NASCAR Race Shop Review: Joe Gibbs Racing

Anyone who knows me, knows that I'm a Kyle Busch fan. I've been a fan of his brother Kurt Busch for a number of years and have now begun following the career of "Rowdy" as well. That combined with the fact that my mom is a fan of Tony Stewart meant that we had to add Joe Gibbs Racing to our list of things to see while in North Carolina.

Joe Gibbs Racing has three drivers running in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series: two time Champion Tony Stewart, Denny Hamlin, and Kyle Busch who just joined the team this year. Unlike other race shops we toured where on driver was predominantly displayed, all three drivers were showcased here.

The first thing we noticed was how easy it was to park. There are a lot of race shops that have only a small parking lot, which can get full pretty fast on race week, but we easily found a spot at Joe Gibbs Racing. We also noticed a lot of people wearing hats and shirts from other drivers, which we found a little humorous.

Inside they have large display cases up with different trophies on display for each driver. They also included a variety of different collectibles inside the cases. The Kyle Busch case had several plus M&M characters along with a few of his different diecast cars. They also had Tony Stewart's trophies out and the grandfather clock he won in lieu of a trophy at Martinsville.

We also saw a few show cars on display, including one driven by Bobby Labonte. There were also several display cases up with memorabilia from Joe Gibbs and his football career. We also saw a small conference room where there was a meeting in progress and we joked that Tony Stewart must have been there.

After touring the small main area where the Joe Gibbs Racing memorabilia was on display, we made it to the race shop area. At Joe Gibbs, you get an eagle eye view of the large workroom. They have huge glass partitions up, but you can see the entire race shop from the viewing area. I'm glad I'm not a Denny Hamlin fan though because his cars were pretty far back from the viewing area.

We saw several of the Tony Stewart Home Depot Toyotas on display, in various stages of work. As a Kyle Busch fan I was nearly jumping for joy when I saw the number of cars they had out working on. There was the M&Ms car, the Pedigree dog food car, and a bright green one that we think might be to promote the new Hulk movie.

Joe Gibbs Racing also has a virtual guestbook where you can sign your name, leave a message, and tell them who your favorite driver is. We both signed the guestbook though we had to wait in a short line to get there.

Once we left the viewing area we found ourselves in a huge gift shop devoted to Joe Gibbs Racing and their drivers. They had race used lugnuts out for 50 cents, with all the money raised going to various charities devoted to children. They also had race used tires for sale for an unbelievably low $30. If we had the room in our car, I would have brought one back with me.

After spending a little too much at the gift shop, we circled around and ended up back in the main lobby with the display cases. We spent a few more minutes looking over the cases to see if we missed anything and talking with a few other NASCAR fans. Then it was time to head off to our next destination.

Joe Gibbs Racing is a pretty impressive facility and it's clear that they don't have a "favorite" driver in their stable. No matter who you like from Joe Gibbs, they have enough on display to keep you happy.