Since its inception in 1978, The Home Depot has been a force to reckon with in the do-it-yourself market. With stores all across the country, product selection second-to-none and knowledgeable associates, the world’s largest home improvement specialty retailer has always been a favorite among consumers.
After twenty years of providing home improvement products and services, The Home Depot decided to look for a new way to reach out to its consumers. At the same time, Joe Gibbs Racing (JGR), led by team owner and NFL Hall of Fame coach Joe Gibbs, was looking to expand from a one-car operation into a second team and had tagged open-wheel star Tony Stewart (1996 IRL Rookie of the Year; 1997 IRL Champion) as the driver of its newly formed team. Home Depot consumers and NASCAR fans provided the perfect mix for a passionate do-it-yourself audience — making the sport of stock car racing the perfect vehicle for targeting new consumers.
The Home Depot founders Arthur Blank and Bernie Marcus decided to act upon the thousands of requests from associates and jumped into the sport of stock car racing with both feet. The Home Depot signed on to become the primary sponsor of the No. 20 JGR team with then 27-year-old rookie driver, Stewart in September 1998. The Home Depot also inked an exclusive multi-year agreement to become the Official Home Improvement Warehouse of NASCAR.
The stage was set for The Home Depot to make another huge impact, this time in racing, and it did not disappoint. The No. 20 Home Depot/JGR Team kicked off the 1999 season by making its debut on the front row of the Daytona 500 starting grid. That inaugural season came with many firsts for the team including a pole in April at Martinsville Speedway and its first win in September at Richmond International Raceway. By season's end, the team had accumulated two poles, three wins and a fourth-place ranking in the final point standings.
There would be no sophomore slump for this team the following season. The No. 20 Home Depot Team kicked off the millennium by earning another two poles and doubling its win total in its second campaign, earning an impressive six victories during the 2000 season.
The 2002 season, The Home Depot's fourth year as a sponsor, proved to be monumental. With three wins, 15 top-fives and 21 top-10s, The Home Depot Racing Team and driver Stewart captured their first NASCAR Sprint Cup Championship. The success from those first four seasons justified all the reasons for joining NASCAR and cemented The Home Depot Racing Team as a legitimate powerhouse in the industry.
Even with all the many successes in a relatively young stock car career, the 2005 NASCAR season proved to be a career year for Stewart. He and the No. 20 Home Depot Team won five races by sweeping the road course events at Infineon Raceway and Watkins Glen, and picking up wins at New Hampshire and Daytona. The win at Daytona was Stewart's first point-paying restrictor plate victory. But the highlight of the season was, without a doubt, the win The Home Depot Racing Team earned at the Brickyard 400 at Indianapolis Motor Speedway in Stewart's home state. The opportunity to finally Òkiss the bricksÓ at the famed start/finish line was something The Home Depot Racing Team will cherish forever.
The 2008 NASCAR season marked the end of a decade-long chapter for The Home Depot Racing Team. In July, Stewart announced that he would depart JGR to become driver and co-owner of Stewart-Haas Racing the following season. With his departure, JGR didn't have to look very far to find a driver qualified to fill the empty seat and decided to promote from within. Inside its own camp, JGR promoted NASCAR Nationwide Series driver Joey Logano to pilot the No.20 Home Depot Toyota Camry. (For more information on Joey, click here to read his bio).
The 2009 season was a new beginning for The Home Depot Racing program. Sprint Cup Series newcomer Logano took over as driver of the No. 20 Toyota and not only earned The Home Depot its second Rookie of the Year title, but continued its winning traditions with a victory at New Hampshire Motor Speedway. The win marked the 11th-consecutive year, since its inception, that The Home Depot Racing Team has visited victory lane. The win also cemented Logano in NASAR history books as the youngest winner in Sprint Cup Series history at just 19 years of age.
As The Home Depot and the Joe Gibbs Racing Team enter a new decade in 2010, one thing is certain – they will continue to make their mark on the NASCAR community both on and off the track.
Click here to check out The Home Depot Racing Timeline
