Joe Gibbs Racing

Overview

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.^[4] In 1997, Gibbs' son J.D. Gibbs was named team president.^[5][6] In 1998, the team began construction on its current facility in Huntersville, North Carolina.^[6] The team expanded to a two-car operation in 1999 with Tony Stewart's No. 20 Home Depot car, then a three-car operation in 2005 with the No. 11 FedEx car currently driven by Denny Hamlin and owned by J.D. Gibbs. 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.^[7]

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.^[8]

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 Furniture Row Racing.^[9][10] The team continues to build engines for its own Xfinity Series operations and those of RAB Racing^[11] and JGL Racing,^[12] the Camping World Truck Series operations of Kyle Busch Motorsports,^[13][14] and the Truck Series and ARCA Racing Series operations of Venturini Motorsports.^[15][16] The team further has a technical alliance with Furniture Row Racing, a single car team based in Denver, Colorado.^[17][18]

Car No. 11 history

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

Denny Hamlin at Homestead in 2007.

The No. 11 car (the number J.D. Gibbs wore playing football at College of William & Mary) began in 2004.^[19] Ricky Craven, recently released from PPI Motorsports finished 30th at Talladega with sponsorship from Old Spice,^[20] and Busch Series driver J. J. Yeley ran two races in the car with Vigoro/The Home Depot sponsorship.^[21]

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.^[19] 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.^[22] Rogers was reassigned and replaced with veteran crew chief Mike Ford in June,^[23] then former Cup champion Terry Labonte was hired to run the road course at Sonoma, qualifying 8th and finishing a solid 12th.^[24] 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.^[25] 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.^[26] Hamlin ran seven races, finished in the top 10 three times, and earned a pole at Phoenix International Raceway.^[27]

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.^[28] Hamlin opened the season by winning the Budweiser Shootout non-points race, holding off Dale Earnhardt, Jr. on a green-white-checker restart.^[29] 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.^[30] 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.^[31] 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.

Joey Logano (No. 20) and Denny Hamlin (No. 11) on pit road during the 2009 Coca-Cola 600.

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 at Las Vegas in 2012.

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.^[32] 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.^[33] 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.^[34] 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.^[35] 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.^[36][37]

Erik Jones replacing Hamlin at Bristol in 2015.

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.^[38] 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.

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

Car No. 18 history

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

J. J. Yeley at Homestead Miami Speedway in 2007

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.

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.^[39] Labonte's next win was the Brickyard 400 at the famed Indianapolis Motor Speedway.^[40] 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.^[41] 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.^[42]

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.^[22] 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.

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.^[28] 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 at Michigan International Speedway in 2008

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.^[43] 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.^[44] Joe Gibbs racing also left General Motors in favor of becoming Toyota's highest-profile team.^[8] 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.

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 a 7th-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.^[45] Mars, Inc proceeded to pull its sponsorship for the final two races, with Interstate Batteries covering those races.^[46] Busch was relegated to tenth in the final standings.

Kyle Busch driving the No. 18 M&Ms car in the 2013 STP Gas Booster 500 at Martinsville

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.^[47] After an injury to Kyle Busch in the season-opening Xfinity Series race,^[48] 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.^[49] The next week, David Ragan was announced as interim driver, moving from his full-time ride at Front Row Motorsports.^[50] Ragan drove the car for nine races through Talladega and scored a single top-five finish at Martinsville, before moving to Michael Waltrip Racing.^[51][52] Development driver Erik Jones, who drove for Busch in the Camping World Truck Series, made his first series start at Kansas.^[53] Jones ran in the top ten for much of the race, before crashing on the front stretch and finishing 40th.^[54] 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.^[55] 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.^[56] 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.^[57]

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.^[58] Busch ended 2016 with 4 wins, made the championship 4 and finished 3rd 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 5 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 2nd to Martin Truex Jr in both the Homestead race and the final standings.

Car No. 19 history

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.^[59] 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.^[60]

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.^[61] He was scheduled to make his Sprint Cup debut at Richmond International Raceway,^[61] 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.^[62] Logano made the race in his fourth attempt with Gibbs at Texas,^[62] starting last and finishing 40th, several laps down.

In 2009 Farm Bureau Insurance, who had been banned from the Nationwide Series due to the Viceroy Rule, moved up to sponsor 6 Sprint Cup Series races for JGR, including 3 for the 02 car at Charlotte, Texas, and Homestead.^[63] David Gilliland was tabbed to drive the car in the three events,^[64] with a best finish of 25th at Charlotte. After the 2009 season, Farm Bureau Insurance announced they would not return for the 2010 season.

