Joe Gibbs Talks Managing Tony Stewart and Kyle Busch: Two Talents, One Challenge
Hall of Fame NASCAR team owner Joe Gibbs recently opened up about the challenges—and rewards—of working with two of the most fiery drivers to ever represent Joe Gibbs Racing: Tony Stewart and Kyle Busch.
Speaking on Kevin Harvick’s Happy Hour podcast, Gibbs didn’t name one as more difficult than the other, instead emphasizing how similar they were. Both Stewart and Busch, he explained, were immensely talented and driven, but came with strong, often unpredictable personalities.
“Kyle and Tony were very much alike,” Gibbs said. “There were definitely moments that tested us, but they played a huge role in shaping our race team.”
Tony Stewart delivered 33 wins and two championships before launching Stewart-Haas Racing in 2009. That same year, Kyle Busch stepped into JGR and went on to win 56 races and two titles, making him one of the most successful drivers in the team’s history—second only to Denny Hamlin in total wins for the team.
Stewart was known for being blunt and unapologetically honest, whether he was speaking to the media, his team, or competitors. Busch, too, had a reputation for being outspoken and fiercely competitive, both on and off the track.
While Gibbs admitted they weren’t always easy to manage, he stressed that their intensity and commitment to winning made it all worthwhile.
“I respected them both because they were winners,” he said. “It wasn’t about trying to control them—it was about channeling all that passion in the right direction.”
In the end, Gibbs credits both drivers with helping build Joe Gibbs Racing into the powerhouse it is today—a team defined not only by success, but by the bold personalities that drove it there.
