Joe Gibbs Racing
Encyclopedia
Joe Gibbs Racing is a group of NASCAR
racing teams owned and operated by former Washington Redskins
coach Joe Gibbs
, who first started racing on the NASCAR
circuit in 1991, and J. D. Gibbs, his son. Headquartered in Huntersville, North Carolina
, near Charlotte
, the team amassed three Sprint Cup championships since the year 2000 and participated in other lower-tier NASCAR series for driver development, winning one championship in the East Division
of the NASCAR Camping World
. For the team's first sixteen seasons, JGR ran cars from General Motors
. During that period the team won their three championships, two in Pontiac Grand Prix
es and one in a Chevrolet Monte Carlo
. Despite this, JGR felt as if they weren't as important as some of the other GM teams such as Hendrick Motorsports
and Richard Childress Racing
. Therefore, during the 2007 season Joe Gibbs Racing announced that they would be ending their arrangement with GM at the end of the year and begin running Toyotas the following season. Since then, JGR has become the strongest and winningest Toyota team. The team currently fields the #11 FedEx
Toyota Camry
for Denny Hamlin
, the #18 M&M's
/Interstate Batteries
Toyota Camry
for Kyle Busch
, and the #20 The Home Depot
/Dollar General
Toyota Camry
for Joey Logano
in the Sprint Cup Series. They also field the #11 Shore Lodge Toyota Camry for Brian Scott
, the #18 Z-Line Designs Toyota Camry for Busch and Michael McDowell
, and the #20 GameStop
/Sport Clips
Toyota Camry for Logano and Hamlin. The team also fields the #18 Joe Gibbs Driven Racing Oil Toyota Camry
for development driver Matt DiBenedetto
in the K&N Pro Series East.
made his NEXTEL Cup debut in the #80 car at Las Vegas
. He was scheduled to drive at the all-star race and Coca-Cola 600
, but he suffered a practice crash and the car was withdrawn from both races. In 2008, Joey Logano drove this car, renumbered as 02, with The Home Depot
sponsorship and a reverse scheme of teammate Tony Stewart
's. He was to make his Sprint Cup debut at Richmond International Raceway
, but qualifying was rained out by Tropical Storm Hanna
and at Atlanta qualifying was rained out so he could not race. This car returned in 2009 with sponsorship from Farm Bureau Insurance, who had been banned from the Nationwide Series due to the Viceroy Rule. David Gilliland
drove in the three races it ran. After the 2009 season, Farm Bureau Insurance announced they would not return for the 2010 season, plans have not been announced yet for this team.
car, what is now the #11 car debuted at the 2003 Pepsi 400 as #80, driven by Mike Bliss
and sponsored by Advair and finishing 26th. The car remained idle until the 2004 Tropicana 400, when Bliss finished 31st in the ConAgra/Slim Jim machine. After a fourth place finish in the fall race at Richmond International Raceway
, The team switched to #11, and Ricky Craven
finished 30th at Talladega
, and J. J. Yeley
running two races in the car. The car went full-time in 2005, receiving sponsorship from FedEx
and Jason Leffler
driving. Leffler was released after struggling in 19 starts and Yeley, Terry Labonte
, and Denny Hamlin
finished out the season. Hamlin had the most starts (7) and finished in the top 10 three times. He was awarded the #11 FedEx Express full-time ride in 2006 in addition to his full-time Busch schedule in the #20 Rockwell Automation
Chevrolet. By the end of July 2006, Hamlin had three poles and three victories (the Budweiser Shootout
and both Pocono Raceway
races) to give the rookie a berth in the Chase for the Cup, where he would finish 3rd in points. In 2007, Hamlin won the first of two races at New Hampshire International Speedway in 2007, and finished 12th in points. In 2008, Hamlin won the first race at Martinsville Speedway
, and improved to eighth in points. He qualified for the Chase again in 2009 after winning three races. He ended the season with four victories. In 2010, with two races left in the season, Hamlin has a series high eight victories. In his first five seasons in NASCAR Sprint Cup racing, Denny Hamlin has NEVER missed The Chase for the Cup, NASCAR's version of the playoffs. In his first 185 Cup starts, Hamlin has posted 16 victories in the #11 Car. In the first 28 races of 2005, the #11 posted only one Top Ten finish – the #11 even fell out of the Top 35 in owners points and failed to make one event. Since Hamlin arrived in the driver's seat, he's piloted the #11 FedEx machine to 97 Top-10 finishes (in 185 races) and finished second in points to Jimmie Johnson
during the 2010 chase
with Dale Jarrett
driving the car to a 36th place finish after a crash. The team improved dramatically the next year, when Jarrett won the Daytona 500, and finished a then career-high 4th in points.
After Jarrett slipped to 16th in points in 1994, Bobby Labonte
took over, and drove the car until the end of 2005. Labonte won 21 races in the car, and won the then Winston Cup championship in 2000. Since then, Labonte had slipped, as his best finish in the points since then is 6th in 2001, and has not won since 2003 season finale at Homestead
. The team was progressing in 2004 until the team made a midseason firing of crew chief Michael McSwain, and Brandon Thomas
took over for the rest of the season. Steve Addington
, a Gibbs Busch Series crew chief, was named new crew chief for the 2005 season, but a rash of troubles, some caused by mechanical problems, continued to daunt the team, including a loss in the final turn at the Coca-Cola 600
, and a poor finish in the 2005 season led to a split between Labonte and JGR after 11 seasons. After Labonte's departure, Gibbs announced that Busch Series driver J. J. Yeley
would replace Labonte in the #18 for 2006 and 2007. Yeley raced two seasons for Gibbs, and after failing to finish higher than 21st in points, he moved to Hall of Fame Racing
. On August 14, 2007, Kyle Busch signed a contract to drive the number 18 with Joe Gibbs Racing through 2010. M&Ms will sponsor the Gibbs #18 car in 2008, with Interstate Batteries dropping down to sponsor the team's #18 Nationwide Series car. Kyle Busch
gave Toyota its first Cup win on March 9, 2008. Busch led a race-high 173 laps to win the Kobalt Tools 500 at Atlanta Motor Speedway
. In his first year in the 18, Busch had brought the car back to its former glory, winning 7 other races at Talladega
, Darlington
, Dover
, Infineon
, Daytona
, Chicagoland,and Watkins Glen all after only the first 23 races. In 2009 he won Las Vegas
, Richmond
and both Bristol
races, but failed to qualify for the Chase by only 8 points.
trotted out the #20 Home Depot car at the 1999 Daytona 500, qualifying on the outside pole. He won three races as well as the NASCAR Rookie of the Year
honors. Since then, the car has seen very few changes, as Stewart has won 33 races as well as the 2002 championship. He won his second championship in 2005. Home Depot has been the primary sponsor of the car since its debut. On June 9th, 2008, Stewart was granted a release from his final year of his contract with Joe Gibbs Racing and will move to Haas CNC Racing
, renamed Stewart-Haas Racing due to Stewart's 50% ownership. On August 25th, 2008, Joe Gibbs Racing announced Joey Logano
would replace Stewart as the driver of the #20 car for the 2009 season in the NSCS. Logano won the Lenox Industrial Tools 301 and won Rookie of the Year with seven top-ten finishes. On October 13th, 2011, Joe Gibbs Racing announced The Home Depot will become co-primary sponsor on the #20 Car with Dollar General
. Dollar General is set to sponsor 12 races while the other 22 will continue to be sponsored by The Home Depot. The Home Depot has served as the sole primary sponsor of the #20 car since its debut in 1999.
