The topic of this article may not meet Wikipedia's notability guideline for biographies .(March 2020) |
Mickey Gibbs | |||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Born | Glencoe, Alabama | March 15, 1958||||||
NASCAR Cup Series career | |||||||
36 races run over 4 years | |||||||
1991 position | 34th | ||||||
Best finish | 34th (1991) | ||||||
First race | 1988 Goodwrench 500 (Rockingham) | ||||||
Last race | 1991 Pepsi 400 (Daytona) | ||||||
| |||||||
NASCAR Xfinity Series career | |||||||
1 race run over 1 year | |||||||
Best finish | 170th (1982) | ||||||
First race | 1982 Goody's 300 (Daytona) | ||||||
|
Mickey Gibbs (born March 15, 1958) is an American professional stock car racing driver from Alabama. Gibbs won races in the ALL PRO Super Series, NASCAR All-American Challenge Series, American Speed Association, and ARCA ranks, along with the 1983 Snowball Derby before reaching the pinnacle of stock car racing, then known as the NASCAR Winston Cup Series. [1] He is not related to highly successful NASCAR team owner Joe Gibbs.
After making a lone start in the first race of the newly-revamped Budweiser Late Model Sportsman Series, Gibbs was a regular in the ALL PRO Super Series in the early years of the series. He scored his first win in 1983 at the famed Birmingham International Raceway, roughly an hour's drive from his hometown of Glencoe. He ranked 8th in the championship. He also held off former Winston Cup race winner and fellow All PRO regular Jody Ridley to win that December's Snowball Derby; a race that also featured Bobby Allison, Rusty Wallace, and Gary Balough among other contemporary and future stars.
In 1985 Gibbs moved to the All-American Challenge Series. He would win 5 races and place 4th in the points, behind Stanley Smith, Ronnie Sanders, and champion Dave Mader III. He would score another win in 1986, while not running all the races. Gibbs had a strong 1987 ALL PRO Series campaign. he won 6 races, including 2 more at BIR (one of which also counted towards the ASA championship), but was not as consistent as champion Jody Ridley or 2nd place Steve Grissom. Gibbs was 3rd on the season.
1988 saw Gibbs in a brighter spotlight after finding success in the ARCA Permatex SuperCar Series. Holding off wiley veteran racers Red Farmer and Charlie Glotzbach, Gibbs won the ARCA 200 at Daytona. He made 5 Winston Cup starts that year before winning the ARCA season finale at Atlanta, with a dominant performance that saw him defeat newly-crowned Busch Grand National champion Tommy Ellis and new ARCA champ Tracy Leslie.
After winning the ARCA 200 at Daytona, Gibbs failed to qualify for the Daytona 500. His first Winston Cup start came at Rockingham, driving for his father Don Gibbs. He started 25th, but was relegated to 35th because of an engine failure just before halfway in the Goodwrench 500. He would miss the field again at Atlanta, but led briefly under caution at Talladega (less than an hour from Glencoe). His only finish among his 5 starts was at Michigan, where he came home 31st.
Gibbs began the 1989 season driving for Winkle Motorsports. After missing the Daytona 500 again, he took the green flag in Buddy Arrington's car. Though he finished 20th at Rockingham for Winkle, he sat a disappointing 31st in points after Atlanta and was released from the team. In 7 starts that year, he also raced for Dingman Brothers Racing and his father's team. The father-son duo's 1990 season began by missing Daytona, but that was followed by respectable finishes of 19th at Richmond and 15th at Rockingham. In an abbreviated season, Gibbs attempted 12 races and started 9.
1991 appeared to provide the break Gibbs needed. He signed with Sam McMahon's Team III Racing for the full season, with championship-winning crew chief Barry Dodson. 17th at Daytona yielded the biggest payday of his career (nearly $25,000). Gibbs also came home 19th at Talladega, and a career-best 14th at Sears Point and Michigan. Though he sat a respectable 25th in points after the Pepsi 400 at Daytona, the unsponsored team replaced him with Dick Trickle and others to complete the season. Gibbs would not return to the Winston Cup Series.
Gibbs last known racing exploits came in a return to ARCA, driving for Bobby Jones in 1992. He demonstrated he still had the ability to win, leading 121 of 156 laps in a victory at Texas World Speedway. His last start came at Atlanta, but ended in a crash after halfway.
Gibbs competed in 36 Winston Cup races between 1988 and 1991, and one Budweiser Late Model Sportsman Series race. [2] His success in the lower ranks included 6 wins in the All-American Challenge Series, 7 ALL PRO Series wins (one of which doubled as an ASA win), 3 ARCA wins (including the 1988 Daytona 200), and the 1983 Snowball Derby.
