It was a long time coming. But it was certainly worth the wait.

Terry Labonte, driver of the Hendrick Motorsports No. 5 Kellogg's Corn Flakes Chevrolet, grabbed the 1996 NASCAR Winston Cup Series championship 12 years after he won his first title in 1984.

A steady barrage of finishes in the top 10 kept Labonte near the top of the point standings all season. He finished the year with two wins, 21 top-5 and 24 top-10 showings, and bettered teammate and runner-up Jeff Gordon by 37 points.

The 1996 season also saw Labonte surpass the NASCAR Winston Cup Series consecutive-start record of Richard Petty, to become the "Ironman" of the sport. Labonte eclipsed Petty's record of 513 straight starts at Martinsville early in the season.

A practice accident at Phoenix late in the year, which broke Labonte's left hand, put the streak in danger, not to mention Labonte's title hopes.

But, a gutty performance landed Labonte a third-place finish, and kept him atop the points standings. It was the biggest bump on the road to the title for Labonte in 1996.

The 12 seasons between titles for Labonte are a new record in the NASCAR Winston Cup Series, making the '96 trophy that much sweeter.

Labonte started racing quarter-midgets in the early 1960s back in his native Texas. Nearly 15 years later he made his NASCAR Winston Cup Series debut, finishing fourth in the 1978 Southern 500.

His first career victory came 58 starts later, again at Darlington, in the 1980 Southern 500. And the rest, as they say, is history.

Labonte started racing quarter-midgets in Texas in 1964 under the direction of his father, Bob. He was the Corpus Christi Sportsman of the Year in 1979 and 1984.

In his first NASCAR Winston Cup Series race , the 1978 Southern 500, he finished fourth. His first win came in his 59th start, the 1980 Southern 500. In 1981 at the Coca-Cola 500 at Atlanta he added another first to his resume, this time a pole.

Aside from the two titles, other notables victories on Labonte's ledger include the 1985 Busch Clash, the 1988 Winston Select at Charlotte, the 1989 IROC Championship and the 1990 Christmas 400K in Melbourne, Australia.

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