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“Fans Would Boo”: Joe Gibbs Explains How NASCAR is Unique When It Comes to Drivers Getting Support from the Fans

Jerry Bonkowski
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Feb 12, 2025; Daytona Beach, Florida, USA; NASCAR Cup Series team owner Joe Gibbs during qualifying for the Daytona 500 at Daytona International Speedway. Mandatory Credit: Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images

Joe Gibbs is one of the most measured team owners in NASCAR.

You rarely see him lose his cool; his temperament and verbiage while speaking to the media are cool as ice, and he doesn’t like to be part of controversy or anything negative.

But at the same time, the patriarch of Joe Gibbs Racing likes to see drivers not only display their personality on the racetrack, but also their passion.

So if that means a driver may be construed as, say, a villain, so be it. And Gibbs has had several of those during his three-plus decades as a NASCAR owner, including Tony Stewart, Kyle Busch, and Denny Hamlin.

When Gibbs was asked if NASCAR needs drivers who are not robotic or don’t mind being themselves on a recent episode of SpeedFreaks, he concurred.

“I think each one of the drivers, it’s their personality that comes out, it really is,” Gibbs said. “And we’ve got some that fans would boo, and obviously (there’s) those fans for the very same driver, will cheer.

“One time I was asked (about) one of the most popular drivers we had at that point, and the crew chief asked me, ‘How come some people boo him?’ And I said, ‘Hey, listen, the most fans you’re going to get in NASCAR would be the most popular driver, maybe 15 or 20 percent (of overall NASCAR fans). The other 80 (percent) are going to boo him.

“But I think the great thing about our sport is that’s the driver that the fans are on one side or the other. You have the race teams themselves, you’ve got people pulling for Hendrick and Penske, and hopefully some for us. Then you’ve got Ford, Chevy, and Toyota, so pick your choice.

“I think that’s exciting, too, because we’re all competing. The manufacturers are competing. Certainly, we are as owners, and certainly are the drivers.”

One of the biggest examples of a NASCAR driver’s personality shining through in the sport came in the form of Kyle Busch during his time at JGR. Coach Gibbs was the driving force behind allowing Kyle to remain true to himself while bringing in results on the track.

Ever since Busch’s switch to Richard Childress Racing, the mantle has been seemingly passed on to Denny Hamlin. The #11 driver currently does not shy away from the occassional leg pulling with the crowd, often meeting with boos during driver intros or when he manages to win a race.

Such is the nature of the beast in NASCAR, with the passionate fan base always making their feelings known in the sport.

Post Edited By:Rahul Ahluwalia

About the author

Jerry Bonkowski

Jerry Bonkowski

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Jerry Bonkowski is a veteran sportswriter who has worked full-time for many of the top media outlets in the world, including USA Today (15 years), ESPN.com (4+ years), Yahoo Sports (4 1/2 years), NBCSports.com (8 years) and others. He has covered virtually every major professional and collegiate sport there is, including the Chicago Bulls' six NBA championships (including heavy focus on Michael Jordan), the Chicago Bears Super Bowl XX-winning season, the Chicago White Sox and Chicago Cubs World Series championships, two of the Chicago Blackhawks' NHL titles, Tiger Woods' PGA Tour debut, as well as many years of beat coverage of the NFL, MLB, NHL and NBA for USA Today. But Jerry's most notable achievement has been covering motorsports, most notably NASCAR, IndyCar, NHRA drag racing and Formula One. He has had a passion for racing since he started going to watch drag races at the old U.S. 30 Dragstrip (otherwise known as "Where the Great Ones Run!") in Hobart, Indiana. Jerry has covered countless NASCAR, IndyCar and NHRA races and championship battles over the years. He's also the author of a book, "Trading Paint: 101 Great NASCAR Debates", published in 2010 (and he's hoping to soon get started on another book). Away from sports, Jerry was a fully sworn part-time police officer for 20 years, enjoys reading and music (especially "hair bands" from the 1980s and 1990s), as well as playing music on his electric keyboard, driving (fast, of course!), spending time with Cyndee his wife of nearly 40 years, the couple's three adult children and three grandchildren (with more to come!), and his three dogs -- including two German Shepherds and an Olde English Bulldog who thinks he's a German Shepherd.. Jerry still gets the same excitement of seeing his byline today as he did when he started in journalism as a 15-year-old high school student. He is looking forward to writing hundreds, if not thousands, of stories in the future for TheSportsRush.com, as well as interacting with readers.

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