Chat Transcript: Coy Gibbs
October 18, 2001
4:10 PM EDT (2010 GMT)
[NASCAR_Host3] Welcome to NASCAR.com's chat with Coy Gibbs!
[Coy_Gibbs] Hey, everyone. Thanks for coming on NASCAR.com today. I am looking forward to hearing and answering your questions!
[NASCAR_Host3] Question from: [nascarluv] What is the hardest aspect of a Craftsman Truck race?
[Coy_Gibbs] I would say just the whole teamwork concept. All the preparation leading up to the race is hard. The race itself isn't really that hard. You are either good or bad, and there isn't much in-between.
[NASCAR_Host3] Question from: [truecoyfan] Coy, did you attend races as a child and when did you decide to become a race driver?
[Coy_Gibbs] Actually I went to NHRA races since I was a little tot and ran around that circuit for many years. I decided to go racing when I was still playing college football and I saw my brother run at Concord Motor Speedway and I thought that looked like more fun than football, so I decided to take a shot.
[NASCAR_Host3] Question from: [REALROCK100] Coy, I have heard that you are a fan of open wheel cars. Is there a chance you will go that route?
[Coy_Gibbs] No, but I love them. I love just about any racing I watch on TV. Open-wheel is great. Those guys are just nuts. I don't think it would further my career though.
[NASCAR_Host3] Question from: [milrtym] Coy, what track do you like the best? Have you ever driven Talladega?
[Coy_Gibbs] I have driven at Talladega, and I like it better than Daytona. They aren't my favorites because I am not comfortable with it yet. I like the old Nashville Speedway, and then I would probably say Texas. I enjoyed testing at Atlanta, and I would probably like Charlotte, but I haven't raced there. Dover isn't bad, and neither is Kentucky. I like the 1.5-mile tracks with high banking.
[NASCAR_Host3] Question from: [GoCoy] How often do you practice between races and does practice time significantly affect your performance during the race?
[Coy_Gibbs] Practice is crucial. In the Craftsman Truck Series you cant test at tracks you race at so that makes it real hard to find tracks to test at, but we spend a lot of time in Florida at Lakeland, and we go to Talladega, Atlanta, and Greenville.
We go everywhere we can go. If we can't do it in a truck, we do it in an ARCA car. It is crucial to be in a truck and test at a track we race at, but it is hard when you show up to the trracks without having any laps We are going to Phoenix and I don't even have a clue!
[NASCAR_Host3] Question from: [mimi24] What (or who) inspires you to get in that truck and race week after week?
[Coy_Gibbs] Something I just enjoy doing! I don't want to get a real job so I want to hold on to the dream to race the rest of my life! Ha, ha. The competition is something I like. I have been with stick-and-ball sports my whole life, and this is what my body can do now because I can't run any more.
[NASCAR_Host3] Question from: [racingfan2020] Hi Coy, do you utilize video game training for learning new tracks, and if so, how accurate are they?
[Coy_Gibbs] In fact I don't even have a system right now because I just moved. If I unpacked that thing, I would never sleep! I am a junkie! I haven't played the new NASCAR Heat because I know if I do, I will never stop. The others are fun and the tracks are almost identical, so I think it helps a little bit with the hand-eye coordination. You would be better going out to play baseball than doing it on the computer, but I enjoy them a lot!
[NASCAR_Host3] Question from: [tonyfan#1] Coy, how do you feel about women racing, such as Shawna Robinson?
[Coy_Gibbs] I think it is great. This is one of the few sports that you can have both men and women play together. You don't see that in the NFL, NHL or NBA. When you get in a car, everyone is equal if you think about it.
[NASCAR_Host3] Question from: [mimi24] What do you do when you're not racing?
[Coy_Gibbs] I have been thinking about that lately! I do absolutely nothing! I do nothing but racing. I need to find a hobby. I have been talking to Lance Norick and he has been driving those radio-controlled cars and he is talking me into getting one. We are going to build a track and play with that. Racing is a job and a hobby so it gets all mixed into one.
[NASCAR_Host3] Question from: [MaryG11] What goals did you set for yourself this year and have you met them?
[Coy_Gibbs] The goal was to finish in the top 10 and so far we are right there on the border. Matt and Lance are chasing me. The biggest thing starting in trucks is that we weren't an established team, and it takes some years to do that.
Some younger guys are getting into those teams and it shows. We are getting better every month and I think next year is when it is going to really show. We are going to have a full year of testing in the winter and we should be on top of our game.
[NASCAR_Host3] Question from: Coy, do you think the Craftsman Truck Series will ever be as popular as the Winston Cup?