(key) (Bold – Pole position awarded by qualifying time. Italics – Pole position earned by points standings or practice time. * – Most laps led.)
NASCAR Winston Cup Series results | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Year | Team | No. | Make | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 16 | 17 | 18 | 19 | 20 | 21 | 22 | 23 | 24 | 25 | 26 | 27 | 28 | 29 | NWCC | Pts | Ref | ||||||||||||||
1988 | Gibbs Racing | 01 | Ford | DAY DNQ | RCH | CAR 35 | ATL DNQ | DAR | BRI | NWS | MAR | TAL 40 | CLT | DOV | RSD | POC | MCH | DAY | POC | TAL 34 | GLN | MCH 31 | BRI | DAR | RCH | DOV | MAR | CLT 39 | NWS | CAR | PHO | ATL | 50th | 283 | [3] | ||||||||||||||
1989 | Winkle Motorsports | 48 | Pontiac | DAY DNQ | CAR 20 | ATL 39 | RCH 29 | DAR | BRI | NWS | MAR | TAL DNQ | CLT | DOV | SON | POC | MCH | DAY | POC | 41st | 508 | [4] | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Arrington Racing | 67 | Pontiac | DAY 34 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Dingman Brothers Racing | 50 | Pontiac | TAL 25 | GLN | CLT 26 | NWS | CAR | PHO | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Gibbs Racing | 01 | Ford | MCH DNQ | BRI | DAR | RCH | DOV | MAR | ATL 38 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
1990 | DAY DNQ | RCH 19 | CAR 15 | ATL 39 | DAR 38 | BRI | NWS | MAR | TAL 19 | CLT DNQ | DOV | SON | POC | MCH DNQ | DAY 32 | POC | TAL 22 | GLN | MCH | BRI | DAR | RCH 34 | DOV | MAR | NWS | CLT 21 | CAR | PHO | ATL | 37th | 755 | [5] | |||||||||||||||||
1991 | Team III Racing | 24 | Pontiac | DAY 17 | RCH 23 | CAR 20 | ATL 25 | DAR 22 | BRI 19 | NWS 33 | MAR 25 | TAL 15 | CLT 34 | DOV 30 | SON 14 | POC 30 | MCH 14 | DAY 27 | POC | TAL | GLN | MCH | BRI | DAR | RCH | DOV | MAR | NWS | CLT | CAR | PHO | ATL | 34th | 1401 | [6] |
Robert Allen Labonte is an American semi-retired professional stock car racing driver and current analyst for NASCAR on Fox. He also currently competes full-time in the Superstar Racing Experience, driving the No. 18 car. Labonte is the 2000 NASCAR Cup Series champion. He and his older brother, Terry Labonte, are one of only two pairs of brothers to have both won the Cup championships. He is also the uncle of former Xfinity Series race winner Justin Labonte.
James Carlyle "Carl" Long is an American professional stock car racing driver, mechanic, and team owner. He last competed part-time in the NASCAR Xfinity Series, driving the No. 66 Toyota Supra for MBM Motorsports. In the past, he served as a mechanic for Mansion Motorsports, Spears Motorsports, and Travis Carter Motorsports. He was a crew chief at Front Row Motorsports for Eric McClure and Competition director at Rick Ware Racing.
William Clyde Elliott, also known as Awesome Bill from Dawsonville, Million Dollar Bill, or Wild Bill is an American former professional stock car racing driver. He competes full time in the Camping World Superstar Racing Experience. He won the 1988 Winston Cup Championship and garnered 44 wins in that series, including two Daytona 500 victories in 1985 and 1987, three Southern 500 victories in 1985, 1988, and 1994, one Winston 500 victory in 1985, one Brickyard 400 victory in 2002, one "The Winston All-Star Race" win in 1986, and a record four consecutive wins at Michigan International Speedway between 1985 and 1986.
Jeffery Purvis is a former race car driver in the NASCAR Xfinity Series. He is a 15-year veteran with four wins and 25 top-five finishes. He suffered a massive brain injury after a 2002 crash and has not run a NASCAR-sanctioned race since 2004. Before coming to NASCAR he was an accomplished dirt track racer winning the World 100 at Eldora Speedway on three occasions-1983,1984,and 1986.
Michael Samuel Wallace is an American professional stock car racing driver. He last competed part-time in the NASCAR Xfinity Series, driving the No. 0 Chevrolet Camaro for JD Motorsports. Born in Fenton, Missouri, he is the younger brother of Rusty Wallace, older brother of Kenny Wallace, and uncle of Steve Wallace. His daughter, Chrissy Wallace, and son, Matt Wallace, are also active in racing competition.
Greg Sacks is an American former stock car racing driver. He is married and has three children. He lives in Ormond Beach, Florida. He and his sons are partners in Grand Touring Vodka.