The No. 19 car of Daniel Suárez during practice for the 2017 Ford EcoBoost 400

In 2013, Elliott Sadler was signed to drive the renumbered No. 81 (reverse of 18) for three races, with his former sponsor at Robert Yates Racing, Mars, Inc., promoting their new Alert Energy Caffeine Gum on the car. Sadler was scheduled to run at Kansas Speedway, Talladega Superspeedway and a third unannounced race. The deal was made in part to avoid conflict on the 18 car with Kyle Busch's sponsor Monster Energy.^[65] For Sadler, it was his first start in the Sprint Cup Series since the 2012 Daytona 500, and his first opportunity since he was forced to turn down a part-time deal at Michael Waltrip Racing that same year (ultimately taken by 2013 teammate Brian Vickers) by then-owner Richard Childress. At Kansas, he got out of the racing groove and wrecked in turn 3 on lap 85, relegating him to a 40th-place finish.^[66] He failed to qualify at Talladega after rain washed out qualifying and was set by owner points as the No. 81 was too low in points. After Alert Energy was pulled from the market, Doublemint sponsored the car at Talladega.

After not running in 2014, the fourth car returned full-time in 2015 as the No. 19 with Carl Edwards driving. New partner Arris signed on to sponsor 17 races,^[67] while Stanley Black & Decker moved from Richard Petty Motorsports to sponsor 12 races.^[68] Comcast/Xfinity, Sport Clips, and Edwards' longtime sponsor Subway Restaurants also sponsored the car. Darian Grubb made his return to JGR as Edwards' crew chief.^[69] Before the Cup series season, Edwards and JGR were informed that because the No. 19 team was not formed until 2015, they were not eligible for one of the 36 charters NASCAR granted to teams who participated full-time in Cup. Joe Gibbs Racing, managed to secure Edwards a spot in every race of the 2016 NASCAR Sprint Cup season, by purchasing a charter from the defunct team Michael Waltrip Racing. Edwards won his first race with JGR at Charlotte in May. Starting third, he led a total of 25 laps, using fuel mileage strategy to take the victory. He also went on to win at Darlington Raceway and finished the season 5th in points.

On January 11, 2017, Edwards announced that he was stepping away from NASCAR effective immediately, and it was announced that 2016 Xfinity Series champion Daniel Suárez would replace Edwards in the No. 19 car starting at the Daytona 500 in 2017.^[70] Suarez finished 20th in points in his rookie season but lost rookie of the year to teammate Erik Jones.

Car No. 20 history

Tony Stewart in his 2005 championship car at Sonoma Raceway

Tony Stewart debuted the No. 20 The Home Depot-sponsored car at the 1999 Daytona 500, qualifying on the outside pole. He won three races at Richmond, Phoenix and Homestead as well as the Winston Open and the NASCAR Rookie of the Year honors and finished 4th in points. 2000 was an up and down year for Stewart as he won six races, including both Dover races, Martinsville, New Hampshire, Michigan and Homestead but only finished 6th in points. 2001 was another good year for Stewart, as he won the Budweiser Shootout, Richmond, Infineon, and Bristol and finished 2nd in the overall standings.

2002 was a break-out year for Stewart with wins at Atlanta, Richmond, and Watkins Glen along with the Budweiser Shootout and the team won the 2002 points championship. In 2003, Stewart won twice at Pocono and Charlotte and finished 7th in the points standings. The next year, the team had a similar year to later year, with 2 wins and finished 6th in points in the first ever chase.

Stewart won his second championship in 2005. After winning the Gatorade Duel, the team didn't win again until Infineon and then they went on to win the Pepsi 400 at Daytona, followed by New Hampshire, Indianapolis, and Watkins Glen and held the championship through the Chase.

2006 statistically was Stewart's worst season. After winning early at Martinsville, Stewart suffered an injury at Charlotte and was replaced during Dover. He won the Pepsi 400 again at Daytona but missed the Chase. During the Chase, Stewart won 3 races at Kansas, Atlanta, and Texas and finished 11th in points. 2007 was another good year for him and the team. Though Stewart won both the Budweiser Shootout and Gatorade Duel, an early wreck smashed his Daytona 500 hopes. He and the team won 3 races though at Chicagoland, Indianapolis, and Watkins Glen and finished 6th in points.

