Joe Gibbs continues to make history in NASCAR by celebrating a remarkable 33-year partnership with Interstate Batteries, recognized as the longest-running collaboration in the sport. The team, based out of Charlotte, and Interstate Batteries recently extended their relationship with a new multi-year agreement, ensuring that this powerful alliance will roll on well into a fourth decade. In a racing world where most sponsorships are brief, this enduring partnership stands out, representing trust, vision, and shared goals between Joe Gibbs and Interstate Batteries’ founder, Norm Miller.
Joe Gibbs, a three-time Super Bowl champion, originally captured the attention of NASCAR in 1992 when he and his family approached Norm Miller with a simple dream on paper and the determination to build a new racing operation from scratch. Reflecting on those early days, Gibbs said in a recent episode of SpeedFreaks,
“When our family, my two boys and (wife) Pat, all of us talked about getting into racing, we put a dream on a piece of paper and showed up on Norm Miller’s doorstep, and that’s 33 years ago. Think about that. To still have a partnership that’s critical for us in racing—our sport is totally different than football, basketball, and baseball.”
For Gibbs, teamwork is everything, not just among his nearly 500 employees, but also with his trusted partners. The importance of people and partnerships, or “P&P” as many in the NASCAR community say, cannot be overstated. Joe Gibbs Racing has set itself apart by fostering enduring relationships, and he often emphasizes that his partnership with Interstate Batteries goes far beyond typical sponsorship.
“You’ve got to have a sponsor, and I say it’s more than a sponsor, it’s a partner, and that truly is what we are with Interstate Batteries. Think about a partnership like this that can go 33 years, and we’re still crisscrossing the country,”
Gibbs shared.
The nationwide presence of Interstate Batteries remains a source of pride for both companies.
“Interstate is all across America, in every county, and for us to represent them in front of our fan base and America, it’s exciting for us, and to see their company be so successful over that period of time,”
Gibbs said. The enduring visibility is evident each time the team celebrates victory.
“Every time we’re in the winner’s circle, we’re holding that green battery because they got us here,”
he added, underscoring how intertwined Interstate’s identity has become with Joe Gibbs Racing.
The roots of this iconic partnership go deep, shaped by Joe Gibbs’ vision and Norm Miller’s willingness to believe in something that had yet to fully materialize. In the early 1990s, before Joe Gibbs Racing even had its own building or a large crew, Miller saw an opportunity. At that point, Interstate Batteries had a strong base of around 120,000 dealers but lacked a truly national profile. According to Miller,
“When we first began our partnership with Joe Gibbs Racing in 1992, we had around 120,000 dealers comprised of service stations, garages, and car dealers that sold our batteries, but we didn’t have a national reputation. Joe Gibbs Racing gave Interstate Batteries national recognition. Joe was still in the NFL and coaching in Washington, and then Dale Jarrett delivered our first win together in the first race of our second season.”
That pivotal first win—delivered by Dale Jarrett in the 1993 Daytona 500—propelled both organizations onto the national stage.
“We already saw that the partnership was working during our inaugural season together, but that 1993 Daytona 500 win really put Interstate Batteries on the map. It helped us secure national accounts because we had strong name recognition among consumers. That recognition remains true to this day as we enter our 73rd year delivering ‘Outrageously Dependable’ batteries,”
Miller explained, crediting their racing partnership with widening their audience and bolstering their reputation across the country.
The story of Joe Gibbs is one of adaptability, vision, and an intense commitment to the people around him. Having started out as an amateur drag racer before focusing on football, Gibbs eventually returned to motorsports with a keen sense for business and personal relationships. From those modest beginnings—often without a dedicated building, cars, or many employees—Gibbs’ determination and Miller’s confidence helped fuel a string of NASCAR Cup and Xfinity wins and multiple championships, cementing their shared success in one of the world’s most competitive sports environments.
Gibbs views the partnership with Interstate Batteries as more than just a business arrangement.
“To stay in a relationship like this for this long, it’s got to be great for both partners,”
he noted.
“Certainly, we hope it is for Interstate, and we think it has been. It’s a close relationship. We do all kinds of things together besides being at the racetrack and hospitalities and (with) all of their distributors across America. It’s a huge deal for us as we visit with them.”
The personal connection between Joe Gibbs and the Interstate Batteries team extends far beyond the racetrack, including regular events and meetings at their Charlotte facility, which has grown to feature conference rooms, an auditorium, and spaces designed specifically to welcome sponsors and their guests.
“Our complex here in Charlotte, we just had the Interstate group in here two weeks ago. Our whole facility here is geared towards them. We have conference rooms, we have a theater-style auditorium, we can do a sit-down dinner here for 350, so our complex is also geared for our sponsors, and Interstate obviously, they fit our demographic. Obviously, we’re racing cars and they’re selling batteries, they keep cars going,”
Gibbs said, highlighting the alignment that has unified their ambitions for more than three decades.
This record-setting partnership between Joe Gibbs and Interstate Batteries demonstrates how lasting relationships can shape a team’s identity and fuel long-term success, even in an industry where change is constant and sponsorships often come and go. The extension of their partnership points to a future where Joe Gibbs Racing and Interstate Batteries continue to grow alongside each other, setting new standards for unity, loyalty, and achievement.
As Joe Gibbs looks to the seasons ahead, he does so with the confidence that comes from more than three decades of unwavering support, shared victories, and deep personal connection. This historic alliance not only emphasizes the importance of trust and mutual benefit but also sets a benchmark for future collaborations in NASCAR, reminding everyone of the power and potential unlocked when people and partnerships take center stage.
