Joe Gibbs Racing Warn Rick Hendrick Camp Against Underestimating Desperate Underdogs

Hendrick Motorsports has bagged five race wins this season. With two of its drivers holding the top 5 positions in the Cup Series standings, it seems like a championship-like year for the team. However, Joe Gibbs Racing, with two of its drivers in the top 5, has snagged four wins so far. Now even though Larson’s Dover run made him top the pack, why is JGR warning HMS?

It is because Joe Gibbs and Chris Gabehart aren’t ruling out a potential comeback by another rival. Coach Gibbs, in particular, highlighted how sneaky the Fords can be. “I definitely think there’s other teams are going to step up out there and make their presence felt. I think we have got off to a good start, Hendrick and us, but now I think this is very competitive, and that’s what we’ll see as we go forward,” said Joe Gibbs in a post-race interview with ‘Cup Scene’.

Now, despite his sheer dominance in the regular season, Denny Hamlin has somehow always come up short or struggled to make it to championship four. Sharing the example from the 2020 season, Chris Gabehart said, “I know coach has been a part of so many of these situations where, when you’re on top at sports top level, everyone’s shooting at you.”

Acknowledging that their winning phase might come to an end eventually, he further stated, “I want it to last forever, and we will work our guts out to make sure it does. And we’ve had a great running as 11 team over the years, but this is not permanent, and it’ll end at some point. We’re just going to work every week to try to keep it from ending.”

That’s when Joe Gibbs mentioned that despite their struggles, the Ford drivers will turn up, especially when it matters the most. “I also think about last year; we come down to the end. Fords have been off some, and they swept Phoenix, so that’s how close this is.” Let’s not forget that Ford is just 68 points behind No. 1 and there’s a lot to the season.

The HMS and JGR camps share nine race wins between them. However, Trackhouse Racing and 23XI both have one win each to their name. For the heavy hitters like Team Penske and RFK Racing from the Ford contingent, it’s been a tough season as they haven’t turned up so far. While JGR is in a comfortable position with Martin Truex Jr. and Denny Hamlin having secured playoff spots, they are aware of the lurking threat of their rivals ahead of big races in Phoenix, Charlotte, and Darlington.

How competitive is the Ford Performance?

No one saw it coming last year after Ford had its fair share of struggles. Ford Performance was not the best manufacturer until the championship trophy was handed out to Ryan Blaney at Phoenix Raceway. Blaney was the last man standing as he finished second in the season’s finale, ahead of rivals Kyle Larson, William Byron, and Christopher Bell (again two HMS drivers and one JGR driver) to earn his first championship (It was also Ford’s second consecutive championship). But is it possible this year as well?

Let’s have a look at how the 2023 championship went for Chevrolet, Toyota, and Ford. 

Based on the stats, Toyota and Chevy completely dominated the playoff season. While Ford was constantly questioned about its deficiencies, particularly on downforce racetracks, it swept the weekend with driver champions in all three NASCAR national series—the first manufacturer to do so since Chevrolet in 2001. Is that what Coach Gibbs warned the HMS camp and Rick Hendrick about?

Despite having a hard time, 2023 champion Ryan Blaney won (Talladega Superspeedway and Martinsville Speedway) or finished runner-up (Homestead-Miami Speedway and Phoenix Raceway) in four of the season’s final six races. The 30-year-old also secured sixth at Las Vegas Motor Speedway and 12th at the Charlotte Motor Speedway road course. In the playoffs, he achieved back-to-back finishes at Darlington Raceway (9th) and Kansas Speedway (12th). The No. 12 Team Penske Ford needs to have another season like he had in 2023.

However, we have seen teams and drivers overturn their fortunes with a good week of racing. Chase Elliott is the prime example of that, and Coach Gibbs knows that well. It’ll be interesting to see how Ford performs in Kansas and if Larson or Hamlin dominate the weekend again.