Tony Stewart's final season with Gibbs and The Home Depot. And his only season with Toyota, at Daytona International Speedway in 2008

Joey Logano (right) and Denny Hamlin (left) on pit road during the 2009 Coca-Cola 600.

Following the team's switch from Chevrolet to Toyota, Stewart's performance dwindled,^[71] earning ten Top 5s and sixteen Top 10s. Stewart's only win for this season was the 2008 AMP Energy 500 at Talladega. On June 9, 2008, Stewart was granted a release from his final year of his contract with Joe Gibbs Racing, ending a twelve-year relationship with the organization that included over 30 wins and two Cup Series Championships.^[72] Stewart moved to Haas CNC Racing, renamed Stewart-Haas Racing after Stewart purchased a 50% ownership stake from founder Gene Haas, in part to return to longtime manufacturer Chevrolet.^[72][73][74]

On August 25, 2008, Joe Gibbs Racing announced that 18-year-old Joey Logano would replace Stewart as the driver of the No. 20 car for the 2009 season, after only making his NASCAR debut in May 2008 and running abbreviated Nationwide and Cup schedules.^[61] Longtime crew chief Greg Zipadelli remained with JGR for Logano's rookie season.^[73] Logano's first win came in the rain-shortened Lenox Industrial Tools 301 at New Hampshire Motor Speedway after a fuel mileage gamble, becoming the youngest winner in Sprint Cup Series history.^[75] Logano beat former open-wheel drivers Max Papis and Scott Speed for the Rookie of the Year Award, with seven top-tens and a 20th-place points finish.^[76]

Logano failed to win in 2010 and finished 16th in points.

In 2011, Logano again was winless and finished 24th in points. On October 13, 2011, Joe Gibbs Racing announced The Home Depot will become co-primary sponsor for Logano's car with Dollar General. Dollar General is set to sponsor 12 races while the other 22 will continue to be sponsored by The Home Depot. The Home Depot had served as the sole primary sponsor of the No. 20 car since its debut with Tony Stewart in 1999. Logano won his second career race at Pocono from the pole in the 2012 Pocono 400 after passing Mark Martin with 3 laps to go.

Matt Kenseth at Martinsville in 2013

Kenseth's pole and race winning car at Bristol in 2015

Beginning in 2013, the No. 20 car was taken over by Matt Kenseth, who left Roush Fenway Racing, as Joey Logano moved to the No. 22 at Penske Racing. The team had a resurgence, with Kenseth winning five races in the regular season (Las Vegas, Kansas, Darlington, Kentucky, and Bristol), and led the most laps at several other races (Daytona 500, Kansas, Richmond and Talladega). Kenseth also won the first two races of the Chase at Chicagoland and New Hampshire Motor Speedway, bringing the team up to 7 wins – which was more wins in a single season than the car had ever achieved with Stewart or Logano.

It was announced in September 2014 that Stanley Black & Decker would leave Richard Petty Motorsports to sponsor JGR in the Cup Series for 2015. This move reunited Kenseth with longtime sponsor DeWalt for six races as a primary, and the entire season as an associate.^[77] Kenseth won the Food City 500 in Support of Steve Byrnes And Stand Up To Cancer at Bristol in April, his first victory since 2013.

On November 3rd, Kenseth was suspended 2 races for intentionally wrecking Joey Logano at Martinsville.^[78] Erik Jones was named the replacement driver for Kenseth in both of those races, with Jones finishing 12th and 19th in those races.^[79]

In 2016 Kenseth won twice at Dover and New Hampshire and finished 5th in points after he was wrecked while leading at Phoenix by Alex Bowman. Dollar General would leave the team at the end of the season.

On July 11, 2017 JGR announced that Erik Jones would replace Kenseth in the No. 20 car in 2018. Like his JGR teammates, Kenseth was hampered by bad luck and lack of speed in the beginning of the year. He scored his final win with Joe Gibbs Racing at Phoenix in November after passing Chase Elliott late in the race.

In 2018, Jones claimed his first career Cup win at the Coke Zero Sugar 400 at Daytona and made it to the Playoffs until he was eliminated after the Bank of America Roval 400 at Charlotte.

Car No. 11 history

Brian Scott at Road America in 2012.

Elliott Sadler at Road America in 2014.

