Tony Stewart, Joe Gibbs, a brother, son and mechanic make up NASCAR Hall of Fame class
Joe Gibbs likes to joke that he wasn’t good at sports, so he stuck to joining teams. His storied success as both an NFL football coach and NASCAR team owner prove that.
“I felt like if you hid on a team, when you got a victory, you could take some credit for it,” Gibbs said. “I did the same thing in NASCAR. I got a good team and those guys did all the work.”
Gibbs is already a member of the Pro Football Hall of Fame. Friday evening, he will join the NASCAR Hall of Fame as one of five inductees in this year’s class. Other new members include drivers Bobby Labonte, Tony Stewart and Buddy Baker, as well as crew chief Waddell Wilson.
Most members of this year’s class will be able to look around the stage at Friday’s ceremony knowing their fellow inductees helped put them there. Gibbs, for example, has won four NASCAR Cup Series championships (which is one more than his Super Bowl victories). His first championship was delivered by Labonte in 2000. Stewart won the Cup Series for Gibbs twice, once in 2002 and again in 2005.
“(Bobby’s) first victory was at the Charlotte 600 and everybody in (the winner’s circle) was crying,” Gibbs said. “To go through all of that with him, and then to have him win our first championship, was a huge part of growth for our race team.”
Labonte won 21 races during his career and is one of just four drivers to win both an Xfinity and Cup Series championship. He said being able to enter the Hall of Fame with “Coach” is special.
“When they called me and told me who all was in it, I was like man, that’s awesome,” said Labonte. “Tony and I driving for Coach and winning championships there. And Tony’s career. It’s really special.”
The honor is personal for Labonte for another reason. He will join his brother, Terry, a two-time NASCAR series champion, as a Hall of Fame member.
“I’m always watching my brother,” Labonte said. “I’ve been watching my brother race since I was two years old. Thank God it didn’t come about me before him because that probably wouldn’t have sat well with him.”
Stewart rounds out the list of inductees with ties to Joe Gibbs Racing. During his 17-year NASCAR career, he notched 49 Cup Series wins, winning on every style of track. In 2009, he became a team owner of Stewart-Haas Racing, which has secured 51 victories, including the 2017 Daytona 500.
While Baker and Wilson aren’t as closely connected to Gibbs, their NASCAR roots are just as deep. Baker is the son of Hall of Famer Buck Baker. He joins his father on the list with 19 Cup Series wins to his name, including a victory in the 1970 Southern 500 at Darlington Raceway.
Wilson is the only crew member in this year’s class. He is a longtime engine builder and crew chief, and oversaw three Cup Series championships as an engine builder. He has helped propel current NASCAR Hall of Famers David Pearson, Fireball Roberts, Bobby Allison, Cale Yarborough and Darrell Waltrip to 109 wins and 123 poles. He gained acclaim for building the engine Roberts used to win the 1963 Southern 500.
“Mechanics normally don’t get in this (honor),” Wilson said. “It’s drivers and owners. I was always in the background and I was happy there. And then I get this award that I’ve never (expected) in my life.”
He summed up the mood for the five NASCAR legends walking the red carpet as Hall of Fame members tomorrow.
“This is amazing.”
