Kevin Harvick presses Joe Gibbs on whether Kyle Busch or Tony Stewart was harder to handle

During the 2000s, Joe Gibbs Racing had two of the most fiery personalities in NASCAR: Kyle Busch and Tony Stewart. Both delivered championships to Coach Gibbs during their time with the JGR organization. But which was the most difficult to control?

I’m not sure anyone but Tony Stewart’s wife, Leah Pruett, can get him to calm down. From his hysterical commercial appearances to his exotic and strange pets, and even pranks on other drivers, Stewart has a reputation. And he earned much of that reputation at Joe Gibbs Racing.

Of course, Kyle Busch is a no-nonsense driver at times. He has gotten into his fair share of scraps off the track and on the track, and he might be one of the most intense and competitive drivers the sport has ever seen.

Joe Gibbs spoke to Kevin Harvick on his Happy Hour podcast this week. The two discussed Busch and Stewart a bit.

“So, who was harder to deal with?” Harvick asked. “Kyle Busch or Tony Stewart?”

“I knew that was coming up because I normally get the Kyle Busch and Tony,” Coach Joe Gibbs responded. “They were both very super talented, and both of them a little bit alike in, all kinds of stuff. They were into all kinds of stuff. Houses, buying race tracks, Tony. All the different things he was in. And Kyle a little bit that way, too.

“But really, both of them, I really appreciated their talent, the way they went after it for us. Both of them, like if you get Kyle, he’s got a great sense of humor. You get him in a social setting and stuff, you’ll laugh a lot. But both of them really talented, so obviously, that was great for us. And you know, we, every now and then, there was some challenges. But really, they helped build our race team, they really did. I appreciated both of them so much because, you know, they won a ton.”

Until Denny Hamlin won at Michigan, Kyle Busch was the winningest driver all-time for Joe Gibbs Racing. Busch earned 56 points-paying wins to Coach Gibbs. Tony Stewart won 33 Cup Series races during his time with the organization.

No matter which way you cut it, Busch and Stewart helped define Joe Gibbs Racing. Of course, Hamlin has been part of that story. But the fire and passion Rowdy and Smoke brought to the track were unmatched. Of course, moved on from JGR eventually to write a different chapter in their careers.