Joe Gibbs Racing

The team's headquarters.

Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series cars being prepared in 2018.

The team was founded by Gibbs in 1991 after exploring opportunities with Don Meredith, who currently serves as the team's Executive Vice President.[5] In 1997, Gibbs' son J.D. Gibbs was named team president.[6][7] In 1998, the team began construction on its current facility in Huntersville, North Carolina.[7] The team expanded to a two-car operation in 1999 with Tony Stewart's No. 20 Home Depot-sponsored car, then a three-car operation in 2005 with the No. 11 FedEx-sponsored car currently driven by Denny Hamlin and owned by Coy Gibbs.[8] The team expanded to four cars for the 2015 season with Carl Edwards driving the No. 19 car, following former Roush Racing teammate Matt Kenseth to JGR.[9]

After winning three Cup championships and over 70 NASCAR races in Chevrolet and Pontiac equipment, it was announced in September 2007 that the team would be switching to Toyota (who had just entered the Cup series that year) following the end of their commitment with General Motors at the end of the season. It was believed that the executives at JGR felt as if they weren't as important as some of the other GM teams such as Hendrick Motorsports and Richard Childress Racing, leading to the decision to swap manufacturers. According to Joe Gibbs, Toyota offered the team resources and options they "were not going to be able to afford to do" if they remained at GM.[10]

In 2012, JGR shuttered its in-house Sprint Cup Series engine program, merging with California-based Toyota Racing Development which currently provides engines to JGR as well as Leavine Family Racing.[11][12] The team continues to build engines for its own Xfinity Series operations and those of RAB Racing[13] and JGL Racing,[14] the Camping World Truck Series operations of Kyle Busch Motorsports,[15][16] and the Truck Series and ARCA Menards Series operations of Venturini Motorsports.[17][18] The team had a technical alliance with Furniture Row Racing, a single car team based in Denver, Colorado, before their closure following the 2018 season.[19][20][21]

The original No. 11 car driven by Jason Leffler in 2005.

Multiple drivers (2004-2005)

The No. 11 car (the number J. D. Gibbs wore playing football at College of William & Mary) began in 2004.[22] Ricky Craven, recently released from PPI Motorsports finished 30th at Talladega with sponsorship from Old Spice,[23] and Busch Series driver J. J. Yeley ran two races in the car with Vigoro/The Home Depot sponsorship.[24]

The No. 11 car went full-time in 2005, with new sponsor FedEx coming on to fund the full season in a multi-year deal. Jason Leffler, who had driven for JGR in the Busch series, was signed to drive the No. 11 for the full season, while Dave Rogers was named the crew chief.[22] The new team struggled early on in the season. Leffler missed the Coca-Cola 600 at Charlotte, with FedEx Freight moving over to the 18 car that Bobby Labonte would drive to a second-place finish.[25] Rogers was reassigned and replaced with veteran crew chief Mike Ford in June,[26] then former Cup champion Terry Labonte was hired to run the road course at Sonoma, qualifying 8th and finishing a solid 12th.[27] After 19 starts with a best finish of 12th and sitting 36th in points, Leffler was released from the ride. Terry Labonte ran the next three races, then ran the Fall Richmond race finishing 9th.[28] J. J. Yeley ran 4 races with a best finish of 25th. In November, it was announced that Denny Hamlin would drive the car for the remainder of the season, then run for Rookie of the Year in 2006.[29] Hamlin ran seven races, finished in the top 10 three times, and earned a pole at Phoenix International Raceway.[30]

Denny Hamlin (2005–present)

Denny Hamlin at Homestead in 2007.

Hamlin was awarded the No. 11 FedEx Express full-time ride in 2006 in addition to his full-time Busch schedule in the No. 20 Rockwell Automation Chevrolet. Hamlin was part of a large and strong rookie class, including teammate J.J. Yeley, Clint Bowyer, Martin Truex Jr., David Stremme, Brent Sherman, and Reed Sorenson.[31] Hamlin opened the season by winning the Budweiser Shootout non-points race, holding off Dale Earnhardt, Jr. on a green-white-checker restart.[32] In June, Hamlin scored his first Cup Series victory at the difficult Pocono Raceway. Hamlin started on the pole, then battled back from a cut tire to take the victory.[33] In his return to the track in July, Hamlin again won the pole, then proceeded to lead 151 of 200 laps en route to a second victory, the first rookie to sweep both Pocono races. Hamlin credited his prowess on the track to practicing on the racing simulator NASCAR Racing 2003 Season.[34] Hamlin's strong performance earned the rookie a berth in the Chase for the NEXTEL Cup, where he would finish 3rd in points. Until 2016, Hamlin was the only rookie to make the Chase.

