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

Coach Joe Gibbs To Race At Hampton Coliseum

Joe Gibbs promised himself a long time ago that he would never race a car in front of people. His sons, Coy and JD Gibbs have tried their hand at racing but the elder Gibbs' has always been a spectator and owner. He'll break that vow tonight to help Arena Racing USA draw people to the Hampton Coliseum.

Gibbs, the Pro Football Hall of Fame coach who guided the Washington Redskins to three Super Bowl titles, will participate in a match race against Interstate Batteries chairman Norm Miller. Gibbs and Miller are investors in Arena Racing, and will stage their exhibition as part of the series' 100th event held in the area."I got lured into this, and it's not going to be pretty," said Gibbs, the owner of three cars in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series. "But I don't want to lose to Norm."Gibbs and Miller will race in half-scale stock cars capable of reaching 50 mph on the 1/10-mile banked aluminum track at the coliseum. They will sign autographs at a 6:30 p.m. meet-and-greet, then race at about 9:10 p.m. as part of a five-race card. Racing begins at 7:30 p.m.

Gibbs and Miller are close friends with a long racing history together. Interstate Batteries was the first major sponsor of Joe Gibbs Racing in 1992, when Gibbs became a Cup owner.Interstate Batteries sponsored the Gibbs car Bobby Labonte drove to the 2000 Cup title, the first of three that Gibbs drivers have won. Gibbs, Miller and their wives (Pat Gibbs and Anne Miller) often vacation together often. Miller challenged Gibbs to the match race earlier this month. Their good-natured trash-talking has escalated since.

"Norm keeps telling everybody I'm the favorite, but if you ever saw him drive on the street, you'd know he has the inside leg," Gibbs said.Replied Miller: "A low center of gravity is key to racing these cars. I thought my gut gave me the lower center of gravity, but Joe's butt has got me beat. I'm going to hold back to the last lap or two, and then try to go by him."

Blake Murphy, the CEO of Arena Racing in Hampton Roads, doesn't care who wins. He's ecstatic that Gibbs and Miller will bring their drawing power to the coliseum.Murphy said that arena races in the area average about 1,300 fans, with advance sales usually about two dozen. By Wednesday night, area businesses had purchased almost 700 tickets for the Gibbs-Miller race."It's safe to say we'll have our largest crowd this season," Murphy said, noting the largest gathering this season has been about 2,000. "We're hoping for 3,000 and would be thrilled if 4,000 people come."

It's a special thing, because a NASCAR owner is racing against his sponsor. But what's really special is that they are fitting this time in while getting geared up for the NASCAR season." Gibbs' racing team, which includes former Langley Speedway division champion Denny Hamlin, is a hot topic of conversation with the season-opening Daytona 500 less than a month away.

Kyle Busch's hot start thrust the team into the national spotlight last season. The debut of 18-year-old Joey Logano as a full-time Cup driver is one of the most anticipated in Cup history. Gibbs is trying to temper expectations."Chances are with a young driver, you're going to go through a learning curve," Gibbs said. "It's huge challenge, so we've put veterans like Greg Zipadelli (crew chief for Tony Stewart's two Cup titles with Gibbs) around him."

Busch, Logano and Hamlin have a combined age of 69, one year older than Gibbs. That's ironic for a guy who debuted as an NFL coach at 40, barely older than some of his Redskins players.Gibbs, who retired as an NFL coach last season, commented on the proliferation of young head coaches, like Peninsula native Mike Tomlin. Tomlin, 36, has guided the Pittsburgh Steelers to this year's Super Bowl."

Younger coaches are a trend," Gibbs said. "I think (NFL executives) are seeing that if they have a young guy and he has success, they can keep him for 15 years." Then he joked, "I guess that hinders my chances of getting on with anybody."Gibbs sounds perfectly happy in NASCAR, spending time with guys like Miller. No matter that he might try to run Miller off the track tonight."I'm not the technical guy," Gibbs said of his Cup ownership duties. "I'm more about relationships, working with people and keeping our longtime sponsors happy."

IF YOU'RE GOING: Joe Gibbs will participate in an Arena Racing USA match race tonight at the Hampton Coliseum against one of his NASCAR team's sponsors: Norm Miller, chairman of Interstate Batteries. Gibbs — the NASCAR owner who earned Pro Football Hall of Fame status as coach of the Washington Redskins — will sign autographs from 6:30-7:15 p.m., prior to the five-race card.

DOORS OPEN: 6:30 p.m.

RACING BEGINS: 7:30 p.m.

GIBBS' RACE BEGINS: 9:10 p.m.

TICKETS: $10 for adults and include a free ticket for kids 3-12; $7 for students and senior citizens; military with ID are admitted at half-price for Military Appreciation Night

Courtesy dailypress.com