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Bobby Labonte led NASCAR in 2000 driving the No. 18 Interstate Battery Pontiac to victory in the Winston Cup Series for Joe Gibbs Racing.
Labonte was able to compete with dozens of other drivers with 21 NASCAR Cup career victories and 10 more NASCAR Xfinity Series career victories, but had a surprising health problem in the FOX segment. I made it clear that I was battling concerns.
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Bobby Labonte poses with the Winston Cup trophy after winning the title for Joe Gibbs Racing. won the
(ISC images and archives via Getty Images)
He said he started feeling sick in 2019 and went to the doctor to get tested. He said two years later the kidney mass had “tripled in size” and doctors recommended surgery to remove it.
Labonte, now a NASCAR analyst for FOX Sports, said all was well when he got a call from the doctor who removed the mass, Dr. Mohammad Araf, director of urology at Johns Hopkins, Maryland. was broken. He underwent surgery, but the lump was cancerous and the cancer was “very aggressive.”
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Bobby Labonte waves to the crowd before the SRX Qualifying Race at Sharon Speedway in Hartford, Ohio on July 23, 2022.
(Jason Miller/SRX/Getty Images)
“At the time, I was relieved, so many emotions hit me, but it’s also crazy because a third of patients diagnosed with this don’t succeed,” he said. Normally I’m not the sharing type and you don’t know much about me, but it didn’t take me long to figure out if I could help one person. There are many types of cancer that can be diagnosed, but fortunately, if we caught it early enough, it could be treated.”
Since the mass was removed, Labonte has returned to racing.
Since leaving the NASCAR Cup circuit, he has alternated between the SMART Modified Tour and Superstar Racing Experiences.
Bobby Labonte sits in his car during practice for the Camping World Superstar Racing Experience event at South Boston Speedway in South Boston, Virginia on June 25, 2022.
(Jared Tilton/SRX/Getty Images)
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His last appearance on the Cup circuit was in 2016.