. It was driven by Labonte and sponsored by Banquet Foods
. Labonte ran seven races that year, with three top-tens. With Labonte moving to Petty Enterprises
, JGR development driver Aric Almirola
ran the car in seven races in 2006. Tony Stewart also drove the car at select races in 2006, using his NEXTEL Cup
crew when he raced. The #19 team was disbanded after the 2006 season. The car returned as the #11 for 2011 and was driven by Brian Scott
, who brought sponsorship from his family-owned Shore Lodge. The new team was constantly hampered by bad luck during races. For 2012 Scott will be sponsored by Dollar General
from Labonte, who had been operating the team under his control. The team made its debut under the Gibbs banner at the 1998 NAPA Auto Parts 300 with Stewart driving, he qualified 9th but finished 31st after a crash. At the next week at Rockingham Speedway, Stewart qualified on the pole, led 60 laps and finished 2nd. Stewart ran a total of 22 races that year, with five top-five finishes and winning two pole positions. Labonte ran five races that year in that car in 1998, winning the Diamond Hill Plywood 200
. The team switched to #18 with sponsorship from MBNA
for 1999
, but Labonte ran only one race before he suffered shoulder injuries in a qualifying crash at Darlington. Late in the year, Jason Leffler ran four races in the car that year, his best finish being a 20th at Memphis Motorsports Park
. Leffler ran the car full-time in 2000, winning a pole at Texas Motor Speedway
, and posting three top-ten finishes. After that season, he left for Chip Ganassi Racing
, and Jeff Purvis
took his place. Purvis started off strong and was seventh in points but was released after the GNC Live Well 200 because of sponsorship issues. Mike McLaughlin took his place, and finished seventh in points that season. Despite not winning again in 2002, he moved up to fourth place in points. However, Gibbs wanted his son Coy
a ride in the car, and forced McLaughlin out. In his rookie season, Gibbs had two top-ten finishes and finished runner-up to David Stremme
for Rookie of the Year. Despite new sponsorship from Vigoro
and The Home Depot, the team decided to run a part-time schedule in 2004, with Labonte returning for two races and J. J. Yeley
running seventeen races, garnering four top-ten finishes. Yeley ran the car full-time in 2005
, finishing in the top-ten twelve times and finishing 11th in points. Yeley continued to run full-time in 2006
, finishing 5th in the points standings with 3 poles, 9 top 5's, 22 top 10's and 27 top 15's. Yeley announced in Daytona that he would be driving in the #1 Miccosukee Gaming and Resorts Chevrolet
for Phoenix Racing
in the 2007 NASCAR
Busch Series. In late November, former Brewco Motorsports
development driver Brad Coleman
signed a contract to drive for Joe Gibbs Racing. Coleman ran 17 of the 35 NASCAR Nationwide Series races during the 2007 season, sharing the #18 Chevy with Tony Stewart
, Aric Almirola
, and Kevin Conway
. Carino’s Italian Grill sponsored Coleman, while Z-Line Designs sponsored Conway and Goody's
/ConAgra Foods
sponsored Almirola and Tony Stewart. Almirola put the car on the pole at the season opener at Daytona, while Coleman earned his first career Busch Series pole at Talladega. Coleman returned to Brewco Motorsports and the #18 was piloted by the team of Hamlin and Busch with sponsorship coming from Southern Farm Bureau, Interstate Batteries, and Z-Line Designs. Despite running a partial schedule, Busch won ten races in 2008, eight in the #18, while Hamlin won once at Dover. Busch would finish seventh in points. In 2009, Kyle Busch won the Nationwide Series Championship driving the #18 Z-Line Designs, NOS
Toyota. In 2010, Kyle Busch shared with Brad Coleman in the #18 car, with Busch running most of the companion weekends and Coleman running the stand alone races.. For 2011, Busch drove the #18 for a majority of the season, splitting the ride with Michael McDowell, who ran both Iowa races, Lucas Oil Raceway, and the road courses Road America
and Circuit Gilles Villeneuve
with sponsorship from Pizza Ranch
. McDowell won the pole at Road America and dominated until late race contact with another car. Drivers Kelly Bires
, Drew Herring, and Joey Logano
also took turns in the 18. Bires ran at Richmond and Chicago with International Comfort Products Corporation
, Herring drove at the second Nashville race with Sport Clips
, and Logano drove the 18 at Chicago, Dover, Kansas, and Phoenix.
After JGR purchased the team from Gary Bechtel in 2000, the team got sponsorship from Porter-Cable
. Despite missing three races, driver Jeff Purvis had eleven top-tens and one pole, finishing 11th in points. The team switched to #20 for 2001, and Mike McLaughlin was named the driver. Without a major sponsor, McLaughlin was able to win the Subway 300 and was sixth in points when Gibbs decided to shut down his team because of sponsorship problems. He moved to the 18, and finished seventh in points that year. Coy Gibbs ran five races in the #20 in 2002, with sponsorship from ConAgra Foods
. His best finish was a 14th at Kentucky Speedway
. After he moved to the 18, Gibbs was replaced by Mike Bliss
and Rockwell Automation
came aboard as sponsor. Bliss had fourteen top-tens and finished tenth in points. In 2004, he pulled off a win at Lowe's Motor Speedway
and had three poles. In 2005
, Denny Hamlin came aboard, and posted eleven top-ten's and finished fifth points, the third-place finisher in rookie points. He ran the full schedule in the #20 in 2006, winning twice and finishing 4th in points. Denny Hamlin and Aric Almirola drove the 20 in 2007 with Tony Stewart also piloting the #20 at Atlanta
. Hamlin took the car to victory lane four times including Darlington
, Milwaukee
, Michigan
, and Dover
with Milwaukee being credited to Almirola for starting the race. The #20 finished 2nd in the owners points behind RCR's
#29. The #20 was shared by Hamlin
, Busch
and Stewart
for 9 races before defending NASCAR Camping World East Series champion Joey Logano
was named the driver of the 20 for the rest of the season's races except for Loudon (which Stewart won in the #20), Daytona (which Hamlin won in the #20), and Chicago
(which Busch won in the #18). All four drivers of the #20 won races driving it in 2008. Through the race at Chicagoland Speedway
, JGR has won 14 of the 22 Nationwide races in '08 and its drivers have won 15 races overall (Busch won the Dollar General 300
driving for Braun Racing
). In 2010, Joey Logano, Denny Hamlin and Matt DiBenedetto shared the #20 car, with Hamlin winning at Darlington and Logano winning at Kentucky and Kansas. For 2011, Logano returned to the #20 with sponsorship from GameStop
and Sport Clips
. Logano ran the first 10 races but picked up last minute sponsorship from Harvest Investments to run Nashville. Due to a lack of sponsorship, the 20 was unable to run a full schedule for the owners championship. In the 20, Logano grabbed his first superspeedway win at the July Daytona race with help from Kyle Busch
. The 20 was also driven by Denny Hamlin
at Las Vegas, Richmond, and Darlington, with Hamlin winning at Richmond. Drew Herring drove the 20 with Sport Clips
at both Iowa races, where Herring won the pole for the May race, and Lucas Oil Raceway. Ryan Truex
stepped into the 20 late in the season for six races.
