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Joe Gibbs highlights biggest differences between NFL coaching, being NASCAR owner

Brian Jones Profile Picby: Brian Jones07/03/25brianjones_93
Joe Gibbs
Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images

Joe Gibbs knew he had to make some big changes when he made the move from the NFL to NASCAR. While speaking to Kevin Harvick on Kevin Harvick’s Happy Hour, the owner and founder of Joe Gibbs Racing detailed the biggest differences between being an NFL coach and a NASCAR owner.

“The biggest difference that really frustrates me now at times is in football, I could kind of make it happen, Gibbs said. “I was designing and working on the offense, calling the plays. I was the technical guy. I grew up in it.

“…When I moved over to racing, it was totally different because I didn’t grow up in racing. I wasn’t a technical person; I can’t set a car up. So I really got to be smart here. I can’t do the technical stuff. I need to work on picking the people, working with the people, getting our sponsors. I say the biggest thrill I have is the first of the month, trying to pay the bills.”

Joe Gibbs reveals how the NFL and NASCAR are similar

Joe Gibbs then talked about how the NFL and NASCAR are similar. “It is so similar, you can’t believe it,” the three-time Super Bowl champion coach said. “In football, you’re not going anywhere if you don’t have what? Quarterback. Over here, not going anywhere if you don’t have a driver. In football, you want to have a coach that really knows what’s going on, hopefully. Over here, it’s crew chiefs. Same thing. And then it’s the people. The only difference over here is the car. Many times, that thing doesn’t behave.”

Joe Gibbs was the head coach for Washington’s NFL team from 1981 to 1992, and again from 2004 to 2007. Along with leading the team to three Super Bowls, the 84-year-old was named NFL Coach of the Year in 1982 and 1983. In his NFL career, Gibbs posted a 154-94 record in the regular season and a 17-7 record in the playoffs. He was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 1996.

In 1992, Gibbs created Joe Gibbs Racing. Over the last 30-plus years, the racing team has won five NASCAR Cup Series championships and four Xfinity Series championships. The current Cup Series drivers on Joe Gibbs Racing’s roster are Denny Hamlin, Chase Briscoe, Christopher Bell and Ty Gibbs, who is the grandson of Joe Gibbs.