The No. 11 team began racing in 2011. JGR signed 22-year-old Brian Scott (former driver of the No. 11 with Braun Racing) to a two-year contract, with Kevin Kidd announced as the crew chief, and Scott bringing sponsorship from his family-owned Shore Lodge.^[80][81] The new team was constantly hampered by bad luck during races, with 5 DNF's on the season. Scott earned a pole, two top 5s and seven top 10s, finishing 8th in points.^[82] For 2012, Dollar General expanded its sponsorship deal with JGR, sponsoring the No. 11 car for the full season.^[83] Despite showing speed, the team continued to struggle finishing races (7 DNF's), and had a best finish of 3rd at Dover, with Scott finishing 9th in points.^[82]

In 2013, Scott was replaced by veteran Elliott Sadler, who finished second in the championship standings in the two prior seasons. Sadler brought sponsorship from OneMain Financial with him from Richard Childress Racing.^[84] After winning four races in 2012, Sadler went winless in 2013, though he did score 20 top 10s en route to a fourth-place points finish. Sadler scored his first win for JGR at Talladega in 2014, leading a race high 40 laps.^[85] On October 31, 2014, it was announced that Sadler would depart for Roush Fenway Racing's Nationwide program, taking the OneMain sponsorship with him.^[86] The team's points and crew were moved to the No. 18 for the 2015 season, and the number was reassigned in 2016 to Kaulig Racing for Blake Koch.

Car No. 18 history

Brad Coleman at Circuit Gilles Villeneuve in 2010.

The current 18 car came under JGR control when owner Joe Gibbs purchased the No. 44 Shell Oil-sponsored Pontiac from his Cup Series driver Bobby Labonte, who had been operating the team under his control. The team made its debut under the Gibbs banner at the 1998 NAPA Auto Parts 300 with then-IndyCar driver Tony Stewart driving. Stewart he qualified 9th but finished 31st after a crash. At the next week at Rockingham Speedway, Stewart qualified on the pole, led 60 laps and finished 2nd. Stewart ran a total of 22 races that year, with five top-five finishes and winning two pole positions. Labonte ran five races that year in that car in 1998, winning the Diamond Hill Plywood 200.

The team switched to No. 18 with sponsorship from MBNA for 1999. Labonte ran only one race before he suffered shoulder injuries in a qualifying crash at Darlington. Late in the year, Jason Leffler, like Stewart an accomplished open wheel racer, ran four races in the car that year, his best finish being a 20th at Memphis Motorsports Park. Leffler ran the car full-time in 2000, winning a pole at Texas Motor Speedway, and posting three top-ten finishes. After that season, he left for the Cup Series with Chip Ganassi Racing, and Jeff Purvis took his place. Purvis started off strong and was seventh in points but was released after the GNC Live Well 250 because of sponsorship issues. Mike McLaughlin replaced him, finishing seventh in points that season. Despite going winless in 2002, he moved up to fourth place in points. However, owner Joe Gibbs wanted his son Coy in a full-time ride, leaving McLaughlin without a ride. In his rookie season, Gibbs had two Top 10 finishes and finished runner-up to David Stremme for Rookie of the Year.

Kyle Busch in 2008.

The team scaled back to a part-time schedule for 2004. In November 2003, JGR signed highly touted USAC Champion J.J. Yeley to a multi-year contract, beginning his stock car career with eight ARCA Racing Series events and 10-12 Busch Series races in the 2004 season.^[87] The Home Depot's Vigoro Lawn and Garden Products would sponsor Yeley's efforts, making their BGN debut at Las Vegas in March.^[88] In his first race, Yeley qualified a strong seventh, but finished 23rd and two laps down.^[89] Yeley would end up running 17 races, garnering four Top 10 finishes and finishing fourth in Rookie of the Year standings behind future Cup drivers Kyle Busch, Clint Bowyer, and Paul Menard.^[90] Bobby Labonte ran two races with a best finish of 7th, while Denny Hamlin finished a strong sixth at the fall race at Darlington. Yeley ran the car full-time in 2005, finishing in the top-ten twelve times and finishing 11th in points. Yeley continued to run full-time in 2006, finishing 5th in the points standings with three poles, nine Top 5s, 22 Top 10s, and 27 Top 15s. Yeley announced in Daytona that he would be driving in the No. 1 Miccosukee Gaming and Resorts-sponsored Chevrolet for Phoenix Racing in the 2007 NASCAR Busch Series.

