For the team's first 16 seasons, Joe Gibbs Racing ran cars from General Motors, winning three championships: two in Pontiac Grand Prixs and one in a Chevrolet Monte Carlo. The team switched to Toyota beginning in the 2008 season, and in 2015 brought Toyota their first Premier series championship with Kyle Busch's victory.[1]
Logo of Joe Gibbs Racing used from 1992 to 2024The team's headquarters.Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series cars being prepared in 2018.
Gibbs founded the team in 1991 after exploring opportunities with Don Meredith, who currently serves as the team's Executive Vice President.[6] In 1997, Gibbs' son J. D. Gibbs was named team president.[7][8] In 1998, the team began building its facility in Huntersville, North Carolina.[8] The team expanded to a two-car operation in 1999 with Tony Stewart's No. 20 Home Depot-sponsored car, then in 2005 added the No. 11 FedEx-sponsored car driven by Denny Hamlin and owned by Coy Gibbs.[9] For the 2015 season, the team added the No. 19 car driven by Carl Edwards, who followed former Roush Racing teammate Matt Kenseth to JGR.[10]
After winning three Cup championships and more than 70 NASCAR races in Chevrolet and Pontiac equipment, team officials announced in September 2007 that they would switch to Toyota (who had just entered the Cup series that year) after their contract with General Motors ended at the end of the season. Joe Gibbs said Toyota offered the team resources and options they "were not going to be able to afford to do" if they remained at GM. It was also reported that JGR executives felt they were treated by GM as less important than other GM teams such as Hendrick Motorsports and Richard Childress Racing.[11]
From 2000 to 2002, Joe Gibbs fielded trucks numbered 20 and 48 in the Craftsman Truck Series for his sons Coy and J. D. Gibbs. Coy ran 12 races in 2000, then the full 2001 and 2002 seasons, with 21 top 10s and 10th-place points finishes in the latter two seasons. J. D. only ran a total of 8 races over the three seasons, with no top 10 finishes.[7][17][18][19][20]
From 2010 through 2022, JGR drivers competed in the Truck Series through Kyle Busch Motorsports, owned by Cup Series driver Kyle Busch. KBM used JGR-built engines in competition.[24] The partnership ended following the 2022 season when Busch left the organization.
ARCA
ARCA Menards Series
Car No. 2 history
From 2004 to 2005, Joe Gibbs Racing partnered with Shaver Motorsports to field the No. 2 car for development drivers in the ARCA Racing Series.[25]Denny Hamlin finished third in the 2004 season finale at Talladega.[26]J. J. Yeley ran the 2005 season opener at Daytona, as part of his development deal with JGR.[27][26]Aric Almirola ran the 2005 finale at Talladega.[25]
In 1999, Joe Gibbs Racing fielded the No. 18 car for Jason Leffler for one race. Leffler finish 5th at Atlanta.
In 2000, Leffler returned at Charlotte, he started 2nd and led one lap, however, he crashed with 55 of 67 laps completed.
In 2010, Joe Gibbs Racing entered the No. 18 at Michigan for Max Gresham which was also entered again as Brennan Poole due to Gresham having a contractual obligation for another team that day of the race although the team would later withdraw their entry from the race entirely.
On December 15, 2016, it was announced that JGR would field a car for Riley Herbst full-time in the 2017 season.[28]Matt Tifft ran the season opener at Daytona due to Herbst not being eligible to compete in the race.[29]
In 2018, Herbst returned for another full-time season. In 2019, Herbst drove the No. 18 for eight races, while Ty Gibbs drove for 11 races, winning at Gateway and Salem. Todd Gilliland drove one race at Pocono.
In 2020, Gibbs ran 16 races, winning six times, while Herbst ran the other four races. Despite missing four races, Gibbs finished fifth in the driver's standings. Gibbs also raced in the ARCA East series, winning at Toledo and finishing second in the standings of the six-race season. Gibbs ran full-time in 2021, winning 10 of the 20 races and finishing in the top three 17 times en route to the series championship. Gibbs also ran a standalone ARCA West event at Phoenix in March and a standalone ARCA East event at Dover in May, winning both races. For 2022, the No. 18 was fielded by Kyle Busch Motorsports.