Hamlin's No. 11 Toyota at Daytona International Speedway in 2008.

In 2007, Hamlin won the first of two races at New Hampshire International Speedway in 2007, and finished 12th in points. In 2008, Hamlin won the Gatorade Duel and the first race at Martinsville Speedway, and improved to eighth in points. He qualified for the Chase again in 2009 after winning the second race at Pocono Raceway and Richmond International Raceway. He ended the season with four victories after winning Martinsville and Homestead-Miami Speedway in the chase. 2010 was Hamlin and the 11 team's breakout year. They won at Martinsville and Denny followed the win by having knee surgery. After the surgery, the team won 4 of the next 10 races at Texas, Darlington, Pocono, and Michigan. The team made the chase after another win at Richmond. The team won races during the chase at Martinsville and Texas and held the points lead going into the season finale. However, an early wreck would put them behind the competition, and Hamlin wound up finishing second to Jimmie Johnson during the 2010 chase. Hamlin later admitted to putting too much pressure on himself during the Chase, which mentally impacted him. As a result, Mike Ford took a "no compromise" attitude for 2011, hoping to right the ship. However, the team struggled throughout 2011, with multiple blown engines and a single win at Michigan to push the No. 11 into the Chase. Hamlin would finish 9th in the final standings. At season's end, Mike Ford was released as crew chief and was replaced by Tony Stewart's crew chief Darian Grubb.

Hamlin during the 2016 Daytona 500.

Under Darian Grubb the team started 2012 off in the best way possible by winning the second race of the season at Phoenix. That win was followed with another victory at Kansas six weeks later. The 11 team once again proved dominant on the short tracks pulling off a convincing win in the Bristol Night Race in August. The week after Bristol, the No. 11 FedEx team brought home another victory at Atlanta Motor Speedway, making the No. 11 the car number with the most wins in NASCAR with 200 wins. Hamlin then won the Sylvania 300, giving Joe Gibbs Racing its 100th win.

Hamlin's 2013 season began with an on-and-off track feud with former teammate Joey Logano. Initially started on Twitter, the on track incidents began at Bristol in March, where Hamlin spun Logano in turns 1 and 2, leading Logano to confront Hamlin after the race.[35] The rivalry continued into the next race at Auto Club Speedway, where the two fought for the lead in the closing laps. In the final corner, the two collided, allowing JGR teammate Kyle Busch to win the race, and sending Hamlin's 11 car into a non-SAFER barrier wall near pit road.[36] This wreck would mark the beginning of a difficult season for Hamlin, as he suffered a lower back fracture and was forced to sit out several races. Veteran Mark Martin replaced Hamlin at one of Denny's better tracks, Martinsville Speedway, where he scored a top 10.[37] Brian Vickers then drove the car for the next three races, scoring an 8th-place finish at Texas. Though Hamlin returned to the car at Talladega Superspeedway, he never returned to form during the year, with only 8 top 10s on the year.[38] He did score a win at the season finale at Homestead.

After Jason Leffler's death in 2013, the 11 team paid tribute to their former driver by running a white FedEx scheme at Michigan similar to the one Leffler ran in 2005.[39][40]

In the 2014 Auto Club 400, Sam Hornish, Jr. replaced Hamlin due to Hamlin having what was thought to be sinus infection, but later revealed to be a piece of metal in his eye that impaired his vision.[41] Hornish, who was actually on standby for teammate Matt Kenseth, finished a solid 17th in his return to Cup.

At the 2015 Food City 500, Erik Jones replaced Hamlin after the latter suffered neck spasms. Jones took the car to a 26th-place finish, but Hamlin started the race and was credited with the finish.

In 2016, Hamlin started his season out well, winning the 2016 Daytona 500 by beating out Martin Truex Jr. by 0.010 seconds, the closest finish in Daytona 500 history. The win was also the first for his rookie crew chief, Mike Wheeler. He would also win Watkins Glen and Richmond to finish 6th in the standings

In 2017, Hamlin won at the first New Hampshire race and at Darlington and finished 6th in points for the second straight year.

Hamlin started the 2018 season with a third-place finish at the Daytona 500. However, for the first time in his career, he finished a season winless. Despite this, he stayed consistent enough to make the Playoffs. Hamlin was eliminated in the Round of 16 after the Charlotte Roval race and finished the season 11th in points.

