Joe Gibbs Racing places 3 drivers in NASCAR final 4

Joe Gibbs Racing placed a record three teams in the NASCAR Cup Series championship race.

Joe Gibbs Racing will have at least a 75 percent shot at winning its fifth organizational Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series championship next weekend at Homestead-Miami Speedway.

With Denny Hamlin winning his way into the Championship 4, he joined teammates Kyle Busch and Martin Truex Jr. as the Toyota flagship’s championship finalists. They will compete with Stewart-Haas Racing’s Kevin Harvick for the ultimate prize in stock car racing.

It’s also the first time in six years of the multiple round elimination format that a single team has had more than two entries in the final four.

Team owner Joe Gibbs has preached cohesion all season, not only between his four teams but also the affiliated Leavine Family Racing organization they share data with. How will the legendary football coach and team owner manage his teams when they are preparing to battle each other for a championship?

“Obviously this is the first time something like this has happened,” Gibbs said during the post-race press conference. “I would say there will be some separation this week. Guys will be making preparations.  The crew chiefs in particular, we all meet, and we’ll meet tomorrow. But I would say that will be different.

“But I think our preparation and everything, there will be some division this week. I would say at the racetrack obviously it’s going to be, you know, our three teams going for it as hard as they can, each one of them.”

Even though this is the first time one team has placed three drivers in the final four, Gibbs placed two cars into the showdown back in 2016 and placed one car with affiliated Furniture Row Racing in each of the past two seasons.

Truex won the championship in 2017 and expects his team, virtually the same group he raced with at Furniture Row, to cooperate the same way they did in previous seasons.

“I feel like we’re all here because we work together,” Truex said. “Our teams work together really well. We’ve got a great group at Joe Gibbs Racing. I would assume all the way till Sunday morning we’ll probably all work together. That’s just what I think. We’ll see what everybody else wants to do.”

Busch was satisfied with the dynamic between his team and Carl Edwards’, when they represented JGR in the 2016 final four.

“I wouldn’t imagine it would be any different now,” Busch said. “It’s just a matter of all of us doing what we do throughout the week for preparation and everything, getting down there. Last year Martin and myself were in. I guess he wasn’t really a teammate, but in reality, they kind of still were.”

The only Gibbs driver to miss out on the championship race was Erik Jones, eliminated in the first round for the second year in a row. Was it a gut punch to be the one driver to not make it to Homestead or was he overcome with pride instead?

“A little bit of both,” Jones said. “I want to be there obviously but I’m proud to be part of a group that has a 75 percent chance of winning at Homestead. We’re definitely the youngest group. We have some growing to do on our end and on Chris’ end. We had a lot of good things happen, and a lot of bad things happen, but definitely something to build on for next year.”

Regardless of the outcome, Coach Gibbs wants to enjoy the moment over the next week. He recognizes the impact a championship could have on the legacy of each contender under his stable.

A second championship for Busch would establish his all-time great bona fides. A second title for Truex would cement the notion that he was always a championship caliber driver when given appropriate equipment.

For Hamlin, his first championship would move him beyond Mark Martin-esque bridesmaid territory.

“Denny obviously has not won a championship,” Gibbs said. “You can imagine how hard he’s going to go for it.  Chris (Gabeart, crew chief) is running the show there, has done a fantastic job this year with him.  So, you can imagine Denny’s situation.

“Then you got Kyle would love to have it, is going to go after it as hard as he can…

“It’s a thrill for us to be a part of this. This is going to be kind of a wild week.  I think it will be an unbelievable race. I think our fans will enjoy it. I think you got four heavyweights in there.  Everybody has a reason to want to win it.”

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