sign in sign up
<<
Home , 1999 California 500, Brad Coleman, Don Coryell, Joe Gibbs, Joe Gibbs Racing, Joe Theismann

JOE GIBBS: Team Owner

Nearly a quarter century after winning his third as of the NFL’s Washington Redskins, still hasn’t stopped adding to his impressive list of championships.

Despite retiring as an NFL coach in 2008 after his second stint with the Redskins, the owner of (JGR) now has more NASCAR Cup Series Championships than Super Bowl wins as driver helped Gibbs score his fourth title as an owner in NASCAR’s top series in 2015. As JGR enters its 26th season in 2017, Gibbs has shown no signs of slowing down as his team continues to shine as one of the sport’s premier organizations.

Gibbs, who hails from Mocksville, , oversees an organization that has produced four NASCAR Cup Series titles – in 2000, in 2002 and 2005, and Kyle Busch in 2015. It also won NASCAR Xfinity Series owner titles in 2008, 2009, 2010, and 2013, the Xfinity Series driver titles for Busch in 2009 and Daniel Suarez in 2016, and 267 NASCAR Cup Series and Xfinity Series victories.

Gibbs’ four Cup Series championships, five Xfinity Series titles, plus his three Super Bowl victories as coach of the Redskins in 1983, 1988 and 1992 mean he has won an incredible 12 championships in two of the most popular sports in the .

“The thing that has always amazed me about championship runs in pro sports, at least in the four I’ve been involved with at JGR and the three I had in the NFL with the Redskins, is how difficult they are to win and how different they are, and that one year doesn’t buy you the next,” Gibbs said. “I love that about pro sports. It’s why I’m here. We started with nothing. We didn’t have any cars, we didn’t have any employees and we didn’t have a shop. All we had was a dream to go racing and, through the hard work of so many people, we’ve been able to be successful. I’ve always said that you win with people and we’ve got such a loyal group that has helped us get to this point.”

It’s been an incredible ride for Gibbs, who grew up a fan of but focused on football for much of the first part of his life.

After moving from North Carolina to Southern California as a child, Gibbs graduated from Santa Fe High School in Santa Fe Springs, California, where he was a member of the football team.

He then enrolled at Cerritos (Calif.) Junior College and, after graduation, moved to San Diego State University, where he played football from 1961 to 1963. While at San Diego State, Gibbs was coached by the legendary , a member of the Hall of Fame.

During Gibbs’ career there, the team compiled a 22-6-1 record and won the California Collegiate Athletic Association title in 1962 and 1963.

Gibbs stayed at San Diego State for three years as an assistant coach following his graduation before leaving for three, two-season stints at , the University of Southern California and the , respectively. At Southern California and Arkansas, he worked under College Football Hall of Fame coaches John McKay and , respectively.

In 1973, he moved to the NFL as an assistant coach and was reunited with Coryell, who was head coach of the St. Louis Cardinals. Gibbs spent five years in St. Louis before spending the 1978 season under McKay, who was head coach of the .

In 1979 and 1980, Gibbs again worked under Coryell, who had moved to the San Diego Chargers in 1978. During Gibbs’ two seasons as in San Diego, the Chargers twice won the AFC West Division and made the playoffs both years, including a trip to the AFC championship game in 1980. San Diego, which featured the high-powered “” offense, led the NFL in passing yards during both years and compiled a two-year record of 33-9.

Gibbs was named head coach of the Washington Redskins in 1981 and became one of the most successful head coaches in NFL history. His teams won three Super Bowls and he is the only coach to have won the event with three different – in Super Bowl XVII, Doug Williams in Super Bowl XXII, and in Super Bowl XXVI.

He retired following the 1992 season but returned for a second stint from 2004 to 2007, during which he led the Redskins to two playoff appearances. -more- Joe Gibbs Team Owner Biography Page Two

Upon retiring from the Redskins for a second time in January 2008, Gibbs ended his NFL head coaching tenure with a record of 171- 101, including a 17-7 record in the playoffs. His 16 years at the helm ranks in the top-25 all-time for years coached, as does his regular-season winning percentage of .621.