, NASCAR used a dynometer to test the horsepower of several cars from all competing manufacturers. While testing the Joe Gibbs Racing cars, officials found that the throttle pedal on the two Joe Gibbs Racing 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 levies 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.autosport.com – Gibbs facing penalties for dyno 'cheat' Subsequently, NASCAR made regulation change specifically to Toyota, which mandated them to run a smaller restrictor plate
to cut horsepower by estimated 15 to 20 hp from their engines. Toyota went on to win 20 of the 35 races in the season, 19 of them by Joe Gibbs Racing.
NASCAR
The National Association for Stock Car Auto Racing is a family-owned and -operated business venture that sanctions and governs multiple auto racing sports events. It was founded by Bill France Sr. in 1947–48. As of 2009, the CEO for the company is Brian France, grandson of the late Bill France Sr...
racing teams owned and operated by former Washington Redskins
Washington Redskins
The Washington Redskins are a professional American football team and members of the East Division of the National Football Conference in the National Football League . The team plays at FedExField in Landover, Maryland, while its headquarters and training facility are at Redskin Park in Ashburn,...
coach Joe Gibbs
Joe Gibbs
Joe Jackson Gibbs is a former American football coach, NASCAR Championship team owner, and two time NHRA Pro Stock team owner. He was the 20th and 26th head coach in the history of the Washington Redskins...
, who first started racing on the NASCAR
NASCAR
The National Association for Stock Car Auto Racing is a family-owned and -operated business venture that sanctions and governs multiple auto racing sports events. It was founded by Bill France Sr. in 1947–48. As of 2009, the CEO for the company is Brian France, grandson of the late Bill France Sr...
circuit in 1991, and J. D. Gibbs, his son. Headquartered in Huntersville, North Carolina
Huntersville, North Carolina
Huntersville is a large town in Mecklenburg and Cabarrus Counties, North Carolina, United States. The population was 46,773 at the 2010 census, which makes Huntersville the 19th largest city in North Carolina. It is located about 12 miles north of uptown Charlotte. It is thought that the town...
, near Charlotte
Charlotte, North Carolina
Charlotte is the largest city in the U.S. state of North Carolina and the seat of Mecklenburg County. In 2010, Charlotte's population according to the US Census Bureau was 731,424, making it the 17th largest city in the United States based on population. The Charlotte metropolitan area had a 2009...
, the team amassed three Sprint Cup championships since the year 2000 and participated in other lower-tier NASCAR series for driver development, winning one championship in the East Division
NASCAR Grand National Division, Busch East Series
The K&N Pro Series East is a regional stock car racing series owned and operated by the National Association of Stock Car Auto Racing. Races are held at oval tracks ranging from 1/3 to 1 mile in length and on two road courses, 1.53 and 2.45 miles in length...
of the NASCAR Camping World
Camping World
Camping World is an American corporation specializing in selling parts and service for recreational vehicles and supplies for camping. The company is based in Bowling Green, Kentucky, and is privately held. Camping World has 70+ retail/service locations throughout the United States, and also sells...
. For the team's first sixteen seasons, JGR ran cars from General Motors
General Motors
General Motors Company , commonly known as GM, formerly incorporated as General Motors Corporation, is an American multinational automotive corporation headquartered in Detroit, Michigan and the world's second-largest automaker in 2010...
. During that period the team won their three championships, two in Pontiac Grand Prix
Pontiac Grand Prix
Picking up where the Pontiac Ventura model left off, the Grand Prix first appeared in the Pontiac line for 1962. It was essentially a standard Pontiac Catalina coupe with minimal outside chrome trim and a sportier interior...
es and one in a Chevrolet Monte Carlo
Chevrolet Monte Carlo
The Chevrolet Monte Carlo was an American-made two-door coupe introduced for model year 1970, and manufactured over six generations through model year 2007. It was marketed as a personal-luxury coupe through most of its history, with the last model version being classified as a full-sized coupe...
. Despite this, JGR felt as if they weren't as important as some of the other GM teams such as Hendrick Motorsports
Hendrick Motorsports
Hendrick Motorsports , originally named All Star Racing, is a current American auto racing team created in 1984 by Rick Hendrick. The team currently competes in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series with Chevrolet Impalas...
and Richard Childress Racing
Richard Childress Racing
RCR Enterprises, LLC, doing business as Richard Childress Racing, is a NASCAR team based in Welcome, North Carolina, and is owned and operated by former driver Richard Childress...
. Therefore, during the 2007 season Joe Gibbs Racing announced that they would be ending their arrangement with GM at the end of the year and begin running Toyotas the following season. Since then, JGR has become the strongest and winningest Toyota team. The team currently fields the #11 FedEx
FedEx
FedEx Corporation , originally known as FDX Corporation, is a logistics services company, based in the United States with headquarters in Memphis, Tennessee...
Toyota Camry
Toyota Camry
The Toyota Camry is a series of mid-size automobiles manufactured by Toyota since 1982, and sold in the majority of automotive markets throughout the world...
for Denny Hamlin
Denny Hamlin
James Dennis Alan "Denny" Hamlin is an American race car driver. Though originally born in Tampa, Florida, Hamlin was raised for most of his life in Chesterfield, Virginia. After racing in go-karts for a number of years, he worked his way up to Late Models by 2004 and signed a development contract...
, the #18 M&M's
M&M's
M&M's are dragée-like "colorful button-shaped candies" produced by Mars, Incorporated...
/Interstate Batteries
Interstate Batteries
Interstate Battery System of America, Inc., a.k.a. Interstate Batteries, is a privately owned company that markets automotive batteries manufactured by Johnson Controls through independent distributors to more than 200,000 automotive shops worldwide. The company is based in Dallas, Texas...
