Has this ever crossed your mind? Among all the driver/ owner pairings in NASCAR, there’s never been a stranger match than that of team owner Joe Gibbs and the upstart driver Kyle Busch.
One was born during the FDR Administration just before Word War II, the other at the outset of Ronald Reagan. Gibbs hails from the coastal south of North Carolina, Busch came into this world in “Sin City.” Gibbs made a long, steady ascent to the pinnacle of his chosen profession as an NFL Hall of Fame football coach, Busch is kind of like that kid fresh out of college who lands that sweet job in the executive suite- landing at one of NASCAR’s premier Sprint Cup teams. Gibbs has a reserved demeanor and a manner consistent with his Christian faith, “Wild Thing” wears his emotions on his sleeve in an often colorful, some off-color fashion.
On the surface, the pairing of Coach Gibbs (I still think of him that way) and the driver also known as “Rowdy” look about as fitting a match as gasoline and maple syrup. Just about everyone has had something to say about Kyle Busch- as famous for his mercurial behavior as he is for winning races by the truck load.
What you don’t hear is complaining from Gibbs about some of the things Busch has said and done. It’s quite possible Gibbs’ 10-year relationship with Tony Stewart was good practice for working with Busch. Like Busch, Smoke has had his run-in’s with the powers that be, he’s been known to employ the chrome horn and he hasn’t been bashful about making his displeasure with his team know when things haven’t right. People have compared Kyle to Earnhardt- truth be told, on first glance- Busch bears a little more similarity to Stewart. Smoke fans maybe differ- I welcome the discussion.
Some people are noticing a difference in Kyle Busch this year- that he seems to be making an honest effort to not let negativity hang over from one day to the next. Now I can tell you, if I were on Busch’s pit crew, I wouldn’t have taken kindly to being told that I suck. On the other hand, you know what you’re getting in the deal with Busch, and perhaps the chance to be a part of a championship team might be enough lure to keep me there. The reality of it is- Busch and the entire team turned it around Sunday and he was quick to share the credit.
I believe Gibbs is rubbing off on Kyle Busch and that will only continue, though the colorful Shrub will always be Shrub. Coach has worked with his share of raw chunks of coal and turned them into diamonds. Busch already had a bit of luster before he came to JGR. It would seem the fires are refining to some degree the work in progress.
In terms of personality Gibbs and Busch may be gasoline and maple syrup. In terms of accomplishment- they’re more like an electric guitar and piano- seemingly disparate in terms of what they bring to the mix, but working quite well together to make sweet music on the track.
This is an interesting mix of owner and driver- but like I said, there’s a successful precedent here. Gibbs may be fastidious and refined like Felix, Busch may be a little rumpled and rough, but there’s no reason to believe this combination can’t re-write NASCAR history.
Look what Busch has accomplished since coming from Hendrick Motorsports. All we all know that has been NASCAR’s New York Yankees for years, but for some reason, it was only AFTER coming over to Gibbs that Busch began to flourish. There may be a hundred reasons for it…..
….but one of the leading factors has been the pairing of Busch and the Gibbs family.
With this pairing, failure is not an option.
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