Mickey Gibbs

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Mickey Gibbs
Born (1958-03-15) March 15, 1958 (age 66)
Glencoe, Alabama
NASCAR Cup Series career
36 races run over 4 years
1991 position34th
Best finish34th (1991)
First race1988 Goodwrench 500 (Rockingham)
Last race1991 Pepsi 400 (Daytona)
Wins Top tens Poles
0 0 0
NASCAR Xfinity Series career
1 race run over 1 year
Best finish170th (1982)
First race1982 Goody's 300 (Daytona)
Wins Top tens Poles
0 0 0

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.

Climbing the Ladder

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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;[2][3] 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.[4] 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.

Winston Cup Career

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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 Team III Racing, owned by Sam McMahon III, 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, he and the unsponsored team parted ways. He was replaced by Dick Trickle and others to complete the season.[5] Gibbs would not return to the Winston Cup Series.

Final Races and Summary

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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.[6] 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.

Motorsports career results

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NASCAR

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(key) (Bold – Pole position awarded by qualifying time. Italics – Pole position earned by points standings or practice time. * – Most laps led.)

Winston Cup Series

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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 [7]
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 [8]
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 [9]
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 [10]

References

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  1. ^ "Mickey Gibbs - The Third Turn". The Third Turn. Retrieved April 2, 2022.
  2. ^ "Snowball Past Winners". Five Flags Speedway. Retrieved May 4, 2024.
  3. ^ "50 FOR 50: GIBBS GIVES €˜BAMA FANS SOMETHING TO CHEER FOR AT THE DERBY". Five Flags Speedway. Retrieved May 4, 2024.
  4. ^ "ARCA VICTORY GIVES GIBBS SHOT AT RUNNING 500". Orlando Sentinel. 8 February 1988. Retrieved May 4, 2024.
  5. ^ "Race Scandal: Team Crashes Amid Financial Shenanigans". Greensboro. 15 February 1992. Retrieved May 4, 2024.
  6. ^ "Driver Mickey Gibbs Career Statistics". Racing-Reference. Retrieved March 21, 2020.
  7. ^ "Mickey Gibbs – 1988 NASCAR Winston Cup Series Results". Racing-Reference. NASCAR Digital Media, LLC. Retrieved April 18, 2023.
  8. ^ "Mickey Gibbs – 1989 NASCAR Winston Cup Series Results". Racing-Reference. NASCAR Digital Media, LLC. Retrieved April 18, 2023.
  9. ^ "Mickey Gibbs – 1990 NASCAR Winston Cup Series Results". Racing-Reference. NASCAR Digital Media, LLC. Retrieved April 18, 2023.
  10. ^ "Mickey Gibbs – 1991 NASCAR Winston Cup Series Results". Racing-Reference. NASCAR Digital Media, LLC. Retrieved April 18, 2023.
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