After Labonte fell back to 12th in standings, he announced that he was leaving Hagan to drive the #11 Budweiser Chevy for Junior Johnson and Associates. In his first season with the team, he won four poles and the Holly Farms 400, rising up to third in standings, following that up with a fourth-place finish in 1988. In 1989, the team switched to Ford Thunderbirds. Despite two wins during the season, he fell back to tenth in the championship, causing him to leave the team.