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Nominee for NASCAR Hall of Fame Class of 2019

Joe Gibbs has won throughout his entire life.

The three-time Super Bowl champion football coach started Joe Gibbs Racing in 1992 and has led the organization to four premier series championships and five NASCAR Xfinity Series titles.

Born: November 25, 1940
Hometown: Mocksville, N.C.

Championships
Premier: 2000, ’02, ’05, ’15
Xfinity: 2008, ’09, ’10, ’12, ’16

Premier Series Owner Stats
Competed: 1992-present (Stats as of 2017)
Starts: 2,164 Wins: 148 Poles: 114

Years on Ballot: 1

Known as a master motivator, Gibbs’ 140 premier series owner wins rank third all-time. They include two Daytona 500 victories and five Brickyard 400 wins.

His premier series titles have come with three different drivers: Bobby Labonte (2000), Tony Stewart (2002, ’05) and Kyle Busch (2016). Busch’s championship was the first one in the premier series for Toyota.

RELATED: Joe Gibbs career stats | Members of the Hall of Fame

In addition to the team’s four premier series champions, many accomplished drivers have taken the wheel for Gibbs, including Dale Jarrett, Terry Labonte, Matt Kenseth, Denny Hamlin, Carl Edwards, Ricky Craven and Joey Logano.

Referred to in NASCAR circles has simply “Coach,” Gibbs was enshrined into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 1996.

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BUY TICKETS: See the races in Las Vegas | Complete race results

Atlanta Motor Speedway is a track that has given Kasey Kahne three of his 17 career victories, but the start of Sunday’s Folds of Honor QuikTrip 500 was anything but auspicious for the driver of the No. 5 Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet.



Kahne started 29th, and early handling problems caused him to lose a lap to race leader Kevin Harvick. But astute adjustments to the car by crew chief Keith Rodden enabled Kahne to regain the lost lap, and a lightning-fast pit stop late in the race put him in position to claim a fourth-place finish.


"We got behind early and just battled and battled," said Kahne, who posted his best result since a third-place run last October at Charlotte. "Had to battle (Matt) Kenseth for a long time for the lucky dog, and he got it and he drove to the front. I knew he was really good. We just got a lot better. The adjustments were spot on. If we didn’t have those, we would have been two or three laps down."



In the end, the quality work of Kahne’s crew made a crucial difference.



"The pit stops were really solid, and then our final pit stop was the best stop we had all day at the perfect time," Kahne said. "That put us in row three (for a restart with 11 laps left), and we were able to get to fourth.



"It was a great race. Our Farmers Insurance Chevrolet really came alive. It was good. It was fun. It was quite the battle. Five hundred miles at Atlanta is a long time to run right on the wall or right on the white line and switch it up."



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What a race!

It’s how many drivers got busted for speeding on pit road Sunday. Why don’t they just ?

The story, of course, was how totally gave the race away after . I thought for sure that was going to triumph in the end, but I’m not upset with ! is such a that I don’t even care that .

Now, it sounds like is having second thoughts about . I certainly hope , at least.

For the second race in a row, . If I were in that position, I would have . Time will only tell what happens next, when .

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BUY TICKETS: See the races at Darlington

DARLINGTON, SOUTH CAROLINA — Highlighting its award-winning throwback weekend plans of celebrating the 1985-89 era of the sport, Darlington Raceway will have rock legend Bret Michaels perform the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series Bojangles’ Southern 500 pre-race concert on Sunday, Sept. 3.


Michaels, known for his role as front man for the multi-platinum recording band Poison and as a highly successful solo artist, will perform a variety of Poison and solo hits spanning his multigenerational career.


Stage-front tickets to see Michaels perform the Bojangles’ Southern 500 pre-race concert are on sale now by visiting DarlingtonRaceway.com or calling 866-459-7223. A grandstand ticket must be purchased with pre-race concert access.


"Bret Michaels is an iconic singer and performer who will put on an amazing show for the fans during the Bojangles’ Southern 500 pre-race concert," Track President Kerry Tharp said. "Michaels, with the band Poison, was one of the top rock acts in the late 80’s, which fits into our celebration years of 1985-89 extremely well."


