It’s not uncommon for NFL stars to try to make it big in NASCAR. Take coach Joe Gibbs, for example; this man won three Super Bowls playing for the Washington Redskins and today, he is the owner of one of the winningest teams in NASCAR. On that note, there was a time when the retired Green Bay Packers Quarterback Brett Favre co-owned a NASCAR team with Hall of Famer Dale Jarrett.
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From 1999 to 2000, the Favre-Jarrett-owned team competed in the Busch Series. In their debut race at Texas Motor Speedway, Kenny Irwin Jr. came up with a fifth-place finish, which was also the team’s best performance. Irwin raced four more times, one of which had him finish 5th again at the Dover International Speedway.
Following that, the first year of the team co-owned by Brett Favre in the Busch Series witnessed the other co-owner Dale Jarrett making a start with the #11 car at Darlington Speedway. However, his car fell prey to an overheating issue that ended his day miserably.
The following year, the team pushed Jason Jarrett to the forefront with Rayovac as its primary sponsor. Unfortunately, the first 19 races were nothing but a struggle for junior Jarrett. Failing to qualify in 8 races and crashing out of 3, his tenure as the driver of the Pontiac was somewhat lackluster. His best performance was a P20 finish at the Daytona International Speedway.
Despite switching manufacturers from Chevrolets to Pontiacs and crew chief from Wes Ward to Rick Bowman, the team got sidelined due to their lack of success. In 2000, Rayovac announced that they would not return in 2001 as a sponsor for the team. And that was the end for Favre-Jarrett Motorsports.
Other names from the NFL who have tried their hands at being NASCAR team owners
Terry Bradshaw of the Pittsburgh Steelers tied up with Armando Fitz, as the marketing partner for FitzBradshaw Racing. Besides Kerry Earnhardt and Tim Fedewa as drivers, the team featured Paul Wolfe, who later served as the crew chief for RFK Racing owner Brad Keselowski in the NASCAR Cup Series.
The Dallas Cowboys duo Troy Aikman and Roger Staubach co-owned a racing team named Hall of Fame Racing from 2006 to 2009. Among its drivers were Terry Labonte, Tony Raines, and even Team Penske sensation Joey Logano for a few races. Besides Aikman and Staubach, ex-owner of the San Diego Padres, Jeff Moorad and Miami Dolphins CEO Tom Garfinkel were also co-owners of the team.
Needless to say, there is the NFL Hall of Fame coach Joe Gibbs, whose team flaunts 207 NASCAR Cup Series victories, 204 Xfinity Series triumphs, and 27 ARCA Racing Series wins. However, he is not the only Hall of Famer to have played a major role in the arena of NASCAR.
Les Richter, formerly a linebacker for the Los Angeles Rams, served as NASCAR’s executive vice president of competition and operations in the 1980s and 1990s. He also held the office of the president of Riverside International Speedway.
