USA TODAY International Edition
Stewart, Gibbs now Hall buddies
As Tony Stewart stood next to a tractor he operated to prepare a dirt track inside Tulsa Expo Center a couple of weeks ago, he lamented at how he didn’t want to embarrass himself in delivering his NASCAR Hall of Fame induction speech Friday night.
“I’m not much of getting dressed up and I don’t like speaking in front of a lot of people if I don’t have to,” he said.
NASCAR could find a way to make the three- time Cup Series champion more comfortable.
“Give me a hat and a tractor up there, and I’ll feel like I’m just doing what I’m doing,” he said.
NASCAR won’t roll a tractor on stage for Stewart at Charlotte Convention Center, but it will have the next best thing to make Stewart feel comfortable: Joe Gibbs.
The Pro Football Hall of Fame coach and NASCAR team owner joins Stewart among the inductees, a fitting scene considering the two men helped grow each other’s racing careers.
Adding to that moment will stand another member of the 2020 class, Bobby Labonte, the second driver hired by Gibbs – he won Joe Gibbs Racing’s first Cup title in 2000 – and one of the primary reasons Stewart joined the organization in 1998.
The five- member induction class includes crew chief Waddell Wilson and driver Buddy Baker.
All five men make worthy honorees, but the spotlight will shine on Stewart and Gibbs, who combined for two Cup championships ( 2002 and 2005) and won 33 races together before Stewart left in 2008 when Gene Haas gave him half of Haas CNC Racing in exchange for Stewart and his people running the team. Stewart- Haas Racing has thrived with two Cup titles and 55 victories ( 16 by Stewart) thanks to Stewart’s ability to attract talent, both on and off the track.
The fiery Stewart likely would never have reached such success without the mentorship of someone such as Gibbs, whose own competitive nature allows him to seek ways to handle the tough times rather than look for an immediate out when dealing with an athlete swathed in drama.
Stewart tested those qualities with altercations on and off the track with competitors, bouts with the media and confrontations with NASCAR officials and fans. But, boy, did he win.
“When I see him, I kind of immediately start laughing because we went through so much,” Gibbs said about Stewart. “He knows the stories and I do too. ... ( They were) some of the tough times we had when we were going through scrapes and everything.”
When Stewart informed Gibbs that he would leave to create Stewart- Haas Racing, Gibbs couldn’t hide his anger and disappointment. Stewart looked at him and said, “But this is my opportunity to be like you.”
Last November, the teacher and student sat on stage together as the only two owners who had cars among the four Cup finalists ( Gibbs had three; Stewart one).
Gibbs’ teams have won four Cup titles and 176 Cup races since JGR’s inception in 1992.
Stewart, who retired from Cup racing after the 2016 season, not only co- owns SHR but also owns sprint- car teams, a sprint- car series, the famed Eldora ( Ohio) Speedway dirt track and various other businesses.
“Joe is the reason I’ve done all these things outside of being a driver,” Stewart said. “All of these things I’ve done outside of that is because of what I’ve learned in working with Joe and how he knows how to organize the right people to do the right jobs. Working with someone like Joe is probably the best asset I’ve ever had in my life.”
Maybe Gibbs, who travels the country delivering speeches, can give Stewart – who typically is racing somewhere on the night of the induction ceremony – some help with his speech.
“I’d be racing, but this is a once- in- alifetime deal,” Stewart said. “I did my schedule and I already have got 72 on my deal. Missing one is not going to hurt me. ... What I’m excited about is my whole family is going to be there.”
That family includes a 16- year- old niece and 14- year- old nephew whom Stewart hopes will better understand what their uncle meant to NASCAR. And then on stage, his racing family will include Gibbs.
Stewart and Labonte combined for 54 of the first 56 Cup victories at JGR.
“When you’re in a situation like I am, I’m the owner, the coach – what you see with the athletes, they’re just special athletes,” Gibbs said. “They have a gift. They have a burning desire to succeed, and you ride their coattails.”