Michaels is a multiplatinum global superstar who has turned his passion for music into a multi-faceted brand that encompasses record breaking touring sales, reality TV stardom, legendary songs that have sold over 32 million records, product endorsements as well as being a devoted philanthropist, all supported and followed by three generations of loyal fans.


Michaels was born in the small town of Butler, Pa., on March 15, 1963. Rising to fame as the front man of Poison, one of rock’s most iconic and enduring bands, he helped define the rock ‘n roll scene on the Sunset Strip. Their massive success includes selling over 30 million records worldwide and numerous hit singles.


Equally as successful, Michaels’ solo career has charted its own course with multiple solo albums. His album, Custom Built, topped the charts, reaching No. 1 on Billboards Hard Rock list.


When this multi-talented performer is not touring he can be found both in front of and behind the camera as a director, producer and a reality TV superstar. His first foray into reality TV brought the record-breaking "Rock of Love with Bret Michaels" franchise to VH1, one of the most successful shows in the network’s history, shattering weekly rating records during its run. Following three successful seasons of the show, he teamed up with VH1 for the docu-series "Life As I Know It" setting even more records.


Michaels has also starred in and won the NBC hit show, "Celebrity Apprentice." Coming into the show as the underdog, his tenacity and business sense helped him win the series, raising well over $300,000 for Diabetes research.


Michaels, personally and through his Life Rocks Foundation, has helped raise tens of millions of dollars for charity and makes donations to not only diabetes awareness and research but to such causes as childhood cancer, Wounded Warriors, St. Judes Children’s Hospital, PetSmart Charities and more. Having been diagnosed with Type I diabetes at the age of six, Michaels is passionately devoted to raise awareness of the debilitating disease in hopes of finding a cure.


He has partnered with both the American Diabetes Association and the JDRF acting as a spokesperson and sponsor, earning him numerous awards from a variety of organizations including the ADA’s first ever Chairman’s Citation award.

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BUY TICKETS: See the races at Texas
RELATED: Stage racing is a hit | Full Martinsville results



In the sixth race of the 2017 Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series season, the stage format debuted on a short track, and significantly upped the ante at Martinsville Speedway.


Fierce racing for the top-10 spots at the end of Stage 1 and Stage 2 added to the bumping, banging and thrilling racing at Sunday’s STP 500. 



Here’s what NASCAR reporters are saying about the Stage format:



"NASCAR really hit on something here, and it’s only going to get better as the playoffs approach and begin." — Matt Weaver, Autoweek | Full story

"Sunday was what NASCAR drivers, series officials, team executives and former racers forecasted when they introduced stage racing in January." — Dustin Long, NBC Sports | Full story


"Both stage conclusions were similar to the tight, crowded racing often seen in Saturday night shows at entertaining local short tracks." — Mike Hembree, USA Today | Full story



"There was hard racing, frayed nerves, angry tempers — all elements one would normally see on the half-mile track — but these elements were also amplified because of the intensity brought about by the awarding of points when the first two stages concluded on Lap 130 and 260 of the 500-lap race." — Jordan Bianchi, SB Nation | Full story


WATCH: Stage 2 ending sizzles at Martinsville



Kyle Busch was particularly perturbed with Ricky Stenhouse Jr. at the end of Stage 2, as the No. 17 tapped Busch, allowing Chase Elliott to win the stage. Busch promised payback would come eventually for Stenhouse.



"That’s exactly what NASCAR hoped for when it rolled out the stage format in January. NASCAR knew some traditional fans would view it as another gimmick, another way to ruin what was a traditional race. For NASCAR, it made the move to create moments to get fans wanting to watch earlier in the race, a move that could increase interest as well as television ratings." — Bob Pockrass, ESPN | Full story


Race winner Brad Keselowski, who helped design the new format, said: "That’s what this format is supposed to be about, is having moments like (that). Whether you agree with specific moves is really neither here nor there, but when you put things on the line, when you put more on the line throughout the race, you get more moments like that."