In January 2007, former Brewco Motorsports development driver and ARCA standout Brad Coleman signed to drive the No. 18 car for 17 of the 35 races, with Carino's Italian Grill sponsoring his efforts.^[91] Kevin Conway was signed for eight races beginning at Bristol in March with Z-Line Designs sponsoring,^[92] while Tony Stewart and development driver Aric Almirola filled out the schedule with Goody's Headache Powder and ConAgra Foods sponsorships. Almirola put the car on the pole at the season opener at Daytona, and had a best finish of 4th at Charlotte. Coleman earned his first career Busch Series pole at Talladega, and had three Top 5s and five Top 10s. Without sponsorship for a full-time ride with JGR, Coleman returned to the renamed Baker Curb Racing following the season and signed a development contract with Hall of Fame Racing.^[93]

For 2008, the No. 18 was piloted by the team of Denny Hamlin and Kyle Busch with a sponsorship coming from Southern Farm Bureau, Interstate Batteries, and Z-Line Designs. Despite running a partial schedule, Busch won ten races in 2008, including eight in the No. 18, and would finish seventh in points while Hamlin scored a single victory in the No. 18 at Dover. 18-year-old JGR development driver Marc Davis made his one and only national series start for the team in October at Memphis Motorsports Park with DLP HDTV sponsoring.^[94]

In 2009, Kyle Busch won the Nationwide Series Championship driving the No. 18 Z-Line Designs / NOS Toyota.

Michael McDowell at Road America in 2012.

In 2010, Kyle Busch ran most of the races that were paired with Sprint Cup Series races, while Brad Coleman returned to run the stand-alone races. For 2011, Busch drove the No. 18 for a majority of the season, splitting the ride with Michael McDowell, who ran both Iowa races, Lucas Oil Raceway, and the road courses Road America and Circuit Gilles Villeneuve with a sponsorship from Pizza Ranch. McDowell won the pole at Road America and dominated until late race contact with another car. Drivers Kelly Bires, Drew Herring, and Joey Logano also took turns in the 18. Bires ran at Richmond and Chicago with International Comfort Products Corporation, Herring drove at the second Nashville race with Sport Clips, and Logano drove the 18 at Chicago, Dover, Kansas, and Phoenix. For 2012 the 18 would have a similar lineup, featuring Hamlin, Logano, Herring, McDowell, and Ryan Truex. Logano would take a whooping seven victories with the 18 team, handing the team the Nationwide Owners' Championship. For 2013, the 18 and 20 teams swapped. Matt Kenseth drove the 18 for 16 races with sponsorship from Reser's Fine Foods and GameStop. He won the July race at Daytona and the October race at Kansas. The 18 car did not run in 2014.

On August 19, 2014, JGR announced that Toyota Series and K&N Pro Series East driver Daniel Suárez would drive the No. 18 full-time in 2015 with a sponsorship from Arris, running for Rookie of the Year.^[95] Suárez had a strong rookie season, earning eight top fives, 18 top tens, and three poles to finish fifth in points and beat out Darrell Wallace, Jr. for Rookie of the Year.^[96]

The team inherited the No. 54's points and equipment in 2016, fielding multiple drivers,^[97] starting with former JGR driver Bobby Labonte at Daytona.^[98] Kyle Busch drove a limited schedule, with former sponsor NOS Energy Drink (owned by Monster Beverage) funding both Busch and Labonte's efforts.^[98] Matt Tifft was scheduled to drive 13 races for the team, but was replaced for several races as he recovered from a removal of a tumor in his brain.^[99][100] Sam Hornish Jr. replaced Tifft for the June Xfinity race at Iowa, and won the race.^[101][102] David Ragan ran the July Xfinity race at Daytona, and won the pole, and was in contention for the win, but crashed on the final lap of the race. Road course specialist Owen Kelly ran the road course races at Mid-Ohio and Road America, and Dakoda Armstrong ran the July Xfinity race at Iowa. The 18 car won 12 races in 2016, 10 with Busch, 1 at Charlotte with Hamlin, and 1 with Hornish at Iowa. For 2017, multiple drivers again raced in the 18. Daniel Suarez drove 12 races beginning at Daytona in February with sponsorship from Juniper. Kyle Busch drove 10 races with sponsor NOS Energy Drink beginning at Atlanta in March, winning 5 races at Atlanta, Kentucky, Loudon, Watkins Glen, and Bristol. Kyle Busch Motorsports driver Christopher Bell made his xfinity series debut with the 18 team at Charlotte, finishing 4th. Bell would also drive the car at Road America, Kansas, Texas and Phoenix. Bell won the race at Kansas after catching and passing teammate Erik Jones for his first career xfinity series win in his 5th start. Bell had sponsorship from SiriusXM at Charlotte, Toyotacare at Road America, JBL at Kansas, and Safelite Auto Glass at Texas and Phoenix. ARCA Racing Series driver Kyle Benjamin drove the 18 with sponsorship from Reser’s Fine Foods and Sport Clips at both Iowa races and Kentucky in September with a best finish of 2nd at the July Iowa race to teammate Ryan Preece. Regan Smith returned to the xfinity series in a one-race deal in the 18 at Mid-Ohio with sponsorship from Interstate Batteries. Denny Hamlin also drove one race in the 18, running a throwback scheme at Darlington with Sport Clips sponsoring, Hamlin won the race. Ryan Preece drove the 18 car at Homestead with Safelite Autoglass as the sponsor and finished 5th in preparation for an expanded 10 race schedule with the team in 2018. In 2018 Preece will run 10 races, sharing the car with JGR’s cup series drivers Busch, Suarez, Hamlin and Jones.