Toyota Camry
Toyota Camry
The Toyota Camry is a series of mid-size automobiles manufactured by Toyota since 1982, and sold in the majority of automotive markets throughout the world...
for Kyle Busch
Kyle Busch
Kyle Thomas Busch, is an American NASCAR driver and team owner. He currently drives the No. 18 Mars/Interstate Batteries Toyota Camry for Joe Gibbs Racing in the Sprint Cup Series, the No. 18 Z-Line Designs/NOS Energy Drink Toyota Camry for Joe Gibbs in the Nationwide Series, and the No...
, and the #20 The Home Depot
The Home Depot
The Home Depot is an American retailer of home improvement and construction products and services.The Home Depot operates 2,248 big-box format stores across the United States , Canada , Mexico and China, with a 12-store chain...
/Dollar General
Dollar General
Dollar General Corp. is a U.S. chain of variety stores headquartered in Goodlettsville, Tennessee. As of January 2011, Dollar General operated over 9,300 stores in 35 U.S. states....
Toyota Camry
Toyota Camry
The Toyota Camry is a series of mid-size automobiles manufactured by Toyota since 1982, and sold in the majority of automotive markets throughout the world...
for Joey Logano
Joey Logano
Joseph Thomas "Joey" Logano , nicknamed "sliced bread" by Randy LaJoie, is an American stock car auto racing race car driver who currently drives the #20 Home Depot Toyota Camry in the Sprint Cup Series and the #20 GameStop/Sport Clips Toyota Camry in the Nationwide Series for Joe Gibbs...
in the Sprint Cup Series. They also field the #11 Shore Lodge Toyota Camry for Brian Scott
Brian Scott
Brian Joseph Scott is an American race car driver. He currently drives the #11 Shore Lodge Toyota Camry for Joe Gibbs Racing in the NASCAR Nationwide Series.-Beginnings:...
, the #18 Z-Line Designs Toyota Camry for Busch and Michael McDowell
Michael McDowell
Michael McDowell is a Senior Counsel in the Bar Council of Ireland and a former politician. A grandson of Irish revolutionary Eoin MacNeill, McDowell was a founding member of the Progressive Democrats political party in the mid-1980s...
, and the #20 GameStop
GameStop
GameStop Corporation is an American video game and entertainment software retailer. The company, whose headquarters is in Grapevine, Texas, United States, operates 6,500 retail stores throughout the United States, Canada, Australia, Austria, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Ireland, Italy, New...
/Sport Clips
Sport Clips
Sport Clips is a chain of male-oriented haircut salons based in Georgetown, Texas, United States. As of 2011, it operates approximately 800 franchised stores....
Toyota Camry for Logano and Hamlin. The team also fields the #18 Joe Gibbs Driven Racing Oil Toyota Camry
Toyota Camry
The Toyota Camry is a series of mid-size automobiles manufactured by Toyota since 1982, and sold in the majority of automotive markets throughout the world...
for development driver Matt DiBenedetto
Matt DiBenedetto
Matt DiBenedetto is a NASCAR driver who is currently driving in the #20 Joe Gibbs Racing in the Nationwide Series. Matt first showed an interest in auto racing after receiving his Little League trophy around age 8. His father noticed he preferred watching automobile racing on television over...
in the K&N Pro Series East.
Car #02 History
JGR occasionally fields a fourth car for R&D purposes. In 2007, Aric AlmirolaAric Almirola
Aric A. Almirola is a Cuban-American stock car driver in the NASCAR Nationwide Series. He currently drives the #88 Unilever/Grand Touring Vodka Chevrolet Impala for JR Motorsports. Almirola attended the University of Central Florida working on a degree in mechanical engineering before leaving to...
made his NEXTEL Cup debut in the #80 car at Las Vegas
Las Vegas Motor Speedway
Las Vegas Motor Speedway, located in Clark County, Nevada near Las Vegas, is a complex of multiple tracks for automobile racing. The complex is owned by Speedway Motorsports, Inc., which is headquartered in Charlotte, North Carolina.-History:...
. He was scheduled to drive at the all-star race and Coca-Cola 600
Coca-Cola 600
The Coca-Cola 600, formerly known as the World 600, is a NASCAR Sprint Cup Series race held each year at Charlotte Motor Speedway in Concord, North Carolina on Memorial Day weekend...
, but he suffered a practice crash and the car was withdrawn from both races. In 2008, Joey Logano drove this car, renumbered as 02, with The Home Depot
The Home Depot
The Home Depot is an American retailer of home improvement and construction products and services.The Home Depot operates 2,248 big-box format stores across the United States , Canada , Mexico and China, with a 12-store chain...
sponsorship and a reverse scheme of teammate Tony Stewart
Tony Stewart
Anthony Wayne "Tony" Stewart is an American auto racing driver and owner. Throughout his racing career, Stewart has won titles in Indy cars and stock cars as well as midget, sprint and USAC Silver Crown cars, giving him the recognition of "one of the finest racers of his generation."Stewart...
's. He was to make his Sprint Cup debut at Richmond International Raceway
Richmond International Raceway
Richmond International Raceway is a 3/4-mile , D-shaped, asphalt race track located just outside Richmond, Virginia in Henrico County. It hosts the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series and Nationwide Series...
, but qualifying was rained out by Tropical Storm Hanna
Tropical Storm Hanna
- Atlantic storms :* 1959's Hurricane Hannah - a strong hurricane that was only a threat to shipping.* Tropical Storm Hanna – a storm that made landfall in the United States....
and at Atlanta qualifying was rained out so he could not race. This car returned in 2009 with sponsorship from Farm Bureau Insurance, who had been banned from the Nationwide Series due to the Viceroy Rule. David Gilliland
David Gilliland
David Gilliland is a NASCAR driver and he currently drives the #34 Taco Bell Ford Fusion for Front Row Motorsports. He is the son of former Cup and West Coast driver Butch Gilliland. He was born in Riverside, California....
drove in the three races it ran. After the 2009 season, Farm Bureau Insurance announced they would not return for the 2010 season, plans have not been announced yet for this team.
Car #11 History
Previously JGR's research and developmentResearch and development
The phrase research and development , according to the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development, refers to "creative work undertaken on a systematic basis in order to increase the stock of knowledge, including knowledge of man, culture and society, and the use of this stock of...
car, what is now the #11 car debuted at the 2003 Pepsi 400 as #80, driven by Mike Bliss
Mike Bliss
Michael Bliss is a NASCAR driver who has run in all three major series. He currently drives the #19 Chevrolet Impala for TriStar Motorsports in the NASCAR Nationwide Series. He began racing at age 10...
and sponsored by Advair and finishing 26th. The car remained idle until the 2004 Tropicana 400, when Bliss finished 31st in the ConAgra/Slim Jim machine. After a fourth place finish in the fall race at Richmond International Raceway
Richmond International Raceway
Richmond International Raceway is a 3/4-mile , D-shaped, asphalt race track located just outside Richmond, Virginia in Henrico County. It hosts the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series and Nationwide Series...
