Hendrick Motorsports is the winningest organization in Cup Series history. Over the years, the team’s drivers have combined to produce 14 driver and owner championship victories. Naturally, with success comes history. Looking back at the rich legacy of Rick Hendrick‘s team, one of the most memorable seasons that comes to mind is Terry Labonte’s 1996 Winston Cup victory.

NASCAR legend Terry Labonte was the man to lead HMS onto the track along with a young, dynamic, and fast Jeff Gordon. With the driving roster boasting such talent, it was only a matter of time before the duo combined to land a championship. In recent news, Hendrick Motorsports is celebrating one of its most successful years with a 1996 Winston Cup team reunion. Terry Labonte’s daughter, Kristy, also shared a heart-warming glimpse of the celebration on Twitter.

Hendrick Motorsports 1996 Winston Cup-winning team is one of the most underrated teams

When Terry Labonte and Hendrick Motorsports combined to win the championship in 1996, they created a record. Labonte had won the 1984 Winston Cup and knew how to win a championship. Despite that, it took him 12 years to bring one back home. However, when he did it in 1996, it was the longest gap between two championship wins for a driver, and it still is.

What makes the season even more splendid is that Labonte was behind teammate Jeff Gordon for most of the year. Gordon eventually finished second in the final standings, which was a surprise. Heading to Charlotte, Labonte was one point behind the #24 driver with three races left to the season’s conclusion. The pressure on Terry Labonte must have been mountainous. However, he did the unthinkable and trounced Gordon in the final stretch to complete a historic turnaround.

So naturally, the recent reunion of crew chief Gary DeHart and the team with Terry Labonte left fans reminiscing about the spectacular 1996 season. Terry’s daughter, Kristy, celebrated the rendezvous as she wrote, “Introducing your 1996 NASCAR Winston Cup Champion team! A fun reunion of the best team ever!”

NASCAR recognized Terry Labonte’s contribution to the sport honoring him with a Hall of Fame induction in 2016. He is also widely loved by the Hendrick Motorsports fanbase and is also considered the driver who kickstarted the success of Hendrick Motorsports. However, Labonte knew that Jeff Gordon, despite being his teammate, would be the man to beat. However, despite such an energetic rivalry, the duo have always maintained a quiet respect for each other.

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No bad blood between Labonte and Gordon

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Terry Labonte started the season with a disappointing P24 finish in the Daytona 500. But he eventually caught momentum by showing his talent and finishing the season with two wins, 21 top-5s and 24 top-10s. Gordon, on the other hand, won 10 races, which made him the quick favorite for the championship.

Revealing the atmosphere in the team before his win, Terry Labonte revealed, “He didn’t know what to expect. We were just happy that Hendrick Motorsports was going to win a championship. Rick was more concerned with who was going to lose the championship than the one that won it.”

Speaking about Jeff Gordon’s reputation back then, Labonte said, “Jeff had won the year before, and we knew he was going to be the guy to beat. It was just an exciting time for us to win the championship and really cool to see Hendrick Motorsports finish first and second. That was a big accomplishment.”

Since then, Hendrick Motorsports has become synonymous with success. Gordon eventually ended up with four titles, and then Jimmie Johnson came along. Recently, champions like Chase Elliott and Kyle Larson have steered the victory boat at Hendrick Motorsports, while William Byron is looking to fill Jeff Gordon’s boots in the #24 car. This amount of talent warrants success for the years to come.

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