Gibbs’ 154 regular-season wins, 10 playoff appearances and .708 playoff winning percentage rank him in the top-15 in each category. He is joined by legends of the Pittsburgh Steelers and of the New England Patriots with four each, and Bill Walsh of the , who has three, as the only coaches in NFL history with three or more Super Bowl titles.

Gibbs was named NFL Coach of the Year in 1982, 1983 and 1991 and became a member of the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 1996.

While winding down his first stint as Redskins head coach in the early 1990s, Gibbs expressed the desire to form a NASCAR team. His interest in NASCAR was not a surprise since he had grown up a fan of the sport as a child in North Carolina. However, Gibbs was also looking for something that would allow his family to work together.

Gibbs, along with business partner , formed JGR in July 1991 after the two met in April of that year with Jimmy Johnson of and seven-time series champion to discuss forming the team.

Amazingly, with no employees, cars or engines and no racing experience to speak of, Gibbs secured sponsorship from Norm Miller, chairman of .

The team, which had less than 20 employees, hit the track for the first time in February 1992 with driving the No. 18 Interstate Batteries car and Jimmy Makar serving as crew chief. Under Gibbs’ leadership, the inaugural season was a success as Jarrett scored eight top-10 finishes, including a second-place result in April at Bristol (Tenn.) Motor Speedway.

Ironically, just as he had done during his second season with the Redskins, Gibbs won the Super Bowl in his second season as a NASCAR team owner. In 1993, Gibbs helped Jarrett and the No. 18 team to a victory in the “Super Bowl of ” – the 35th .

The win legitimized JGR immediately and set the stage for the team to become one of the premier organizations in the sport.

Jarrett went onto finish fourth in Cup Series points in 1993 and scored another win for JGR in 1994 before leaving at the end of the season and handing the No. 18 car to Labonte.

Labonte scored his first career Cup Series victory in the Coca-Cola 600 in May 1995 at Charlotte (N.C.) Motor Speedway, and the No. 18 team would rack up seven wins between 1995 and 1998 and finish in the top-11 in points in each of those four years.

By 1999, Gibbs, who had always been successful in the NFL by keeping an eye toward the future, saw that multicar teams were becoming the standard in NASCAR. That year, JGR signed 1997 IndyCar Series champion Tony Stewart to drive a second car for the team – the No. 20 – with sponsorship from .

Stewart became the winningest rookie in series history, taking three checkered flags en route to the Rookie of the Year title and a fourth-place position in the championship. Labonte racked up five wins and finished second to Jarrett in points.

By then, NASCAR observers knew it was not a matter of if, but when, Gibbs would secure his first Cup Series title.

They didn’t have to wait long.

In 2000, the No. 18 team of Labonte and the No. 20 team of Stewart proved to be a formidable one-two punch. The two drivers combined to win 10 of the series’ 34 races with Labonte winning four and Stewart taking six. Labonte’s consistency proved to be unparalleled as he took his first career Cup Series championship. Stewart, meanwhile, won two more races than anyone else on the circuit and finished a solid sixth in the season-ending points.

The 2001 season was another solid year for Gibbs with his two drivers collecting a total of five wins. Labonte wound up sixth in points while a late-season run by Stewart enabled him to finish the season in the runner-up spot to championship winner .

That laid the groundwork for Stewart’s championship season in 2002, which saw the Indiana native score three wins en route to his first NASCAR title. Labonte, the quintessential teammate, scored a victory, as well.

With his team now one of the most respected in NASCAR, and Gibbs’ son J.D. having served as president since October 1997, observers thought Joe Gibbs might slow down and possibly look toward retirement.

-more- Joe Gibbs Team Owner Biography Page Three

Instead, he shocked the football and racing worlds in January 2004 when he announced that he was returning to the Redskins as head coach.