, The team switched to #11, and Ricky Craven
Ricky Craven
Richard Allen Craven is an ESPN broadcaster who works ESPN2's NASCAR Now and a race analyst for the network. Prior to his ESPN duties, he was a NASCAR driver who won in four different series—the K&N Pro Series, and the three national series. He occasionally served as a pit reporter when NASCAR...
finished 30th at Talladega
Talladega Superspeedway
Talladega Superspeedway is a motorsports complex located north of Talladega, Alabama, United States. It is located on the former Anniston Air Force Base just outside the small city of Lincoln. It was constructed by International Speedway Corporation, a business controlled by the France Family, in...
, and J. J. Yeley
J. J. Yeley
Christopher Beltram Hernandez Yeley is a NASCAR driver. Nicknamed "J. J." , he is currently a competitor in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series, driving for Front Row Motorsports.-Open wheel:Yeley initially made a mark for himself in the world of auto racing when he took the Hoosier state by...
running two races in the car. The car went full-time in 2005, receiving sponsorship from FedEx
FedEx
FedEx Corporation , originally known as FDX Corporation, is a logistics services company, based in the United States with headquarters in Memphis, Tennessee...
and Jason Leffler
Jason Leffler
Jason Leffler is a NASCAR driver from Long Beach, California. Leffler began racing in the open-wheel ranks before moving to NASCAR's three major series...
driving. Leffler was released after struggling in 19 starts and Yeley, Terry Labonte
Terry Labonte
Terrance Lee Labonte is a semi-retired NASCAR driver who occasionally drives in the Sprint Cup Series when called upon and is a two-time Winston Cup and IROC champion. He currently drives the #32 U.S. Chrome Ford for FAS Lane Racing. Labonte was introduced to the sport through his father, who had...
, and Denny Hamlin
Denny Hamlin
James Dennis Alan "Denny" Hamlin is an American race car driver. Though originally born in Tampa, Florida, Hamlin was raised for most of his life in Chesterfield, Virginia. After racing in go-karts for a number of years, he worked his way up to Late Models by 2004 and signed a development contract...
finished out the season. Hamlin had the most starts (7) and finished in the top 10 three times. He was awarded the #11 FedEx Express full-time ride in 2006 in addition to his full-time Busch schedule in the #20 Rockwell Automation
Rockwell Automation
Rockwell Automation is a global provider of industrial automation, power, control and information solutions. Brands in industrial automation include Allen-Bradley and Rockwell Software....
Chevrolet. By the end of July 2006, Hamlin had three poles and three victories (the Budweiser Shootout
Budweiser Shootout
Budweiser Shootout at Daytona, generally referred to as the Bud Shootout, is an annual invitation-only NASCAR Sprint Cup Series exhibition event held at Daytona International Speedway in February, the weekend before the Daytona 500. It is the first competitive event of the season and serves as a...
and both Pocono Raceway
Pocono Raceway
Pocono Raceway also known as the Tricky Triangle, is a superspeedway located in the Pocono Mountains of Pennsylvania at Long Pond...
races) to give the rookie a berth in the Chase for the Cup, where he would finish 3rd in points. In 2007, Hamlin won the first of two races at New Hampshire International Speedway in 2007, and finished 12th in points. In 2008, Hamlin won the first race at Martinsville Speedway
Martinsville Speedway
Martinsville Speedway is an International Speedway Corporation-owned NASCAR stock car racing track located in Henry County, near Ridgeway, Virginia, just to the south of Martinsville. At in length, it is the shortest track in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series. The track was also one of the first paved...
, and improved to eighth in points. He qualified for the Chase again in 2009 after winning three races. He ended the season with four victories. In 2010, with two races left in the season, Hamlin has a series high eight victories. In his first five seasons in NASCAR Sprint Cup racing, Denny Hamlin has NEVER missed The Chase for the Cup, NASCAR's version of the playoffs. In his first 185 Cup starts, Hamlin has posted 16 victories in the #11 Car. In the first 28 races of 2005, the #11 posted only one Top Ten finish – the #11 even fell out of the Top 35 in owners points and failed to make one event. Since Hamlin arrived in the driver's seat, he's piloted the #11 FedEx machine to 97 Top-10 finishes (in 185 races) and finished second in points to Jimmie Johnson
Jimmie Johnson
Jimmie Kenneth Johnson is an American NASCAR Sprint Cup Series race car driver. He currently drives the No. 48 Lowe's Chevrolet for Hendrick Motorsports....
during the 2010 chase
2010 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series
The 2010 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series season was the 62nd season of professional stock car racing in the United States. Beginning at Daytona International Speedway, the season included 36 races and two exhibition races. The season concluded with the 2010 Ford 400 at Homestead Miami Speedway...
Car #18 History
Joe Gibbs Racing debuted at the 1992 Daytona 5001992 Daytona 500
The 1992 Daytona 500 by STP was held February 16 at Daytona International Speedway. Sterling Marlin won the pole award for Junior Johnson in the #22 Maxwell House Ford. Richard Petty gave the command to start the engines from the cockpit of the famous #43 STP Pontiac in his final appearance in the...
with Dale Jarrett
Dale Jarrett
Dale Arnold Jarrett is a former American race car driver and current sports commentator known for winning the 1999 NASCAR Winston Cup Series championship...
driving the car to a 36th place finish after a crash. The team improved dramatically the next year, when Jarrett won the Daytona 500, and finished a then career-high 4th in points.
Bobby Labonte
Robert Alan "Bobby" Labonte is an American race car driver in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series. He currently drives the #47 Kroger/Clorox/Kimberly-Clark/Kingsford/Reese Towpower Hitches Toyota Camry for JTG Daugherty Racing. He currently resides in Trinity, North Carolina. He is married to his wife...
took over, and drove the car until the end of 2005. Labonte won 21 races in the car, and won the then Winston Cup championship in 2000. Since then, Labonte had slipped, as his best finish in the points since then is 6th in 2001, and has not won since 2003 season finale at Homestead
Homestead-Miami Speedway
Homestead-Miami Speedway is a race track in Homestead, Florida southwest of Miami.Since 2002 Homestead has hosted the final races of the season in all three of NASCAR's series: the Sprint Cup Series, Nationwide Series, and the Camping World Truck Series...
. The team was progressing in 2004 until the team made a midseason firing of crew chief Michael McSwain, and Brandon Thomas
Brandon Thomas
Walter Brandon Thomas was an English actor, playwright and song writer, best known as the author of the farce Charley's Aunt....
took over for the rest of the season. Steve Addington
Steve Addington
Steve Addington is an American NASCAR Sprint Cup crew chief for the #14 Office Depot/Mobil 1 Chevrolet currently driven by Tony Stewart and owned by Stewart-Haas Racing. Previously, he was the crew chief of the #22 Pennzoil Dodge Charger driven by Kurt Busch, and the #18 M&Ms Toyota driven by...
