Hendrick Motorsports (HMS) was established as All-Star Racing in 1984, whereas Joe Gibbs Racing (JGR) joined NASCAR for the primary time in 1992.
Since then, HMS has gained 320 races and JGR has gained 227, making them the 2 of the three winningest groups in Cup Collection historical past.
They’ve additionally mixed to win 19 of the final 30 Cup titles, with Hendrick gathering 14 championships and Gibbs 5. Nonetheless, neither workforce has earned a crown for the reason that Subsequent Gen period started in 2022, because of the three-year reign of Crew Penske. This yr, Crew Penske isn’t within the last.
“Largest mistake I made in racing was serving to Joe Gibbs,” workforce boss Rick Hendrick lately joked
It’s true, Hendrick and Gibbs’ Subsequent Gen dropping streak will quickly finish: every workforce has two drivers within the Championship 4. The following query — which driver will win — is way more difficult.
JGR has Denny Hamlin, essentially the most profitable racer in NASCAR Cup historical past and not using a title, in addition to Chase Briscoe, who’s in his very first yr with the workforce.
Hendrick has the one former champion within the struggle with Kyle Larson, who gained all of it in 2021. In addition they have William Byron, who has gained the final two Daytona 500s and has made the ultimate 4 for the third consecutive yr.
Who’s stronger at Phoenix?
Phoenix Raceway President Latasha Causey (heart) with Championship 4 drivers (from left to proper) Chase Briscoe, Kyle Larson, Denny Hamlin, and William Byron
Picture by: James Gilbert / Getty Pictures
These are all heavy hitters, however who will prevail on Sunday? Whereas Phoenix has been Penske’s playground, the entire contenders have had latest success there as effectively. Wanting solely on the Subsequent Gen period, Hendrick has one win, courtesy of Byron within the spring of 2023. JGR has two wins, each through Christopher Bell, who gained within the spring of 2024 and 2025. Briscoe additionally gained a Subsequent Gen race at Phoenix, however that got here with Stewart-Haas Racing in 2022.
the newest race, gained by Bell, Hamlin completed an extremely shut second. It was almost a photograph end between the teammates, with Larson ending proper behind them in third. Byron was sixth, whereas Briscoe crashed out of the occasion. The 2 organizations appeared pretty equal in that race, however maybe Gibbs had a slight edge. The JGR squad led 108 laps and HMS automobiles led 83 of the 312 run. Bell and Byron made up the lion’s share of that.
As for simply the drivers at Phoenix through the years, Hamlin is clearly essentially the most skilled one with 40 begins, and he is the one one with a number of wins. Nonetheless, all 4 of them have gained on the Cup stage in Phoenix, and Hamlin hasn’t gained since 2019.
Based mostly on common end, three of those drivers are remarkably shut. Hamlin enters the weekend with a median end of 10.6, Larson a ten.7, and Byron at a ten.8! The extra one searches for a bonus, the extra it looks like we have now a real stage taking part in subject right here between each drivers and tools.
What the homeowners should say about one another
Rick Hendrick, proprietor of Hendrick Motorsports
Picture by: James Gilbert / Getty Pictures
Talking on the matchup earlier this week, ‘Coach’ Joe Gibbs mentioned: “It should be an enormous deal. I believe our followers love that. It is the most effective on this planet competing in a single race. It needs to be actually thrilling.”
Gibbs later aded: “I would favor to go towards any person that is not excellent (smiling). The issue is that does not occur in NASCAR. So, to get to the Last 4 is simply so arduous. So now we bought one race. We all know what we’re up towards, any person that is actually, actually good. Two automobiles in there for them. Two for us.
“Hopefully this will probably be good for the followers and everyone and the thrill. In all probability will not be good for me. I will be so nervous and uptight about it (smiling). To get to the Last 4 is a thrill, and we’re thrilled to be in it. It is nice for our sponsors and our whole group. You bought to present Rick and them simply all of the credit score on this planet.”
Joe Gibbs
Picture by: Meg Oliphant / Getty Pictures
Sarcastically, Mr. H. helped Gibbs to get into the game within the first place, leasing engines to the workforce within the early 90s.
“Largest mistake I made in racing was serving to Joe Gibbs,” joked Hendrick throughout his latest media availability. He additionally spoke in regards to the respect between these two legendary automobile homeowners.
“No, Joe, I can not imagine it, however Joe has been type of one in every of my idols. I really like the Redskins. After I bought a name from him, and I went as much as camp, after which I went to a sport once they had been taking part in the Falcons. I believe it was the Playoffs. It was chilly, and I bought off the tram. I began towards the sector, and the underside got here off of my boot. I had one in every of these I suppose mountain boots I hadn’t had on shortly. So the underside got here off.
“I’m going down on the sector, and I am standing in water. It is freezing and sleeting, and I bought no footwear on. I imply, I bought the bottoms come off each of my boots. There’s Joe Gibbs up there. I am like, Ought to I’m going up and attempt to ask him can he get me a pair of footwear or one thing (laughter)? After, once I advised him, he mentioned, ‘it is best to have mentioned one thing.’ I mentioned, ‘man, all these bodyguards round you, if I walked as much as you, I in all probability would have been put in jail.’
“Joe and I’ve had some good occasions. We have had some unhappy occasions collectively. There’s no one I respect any greater than I do Joe Gibbs and the nice group he is put collectively. I imply, I like the person for his power, what he is gone by way of.”
The ‘large respect’ and kinship Hendrick talks about goes method past the race monitor as effectively, as they’ve each skilled comparable tragedies … Rick misplaced his solely son Ricky in a 2004 airplane crash, whereas each of Joe’s sons died earlier than the age of fifty.
And now, these fixed rivals, good associates, and titans of the game will come collectively for a 2 vs. 2 showdown at Phoenix Raceway. Whether or not it finally ends up being JGR’s sixth or HMS’ fifteenth, they are going to have actually earned it with the caliber of their competitors this weekend.
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