Gibbs steers life, career back into familiar groove

[Schwartz Fan]

Gibbs steers life, career back into familiar groove

By Seth Livingstone, USA TODAY


DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. — Don't confuse Joe Gibbs' decision to step down after four seasons as coach of the Washington Redskins with retirement.
Gibbs remains a consultant with the Redskins, but his primary job is to field a winner in NASCAR as owner of one of auto racing's premier teams. At 67 the Hall of Fame football coach isn't ready to turn complete control of Joe Gibbs Racing over to his son, team general manager J.D. Gibbs, or anyone else.

"I'll probably never turn it over," Gibbs says, standing beside Denny Hamlin's FedEx-sponsored Toyota in the garage area at Daytona International Speedway. "They'll probably have to roll me over there. Even then, they'll say, 'Just roll him in the corner. He don't know what's going on anyway.' "


Q&A: Gibbs sounds off on pressing issues

Gibbs' self-deprecating manner belies his iconic stature as a winner of three Super Bowls with the Redskins and three NASCAR Cup titles with drivers Bobby Labonte and Tony Stewart (twice).

"I'm not sure his jokes are that funny, but he's trying," says Stewart, who doesn't anticipate much changing with Gibbs back. "It just means we have to make sure we keep a (race) radio out of his hands. As long as he doesn't have a radio he can talk on, then it shouldn't change things too much.

"Obviously, having him back around is huge. He's a great person and a great, great leader. He's great at motivating people and putting the right people in the right positions. When you have someone that strong at doing what he does, then how can it be bad to have him back?"

Gibbs also is in the midst of a major transition for his team, having left Chevrolet for factory support from Toyota. Time will tell if the Toyota engines, in a second year of Sprint Cup competition, will prove as effective as they have been in preseason testing.

J.D. Gibbs, though, says having his father around more often won't drastically affect his role.

"Dad's always been the boss. I just work here," says J.D., who never moved into his father's office when the elder Gibbs returned to the Redskins for a second coaching stint in 2004.

J.D. knew his dad would be back.

In some ways, coaching up Stewart, Hamlin and new hire Kyle Busch might prove more challenging for Gibbs than preparing running back Clinton Portis and tight end Chris Cooley for a playoff game. The all-for-one team approach of football often takes a back seat to personal achievement at the track, where drivers' livelihoods correlate directly with making names for themselves, as winners and personalities.

Gibbs has three of the more driven personalities in the garage.

Even before the first points race of the season, Stewart became embroiled with Busch's older brother, Kurt, in an on-track confrontation that continued after the two were summoned to the NASCAR hauler for review.

"What you've got is competitive people in a very competitive environment. From time to time, things are going to happen," says Gibbs, who last year felt compelled to alter travel plans to broker a truce between Stewart and Hamlin.

Gibbs shows no concern the sometimes-volatile Kyle Busch might detract from team chemistry. "Both those other guys really respect Kyle," he says. "We would not have gone after Kyle had Tony and Denny not said, 'Go get him.' I think he's a huge addition. Everybody knows you've got to have teammates to win here."

Kyle Busch has been instantly impressed with Gibbs. "Coach has a great sense about the way he wants his company and his organization (to operate). It's cool because he has stature," he says. "When he walks through the shop, saying hello, shaking hands, he raises spirits."

Should the 2008 NASCAR season prove difficult, it will be no more trying than Gibbs' 2007 season with the Redskins — punctuated by the shooting death of safety Sean Taylor at his Miami home during a break-in.

"It was extremely hard for us," says Gibbs, whose team was in the midst of a four-game losing streak when Taylor died but rallied to finish 9-7 and make the playoffs.

"We lose Sean, and nobody had been through that. It was (a matter of) taking it one hour at a time. Everybody was kind of emotionally (spent). … To get into the playoffs, I was really proud of our team."

Three days after being eliminated in the wild-card round by the Seattle Seahawks, and with a year remaining on his contract, Gibbs announced his decision to step down.

"I went home to visit with (his wife) Pat and the boys," Gibbs says of J.D. and son Coy.

"After spending a couple days praying about it, Pat and I decided it was time for me to come back — to be around the family, be around (grandson) Taylor and get back to racing, which is a huge part of our lives and, hopefully, Lord willing, always will be."

Prayer plays a vital role for Gibbs. He invokes it constantly when it comes to J.D.'s son, Taylor, 3, who is battling leukemia.

"With Taylor's sickness and losing Sean, it causes you to think about how fragile life is," Gibbs says. "With what happened to Sean, it caused a lot of people to (wonder), 'Where am I going to spend eternity?' "

Gibbs, born in Mocksville, N.C., lives in Cornelius, N.C., and is within a 15-minute drive of his six grandchildren, company headquarters in Huntersville, N.C., and Coy's fledgling motocross racing program.

"I am busy, no question," Gibbs says. "The difference is that here, if I want to schedule a half day or I get any kind of emergency call, I can do it, whereas in football, everybody is counting on you. You're pretty well locked away."


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