DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. (AP) – Joe Gibbs is back in NASCAR.

Quick, hide the headsets!

“We have to make sure we keep a radio out of his hands that he can actually talk on during the race,” driver Tony Stewart said. “As long as he doesn’t have a radio he can talk on, then it shouldn’t change things too much.”

He’s kidding, of course.

“Obviously, having him back around is huge,” Stewart said. “He’s a great person and a great, great leader. He’s great at motivating people and putting the right people in the right positions. When you have someone that strong at doing what he does, then how can it be bad to have him back?”

After an emotionally trying season in his second stint as head coach of the Washington Redskins, Gibbs decided to put away his playbook in January – presumably for good. Now the NFL Hall of Famer spends his days overseeing his NASCAR team and helping tend to a sick grandson.

“I feel like I’m back home,” Gibbs said. “I missed everybody. It’s fun being back, and I’m excited. I’m probably the most excited guy about being back down here, because I’ve missed so much.”

But heading into Sunday’s Daytona 500, Stewart didn’t exactly give Gibbs a chance to ease his way back into NASCAR.

Gibbs had to make an unscheduled trip to Daytona International Speedway last weekend after Stewart tangled with Kurt Busch on the track and, as is widely believed but was never confirmed or denied, punched Busch in the NASCAR officials’ trailer after the incident.

“It’s not where you want to start, but obviously it’s part of it,” Gibbs said.

Still, Gibbs said he’s fired up about getting back to racing.

After an emotionally trying season in his second stint as head coach of the Washington Redskins, Gibbs decided to put away his playbook in January – presumably for good. Now the NFL Hall of Famer spends his days overseeing his NASCAR team and helping tend to a sick grandson.

“I feel like I’m back home,” Gibbs said. “I missed everybody. It’s fun being back, and I’m excited. I’m probably the most excited guy about being back down here, because I’ve missed so much.”

Gibbs’ son, J.D., says he already can see the stress of life in the NFL melting away as his father works his way back into NASCAR.

“Honestly, I was a ballboy for years and we’d go to camp and if you walk by him, it doesn’t register,” J.D. Gibbs said. “He’s so focused, he’s real intense, a little volatile. Over here, it’s totally different. Over here, he’s not the crew chief – crew chiefs have that (coach) role. He’s more the owner, and kind of encourager. He’ll still get fired up, but for the most part, mostly encouraging.”

Gibbs will resume a more hands-on role with the team, handling big-picture issues and sponsor relations while J.D. continues to run day-to-day operations.

But Gibbs’ most important role right now might be that of a loving grandfather.

J.D.’s three-year-old son, Taylor, is undergoing chemotherapy treatments for leukemia, an ordeal Gibbs was missing while he was living in the Washington area.

J.D. Gibbs said Taylor’s health played a role in his father’s decision to leave coaching, but leaving the Redskins in good shape also was important.

“I think there’s some wanting to be part of the family,” J.D. Gibbs said. “I still think because he was able to finish the season strong, win those games after getting beaten down, I think if that didn’t happen he would have felt really obligated to go back. Now you kind of go out, everything’s in pretty good shape.”

J.D. Gibbs said Taylor’s treatments are going well, and the family is trying to keep everything in perspective.

“When you go down there to the doctor’s office, you know what? There’s a lot of other kids around here in a lot worse shape,” Gibbs said. “It’s kind of a humbling process. Every time you go back there, yeah, we’ll go through tough times, and I’m sure hopefully we don’t have a whole lot left. But when you go through that you realize a lot of other families are going through the same thing.”

Add the death of Redskins safety Sean Taylor, who died Nov. 27 after being shot at his home during a botched robbery attempt, and it was a difficult year for Gibbs.

Gibbs, known for his strong religious beliefs, said the shooting caused people in the Redskins organization to re-examine their lives.

“Life’s fragile,” Gibbs said. “I think for a lot of people, what that caused around Washington was a lot of people, the coaching staff, players, front office … a lot of people said, ‘Where am I going to spend eternity?”‘

But that’s a question for another day. For now, Gibbs’ place is in NASCAR.

AP-ES-02-13-08 1723EST


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