There is no money to be made in NASCAR, or so it’s been said. Success is never concrete.
The NASCAR narrative always begins with how money can be wasted or lost in this business. It quickly points at what’s to blame – the economy, of course, it’s led the sport into dire times. And it ends with a long list of how sponsor dealings can leave organizations scratching and clawing to survive each year.
Joe Gibbs Racing has become the exception.
The organization is indomitable and enters the 2015 season on the verge of numerous changes. Beyond the crew chief shuffle come new drivers, which led to the creation of new teams, and in turn the addition of sponsors.
It nearly defies the odds of organizational survival. Yes, corporate sponsors are cutting their NASCAR budgets. The biggest story of the past year the National Guard ending their commitment to not only the organization they were backing, but also the sport. Though they had a year remaining on their contract with Hendrick Motorsports and driver Dale Earnhardt Jr., they adamantly stated they would not be paying or returning.
Roush Fenway Racing also lost two of their primary sponsors. Ironically they ended up at Hendrick. No matter the driver, however, those of stature big and small are not immune and in turn correlate to the pre-season headlines centered on the current state of such-and-such organization.
Yet at Joe Gibbs Racing, it continues to be business as usual. For all intents and purposes, they’re thriving and spend more time focused on performance than paychecks.
Led by a man simply known as Coach, Joe Gibbs has his company in a position to chase a fourth Sprint Cup Series championship and a second XFINITY driver title. Doing that extends far beyond how an owner handles their wheelmen.
“I think it says a lot about whose name is on the door. Joe is obviously a huge influence to all of us in what we do and how we’re able to succeed as people in life and yet also as him being our boss,” said driver Kyle Busch, who’s been with the company since 2008.
“I feel like he does a really good job, and he’s obviously done things right and has been successful. He’s making the way for all of us having a fourth team come on board with sponsors. Most all the cars being fully sold and everything like that across the Cup Series as well as the (XFINITY) Series. I can’t say enough about what everyone does at Joe Gibbs Racing.”
Busch’s compliment is only one of many that echo through the halls of the Huntersville headquarters.
Relationships Build a Better Business
When pen hits paper at Joe Gibbs Racing, a new marriage is born.
Sponsors are not just signing up for a particular driver to adorn their colors because they get Joe Gibbs, too. The 74-year-old is more than just the face of the organization; he’s the hands-on and voice for all.
“Almost every one of our sponsors are extremely competitive about somebody else in their world. They want to beat them. So lots of times when I’ve signed these contracts they say, now you got to beat (company X, Y, or Z),” Gibbs says it with a chuckle when thinking of how to keep everyone happy.
“I think first of all, you gotta win, but more than that is you develop that relationship and a sport like this, you go through bad times, have wrecked cars, disappointments, driver change, you got through a lot. You go through the down times, and then you go through the great times when you win races and have a chance to win a championship.”
Gibbs is not only the salesmen, a label appointed by his drivers who praise his ability to not only juggle multiple companies while keeping them coming back, but he’s down in the trenches throughout the year. Victories and championships are nice, but Gibbs has also taken on the worst of times, the nasty headlines and the moments that could have destroyed a union.
Joe Gibbs Racing and Home Depot were partnered together for 15 years through three separate drivers. Together they became the face of home improvement while winning major races and two championships with Tony Stewart. But Home Depot announced their departure from the sport at the conclusion of the 2014 season. It was not related to their relationship with Joe Gibbs Racing.
For proof though of how strong a relationship can be built, the pairing of Busch and Mars (M&M’s) marches on. While Busch’s talent goes unchallenged, there were times his temper could have done him in. When he was suspended following an incident in the Truck Series at Texas in 2011, they pulled their support for the remaining two races.
It can only be imagined what goes on behind closed doors and who, if anyone, was in Busch’s ear back then, but things did change. Maybe nothing was done at all, but M&M’s returned to the car and from that year on, though Busch is still as fiery as ever, he has been the driver Mars is proud to stand behind. Mid-way through 2014, they validated it by signing an extension.
Through it all, Gibbs is there to steer the ship and keep it on course.
“It’s the thrill of victory and the agony of defeat and it plays out, but normally what can happen the way you handle those things you develop some real close relationships in there,” he said. “I love our people and our sponsors. I can call almost everybody in those companies and talk to them, and it’s fun. We take it seriously, and we have to deliver for them.”
Relationships, relationships, relationships, it’s all but painted on the wall as the official Gibbs motto. From Joe to his son J.D., the business only survives if you make it worth it for those involved.