Hamlin at Martinsville Speedway in 2019

Hamlin started the 2019 season with his second Daytona 500 win after surviving a mass pile-up with 10 laps to go in the race. The win was about a month after the passing of J. D. Gibbs. Hamlin celebrated by performing a slow lap of honor instead of a burnout in order to preserve the car.[42] He scored his second win of the season at Texas.[43] At Martinsville, Hamlin collided with Logano on turn four, squeezing Logano into the outside wall and causing him to lose a tire and spin out two laps later. Hamlin finished fourth while Logano salvaged an eighth-place finish. After the race, Hamlin and Logano had a discussion on the incident before Logano slapped Hamlin's right shoulder, sparking a fight between the two.[44] NASCAR suspended Dave Nichols Jr., the No. 22 team's tire technician, for one race for pulling Hamlin down to the ground during the altercation.[45]

Hamlin started the 2020 season by winning the 2020 Daytona 500, becoming only the fourth driver to win back-to-back Daytona 500s after Richard Petty, Cale Yarborough, and Sterling Marlin. Prior to the Las Vegas race, the team was docked 10 driver and owner points for an L1 level penalty during pre-race inspection.[46] Following the 2020 Coca-Cola 600, crew chief Chris Gabehart, car chief Brandon Griffeth, and engineer Scott Simmons were suspended for four races after a tungsten ballast came loose and fell off the frame rail of the car during the start of the race.[47]

Dale Jarrett (1992–1994)

Joe Gibbs Racing debuted at the 1992 Daytona 500 with second-generation driver Dale Jarrett driving the No. 18 Interstate Batteries-sponsored Chevrolet Lumina to a 36th-place finish after a crash. The team improved dramatically the next year, when Jarrett won the Daytona 500, and finished a then career-high 4th in points. Jarrett won a race at Charlotte but he slipped to 16th in points in 1994, and moved to Robert Yates Racing's famed 28 car for 1995.

Bobby Labonte (1995–2005)

Bobby Labonte's former Interstate Batteries Chevrolet Monte Carlo on display at JGR headquarters.

The team replaced Jarrett with Bobby Labonte, younger brother of Terry Labonte and 1993 Rookie of the Year runner-up. In 1995, Labonte won 3 races, sweeping both Michigan events and winning at Charlotte, finishing 10th in points. This would mark the beginning of a decade of success between Labonte, Joe Gibbs Racing, and Interstate Batteries. In 1996 the team struggled to win until the season finale at Atlanta and finished 11th in points. In 1997 the team had a similar year to the previous but managed to improve to 7th in points. Their lone win came at the season finale. The team improved in 1998 by winning races at Atlanta and Talladega en route to 6th place in points.

1999 was a breakout year for the No. 18 team. They scored 5 wins which came at Dover, Michigan, Atlanta and both races at Pocono. The team came just short of the championship and finished 2nd in points to Jarrett, once again at Atlanta. The team continued their success in the next season, winning the second race of the season at Rockingham.[48] Labonte's next win was the Brickyard 400 at the famed Indianapolis Motor Speedway.[49] His third win came at the Southern 500 at Darlington recovering from a hard practice crash and taking the lead on a late race pit stop to win the rain and darkness shortened event.[50] His fourth and final win of the year came at Charlotte a month later. Labonte would hold the points lead for 25 consecutive races to win the 2000 NASCAR Winston Cup Series Championship.[51]

J. J. Yeley at Homestead Miami Speedway in 2007

The team faced disappointment in 2001 after high expectations following the championship season, winning only 2 races at Pocono and Atlanta and finishing 6th in points. 2002 was the team's worst year since Labonte joined the team, scoring only one win at Martinsville and finished a disappointing 16th in points. The team rebounded in 2003 scoring 2 wins at Atlanta and Homestead to finish 8th in points. Even though the team made some progression in 2004, the team fired crew chief Michael "Fatback" McSwain midseason, with Brandon Thomas taking over for the rest of the year. The team went winless to finish 12th in points. Steve Addington, a Gibbs Busch Series crew chief, was named new crew chief for the 2005 season, but a rash of troubles, some caused by mechanical problems, continued to daunt the team. The high point of the year was the Coca-Cola 600, when he finished second to Jimmie Johnson by half a car-length.[25] Labonte finished 24th in the championship standings, and the team's regression led to his departure following the end of 2005. Bobby Labonte earned all 21 of his career Cup Series wins in the car, as well as the Winston Cup championship in 2000. He would depart for the 43 car of Petty Enterprises.

