At first, like thousands of fans who have come to know and respect him as probably the most stand-up guy in NASCAR, I felt betrayed when Joe Gibbs announced Wednesday he was going back to the Redskins.

During the past 11 years in NASCAR as an owner, Gibbs told anyone who asked that he didn't miss NFL coaching, that he loved stock car racing and that he loved spending time with his family.

Yet, there were so many signs that football was still in Gibbs' blood. It was evident when he smiled and reveled in the way auto racing reporters called him "Coach," when he took some of his Winston Cup earnings and bought a slice of ownership in the NFL's Atlanta Falcons, and when he inherently inserted football idioms and axioms (like calling his drivers "quarterbacks") into stock car parlance.

But after the initial shock, it became clear: Gibbs was not betraying anyone by going back to the NFL. He was not guilty of spending the last 11 years talking out of both sides of his mouth. He was not betraying the family he spent the last 11 years getting to know and love, after admittedly ignoring them during much of his tenure as an NFL head coach.

After 11 years of sacrificing himself to be everything others wanted him to be, of proving he wasn't just a one-dimensional success in life, Gibbs did something for himself. Now is the right time to go back and complete some of the unfinished business left when he retired from the NFL in 1992, and to prove to the football world he still has what it takes to return his beloved Washington Redskins to a respectable if not dominant position.

Now is the right time because Gibbs has his household in order. He has nurtured and developed his children into fine young people, most notably sons J.D. (who he leaves in charge of his racing teams) and Coy (a racer and former college football player who is said to be joining his dad on the Redskins' staff). He has built one of the most dominant and respected racing organizations in NASCAR, with more than 200 employees. He's worked so much on his health that he professes to be in the best shape he's ever been, both physically and mentally. He's shown the sport that you don't have to cheat to be the best, that nice guys truly can finish first instead of last, and proved to be an impeccable role model of how to be a gentleman above all else.

	Joe Gibbs, right, and Tony Stewart won the 2002 Winston Cup championship.

Sure, there's still a wound left that will take some time to heal. We will only see Joe sparingly at races during the NFL off-season, and certainly not at all on Sunday afternoons during the NFL regular season. We'll miss the impeccable class he carried himself with, the upright posture and overwhelming confidence that he exuded every time he stepped into a room. We'll miss the immediate attention, respect and focus he commanded whenever he was among people. For Gibbs had a very rewarding side job as one of the nation's most popular and spellbinding motivational speakers. To paraphrase the old commercial, "When Joe Gibbs speaks, people listen."

And Gibbs always speaks with class. Upon meeting Joe more than a decade ago when he owned and operated an NHRA drag racing team, it was clear he was a true North Carolina gentleman, quick with a hearty handshake and friendly smile, an offer of a cool and refreshing drink and his standard line of "So, what's on your mind?"

Gibbs left the NFL at the right time, having won three Super Bowl titles in an eye-popping 12-year run. He came to stock car racing as an admitted neophyte, yet quickly adapted the same skills he used on the gridiron -- immaculate organization, attention to the most minute detail, and the ability to show people he truly cared for and respected them -- and applied them to win two Cup titles and build one of the sport's top teams.

Gibbs now leaves NASCAR at the right time, too. He is going back to an NFL that has radically changed in the last 11 years, much the same way he's witnessed NASCAR explode in popularity and attention during that same time span. While the reported $28.5 million, five-year contract he'll have is certainly enticing, Gibbs is going back to football not for the money, but for the challenge.

More than anything, Gibbs has spent his life taking on challenges with every bit of his heart, soul and energy.

While many will miss seeing him at places like Daytona, Talladega and Darlington, Gibbs should make a fine return to the NFL. And if he tires again of the gridiron grind, he's always got a home with NASCAR Nation.

Jerry Bonkowski covers NASCAR for ESPN.com. He can be reached at Motorsportwriter@MSN.com.