Proving his motto of, “You win by having good people,” Gibbs took the Redskins to the playoffs in 2005 while, on the NASCAR side, Stewart scored his second Cup Series title and the third for JGR.

The 2005 season was also special for Gibbs as JGR fielded a third car – the No. 11 – with sponsorship from FedEx. , who took over the No. 11 car at the end of 2005, scored his first Cup Series victory in June 2006 at Pocono (Pa.) Raceway, finished a surprising third in points in his first full season of driving and was named the series Rookie of the Year.

Gibbs retired from football once again following the 2007 season and his timing couldn’t have been better as 2008 would prove to be one of the best in JGR’s storied history.

Standout driver Kyle Busch was signed to drive the No. 18 car for the 2008 season and he returned JGR’s flagship entry to victory lane for the first time in nearly five years by winning in March at . Busch would rack up eight victories on the season while Stewart and Hamlin each earned one victory, marking the first time all three JGR cars had won in the same season. All three drivers also made the playoffs – another first for the organization.

Meanwhile, JGR’s Xfinity Series teams dominated throughout 2008 with Stewart, Hamlin, Busch and combining to win the owner title in the No. 20 car. The four drivers took the Nos. 18 and 20 cars to victory lane a combined 19 times in 34 races.

With the departure of Stewart in 2009 to a co-ownership role with Stewart-Haas Racing, JGR competed with its youngest driver lineup ever with all three of its pilots under the age of 30. Gibbs, as he always had, served as a mentor to the young drivers throughout the season.

Hamlin led JGR by making the playoffs and securing a fifth-place finish in the Cup Series points on the strength of four victories. Busch scored four wins en route to a 13th-place result in the final Cup Series standings and captured JGR’s fifth NASCAR title by winning the 2009 Xfinity Series championship with a series-high nine victories.

Logano took over Stewart’s vacated seat and won his first Cup Series race in June 2009 at New Hampshire Motor Speedway in Loudon to become the youngest winner in series history at 19 years, one month and four days. Logano ended the season with seven top-10 finishes and a 20th-place result in the final standings. He also became the third JGR driver to be named Rookie of the Year, joining Stewart, the 1999 Rookie of the Year, and Hamlin who accomplished the feat in 2006.

The 2010 season saw JGR come agonizingly close to its fourth Cup Series championship as Hamlin scored eight wins en route to a second-place finish in the point standings, just 39 markers behind now six-time champion Johnson.

Busch won three times and finished eighth in Cup Series points, while also teaming up with to deliver JGR its third consecutive Xfinity Series owner championship and the organization’s sixth overall NASCAR title. In just 29 Xfinity starts in JGR’s No. 18 , Busch scored a series-record 13 victories.

Logano continued to improve in the Cup Series, finishing 16th in points and scoring 16 top-10 finishes, more than doubling his total from 2009. The 20-year-old also captured two Xfinity Series victories.

In 2011, JGR celebrated four Cup Series wins and eight Xfinity Series wins for Busch, while Hamlin netted one win apiece in the Cup Series and Xfinity Series and Logano captured one Xfinity Series win. Hamlin and Busch made the 12-driver, 10-race Cup Series playoffs but finished a disappointing 10th and 12th respectively in the final standings. The Cup Series season was a tough one for JGR in 2012, as Hamlin was the company’s highest finisher in the championship race in sixth. However, JGR brought home its most recent NASCAR Xfinity Series championship for the No. 18 car with several drivers taking the controls, namely Logano and Hamlin, among others taking turns behind the wheel.

In 2013, Logano moved on to Penske Racing and was replaced by 2003 NASCAR Cup Series champion . The move proved to pay off immediately as Kenseth powered to a series-high eight victories, but finished just 19 markers behind Johnson in the championship race.

The 2014 season proved to challenging as JGR posted just two Cup Series victories with Busch at in Fontana, California in March, and Hamlin at Talladega (Ala.) Superspeedway in May. However, Hamlin was able to advance to the championship round of the 2014 playoffs at Homestead-Miami Speedway. While he led five times for a total of 50 laps, tire strategy saw him bring home a seventh-place finish, which put him third in the championship finale under NASCAR’s newest playoff format.