, a Gibbs Busch Series crew chief, was named new crew chief for the 2005 season, but a rash of troubles, some caused by mechanical problems, continued to daunt the team, including a loss in the final turn at the Coca-Cola 600
Coca-Cola 600
The Coca-Cola 600, formerly known as the World 600, is a NASCAR Sprint Cup Series race held each year at Charlotte Motor Speedway in Concord, North Carolina on Memorial Day weekend...
, and a poor finish in the 2005 season led to a split between Labonte and JGR after 11 seasons. After Labonte's departure, Gibbs announced that Busch Series driver J. J. Yeley
J. J. Yeley
Christopher Beltram Hernandez Yeley is a NASCAR driver. Nicknamed "J. J." , he is currently a competitor in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series, driving for Front Row Motorsports.-Open wheel:Yeley initially made a mark for himself in the world of auto racing when he took the Hoosier state by...
would replace Labonte in the #18 for 2006 and 2007. Yeley raced two seasons for Gibbs, and after failing to finish higher than 21st in points, he moved to Hall of Fame Racing
Hall of Fame Racing
Hall of Fame Racing was a NASCAR Sprint Cup Series racing team principally owned by Jeff Moorad, Tom Garfinkel, and Tom Davin. The team was created as a joint venture between former Dallas Cowboys quarterbacks Roger Staubach and Troy Aikman...
. On August 14, 2007, Kyle Busch signed a contract to drive the number 18 with Joe Gibbs Racing through 2010. M&Ms will sponsor the Gibbs #18 car in 2008, with Interstate Batteries dropping down to sponsor the team's #18 Nationwide Series car. Kyle Busch
Kyle Busch
Kyle Thomas Busch, is an American NASCAR driver and team owner. He currently drives the No. 18 Mars/Interstate Batteries Toyota Camry for Joe Gibbs Racing in the Sprint Cup Series, the No. 18 Z-Line Designs/NOS Energy Drink Toyota Camry for Joe Gibbs in the Nationwide Series, and the No...
gave Toyota its first Cup win on March 9, 2008. Busch led a race-high 173 laps to win the Kobalt Tools 500 at Atlanta Motor Speedway
Atlanta Motor Speedway
Atlanta Motor Speedway is a track just outside Hampton, Georgia, twenty miles south of Atlanta. It is a quad-oval track with a seating capacity of over 125,000. It opened in 1960 as a standard oval. In 1994, 46 condominiums were built over the northeastern side of the track...
. In his first year in the 18, Busch had brought the car back to its former glory, winning 7 other races at Talladega
2008 Aaron's 499
The 2008 Aaron's 499 was the ninth race in the 2008 NASCAR Sprint Cup schedule and was raced on April 27th, 2008 at Talladega Superspeedway two miles east of Lincoln in Talladega County, Alabama...
, Darlington
2008 Dodge Challenger 500
The 2008 Dodge Challenger 500, the eleventh race on the NASCAR Sprint Cup season, was held on Saturday, May 10th at the fabled Darlington Speedway in Darlington, South Carolina. This race was the 52nd edition of the Confederate Memorial Day race originally known as the Rebel 300...
, Dover
2008 Best Buy 400 benefiting Student Clubs for Autism Speaks
The 2008 Best Buy 400 was the thirteenth race of the 2008 NASCAR Sprint Cup schedule which was run on Sunday, June 1 at Dover International Speedway in Delaware's state capital, and serves as a fundraiser for Autism Speaks, with $5 from each ticket sold benefitting the charity...
, Infineon
2008 Toyota/Save Mart 350
The 2008 Toyota/Save Mart 350 was the sixteenth race of the 2008 NASCAR Sprint Cup season, and the first of two scheduled road course races on the 2008 schedule...
, Daytona
2008 Coke Zero 400 Powered by Coca-Cola
The 2008 Coke Zero 400 Powered by Coca-Cola was the eighteenth race of the 2008 NASCAR Sprint Cup season, marking the official halfway point of the season. This race was held on July 5 of that year at Daytona International Speedway in Daytona Beach, Florida, and was the third race utilizing...
, Chicagoland,and Watkins Glen all after only the first 23 races. In 2009 he won Las Vegas
Las Vegas Motor Speedway
Las Vegas Motor Speedway, located in Clark County, Nevada near Las Vegas, is a complex of multiple tracks for automobile racing. The complex is owned by Speedway Motorsports, Inc., which is headquartered in Charlotte, North Carolina.-History:...
, Richmond
Richmond International Raceway
Richmond International Raceway is a 3/4-mile , D-shaped, asphalt race track located just outside Richmond, Virginia in Henrico County. It hosts the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series and Nationwide Series...
and both Bristol
Bristol Motor Speedway
Bristol Motor Speedway, formerly known as Bristol International Raceway and Bristol Raceway is a NASCAR short track venue located in Bristol, Tennessee. Constructed in 1960, it held its first NASCAR race on July 30, 1961...
races, but failed to qualify for the Chase by only 8 points.
Car #20 History
Tony StewartTony Stewart
Anthony Wayne "Tony" Stewart is an American auto racing driver and owner. Throughout his racing career, Stewart has won titles in Indy cars and stock cars as well as midget, sprint and USAC Silver Crown cars, giving him the recognition of "one of the finest racers of his generation."Stewart...
trotted out the #20 Home Depot car at the 1999 Daytona 500, qualifying on the outside pole. He won three races as well as the NASCAR Rookie of the Year
NASCAR Rookie of the Year
The NASCAR Rookie of the Year Award is presented to the first-year driver that has the best season in a NASCAR season. Each of NASCAR's national and regional touring series selects a RotY winner each year....
honors. Since then, the car has seen very few changes, as Stewart has won 33 races as well as the 2002 championship. He won his second championship in 2005. Home Depot has been the primary sponsor of the car since its debut. On June 9th, 2008, Stewart was granted a release from his final year of his contract with Joe Gibbs Racing and will move to Haas CNC Racing
Haas CNC Racing
Stewart-Haas Racing, formerly known as Haas CNC Racing, is a NASCAR racing team based in Kannapolis, North Carolina, which runs Chevrolet Impalas. The team is owned by Tony Stewart and Gene Haas, and runs the #14 Office Depot/Mobil 1 Chevrolet Impala driven by Stewart and the #39 United States...
, renamed Stewart-Haas Racing due to Stewart's 50% ownership. On August 25th, 2008, Joe Gibbs Racing announced Joey Logano
Joey Logano
Joseph Thomas "Joey" Logano , nicknamed "sliced bread" by Randy LaJoie, is an American stock car auto racing race car driver who currently drives the #20 Home Depot Toyota Camry in the Sprint Cup Series and the #20 GameStop/Sport Clips Toyota Camry in the Nationwide Series for Joe Gibbs...
would replace Stewart as the driver of the #20 car for the 2009 season in the NSCS. Logano won the Lenox Industrial Tools 301 and won Rookie of the Year with seven top-ten finishes. On October 13th, 2011, Joe Gibbs Racing announced The Home Depot will become co-primary sponsor on the #20 Car with Dollar General
Dollar General
Dollar General Corp. is a U.S. chain of variety stores headquartered in Goodlettsville, Tennessee. As of January 2011, Dollar General operated over 9,300 stores in 35 U.S. states....