[Coy_Gibbs] No. I don't think it ever will be. I would love for it to be, but that will never happen. Trucks have a place in NASCAR and you know typically it is Trucks, Busch, Cup and that is the way it has to stay for younger guys working into it.
You have to start somewhere and trucks is a good starting point. We have a lot of younger drivers and we have the same tracks that some of the Cup guys do, and we have similar chassis, so I think it is in the right place. I think it needs to be a step in getting to Winston Cup.
[NASCAR_Host3] Question from: [stv_prk1] Are you planning on running some Cup races eventually?
[Coy_Gibbs] I don't know about next year. I am planning on running the full truck series again. I need to see what the schedule looks like but I doubt I will do a Cup race. More likely it will be a few ARCA races and maybe a Busch race. As long as those races don't bother my truck year we will probably do some.
[NASCAR_Host3] Question from: [racer20] Do you have a fan site or fan club?
[Coy_Gibbs] Actually, I don't. You may be the only person that ever asked for that! You are my honorary fan member! I have to work on that. I didn't think there was as big a fan base for the trucks as there is so I need to work on that. I have just been struggling with this racing deal.
[NASCAR_Host3] Question from: [mimi24] What advice do you have for someone trying to get into racing
[Coy_Gibbs] Depends on what you want to do! I think just getting hooked up on a good local track. You have to run good for a couple years. I ran at Tri-County Speedway in Hudson. I slowly worked my way up from there and went to local tracks. Then you get into the touring divisions like Slim-Jim, then make your move up to ARCA or so.
[NASCAR_Host3] Question from: [Jrl24rules] Do you have a primary sponsor next year, or are you just looking around?
[Coy_Gibbs] No, actually MBNA will be back and that is the only sponsor I have ever had for the last three years. They have stuck with me through the tough times so hopefully we will turn it on next year and be a contender for a top five and maybe even the championship.
[NASCAR_Host3] If you could listen to music while racing, what band would you listen to?
[Coy_Gibbs] I have no idea! I listen to just about anything. I have a kid here that mixes on the computer, so we just put together what I want.
[NASCAR_Host3] Question from: [teamsports] Who in your opinion is the best young driver in your series right now? (other than yourself!)
[Coy_Gibbs] I would not put myself in that category! Roush has two great drivers between Kyle Busch and Jon Woods. Ricky is going to have a great career here. Travis is doing a great job, but the young, young ones are Roush's.
[NASCAR_Host3] Question from: How long did it take you to prepare for your first race?
[Coy_Gibbs] I would say about six years of racing different stuff.
[NASCAR_Host3] Question from: What's something in your motorhome that would surprise most people?
[Coy_Gibbs] If I had a motorhome... ha, ha... I don't have one! I wish I did! I have a portable DVD player that I bring and watch movies. I am kinda a freak about what I eat, so I carry some weird food with me.
[NASCAR_Host3] Question from: [jackieluv20] What do you think about having a cooling-down period for drivers before they talk to reporters?
[Coy_Gibbs] I think that is part of the sport. That wouldn't be fair to the fans. I think NASCAR does a great job with how they handle their press.
If you look at other sports like football or basketball, they are always looking for the dirt. As NASCAR gets bigger, I think you will see that more.
As a driver, you just need to hold you tongue. Tempers fly and people say things. That is just part of the sport and the fans enjoy it, really.
[NASCAR_Host3] Question from: [mimi24] Do you go to the Busch Series or Winston Cup to watch now that you're racing? How does this help or not help you?
[Coy_Gibbs] Yeah, I got to go to the Richmond race there and I just stayed up there after the trucks. I just listen to what feedback Mike was giving to his crew chief and it helps a lot that you are somewhat close to what a true veteran gives. I think you can learn a lot.
[NASCAR_Host3] Question from: [chevy2001] What drivers do you look up to for advice and for help on your setups?
[Coy_Gibbs] I used to talk to Randy Tolsma a lot. He helped me a lot. I don't really talk to anybody now. You kinda got to do it on your own. It is hard to figure out who you can and can not trust. It is hard to transfer one chassis to another because of what you are running. You just try to go there and do the best you can do with the guys we have.
[NASCAR_Host3] Coy, that's all the time we have this evening, do you have any final thoughts?
[Coy_Gibbs] Thanks for the questions and spending time. I wish we could do this more often but we are usually on the road. If you get to the races and see me, come on up! I haven't made it to Winston Cup yet so we get to meet everyone! Keep pulling for me. We will get there sooner or later.
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