In 2018, Drew Herring drove the No. 19 NOS Energy Drink/ORCA Coolers/Advance Auto Parts Toyota at the season finale at Kansas, winning the pole and finishing 8th.
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 ineligible to run the season opener at Daytona, though ARCA allowed both to participate in practice.
In 2022, JGR would bring back the No. 81 for Brandon Jones in five races with sponsorship from Menards. He would win three times: Charlotte, Iowa, and Watkins Glen.
In 2023, Sawalich had two top-five finished before he would pick up a win at Phoenix. In 2024, Sawalich started the season with wins at Phoenix and Portland.
Following the 2008 Chicagoland race, NASCAR made a regulation change specifically to Toyota, which mandated them to run a smaller restrictor plate to cut horsepower by an estimated 15 to 20 horsepower (15kW) from their engines. After the August 16, 2008 NASCAR Nationwide Series race at Michigan International Speedway, NASCAR used a dynamometer to test the horsepower of several cars from all competing manufacturers. While testing the two Joe Gibbs Racing cars, officials found that the throttle pedal on both cars had been manipulated using magnets a quarter-inch thick to prevent the accelerator from going 100 percent wide open. Joe Gibbs issued a statement saying "we will take full responsibility and accept any penalties NASCAR levied against us" and "we will also investigate internally how this incident took place and who was involved and make whatever decisions are necessary to ensure that this kind of situation never happens again."[45] Seven crew members were suspended indefinitely and two drivers and the team were penalized 150 points apiece.[46]
Additionally, JGR has been at the center of controversy regarding the closure of smaller teams who formed a technical alliance with them and TRD. Examples of this are the closure of Furniture Row Racing in 2018[47] and Leavine Family Racing in 2020.[48]
On January 5, 2008 the Muscle Milk/Toyota/JGRMX Team made its racing debut in the first round of the 2008 Supercross Series in Anaheim, CA with riders Josh Hansen and Josh Summey.[51] Josh Grant and Cody Cooper rode for the team in 2009,[52] with Grant winning the opening round of Supercross at Anaheim. Grant and Justin Brayton rode for the team in 2010,[53] and Davi Millsaps replaced Grant in 2011.[54]James Stewart replaced Brayton in 2012,[55] and won the Oakland and Daytona Supercrosses, while Millsaps finished second in points. On May 6, 2012, Stewart and the team officially parted ways.[56]
Grant and Brayton returned as the team's two riders in 2013[57] and were joined by Phil Nicoletti in 2014.[58] Justin Barcia and Weston Peick replaced Grant and Brayton on the team in 2015,[59] with Barcia winning two nationalsBudds Creek and RedBud). In 2017, the team switched from Yamaha to Suzuki and added a 250cc effort, with Nicoletti and Matt Bisceglia.[60] For 2018, JGRMX/Autotrader/Yoshimura Suzuki became the official factory Suzuki program, with riders Peick and Justin Bogle (450) and 2017 250SX West Champion Justin Hill, Nicoletti, Jimmy Decotis, and Kyle Peters (250).[61] Hill scored a win at San Diego while Bogle missed most of the season with injuries as Malcolm Stewart filled in for him.[62] The 2019 team consists of two-time Supercross champion Chad Reed, Peick, Hill (450), Decotis, Peters, Alex Martin, Enzo Lopes (250).[63] Peick suffered serious facial injuries in a crash at the Paris Supercross in October 2018.[64]
It was reported on March 25, 2015, that J. D. Gibbs had begun treatment for symptoms impacting areas of brain function, including speech and processing issues.[65] It was later announced on January 11, 2019, that J. D. Gibbs had died following complications of degenerative neurological disease. A memorial service was held on January 25, 2019.[66]
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