Car No. 19 history

Sam Hornish, Jr. at Road America in 2014.

Daniel Suárez won the 2016 Xfinity Series championship.

The No. 19 team made its debut at the 2005 CarQuest Auto Parts 300. It was driven by Bobby Labonte and sponsored by Banquet Foods. Labonte ran seven races that year, with three top-tens. With Labonte moving to Petty Enterprises, JGR development driver Aric Almirola ran the car in seven races in 2006. Tony Stewart also drove the car at select races in 2006, using his NEXTEL Cup crew when he raced. The No. 19 team was disbanded after the 2006 season. In 2012 The Car returned as the No. 54 & After running the 54 for his own team in 2012 with only one win (by his brother Kurt), Kyle Busch returned to JGR's strong Nationwide program with the No. 54 as a fourth JGR car, running 26 races and bringing sponsor Monster Energy with him. Parker Kligerman would take over the newly renumbered 77 for KBM. Busch didn't take long to get to victory lane. He won the pole, lead the most laps, and won the race in only the second race of the 2013 season at Phoenix International Raceway. He then scored victories at Bristol (4th race) and at Fontana (5th race). During the 2013 season, he won a total of 12 races.^[103] Joey Coulter, Owen Kelly, and Drew Herring also ran in the 54, which finished 2nd in the owner's championship to the Team Penske No. 22 by one point.^[104]

For the 2014 season, Kyle Busch ran part-time the No. 54 car, running all Sprint Cup Series companion races except Talladega and Daytona in July. Former IRL champion Sam Hornish, Jr., who was not re-signed by Team Penske after scoring a win and finishing 2nd in Nationwide points in 2013, ran 7 races to help compete for the owner's championship.^[103] At Iowa in May, Hornish won the Get To Know Newton 250, beating Ryan Blaney's 22 for his third career win.^[105] The 54 once again finished 2nd in owners points to the Penske 22.

In 2015, Kyle Busch suffered injuries during the season-opening race at Daytona. He broke his leg after hitting the inside wall that had no SAFER barrier installed. His replacements were announced to be Erik Jones (at least 3 races), Cup series teammate Denny Hamlin (5 races), and road course veteran Boris Said (7 races).^[48] Busch returned to the Xfinity Series at Michigan in June and scored his first win of the season. Jones scored a win the following race at Chicagoland, his second of the season.^[106]

The team was renumbered back to No. 19 for 2016 with Daniel Suárez and sponsor Arris moving from the 18 team, maintaining the same sponsor-number combination used by Carl Edwards in the Cup Series.^[97] Suárez got his first win at Michigan after a last lap pass to Kyle Busch.^[107] Suárez scored three victories and won the 2016 championship, becoming the first foreign-born driver to win a NASCAR National championship.^[108]

It was announced that in 2017, Matt Tifft would drive full-time in the 19, with rookie crew chief Matt Beckham on the box.^[109] On November 15th, JGR announced that Brandon Jones would replace Tifft in the 19 in 2018. Tifft would move to RCR in a driver swap. Chris Gabehart was announced as his crew chief, moving from the No. 20 xfinity team and replacing Matt Beckham.

Car No. 20 history

Denny Hamlin's No. 20 Busch car (right) battling Matt Kenseth (left) for position.

