is in many ways. However, his priorities are diverse instead of laser-focused on winning each Sunday’s Cup Series race. He and his wife often take on projects that they can have fun doing. For instance, after their work was complete in St. Pete, they took in the race as spectators.
“I look at my parents, they never really took a vacation, they went to Hawaii I think twice but that’s probably about it,” Labonte said. “But then they raced with us their whole lives. We’re a little bit different generation, we’ll take a vacation every now and then to go do some things for relaxing, but when you’re doing things that you love and you’re having fun with it, you kind of do it all as a good time.”
Of course, he also understands the need to get away from it all and is an avid cyclist and outdoorsman, and enjoys spending time with family and friends, as well as traveling across Europe.
As a whole, Labonte has found he very much enjoys life at its current pace.
“I used to think that I’d want to retire and put my feet in the sand and just watch the waves and drink beer all day,” he said. “I thought, ‘Wouldn’t that be great?’ But I don’t think I’m wired to do that.”