When Joe shifted his attention back to football to coach the Washington Redskins from 2004-2007, J.D. easily stepped into his place and became the main man. Alongside his father, J.D. serves as the organization’s President, although it would hard to argue he’s not an equal.
That could go for any employee, proof of Matt Kenseth crediting top leadership. Kenseth is entering just his third season as part of the family, yet acknowledges Todd Meredith and Dave Alpern as big Gibbs influences.
They both have been at Joe Gibbs Racing since the very beginning.
Meredith is the guy behind everything in the racing operations department. He’s the Chief Operating Officer of the company while his father, who helped Gibbs launch his NASCAR venture back in 1991, serves as the Executive Vice President. Don Meredith and Joe Gibbs have a rich history together on and off the racetrack.
Alpern meanwhile, is on the frontlines in interacting with the CEO’s of the sponsors, while also handling areas like branding and social media. Alpern joined the company in 1993 and his the Chief Marketing Officer.
Don’t leave out Dean Noble, who also works the deals with sponsors. Jimmy Makar, well, his name speaks for itself.
They are just some of the many that make the well-oiled machine roll on.
“I think it’s a tribute to the people that we have working at Joe Gibbs Racing. We have a core that’s been together for a long time but I also think it says a lot about this sport in that the corporations that we can attract, they’re not coming over here just to ride around on the car,” Gibbs said.
“There’s got to be B2B (business to business), a lot of B2B and social media. It’s all the things that add to that program, and so it’s our people that I feel like inside Joe Gibbs Racing that have done a good job developing a relationship.”
And that’s where they have separated themselves. That is what Joe Gibbs Racing does differently to keep Mars, FedEx and Dollar General happy. It helps when approaching Monster, Sport Clips and Reser’s.
Or, now going into 2015, it attracts DeWALT and Stanley to come onboard along with landing the multi-billion dollar company ARRIS for Carl Edwards and Daniel Suarez.
As for social media, have you seen their behind the scenes photos and videos? The multimedia staff is quickly elevating the company into one of the most engaging on social media. It rivals that of JR Motorsports and their platforms.
They have crafted Facebook and Twitter into online communities where fans have a look at daily activities in the shop at their fingertips through photographs and videos. Videos feature the master usage of Hyperlapse, the Instagram tool.
YouTube and Pinterest are also utilized. Snapchat also caught their attention in a further demonstration that social media, when used correctly, can be a profitable highway.
“Some people say it’s business, it’s business. I say, it’s relationships, it’s relationships,” Gibbs revealed. “So, you get in a relationship with somebody and the easiest way to get a sponsor is done lose one.”
Gibbs might chuckle at his statement, but the fact remains it’s a harsh reality in the sport. The loss of one partner can cripple the stability of an organization but at Gibbs, they’re making the list longer and longer.
“When we get one (a sponsor) we don’t want to lose one, so that’s a big deal for us,” he said. “I think that’s a tribute to our people.”
Entering a New Era
The 2015 season will see Gibbs return to a four-car operation with the addition of Edwards and the No. 19 team. They have reunited Kenseth with DeWALT.
“All that stuff is really great, that’s a great feeling,” Kenseth said. “It’s a great company; it’s great to be part of it.”
Just don’t expect anyone to take the credit. Instead, the Coach is left standing soaking in the accolades of the team effort. A comfortable look for a man with NASCAR and NFL championship rings on his fingers.
“Joe is a great salesman; that’s for sure. He’s a lot of the reason we have the sponsor on the cars that we do. I just think that Joe does an extremely good job of making the sponsors happy,” Denny Hamlin praised. “Joe works hard; he works hard in the shop. Every single week he’s there when they open the doors for business, every day he’s one of the first in there.”
The infamous Gibbs work ethic will continue to be the backbone of the organization moving forward. Not just in putting the right personnel in the right places, but implementing the necessary changes to get back to the top.
Last season all three cars qualified for the Chase while Hamlin finished third in points. However, there were only two trips to Victory Lane. On the XFINITY side, the future continues to be highlighted, and the next wave of stars will get even bigger shots with Suarez running a full schedule and Erik Jones making cameo appearances
“I think it says a lot about (the organization) and J.D. has also done a great job leading the team when Joe was off doing football,” Hamlin continued. “Now J.D.’s role has changed a little bit but it’s also good for our race team to have our best salesmen back in the shop like Joe is.”
Sponsors in NASCAR do come and go, it’s just not a philosophy Joe Gibbs Racing lives by.