After JGR purchased the team from Gary Bechtel in 2000, the team received sponsorship from Porter-Cable. Despite missing three races, driver Jeff Purvis had eleven Top 10s and one pole, finishing 11th in points. The team switched to No. 20 for 2001, and Mike McLaughlin was named the driver. Without a major sponsor, McLaughlin was able to win the Subway 300 and was sixth in points when Gibbs decided to shut down his team due to sponsorship problems. He moved to the No. 18 and finished seventh in points that year. Coy Gibbs ran five races in the No. 20 in 2002, with a sponsorship from ConAgra Foods.^[110] His best finish was a 14th at Kentucky Speedway. After he moved to the 18, Gibbs was replaced by Mike Bliss and Rockwell Automation came aboard as a sponsor.^[6] Bliss had fourteen Top 10s and finished 10th in points. In 2004, he pulled off a win at Lowe's Motor Speedway and had three poles. In 2005, Denny Hamlin came aboard and posted eleven Top 10s and finished fifth points, the third-place finisher in rookie points. He ran the full schedule in the No. 20 in 2006, winning two races and finishing fourth in points.

Hamlin and developmental driver Aric Almirola split duties in the 20 in 2007 with sponsorship from Rockwell Automation, with Tony Stewart also piloting the No. 20 at Atlanta. With Hamlin running several non-companion races, Almirola would occasionally qualify the car that Hamlin would later drive. Hamlin took the car to victory lane in four races, including Darlington, Milwaukee, Michigan, and Dover. The win at Milwaukee was controversial, with Almirola putting the car on the pole and starting the race because of the fact that Hamlin was delayed flying from Sonoma Raceway. Almirola started the car and led the first 43 laps but was still relieved by Hamlin during a caution due to obligations to his sponsorship from Rockwell. Almirola was credited as the winner for starting the race, but did not participate in the victory celebration. He would leave JGR after the season.^[111] The No. 20 finished 2nd in the owners points behind RCR's No. 29.

Joey Logano at Circuit Gilles Villeneuve in 2010.

In 2008, the No. 20 was shared by Hamlin, Kyle Busch, and Stewart for nine races before defending NASCAR Camping World East Series champion Joey Logano was named the driver of the 20 for the rest of the season's races except for Loudon (which Stewart won in the No. 20), Daytona (which Hamlin won in the No. 20), and Chicago (which Busch won in the No. 18). All four drivers of the No. 20 won races driving it in 2008. For 2009, 20-year-old Brad Coleman returned to JGR for a part-time schedule, sharing the ride with Logano and Hamlin.^[93] In 2010, Joey Logano, Denny Hamlin and Matt DiBenedetto shared the No. 20 car, with Hamlin winning at Darlington and Logano winning at Kentucky and Kansas. For 2011, Logano returned to the No. 20 with sponsorships from GameStop and Sport Clips. Logano ran the first 10 races but picked up last minute sponsorship from Harvest Investments to run Nashville. Due to a lack of sponsorship, the 20 was unable to run a full schedule for the owners championship. In the 20, Logano grabbed his first superspeedway win at the July Daytona race with help from Kyle Busch. The 20 was also driven by Denny Hamlin at Las Vegas, Richmond, and Darlington, with Hamlin winning at Richmond. Drew Herring drove the 20 with Sport Clips at both Iowa races, where Herring won the pole for the May race, and Lucas Oil Raceway. Ryan Truex stepped into the 20 late in the season for six races, finishing second to Logano at Dover after dominating the race.

The 20 team returned in 2012 to run most of the season. Its primary driver lineup consisted of Logano, Hamlin, Truex, and JGR development driver Darrell Wallace, Jr. Michael Waltrip Racing driver Clint Bowyer also drove the No. 20 at Daytona when Hamlin was sidelined from the race by back problems.

Brian Vickers in 2013.

Starting in the 2013 season, 2003 Busch Series Champion Brian Vickers joined the team driving the 20 for the full season with sponsorship from Dollar General, in addition to a partial Sprint Cup Series schedule in Michael Waltrip Racing's 55 car. Dollar General had sponsored Vickers in the past with Braun Racing, and like teammate Elliott Sadler, Vickers was attempting to reclaim his career in the second-tier series.^[112] After 30 starts, Vickers was sidelined with a second incidence of blood clots, replaced by Denny Hamlin and Drew Herring in the final three races of the season.^[113] Though he went winless, Vickers scored 13 top 5s and 18 top 10s to finish 10th in points. He would leave for a full-time ride at MWR at the end of the year.

