Joe Gibbs: 1993 Daytona 500 proved we belonged in racing

Joe Gibbs is a Pro Football Hall of Famer and a NASCAR Hall of Famer who cites the 1993 Daytona 500 as the turning point in his NASCAR career.

Joe Gibbs is a Hall of Famer in two team sports. Gibbs won three Super Bowls with three different quarterbacks during his initial run with the Washington Redskins from 1981-1992. He is also a five-time champion of the NASCAR Cup Series as the owner of Joe Gibbs Racing. He was inducted into Canton in 1996 and earned enshrinement in Charlotte in 2020 only a few days ago.

Nobody doubted what Gibbs could do as an NFL head coach. His initial run in Washington was legendary, as the Air Coryell disciple won Super Bowls with Joe Theismann, Doug Williams and Mark Rypien under center. “The Hogs” were one of the greatest offensive lines ever assembled.

But leaving the NFL in 1992 to pursue a career in racing certainly turned some heads. He cites his team’s 1993 Daytona 500 victory as when everything changed for him on the racetrack. Gibbs spoke with FanSided‘s Mark Carman on behalf of Interstate Batteries on how monumental that 1993 win in Daytona was for his team, culminating in his NASCAR Hall of Fame induction in 2020.

“So we go through the first year, we don’t win a race, but it got us started,” said Gibbs. “We were questioning, ‘is this too big for us?’ But in ’93, we came to that Super Bowl. We start off with our Super Bowl, which is the Daytona 500.”

“And we won that race with Dale Jarrett and Jimmy Makar, our crew chief. And I think for all of us here, that got us started. ‘Well, maybe we can do this? Maybe we can belong?’ And so I think, that was the biggest step to get us started.”

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Gibbs prioritized the importance of surrounding yourself with the right people during his entire conversation with Carman, whether it’s in the NFL with the Redskins or on the racetrack with Joe Gibbs Racing. Trusting high-quality people to put in the work has made Gibbs a two-time Hall of Famer with inductions coming 24 years apart. What an incredible sports life he has put together.

Joe Gibbs spoke with FanSided on behalf of Interstate Batteries.