Coach Joe Gibbs Has Flippin' Good Time In Hampton

The former Redskins coach and his NASCAR sponsor galvanize a large Arena Racing crowd at the Coliseum.

Was it "The Gut vs. The Butt" or "The Gut vs. The Gut?" Listening to the hilarious banter between former Washington Redskins coach Joe Gibbs and Interstate Batteries chairman Norm Miller, billing their match race wasn't easy.

Whatever you call it, Gibbs' visit to the Hampton Coliseum on Friday was the biggest thing to happen to Arena Racing USA in a long time. About 3,500 watched their race, more three times the usual gathering for an area arena race.Gibbs and Miller put on a memorable show driving the half-scale cars on the 1-10th-of-a-mile track. They were scheduled to race 20 laps, but a spectacular crash ended it on the sixth lap.

Moments after scraping into the Turn 2 wall, Gibbs tried to pass Miller by driving low in Turn 4, but clipped the right rear of Miller's car with his left front. The hit sent Miller barrel-rolling into the Turn 4 wall.

Miller was unhurt, but one flip was enough. Gibbs was declared the winner, but he handed the first-place trophy to Miller, a close friend whose business has sponsored Gibbs' NASCAR Sprint Cup Series teams for 17 years.

"No excuses, I was out of control," Gibbs said, before joking, "I blame it on Norm."Miller said, "He was running better than me and probably would've passed me. When he hit me, I saw the wall coming, but the helmet and the safety equipment worked fine."

The crowd for the 100th area arena event was the largest since Dale Earnhardt Jr. attended a 2002 race at the Norfolk Scope. They enthusiastically applauded Gibbs and Miller, both of whom are investors in Richmond native Ricky Dennis' indoor racing venture.

Many, like Russell Heffner of Norfolk, are lifelong fans of the Redskins, whom Gibbs guided to three Super Bowl victories. Heffner arrived at the Coliseum an hour before the doors opened to get at the front of a line of hundreds of autograph-seekers Gibbs accommodated before the race.

"I've been a Redskins fan all of my life, so I came here for a chance to meet him," Heffner, 32, said. "I wish I'd brought the T-shirt I had framed from the Redskins' (1992) Super Bowl win against Buffalo."But I'll get him to sign this (maroon) Redskins hat and I'll put it in a clear acrylic box. I'm excited. He's the man who won three Super Bowls."Mike Berg, a Chick-fil-A operator in Hampton, was one of the lucky few to meet Gibbs at a small gathering for those whose businesses bought lots of tickets. Berg acquired Gibbs' signature on three footballs, a Redskins shirt and a replica of RFK Stadium.

"I love his Christian values," Berg said. "He's always stood up for what he believed in."Gibbs also is the owner of a three-car NASCAR team that has won three Sprint Cup Series titles. Before signing autographs, Gibbs talked to the media about the Cup season that begins with the Feb. 15 Daytona 500.

"We have three young guys and I don't know if anybody's ever had three young drivers like this," he said. "We have them (ages) 18 (Joey Logano), 23 (Kyle Busch) and 26 (Denny Hamlin)."

I think it's going to be an interesting year for us. "Gone from the team after 10 seasons is Tony Stewart, who drove to two Cup titles for Gibbs. But Gibbs' inability to fit into one of the orange-and-black Home Depot suits Stewart wore last season prompted a hilarious pre-race exchange with Miller. "They gave me Tony's uniform, and I've accused Tony of being a little overweight," Gibbs said. "I got that thing on, and I'll be honest with you, I've got this much room left (about a 4-inch gap at the waist) and five people trying to zip it up."

Gibbs then implied that Miller's stomach size might make driving the tiny arena cars difficult for him. Miller countered by pointing to his ample waistline, covered by the Interstate Batteries uniform that replicates the one worn by Gibbs driver Kyle Busch.

"I was worried about the 'Slosh Effect,' " Miller said, feigning concern that his belly might cause weight imbalance in the small car. "I was thinking that my gut might give me an advantage, a low center of gravity."

But then I thought: What about Joe's butt? So it will be 'The Butt against the Gut.' "The Butt won. Then the close friends walked out of the arena, joking as always."I might have to cut my sponsorship in half," Miller said.

Courtesy The Daily Press.com