Kenny Habul at Road America in 2014

The 20 team continued to run full-time in 2014. Matt Kenseth drove the No. 20 in a total of 18 races, with GameStop sponsoring 10 races and Reser's Fine Foods sponsoring 7 races.^[114] Sam Hornish, Jr. and Kenseth each ran 1 race and Kenny Habul 2 races with Habul's Sun Energy 1 sponsoring.^[115] Darrell Wallace, Jr. ran at Talladega in the spring with ToyotaCare and Daytona in July with Coca-Cola "Share a Coke". Daniel Suárez made his debut at RIR, finishing 19th. Michael McDowell ran at both Iowa races with Pizza Ranch. Denny Hamlin returned to the 20 at Chicagoland in September with Sport Clips, finishing 32nd after a blown engine.^[116] Development driver Justin Boston, running the full ARCA schedule, made his debut in the 20 at Kentucky later in the month, with sponsor Zloop E-Recycling.^[117] Kenseth scored a win in the final race of the season at Homestead Miami Speedway, and the 20 would finish 9th in owners points.^[118]

Erik Jones was scheduled to run a limited schedule in the No. 20 car in 2015, with Kenny Habul and SunEnergy1 also returning for the three road courses.^[69][119] Jones, whose schedule was expanded due to Kyle Busch's injury,^[51] scored his first Xfinity win in his 9th career start at Texas in April, leading a race-high 79 laps.^{[51][120][121]} Ross Kenseth, son of Sprint Cup Series champion Matt Kenseth, made his Xfinity Series debut at Chicagoland Speedway on June 20.^[122] David Ragan made a single start at Daytona in July with Interstate Batteries sponsorship.^[120] Kenny Wallace made his final career start in the 20 car at Iowa Speedway in August, with longtime sponsor U.S. Cellular.^[120] Wallace started seventh and finished 15th. Matt Tifft made his Xfinity Series debut at Kentucky in September, finishing 10th.^[123] Denny Hamlin drove a total of six races in the 20; two with SunEnergy 1 sponsorship, three with Hisense, and running a throwback scheme at Darlington in September with Sport Clips sponsoring.^[124] Hamlin scored three wins, all of which were from the pole starting position.^[120] Matt Kenseth ran five races with Reser's Fine Foods, scoring four-second-place finishes.^[120]

Erik Jones at Road America.

Erik Jones drove the car full-time in 2016, with Gamestop, Reser's, Hisense, Interstate Batteries and Dewalt as the sponsors.^[106] Jones won 4 times but finished 4th in points after getting trapped behind the slow car of Cole Whitt on the last restart of the final race at Homestead.

In 2017, the 20 is being driven part-time by a variety of different drivers. Denny Hamlin, Erik Jones, Kyle Benjamin, Christopher Bell, and Ryan Preece are among them. Jones drove the car for 18 races starting at Daytona, sweeping the Texas races as well as winning the Bristol spring race. Hamlin drove the car for 3 races and won at Michigan. Suarez drove the 20 for 2 races at Las Vegas and the Bristol fall race, finishing 3rd and 2nd respectively. Benjamin drove the car for 2 races at the spring Richmond race and the first Pocono race, winning the pole in the latter. Bell drove the 20 for 3 races starting at the June Iowa race, where Bell won stage one, led the most laps, but finished 16th after being collected in a crash between the lapped cars of Brennan Poole and Ryan Reed while leading. Ryan Preece drove the car at Loudon, the July Iowa race, and the September Kentucky race. Preece finished 2nd to his teammate Kyle Busch at Loudon. In his next race at Iowa, Preece led the most laps and won the race, then finished 4th at Kentucky. James Davison drove the 20 at Mid Ohio and Road America, leading the most laps at Road America before getting collected in a wreck.

For 2018, Christopher Bell will drive the 20 full-time, competing for Rookie of the Year honors. Jason Ratcliff will be his crew chief, moving from the No. 20 cup series team.

Car No. 18 history

Leffler raced one race in 1999 and one race in 2000 with No. 18.

On December 15, 2016, it was announced that JGR would field a car for Riley Herbst full-time in the 2017 season.^[133] Matt Tifft ran the season opener at Daytona due to Herbst not being eligible to compete in the race.^[134]

Car No. 81 history

In 2017, Riley Herbst was entered at the season opener in Daytona in the team's second car (No. 81), but he was ineligible to race. Herbst and Zane Smith were both were ineligible to run the season opener at Daytona, though ARCA allowed both to participate in practice.