James Harvey Hylton was an American stock car racing driver. He was a two-time winner in NASCAR Winston Cup Series competition and was a long-time competitor in the ARCA Racing Series. Hylton finished second in points in NASCAR's top series three times. He holds the record for highest points finish by a rookie.
Loy Allen Jr. is a former professional NASCAR Winston Cup, Busch, and ARCA series race car driver, turned real estate developer and embry-riddle-trained commercial pilot. On February 12, 1994, he became the youngest and first rookie in NASCAR Winston Cup history to win the Daytona 500 pole.
Damon Lusk is an American professional stock car racing driver. He primarily competed in the ARCA Re/Max Series, where he scored two wins in 53 starts between 2000 and 2009. In addition, he ran part-time in the NASCAR Busch Series for six years. This most notably included his 2003 campaign, when he left ARCA to focus on competing in the Busch Series, where he ran eleven races for Tommy Baldwin Racing.
Stephen Wallace is an American stock car racing driver. A current super late model racer, he is the son of 1989 Winston Cup champion Rusty Wallace, the nephew of NASCAR drivers Kenny and Mike Wallace, and cousin of Chrissy Wallace. Steve has made starts in all three of NASCAR's national series as well as the ARCA Racing Series, and won the Snowball Derby in 2004.
Norm Benning Jr. is an American professional stock car racing driver and team owner. He competes part-time in the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series, driving the No. 46 Toyota Tundra for G2G Racing and the No. 6 Chevrolet Silverado for his own team, Norm Benning Racing. He has competed in the series since 2002, primarily driving for his team, Norm Benning Racing. He has also worked as a driver analyst for TheRacingExperts.com in the past.
Andrew Miles Hillenburg is an American former professional stock car racing driver and current team owner and track owner. His race team, Fast Track Racing, fields multiple cars in the ARCA Menards Series and formerly fielded entries in the NASCAR Cup Series and NASCAR Camping World Truck Series. He is credited with reviving the North Carolina Speedway, now known as Rockingham Speedway, after the track lost its NASCAR dates starting in 2005.
David Leonard Gilliland is an American professional stock car racing driver and team owner. Since 2017, he has operated David Gilliland Racing, a team that races in the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series, ARCA Menards Series, and CARS Tour.
Jeffrey McClure is an American former stock car racing driver who raced for multiple years in all three major NASCAR series as well as what is now the ARCA Menards Series. McClure has been involved in the ARCA after his driving days are over, working as a team owner and most recently as a crew chief.
Grant McArthur Enfinger is an American professional stock car racing driver. He competes full-time in the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series, driving the No. 23 Chevrolet Silverado for GMS Racing. Before moving up to the Truck Series, Enfinger competed full-time in the ARCA Menards Series with GMS and won the 2015 series championship.
Tyler Reed Dillon is an American professional stock car racing driver. He competes full-time in the NASCAR Cup Series, driving the No. 77 Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 for Spire Motorsports. He has also competed in the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series, what is now the ARCA Menards Series, what are now the ARCA Menards Series East and West and what is now known as the NASCAR Pinty's Series in the past.
John Hunter Nemechek is an American professional stock car racing driver. He competes full-time in the NASCAR Xfinity Series, driving the No. 20 Toyota Supra for Joe Gibbs Racing and part-time in the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series, driving the No. 17 Toyota Tundra for TRICON Garage. He is the son of NASCAR driver Joe Nemechek and was the 2012 champion in the Allison Legacy Series.
Erik Benjamin Jones is an American professional stock car racing driver. He competes full-time in the NASCAR Cup Series, driving the No. 43 Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 for Legacy Motor Club. His nicknames are EJ, his initials, and That Jones Boy, given to him by announcer Ken Squier. Until 2021, Jones had spent his entire NASCAR and ARCA career with Toyota, and while in their driver development program, he won the 2015 NASCAR Camping World Truck Series championship.
Noah Quinn Gragson is an American professional stock car racing driver. He competes full-time in the NASCAR Cup Series, driving the No. 42 Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 for Legacy Motor Club. He previously drove full-time in the NASCAR Xfinity Series for JR Motorsports from 2019 to 2022, and full-time in the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series for Kyle Busch Motorsports from 2017 to 2018.
Tyler Randal Gibbs is an American professional stock car racing driver. He competes full-time in the NASCAR Cup Series, driving the No. 54 Toyota Camry for Joe Gibbs Racing, and part-time in the NASCAR Xfinity Series, driving the No. 19 Toyota Supra for the same team. Gibbs was the 2022 NASCAR Xfinity Series champion and 2021 ARCA Menards Series champion. He is the grandson of former NFL coach and current NASCAR team owner Joe Gibbs.