. Dollar General is set to sponsor 12 races while the other 22 will continue to be sponsored by The Home Depot. The Home Depot has served as the sole primary sponsor of the #20 car since its debut in 1999.
Car #11 History
What would become the #11 car debuted during the 2005 season as the #19 car at the CarQuest Auto Parts 300Carquest Auto Parts 300
The Top Gear 300 is a NASCAR Nationwide Series race that takes place at Charlotte Motor Speedway. It is held the day before the Coca-Cola 600 on the Saturday of Memorial Day weekend...
. It was driven by Labonte and sponsored by Banquet Foods
Banquet Foods
Banquet Foods is a subsidiary of ConAgra Foods that sells various food products, notably frozen pre-made entrées, meals, and desserts.Banquet was founded in 1953, with the introduction of frozen meat pies. Banquet first hit the store shelves in 1955, offering frozen dinners. Soon after that,...
. Labonte ran seven races that year, with three top-tens. With Labonte moving to Petty Enterprises
Petty Enterprises
Petty Enterprises was a NASCAR racing team based in Randleman, North Carolina, USA. The team was owned by Richard Petty, his son Kyle Petty, and Boston Ventures. At the time of its folding the team operated the #43 and #45 Dodge Chargers in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series. Petty Enterprises ran from...
, JGR development driver Aric Almirola
Aric Almirola
Aric A. Almirola is a Cuban-American stock car driver in the NASCAR Nationwide Series. He currently drives the #88 Unilever/Grand Touring Vodka Chevrolet Impala for JR Motorsports. Almirola attended the University of Central Florida working on a degree in mechanical engineering before leaving to...
ran the car in seven races in 2006. Tony Stewart also drove the car at select races in 2006, using his NEXTEL Cup
NEXTEL Cup
The NASCAR Sprint Cup Series is the top racing series of the National Association for Stock Car Auto Racing . The series was originally known as the Strictly Stock Series and Grand National Series . While leasing its naming rights to R. J...
crew when he raced. The #19 team was disbanded after the 2006 season. The car returned as the #11 for 2011 and was driven by Brian Scott
Brian Scott
Brian Joseph Scott is an American race car driver. He currently drives the #11 Shore Lodge Toyota Camry for Joe Gibbs Racing in the NASCAR Nationwide Series.-Beginnings:...
, who brought sponsorship from his family-owned Shore Lodge. The new team was constantly hampered by bad luck during races. For 2012 Scott will be sponsored by Dollar General
Dollar General
Dollar General Corp. is a U.S. chain of variety stores headquartered in Goodlettsville, Tennessee. As of January 2011, Dollar General operated over 9,300 stores in 35 U.S. states....
Car #18 History
The current 18 car came under Gibbs control when he purchased the #44 Shell Oil PontiacPontiac
Pontiac was an automobile brand that was established in 1926 as a companion make for General Motors' Oakland. Quickly overtaking its parent in popularity, it supplanted the Oakland brand entirely by 1933 and, for most of its life, became a companion make for Chevrolet. Pontiac was sold in the...
from Labonte, who had been operating the team under his control. The team made its debut under the Gibbs banner at the 1998 NAPA Auto Parts 300 with Stewart driving, he qualified 9th but finished 31st after a crash. At the next week at Rockingham Speedway, Stewart qualified on the pole, led 60 laps and finished 2nd. Stewart ran a total of 22 races that year, with five top-five finishes and winning two pole positions. Labonte ran five races that year in that car in 1998, winning the Diamond Hill Plywood 200
Diamond Hill Plywood 200
The Royal Purple 200 is a NASCAR Nationwide Series race that takes place at Darlington Raceway.The race's longtime sponsor Diamond Hill Plywood is based in Darlington, and is owned and operated by identical twins John and Jim Ramsey...
. The team switched to #18 with sponsorship from MBNA
MBNA
MBNA Corporation was a bank holding company and parent company of wholly owned subsidiary MBNA America Bank, N.A., headquartered in Wilmington, Delaware, prior to being acquired by Bank of America in 2006...
for 1999
1999 in NASCAR Busch Series
The 1999 NASCAR Busch Series season began on February 13 and ended on November 13. Dale Earnhardt Jr. of Dale Earnhardt, Inc. won the season points championship.See also: 1999 NASCAR Winston Cup Series, 1999 NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series-1999 Team chart:...
, but Labonte ran only one race before he suffered shoulder injuries in a qualifying crash at Darlington. Late in the year, Jason Leffler ran four races in the car that year, his best finish being a 20th at Memphis Motorsports Park
Memphis Motorsports Park
Memphis International Raceway is an auto racing park located across the Loosahatchie River from Memphis, Tennessee, approximately ten miles south of Millington, Tennessee. The facility opened in 1987 with a drag strip and 1.8-mile road course...
. Leffler ran the car full-time in 2000, winning a pole at Texas Motor Speedway
Texas Motor Speedway
Texas Motor Speedway is a speedway located in the northernmost portion of the U.S. city of Fort Worth, Texas – the portion located in Denton County, Texas....
, and posting three top-ten finishes. After that season, he left for Chip Ganassi Racing
Chip Ganassi Racing
Chip Ganassi Racing with Felix Sabates is an automotive racing organization with teams competing in the IZOD IndyCar Series and the Rolex Sports Car Series. It is owned by businessmen Chip Ganassi and Felix Sabates. They have won 4 Champ Car, 3 Indy Racing League and 1 Grand-Am championships...
, and Jeff Purvis
Jeff Purvis
Jeff Purvis is a former race car driver in NASCAR's Nationwide Series. He is a 15-year veteran with four wins and 25 top-five finishes. Purvis is still recovering from a massive brain injury suffered in 2002. He races "Late Model Crates" at Golden Isles Speedway.- Winston Cup Series Career :Purvis...
took his place. Purvis started off strong and was seventh in points but was released after the GNC Live Well 200 because of sponsorship issues. Mike McLaughlin took his place, and finished seventh in points that season. Despite not winning again in 2002, he moved up to fourth place in points. However, Gibbs wanted his son Coy
Coy Gibbs
Coy Gibbs is a former NASCAR driver and assistant coach with the Washington Redskins. His father is NASCAR Championship owner and Hall of Fame former Head Coach Joe Gibbs of the Washington Redskins...
a ride in the car, and forced McLaughlin out. In his rookie season, Gibbs had two top-ten finishes and finished runner-up to David Stremme
David Stremme
David Andrew Stremme is an American stock car driver. He is most notable as the 2003 NASCAR Nationwide Series Rookie of the Year, winning the award while running a part time for several different teams. He currently drives the #30 Chevrolet Impala for Inception Motorsports.-Early life:Stremme was...