Other drivers are fans of the stage format, as well.



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BUY TICKETS: Celebrate Auto Club’s 20th anniversary
RELATED: Newman wins big in Phoenix


Richard Childress was still a driver/owner when Ryan Newman was born — the year was 1977 in case you’re wondering — and now all these years later here the two were, seated beside each other in the media center Sunday at Phoenix Raceway. Newman the winning driver of the Camping World 500, Childress the winning team owner.


Childress took a chance on Newman in 2014 because he needed a veteran driver, and Newman took a chance on Richard Childress Racing because he needed a job. That’s often how things work in the world of NASCAR.



It took the pair more than three years and 112 races to get into Victory Lane, and the truth of the matter is that some wondered if Newman’s winning days had come and gone.



He had made the transition from open-wheel sprints and midgets to NASCAR and quickly found success with Team Penske, where he won 13 times from 2002-08. He won four more times after a move to Stewart-Haas Racing (2009-13) but found himself out of a ride when SHR brought Kevin Harvick on board.


RELATED: All of Newman’s wins in photos



Some wondered the same about Childress and his three-team organization competing in the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series. Before Sunday’s victory, no RCR driver had been to the winner’s circle since Harvick’s victory at Phoenix in the fall of 2013.



That’s a tough pill to swallow for an organization that had once been the cream of the crop in NASCAR’s top series, winning six championships and 105 races.



"It’s been a long, hard fight, and a battle all the way," Childress acknowledged. "Nobody ever gave up. We never gave up on Ryan. We know that he can do it. Our cars just haven’t been quite where we needed to be."


RELATED: Newman’s career stats | Childress’ owner stats



Childress, inducted into the NASCAR Hall of Fame earlier this year, knows what it’s like to struggle. He made nearly 300 starts as a driver at NASCAR’s top level without going to Victory Lane. "But I always felt like this might be the weekend that the bigger teams might have a problem and I’d be there in position to win the race," he said of his driving career.



He’s always been quick to acknowledge that improvement doesn’t come overnight, but instead can be a long, arduous process. "Like turning an ocean liner around," he’s often said. "It takes time."



RCR hasn’t been the only team that has found itself scrambling to recapture past success, but maybe Sunday’s victory is a sign that the organization is indeed once again headed in the right direction.



NASCAR’s top series is full of drivers who have yet to win — nearly half those in Sunday’s field at Phoenix remain winless. A handful of others are mired in winless streaks as long or longer than Newman’s run of futility.



"Going a long time without winning, you have confidence in your mind that you can do it," Newman said. "There are guys that go their whole career and never win, good drivers.



"You just got to stay humble. This sport, you walk away from it, there’s one guy that wins, 39 losers. You have to be humble walking into it that you’re probably not going to win that day. (The) odds are against you."



MORE: Dillon, Childress congratulate Newman over radio


In the time it took Newman to return to the winner’s circle, 19 others won one or more races. Drivers such as Jimmie Johnson, Kevin Harvick, Joey Logano, Brad Keselowski, Kyle Busch and Matt Kenseth measure winless streaks in weeks, not months. And certainly not years.



"But those days of domination I think are kind of fewer and farther between," Newman said, "if you look at the first four races of this year."



True. With Kyle Larson on the brink of a second career win (he’s finished second three times in four races this season), Chase Elliott continuing to knock on the door and a host of teams finding themselves in the mix, the series’ competition pool appears deeper than ever.



Now we can add Newman’s name to the list. Sunday’s win all but assures him of a spot in this year’s 16-team, 10-race playoff.



Unlike his last two appearances, however, this time he’ll go in as a race winner.



He won the 50th running of the Daytona 500 and he’s won the Brickyard 400, two of NASCAR’s signature events. The Phoenix win, he said, will be no less memorable.



"Yeah, the drought makes a difference," Newman said. "It shouldn’t, but it does. That’s just the way your mind works.


