Joe Gibbs Racing
Joe Gibbs Racing Team Information
Car No. | Driver | Manufacturer |
|---|---|---|
11 | Denny Hamlin | Toyota |
19 | Martin Truex Jr. | Toyota |
20 | Christopher Bell | Toyota |
54 | Ty Gibbs | Toyota |
Whether it be the football field or on the race track, Coach Joe Gibbs is all about excellence. After the Hall of Fame NFL Head Coach collected his third Super Bowl win for the team now known as the Washington Commanders, Gibbs and his son J.D. decided to try their hand at NASCAR in 1992. Joe Gibbs Racing was born.
Now-NASCAR Hall of Famer Dale Jarrett was selected to be the first driver for the Joe Gibbs Racing team, and while the son of two-time NASCAR Cup Series champion Ned Jarrett didn't win in his opening season with JGR, he came out firing in 1993 as he won the season-opening Daytona 500. Jarrett would finish fourth in the championship standings that year.
While Jarrett would only run one more season for the team, the foundation was laid for Joe Gibbs Racing. Bobby Labonte would slide into the No. 18 entry in 1995 and over the next few years, Labonte and the No. 18 team turned into one of the fastest and most consistent in the garage area.
In 1999, Joe Gibbs Racing expanded to a two-car outfit as the No. 20 entry was added for Rookie of the Year contender Tony Stewart.
Labonte would score the first NASCAR Cup Series championship for Joe Gibbs Racing in 2000, and two years later, Stewart would also become a champion.
Joe Gibbs Racing expanded to three full-time cars with the addition of the No. 11 team in 2005 for Jason Leffler. By the end of the '05 season, Denny Hamlin would take over the reigns, and he has driven the No. 11 car ever since. JGR would expand again in 2015 as the No. 19 entry driven by Carl Edwards gave the organization four full-time entries.
For the 2024 season, the Joe Gibbs Racing team will field four cars. The No. 11 will be driven by Hamlin, the No. 19 will be driven by Martin Truex Jr., the No. 20 will be piloted by Christopher Bell, and the No. 54 (team renumbered the 18 car in 2023) will be driven by Ty Gibbs.
Joe Gibbs Racing has collected five NASCAR Cup Series championships and 208 NCS race wins heading into 2024. Tony Stewart and Kyle Busch have collected two NASCAR Cup Series titles each for the team, while Bobby Labonte also has one.
Toby Christie is the Editor-in-Chief of Racing America. He has 15 years of experience as a motorsports journalist and has been with Racing America since 2023.