“They freaked out”: Joe Gibbs recalls how he convinced Tony Stewart to leave IndyCar to sign for his NASCAR team

Tony Stewart's association with Joe Gibbs Racing represented a significant factor in his successful NASCAR career. Stewart moved over from IndyCar to a full-time ride on JGR in the NASCAR Cup Series in early 1999. Joe Gibbs remembered the moment when he decided to get him in a segment from Kevin Harvick's Happy Hour.

Stewart had a strong beginning by earning Rookie of the Year, winning three times, and finishing fourth in the championship. Stewart won his first-ever Cup Series championship in 2002 and his second in 2005. During Stewart's time with JGR, he won 33 Cup Series races with multiple wins almost every year at JGR from 1999 to 2008. He was well-known for his aggressive style of driving, adaptability at various types of tracks, and performance under pressure. The legendary driver's ability to drive fast and competitively on the tracks helped propel JGR's reputation into a top NASCAR team.

"I think it's a great story. And because we were sitting down with, at that point, Shell, and we were talking about future drivers and stuff. And so we had kind of all seen Tony and I just said, I had a meeting with him and I said, what do you think if we could get Tony Stewart, they freaked out. Get Tony Stewart. That's, that's who we want. Well, he had a contract with Harry Raniere at that point. And so I start trying to chase him down. I can't find him half the time because he's all over the place...," recalled Joe Gibbs.

"And so I finally found, he had a girlfriend at Indy. And so I would call the girlfriend and say, where's Tony? And she would tip me off and I would find, that's the third time I call and she goes, that, no. And I went, oh my gosh, that's over. So I lost that, but I kept after Tony, kept talking to Harry, and I said, Is there, could we work a deal here? And, um, finally talked Tony into it," he added.

Tony Stewart's partnership with JGR was marked by consistent wins, championship contention, and a strong fan following.

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Joe Gibbs reveals Tony Stewart’s early doubts before NASCAR stardom

Joe Gibbs recently reflected on the early days of Tony Stewart’s NASCAR career, revealing that Stewart himself admitted he was not ready to jump straight into the Cup Series. Originally planning to move up to the Cup in 1997 with Ranier-Walsh Racing, Stewart postponed his debut after limited part-time experience in the Busch (now Xfinity) Series.

Gibbs respected Stewart’s self-awareness and instead placed him in the Xfinity Series in 1998 after acquiring Labonte Motorsports, where Stewart faced a steep learning curve, frequently wrecking cars but showing flashes of potential with five top-five finishes and a near win at Rockingham.

"Tony really understood himself and he said, 'Hey Joe, I'm not ready for Cup. ... They wanted me to drive Cup and I'm not ready.' So we put him in Xfinity. I don't know if you remember that or not, that man wrecked more cars and sometimes he would wreck three times. I would say, 'Hey, just park it after the first time for crying out loud.' And didn't win a race," Gibbs shared on Harvick's podcast (18:20 onwards).

Gibbs recalled that Stewart’s rookie Xfinity season was tough, with multiple crashes and no wins, leading Gibbs to often tell him to “just park it after the first time” to avoid further damage.

Despite these struggles, Gibbs never lost faith in Stewart, who made his Cup debut in 1999 with Joe Gibbs Racing and quickly vindicated that trust by winning three races, earning Rookie of the Year honors, and finishing fourth in the standings.