Recently, former NASCAR Cup champion and analyst for Fox Bobby Labonte was the center of a touching video. In the clip, Labonte spoke about his life and his struggles with illness over the past few years.
The 58-year-old often prided himself in maintaining his health and being at the peak of his fitness. Among other things, he was an avid fan of cycling, something that his wife also encouraged.
Our @NASCARonFOX colleague, @Bobby_Labonte is not only one of the greatest racers in the sport, but one of the best people. This story of his personal health battle is so moving. I’m so grateful our friend is okay. ❤️ Great work to producer @LaurenADowney with this story pic.twitter.com/Q2N5cKVccK
— Kaitlyn Vincie (@kaitlynvincie) August 12, 2022
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🙏🏼🙏🏼
No doubt, one of the best persons… https://t.co/wZ5GPzyVac— Rodney Childers (@RodneyChilders4) August 12, 2022
Beautiful story of an amazing family and wonderful man. I first met @Bobby_Labonte in the pits at Dover many years ago and I feel like he was, is and likely always will be a “what’s you see is what you get” kind of guy.
— Jerrod Sessler 🇺🇸 Republican for Congress – WA (@Sessler) August 12, 2022
Love you @Bobby_Labonte ❤️ https://t.co/uCYvKWSLap
— Kenny Wallace (@Kenny_Wallace) August 12, 2022
Since she was a professional cyclist, the two of them found common ground to bond with each other. Even though both of them were really busy with their respective career paths, one thing did not change: their focus on health.
READ MORE: Bobby Labonte Reveals Big Role Played by Dale Earnhardt Sr. in His Joe Gibbs Racing NASCAR Deal
Labonte confessed that he had rarely missed a medical checkup in his long career as a race car driver.
What changed for the 2000 NASCAR Cup Series champion?
Unfortunately, life threw him a curveball in 2019, when doctors discovered a small spot in his kidney. Of course, Labonte chose not to panic and elected to live life normally, especially since he did not know what the spot was.
According to his doctors, he just went for some advice, when the usual first instinct is to operate right away.
Thanks for sharing Kenny… https://t.co/3179jxxvpV
— Rodger Brand (@rbrandtraffic) August 12, 2022
Wonderful story about a Brave,Courageous Racer that Loves LIFE and his fellow Human Beings 🙏🏻 Thanks Bobby! GOD BLESS ❤️ https://t.co/tQdFLH2iF8
— Jeff Hammond (@HollywoodJeff) August 12, 2022
Remarkable piece. Well done by @NASCARONFOX to put this together, but particularly happy to hear @Bobby_Labonte is doing well now.
So glad he was willing to tell this story. https://t.co/VL1FO5Czrq
— Zach Sturniolo (@zachstur) August 12, 2022
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Hopefully my story helps someone out there, thanks to everyone at @FS1 and especially @LaurenADowney for helping me tell it https://t.co/g9kKYYQxRd
— Bobby Labonte (@Bobby_Labonte) August 12, 2022
Two years later, there was a cause for alarm, because the spot tripled in size. So the 2000 NASCAR Cup Series champion decided to finally address the issue.
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Apparently, Labonte opted for a revolutionary procedure to take the tumor out without damaging the kidney. They were fortunate that the tumor was caught in time so that everything went off without a hitch.
Naturally, many people in the NASCAR community reacted to the incredible story. Some, like Kevin Harvick’s crew chief Rodney Childers, acknowledged that he was ‘one of the best’ persons. The general consensus was that Labonte was incredibly brave to come out with such an inspiring story.