J. J. Yeley (2006–2007)

After Labonte's departure, Gibbs announced that JGR Busch Series driver and former USAC standout J. J. Yeley would replace him in the No. 18 for 2006, joining fellow rookie teammate Denny Hamlin.[31] Yeley had a dismal rookie season with only three top tens while failing to finish seven races, leading to a 29th-place points finish. Yeley's sophomore campaign was only slightly better, earning a pole at Michigan and scoring three more top tens to finish 21st in points. Yeley moved to JGR-affiliated Hall of Fame Racing for 2008.

Kyle Busch (2008–present)

On August 14, 2007, it was announced that 22-year-old Kyle Busch had signed a contract to drive the number 18 with Joe Gibbs Racing through 2010, leaving Hendrick Motorsports' number 5 car after a successful but controversial tenure with the organization.[52] Mars, Inc.'s M&M's brand was signed as the team's primary sponsor, leaving Robert Yates Racing, while longtime partner Interstate Batteries scaled down to be a secondary sponsor and six race primary sponsor.[53] Joe Gibbs racing also left General Motors in favor of becoming Toyota's highest-profile team.[10] Busch gave Toyota its first Cup win on March 9, 2008, leading a race-high 173 laps to win the Kobalt Tools 500 at Atlanta Motor Speedway. In his first year in the 18, Busch had brought the car back to its former glory, winning 7 additional races (Talladega, Darlington, Dover, Infineon, Daytona, Chicagoland, and Watkins Glen) and would finish tenth in points.

Kyle Busch at Michigan International Speedway in 2008

In 2009, Busch opened the season by winning his Gatorade Duel qualifying race, but finished 41st in the race after a crash. He won the third race of the season from the pole at Las Vegas, and scored additional wins at Richmond and both Bristol races, but failed to qualify for the Chase by only 8 points. As a result, longtime JGR crew chief Steve Addington was fired near the end of the season, and coincidentally went to crew chief for Kyle's brother Kurt Busch at Penske Racing. Dave Rogers, Busch's Nationwide Series crew chief, took over the pit box in 2010. The year produced 3 victories at Richmond, Dover and Bristol, but more struggles in the final 10 races led to an 8th-place finish in the standings. 2011 was an up and down year for the 18 team. The team won at Bristol and Richmond early in the season, as well as the inaugural Cup race at Kentucky and the August race at Michigan. At Texas Motor Speedway in November, Busch was parked by NASCAR for the remainder of the race weekend after intentionally spinning out Ron Hornaday in the Truck Series race. Michael McDowell would replace Busch that weekend, finishing a dismal 33rd.[54] Mars, Inc proceeded to pull its sponsorship for the final two races, with Interstate Batteries covering those races.[55] Busch was relegated to twelfth in the final standings.

In 2012, Busch won the Budweiser Shootout to open the season, and scored a single points-paying victory, the spring race at Richmond. He would miss making the Chase for the Sprint Cup by 3 points, but scored 7 top 5 and 8 top 10 finishes during the final ten races, finishing the year in 13th place and nearly 100 points ahead of 14th place Ryan Newman. In 2013, Busch won the second Budweiser Duel qualifying race, and won the pole at the spring Bristol race, finishing second. He also swept the spring Fontana and Texas race weekends, winning the Nationwide and Cup races, giving Joe Gibbs his first win at Fontana in Sprint Cup competition and first win for himself at Texas. He would win at Watkins Glen and Atlanta. Busch's four wins and career-high 22 top ten finishes would lead to a fourth-place finish in the championship, the highest of his career. In 2014, Busch earned a spot in the new Chase for the Sprint Cup with his early season win at Fontana. Busch would be eliminated in the second round, after being swept up in a wreck at Talladega, and would finish tenth in points.

Kyle Busch's race-winning car at Sonoma in 2015.