"If we go out and win the next three races in a row, it will still feel sweet. After not winning for so long in a sport that’s so demanding, it does add some sugar to it."

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RELATED: Race recap | Results | Standings

 

It isn’t unprecedented, but it is impressive.

 

For the first time since 2009, and only the second since 1992, Ford teams have won the season’s first two races in the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series.

 

Meanwhile, six of the top 10 drivers in the point standings come from the Ford camp and this year’s two winners — Kurt Busch and Brad Keselowski — have put themselves squarely in line for the season-ending 10-race playoffs.

 

Granted, winning early and often isn’t unusual — Chevrolet teams won the first three races of the 2010 season and a whopping 13 of 14 out of the gate in ’07.

 

Three of the past five seasons have seen a more balanced beginning with each of the three manufacturers — Chevrolet, Ford and Toyota — winning one of the first three races in various orders.

 

It’s ridiculously early to be calling anything a trend. The two season-opening Ford wins in ’09 didn’t portend of great things for the company that year — only one more win came its way the remainder of the season. But the past year or so has provided much in the way of Ford’s renewed commitment to NASCAR as part of the Ford Performance program.

 

Meanwhile, the early returns on the addition of Stewart-Haas Racing to the fold have been nothing but positive. In addition to Busch’s Daytona 500 victory, Kevin Harvick managed everything but collecting the trophy in Sunday’s Folds of Honor QuikTrip 500 at Atlanta. Harvick won the first two stages and led all but 33 laps of the 325-lap race. Both Busch and Harvick compete for SHR.

 

Team Penske has shouldered the majority of the workload for Ford in recent seasons while Roush Fenway Racing tries to re-establish itself as a contender. They aren’t the only kids on the Ford block, just the two most successful.

 

But with SHR so competitive so soon, it’s hard not to notice.

 

"We’re racers," Greg Zipadelli, vice president of competition for SHR, told NASCAR.com. "We’re old-school racers. Our guys have worked hard to get everything done; I know everyone says that, but they worked long hours and they did it every day" to complete the switch from Chevrolet to Ford.

 

MORE: Harvick tops Stages 1, 2 | No win, but plenty of success for Harvick

 

SHR fields four cars at NASCAR’s top level for drivers Harvick, Busch, Clint Bowyer and Danica Patrick. The organization also added one full-time and one part-time XFINITY Series team this year.

 

More than 100 new employees were added as SHR began building its own chassis and various other machine-shop items. "And anytime you add people, you don’t know how long it will take for everyone to get settled and things start to flow," Zipadelli said.

 

Team Penske has ruled the Ford roost from almost the time it left Dodge after a championship season in 2012. The majority of the 14 Ford victories in 2014 came from Team Penske drivers Keselowski and Joey Logano; the following year all seven Ford victories came from Team Penske; and a year ago it was seven of eight.

 

Close-knit alliances often result in improved results on the track for all parties. Toyota-branded Furniture Row Racing obviously benefited from its association with Joe Gibbs Racing last season and should do so again this year; the SHR/Hendrick pipeline saw two drivers win titles in a three-year period with Harvick in ’14 and Jimmie Johnson last season.

 

Team Penske has stayed to itself, going it alone, however.

 

"We pretty much played by ourselves, and I think that that’s made us much stronger," said team owner Roger Penske.

 

But he said he realizes the advantages of working alongside a fellow "branded" organization, and SHR has provided that opportunity.

 

"We knew coming in with Stewart‑Haas that they were going to be guys that could set a bar for us," Penske said. "In fact, we built some chassis for them before Daytona, some center sections, and we had our cars in the wind tunnel and compared them. So we know what they have and they know what we have."

 

Seeing an increase in the number of Ford teams running out front and in the top five is a good sign for those organizations. Perhaps the competitive gap has narrowed a bit.

 

"You know how strong the Toyotas have been and the Chevys have been," Penske said. "This gives (Ford teams) at least a chance to say we’re on par with these guys. Now, with a couple of wins I’d have to say we might be an inch or two ahead."