-more-

Joe Gibbs Team Owner Biography Page Four

In 2015, JGR headed to the track with another expansion of its Cup Series roster as the team added a fourth team with veteran driver at the helm, joining veterans Kenseth, Busch and Hamlin on the team roster for 2015 in NASCAR’s top series.

During 2016, Gibbs found victory lane in the Cup Series 12 times in the Cup Series, added an astounding 19 wins in the XFINTITY Series and also brought home a Xfinity Series championship for Mexican-born driver Daniel Suarez. The team will continue to field three full-time Xfinity Series efforts in addition to the four-car Cup Series lineup of Busch, Kenseth, Hamlin, and a rookie of the year campaign for 2016 Xfinity Series champion Suarez for the 2017 Cup Series season.

Despite his eight NASCAR championships, Gibbs’ success in racing is not limited to stock car racing – or vehicles with four wheels.

In addition to its longtime NASCAR efforts, Gibbs’ son, Coy, a former middle at , formed JGRMX, a team that debuted in 2008. Rider Josh Evans gave JGRMX its first AMA Supercross victory in Anaheim, California, on Jan. 3, 2009. He’s campaigning riders Justin Barcia, Phil Nicoletti, Weston Peick, and Glen Hobson for the 2017 season.

In addition, the Gibbs family had considerable success on the NHRA drag racing circuit in the 1990s with drivers Cruz Pedregon, Cory McClenathan and Tommy Johnson Jr.

Gibbs also formed the JGR Diversity Program with the late , a Hall of Fame who played for the , and during a 15-year NFL career. The program was formed in May 2003 to create a grassroots stock car team that would identify and assist minorities with the desire and talent to make a career in motorsports.

On April 10, 2005, Chris Bristol became the first African-American driver in the more than 50-year history of Hickory (N.C.) Speedway to win a race when he found victory lane in a JGR-prepared Late Model. Marc Davis, an African-American, and , a Cuban-American, each came through the program and competed in Xfinity Series events for JGR.

Almirola, who scored two NASCAR Camping World Truck Series victories in 2010 for Billy Ballew Motorsports, has made more than 145 starts in NASCAR’s top-three divisions and now drives in the Cup Series in the legendary No. 43 car for Richard Petty Motorsports. Most recently, Gibbs has fielded a full schedule in 2015 and 2016 for 25-year-old Monterrey, Mexico native Daniel Suarez., and also shared him with partner for part-time rides in the Truck Series the past two seasons.

In addition to his success on the football field and on the racetrack, Gibbs has also focused on several projects away from the sporting world that help the less fortunate.

He is the founder of Youth for Tomorrow, a faith-based residential facility in Bristow, that provides care for at-risk youths ages 11 to 18. Founded in 1986, the youth home provides a spiritual environment consisting of three major components – residential, education and counseling – and sits on a sprawling 200-acre campus that is licensed to provide services for up to 106 boys and girls.

The residents live on campus and attend the accredited on-site school year-round. The staff consists of house-parents, counselors, therapists and certified teachers. The extensive staff cares for the teens and works to instill principles and independent living skills they can use to guide themselves when they leave the home. Over the years, Gibbs’ personal commitment and time at the home has helped turn hundreds of kids away from drugs, alcohol and crime, all the while demonstrating to them that they are each a valuable and important asset to this world.

Gibbs has written three books, Racing to Win, Fourth and One and Game Plan For Life. The latter reached No. 3 on the on hardcover nonfiction bestseller list following its release in summer 2009.

Along with his wife, Pat, Gibbs makes his permanent home in Huntersville, North Carolina and enjoys life as a grandfather to Jackson, Miller, Jason Dean and Taylor – all sons of J.D. and Melissa Gibbs – and Ty, Elle, Case and Jett via Coy and Heather Gibbs.

-TSC-