Corpus Christi Caller Times Caller.com - 3,000 fans come out to honor the Labonte brothers

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Thursday, September 27, 2001
3,000 fans come out to honor the Labonte brothers
Park is dedicated to NASCAR racers
By Neal Falgoust
Caller-Times

David Pellerin/Caller-Times

Dillon Temple, 5, on the shoulders of his mom, Joyce Temple of Odem, calls to Terry Labonte to sign his go-cart helmet.

[Click for message board to congratulate Terry and Bobby Labonte. Or share favorite moments of the brothers' exploits.]
   Roy Puga flew all the way from Los Angeles with a box of Kellogg's Corn Flakes just to meet Terry and Bobby Labonte.
   "Once I get it signed, I'm going to have a case made for it," he said.
   Greg Garcia lives in Corpus Christi, so he didn't have to travel as far. But he got Terry Labonte to autograph his arm just below a tattoo of the number five - Labonte's car number - surrounded by the state of Texas.
   "As soon as I get out of here, I'm going to get his autograph tattooed," he said.
   Erick Adams, 5, and his mother, Angie, had no plans for getting stuck by a needle, but they stood in line for nearly three hours waiting to meet the brothers. "I love them," Erick said.
   About 3,000 NASCAR fans filled Terry and Bobby Labonte Park for a dedication ceremony honoring the brothers and renaming the park from the Nueces River Park to the Terry and Bobby Labonte Park.

David Pellerin/Caller-Times

Terry Labonte (left) and Bobby Labonte on stage in the main event tent at the Labonte Park dedication on Wednesday.

   A long line snaked from under a tent for more than two hours as the brothers autographed memorabilia brought in by their fans. Some brought old black-and-white photos of the boys from their early racing years at the Corpus Christi Speedway. Others brought in cast iron model cars, T-shirts, caps, posters and newspaper clippings...anything that could be signed was thrust before the racers for their inscription.
   Puga, who flew into Houston and then drove to Corpus Christi, said he had been collecting Bobby Labonte trinkets for nearly a decade. He bought the box of cereal two years ago in a Farmer Jack store in Rochester Hills, Mich. He studiously packs it away each time he takes it on a trip and even had to pass it through heightened security for this trip.
   "They wanted to open it, but I wouldn't let them," he said.
   Garcia, who had his arm tattooed, said he has not always been a racing fan. Then about four years ago a friend told him the sport would seem more exciting if Garcia picked a driver and followed the team through the season.

David Pellerin/Caller-Times

Terry Labonte takes a look at a tattoo on the arm of Greg Garcia. The tattoo is a number 5 surrounded by Texas.

   "I just so happened to pick No. 5," Garcia said. That's Terry Labonte.
   He got so caught up in the excitement of NASCAR that he went out and got the first tattoo. He had hoped to have Terry Labonte sign it when the two met at the Texas Motor Speedway three years ago.
   "I couldn't get him to sign anything because I was so speechless," he said.
   So when he summoned the bravery to approach Terry Labonte on Wednesday, there was no way he was going to back out.
   "That's a true fan," Garcia said of himself.
   After the Labonte brothers spent more than two hours signing and shaking hands and hearing stories from people they met when they were children, they hustled to a dedication ceremony, where fans lavished them with more praise.
   The two brothers approached the microphone, but they could barely finish a sentence without being interrupted by applause.
   Terry Labonte said fans from this state always remind him of his home.
   "They always tell you they're from Texas," he said.
   Bobby Labonte talked nostalgically about his growing up in Corpus Christi - the weekend mornings at the bowling alley, lunch at Luby's Cafeteria and an evening at the racetrack.

David Pellerin/Caller-Times

Bobby Labonte signs an autograph for Natasha Ross of Corpus Christi. She brought a model car to sign at the Labonte Park dedication.

   "That was my fulfillment of the weekend," he said.
   Mayor Loyd Neal declared the day Terry and Bobby Labonte Day in the city and proclaimed the brothers goodwill ambassadors for the city. He praised the City Council for unanimously passing a resolution for the renovation and renaming of the park. He said it was important for the council to come together "on an issue of this magnitude."
   Bobby Young, who was an early sponsor of the brothers on the amateur racing circuit, said it was nice to see the fans give the men so much adoration. But he said he sees them more as old buddies than as superstar racers.
   "I'll talk to them on the phone and forget to ask about the race," he said. But the dedication ceremony filled him with pride and reminded him of their greatness.
   "It really makes you feel good," he said.

   Contact Neal Falgoust at 886-4334 or falgoustn@caller.com

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