PREVIEW: TERRY LABONTE (NO. 44 KELLOGG'S CHEVROLET)
VENUE: TEXAS MOTOR SPEEDWAY (1.5-MILE TRI-OVAL)
CIRCUIT: NASCAR NEXTEL CUP SERIES (RACE 34 OF 36)
EVENT: SUNDAY, NOV. 5, 2006 (334 LAPS, 501 MILES)

IT'S FINALLY TEXAS: Terry Labonte, a two-time NASCAR champion and native of Corpus Christi, Texas, will make the final NEXTEL Cup Series appearance of his career this weekend at Texas Motor Speedway. Labonte, who will make his 848th Cup start Sunday, will officially retire from competition following the Dickies 500.

NOT JUST ANY CAR: On Sunday, Labonte will drive a No. 44 Kellogg's Chevrolet with a special "Terry Labonte Tribute" paint scheme designed by Hendrick Motorsports. To Labonte's surprise, the car was unveiled Sept. 19 at Texas Motor Speedway while he was in town to give driving tips to members of the Dallas Cowboys. It features moments from Labonte's 1996 championship season and each of his dozen Cup victories with car owner Rick Hendrick.

LAST RIDE WITH KELLOGG'S: Appropriately, Labonte will make his last NEXTEL Cup appearance with longtime sponsor Kellogg's backing the effort. Kellogg's began is storied history with Labonte in 1993 and followed him to Hendrick Motorsports the next season. Labonte won 12 races and the 1996 Cup championship with support from the iconic Battle Creek, Mich., company.

TEXAS-SIZED TRIBUTE PLANNED: Labonte's sendoff at Texas Motor Speedway will be one to remember. Among other notable tributes, including a special pre-race show, Labonte will be the final NEXTEL Cup driver introduced, regardless of qualifying position, and will the lead the field on the initial parade lap. Visit www.texasmotorspeedway.com for more details.

50TH BIRTHDAY COMING UP: Labonte will celebrate his 50th birthday on Nov. 16 -- 11 days after his last race.

TOP-10 REGULAR: In 25 full seasons at the NEXTEL Cup level, Labonte has finished in the top-five in championship points on seven occasions and in the top-10 an amazing 17 times.

SELECT GROUP: Labonte is one of just 14 drivers with multiple NEXTEL Cup titles since the series crowned its first champion in 1949. The list includes Jeff Gordon, Dale Earnhardt, Cale Yarborough, Buck Baker, Tim Flock, Ned Jarrett, David Pearson, Lee Petty, Richard Petty, Herb Thomas, Darrell Waltrip, Joe Weatherly and Tony Stewart.

LABONTE FIRSTS: In Labonte's first NASCAR race, the 1978 Southern 500 at Darlington (S.C.) Raceway, he started 19th and finished fourth in the No. 92 Chevrolet for Hagan Racing. He earned his first victory in his 59th start, the Sept. 1, 1980 Southern 500 at Darlington, and his first pole position in 1981, taking the top starting spot for the spring race at Atlanta Motor Speedway.

SELECT COMPANY: Labonte's fourth-place finish in his first career Cup start put him in select company. Each of the top-six finishers at Darlington that day -- Cale Yarborough, Darrell Waltrip, Richard Petty, Labonte, Bobby Allison and Bill Elliott -- ended their respective careers with at least one Cup-level championship.

THE TWO-TIME CHAMP: Labonte won his first career Cup Series championship in 1984 driving the No. 44 Chevrolets for car owner Billy Hagan. In 1996, he claimed his second career title, edging Hendrick Motorsports teammate Jeff Gordon by a mere 37 points in one of the closest races in history.

THE IROC TITLE: Labonte won the 1989 International Race of Champions (IROC) title, one of eight IROC Series in which he has competed. That effort included a victory at Michigan International Speedway. Labonte also clinched the 1993 IROC title for the late Davey Allison through his substitute effort in the final event at Michigan in August of that year.

THE 'IRON MAN': Labonte broke Richard Petty's record of 513 straight starts in 1996 and continued his "Iron Man" streak until Aug. 5, 2000, when he missed the Brickyard 400 at Indianapolis while recovering from injuries suffered a month earlier in a race at Daytona Beach, Fla. Labonte's mark of 655 consecutive starts was surpassed in 2002 when Ricky Rudd started his 656th straight race.

THE ALL-STAR: Labonte's 1999 victory in "The Winston" (now the NASCAR NEXTEL All-Star Challenge) was the second triumph among his 20 starts in the annual winners-only all-star race and came exactly 11 years to the day since his first victory on May 22, 1988. In addition, Labonte has finished second once (1987) and third twice (1985, 1997). He has competed in all but two of the races, missing only the 1991 and 2006 events.

THE LABONTE BROTHERS: Terry and Bobby Labonte are the only brothers in NASCAR history to win Cup Series championships. Terry won in 1984 and 1996, with Bobby winning in 2000. They were inducted into the Texas Sports Hall of Fame together in February 2002.

THE TOTAL PACKAGE: Terry Labonte's 22 Cup Series wins are distributed evenly among short tracks (Bristol, 2; Richmond, 3; North Wilkesboro, 4); intermediates (Darlington, 2; North Carolina Speedway, 2; Phoenix, 1; Texas, 1; Concord, 1); superspeedways (Pocono, 2; Talladega, 2); and road courses (Riverside, 2).

THE STATS: Going into Texas, Labonte has 847 starts, 22 wins, 27 pole positions, 182 top-five finishes and 361 top-10s. He's completed 246,776 laps in Cup competition, leading 7,035 of them, and driven more than 303,000 miles. Labonte has won more than $40 million since his first career start in 1978.