For 2015, sponsor Mars, Inc. introduced a new green paint scheme to promote Crispy M&M's on the 18 car.[56] After an injury to Kyle Busch in the season-opening Xfinity Series race,[57] the No. 18 started the 2015 season with two-time Truck Series champion Matt Crafton making his Sprint Cup debut at the 2015 Daytona 500, finishing 18th.[58] The next week, David Ragan was announced as interim driver, moving from his full-time ride at Front Row Motorsports.[59] Ragan drove the car for nine races through Talladega and scored a single top-five finish at Martinsville, before moving to Michael Waltrip Racing.[60][61] Development driver Erik Jones, who drove for Busch in the Truck Series, made his first series start at Kansas.[62] Jones ran in the top ten for much of the race, before crashing on the front stretch and finishing 40th.[63] After missing a total of 11 races, Busch returned to the car for the Sprint All-Star Race at Charlotte, receiving a waiver from NASCAR to be eligible for the Chase for the Sprint Cup provided he win a race and gain a top 30 position in the championship standings.[64] At Sonoma in June, his fifth start of the year, Busch scored his first victory of the season. It was also the first time he and his brother Kurt Busch had finished first and second in any Cup Series event.[65] Busch would then win three consecutive races – Kentucky, New Hampshire, and Indianapolis – with four total wins across a five race span. The latter victory was also Busch's first Brickyard 400 victory, the first for manufacturer Toyota, and marked the first time a driver swept both the Cup and Xfinity races at Indianapolis. Busch would go on to make the 2015 Chase for the Sprint Cup. At the second Phoenix race, Busch would be one of the four drivers going to Homestead-Miami Speedway with an opportunity to win the Sprint Cup championship after the race was stopped by NASCAR due to rain. The following weekend at Homestead-Miami Speedway, Busch would go on to win the race as well as his first Sprint Cup title. He and brother Kurt join Bobby and Terry Labonte as the only brothers in NASCAR's top series to win championships. This was the 2nd championship for the No. 18 car. Busch ended the season with 5 wins, 12 top fives, and 16 top tens in only 25 starts. It was the first championship for manufacturer Toyota and fourth for team owner Joe Gibbs.[66]

On May 13, 2016, JGR announce that Kyle Busch will drive the number 75 car at the All-Star race only, to celebrate M&Ms 75th anniversary.[67]

Busch ended 2016 with four wins, made the Championship 4 and finished third in the final standings.

In 2017, Busch was hampered by bad luck, especially in the beginning of the season as JGR was also having trouble finding speed. However he picked up steam late in the season and won five races starting at the second Pocono race, a week after being wrecked while leading at Indianapolis. Busch made the Championship 4 again by winning at Martinsville and finished second to Martin Truex Jr. in both the Homestead race and the final standings.

Kyle Busch's No. 18 at Richmond Raceway in 2019

In 2018, Busch had possibly his best season in the cup series, scoring eight wins including three in a row at Texas, Bristol and Richmond. He also dominated the 2018 Coca-Cola 600 at Charlotte, becoming the first driver to win all four stages. Busch's fifth win came at Chicagoland, where he used a bump and run to beat Kyle Larson on the last lap. His sixth win was the second Pocono race where he beat teammate Daniel Suárez on several late restarts. Busch also won the fall Richmond race to sweep the 2018 Richmond races. His last win was the penultimate race at Phoenix, which clinched his spot in the Championship 4. Unfortunately, at Homestead, his car was noticeably slower than his three competitors for the championship and he finished fourth in the race and the final standings.

Busch started the 2019 season by finishing second at the Daytona 500, behind teammate Denny Hamlin.[42] He had consistent top-10 finishes at Atlanta and Las Vegas before scoring his first win of the season at Phoenix. Busch also won at California and Bristol to maintain his points lead. Following the 2019 Bojangles' Southern 500 at Darlington Raceway, Busch clinched his second consecutive Regular Season Championship. Busch also won the 2019 Ford Ecoboost 400 clinching his second Monster energy NASCAR Cup series title.[68]

Prior to the Las Vegas race, the team was docked 10 driver and owner points for an L1 level penalty during pre-race inspection.[46]

Part-time ride (2004–2013)

Joey Logano's No. 02 cars in 2008

Prior to expanding to four full-time cars, JGR had occasionally fielded a fourth car for R&D or driver development purposes. Mike Bliss drove several races for JGR in 2004 in a No. 80 car. In 2007, development driver Aric Almirola made his NEXTEL Cup debut in the No. 80 at Las Vegas with Joe Gibbs Driven sponsoring.[69] Almirola started 31st and finished 40th after a crash. He was scheduled to drive at the All-Star Race and Coca-Cola 600, but he suffered a practice crash and the car was withdrawn from both races. He would leave the team later in the season for Ginn Racing and Dale Earnhardt, Inc.[70]

In 2008, 18-year-old Joey Logano was scheduled to run several late-season races in preparation for running the full 2009 season. Logano drove the No. 02 (reverse of the 20), with an inverted Home Depot scheme of teammate Tony Stewart's.[71] He was scheduled to make his Sprint Cup debut at Richmond International Raceway,[71] but qualifying was rained out by Hurricane Hanna. The 02 attempted again at Loudon and at Atlanta, but qualifying was rained out in both races as well, leading Logano to make his debut in JGR-affiliated Hall of Fame Racing's No. 96 at Loudon and miss the Atlanta race. Logano made the race in his fourth attempt with Gibbs at Texas, starting 43rd and last and finishing 40th, several laps down.