for Rookie of the Year. Despite new sponsorship from Vigoro
Vigoro
Vigoro is a sport like both cricket and baseball and has been mainly played by women. It is most popular in Australia.-History:The game was invented by Englishman John George Grant...
and The Home Depot, the team decided to run a part-time schedule in 2004, with Labonte returning for two races and J. J. Yeley
J. J. Yeley
Christopher Beltram Hernandez Yeley is a NASCAR driver. Nicknamed "J. J." , he is currently a competitor in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series, driving for Front Row Motorsports.-Open wheel:Yeley initially made a mark for himself in the world of auto racing when he took the Hoosier state by...
running seventeen races, garnering four top-ten finishes. Yeley ran the car full-time in 2005
2005 in NASCAR Busch Series
The 2005 season of the NASCAR Busch Series began with the Hershey's Take 5 300 at Daytona International Speedway and concluded with the Ford 300 at Homestead-Miami Speedway. Martin Truex Jr...
, finishing in the top-ten twelve times and finishing 11th in points. Yeley continued to run full-time in 2006
2006 in NASCAR Busch Series
The 25th season of the NASCAR Busch Series opened February 18, 2006, at Daytona International Speedway and concluded November 18, 2006, at Homestead-Miami Speedway...
, finishing 5th in the points standings with 3 poles, 9 top 5's, 22 top 10's and 27 top 15's. Yeley announced in Daytona that he would be driving in the #1 Miccosukee Gaming and Resorts Chevrolet
Chevrolet
Chevrolet , also known as Chevy , is a brand of vehicle produced by General Motors Company . Founded by Louis Chevrolet and ousted GM founder William C. Durant on November 3, 1911, General Motors acquired Chevrolet in 1918...
for Phoenix Racing
Phoenix Racing
Phoenix Racing is a NASCAR team owned by James Finch. It currently fields the #51 Chevrolet Impala in the Sprint Cup Series driven by Landon Cassill and the #1 Chevrolet Impala in the Nationwide Series driven by Landon Cassill and Jamie McMurray....
in the 2007 NASCAR
NASCAR
The National Association for Stock Car Auto Racing is a family-owned and -operated business venture that sanctions and governs multiple auto racing sports events. It was founded by Bill France Sr. in 1947–48. As of 2009, the CEO for the company is Brian France, grandson of the late Bill France Sr...
Busch Series. In late November, former Brewco Motorsports
Brewco Motorsports
Baker Curb Racing, formerly known as Brewco Motorsports, is a racing team that competes in the NASCAR Nationwide Series. Based in Nashville, Tennessee, it is owned by Gary Baker, former owner of Bristol Motor Speedway and Nashville Superspeedway, and record executive Mike Curb...
development driver Brad Coleman
Brad Coleman
Bradford Coleman is an American stock car driver. He was a high school graduate of Carlisle School.Coleman was discovered at an indoor karting center in Houston, TX by LeMans champion Price Cobb...
signed a contract to drive for Joe Gibbs Racing. Coleman ran 17 of the 35 NASCAR Nationwide Series races during the 2007 season, sharing the #18 Chevy with Tony Stewart
Tony Stewart
Anthony Wayne "Tony" Stewart is an American auto racing driver and owner. Throughout his racing career, Stewart has won titles in Indy cars and stock cars as well as midget, sprint and USAC Silver Crown cars, giving him the recognition of "one of the finest racers of his generation."Stewart...
, Aric Almirola
Aric Almirola
Aric A. Almirola is a Cuban-American stock car driver in the NASCAR Nationwide Series. He currently drives the #88 Unilever/Grand Touring Vodka Chevrolet Impala for JR Motorsports. Almirola attended the University of Central Florida working on a degree in mechanical engineering before leaving to...
, and Kevin Conway
Kevin Conway (NASCAR)
Kevin Conway is an American NASCAR driver. He is the 2010 Raybestos Rookie of the Year. Conway has raced in motocross, legends, the World Karting Association, and the United States Automobile Club.-2002-2005:...
. Carino’s Italian Grill sponsored Coleman, while Z-Line Designs sponsored Conway and Goody's
Goody's
Goody's is Greece's biggest fast food company founded in 1975 by Ioannis Dionisiadis, Achilleas Folias and Nikolaos Pappas in Thessaloniki. It has since grown into one of the most well-reputed firms in Greece. It is the leading firm in fast-food restaurants of Greece having left behind the...
/ConAgra Foods
ConAgra Foods
ConAgra Foods, Inc. is an American packaged foods company. ConAgra's products are available in supermarkets, as well as restaurants and food service establishments. Its headquarters are located in Omaha, Nebraska...
sponsored Almirola and Tony Stewart. Almirola put the car on the pole at the season opener at Daytona, while Coleman earned his first career Busch Series pole at Talladega. Coleman returned to Brewco Motorsports and the #18 was piloted by the team of Hamlin and Busch with sponsorship coming from Southern Farm Bureau, Interstate Batteries, and Z-Line Designs. Despite running a partial schedule, Busch won ten races in 2008, eight in the #18, while Hamlin won once at Dover. Busch would finish seventh in points. In 2009, Kyle Busch won the Nationwide Series Championship driving the #18 Z-Line Designs, NOS
NOS (drink)
NOS Energy Drink is an energy drink sometimes distributed in a bottle designed to look like a NOS cartridge. It is produced by the High Performance Beverage Company, and licensed by Holley Performance, which owns the trademark...
Toyota. In 2010, Kyle Busch shared with Brad Coleman in the #18 car, with Busch running most of the companion weekends and Coleman running the stand alone races.. For 2011, Busch drove the #18 for a majority of the season, splitting the ride with Michael McDowell, who ran both Iowa races, Lucas Oil Raceway, and the road courses Road America
Road America
Road America is a road course located near Elkhart Lake, Wisconsin on Wisconsin Highway 67. It has hosted races since the 1950s and currently hosts races in the NASCAR Nationwide Series , American Le Mans , SCCA Speed World Challenge Series, ASRA, and AMA Superbike series.- Current track and...
and Circuit Gilles Villeneuve
Circuit Gilles Villeneuve
The Circuit Gilles Villeneuve is a motor racing circuit, venue for the Formula One Canadian Grand Prix, NASCAR Canadian Tire Series, NASCAR Nationwide Series and Grand-Am Rolex Sports Car Series....
with sponsorship from Pizza Ranch
Pizza Ranch
The Pizza Ranch, Inc., founded in 1981, is a "fast casual" restaurant chain. Pizza Ranch offers pizza, chicken, a salad bar, and a pizza and chicken buffet. Pizza Ranch has over 145 locations in Illinois, Iowa, Michigan, Minnesota, Nebraska, North Dakota, Oklahoma, South Dakota, Wisconsin and Kansas...
. McDowell won the pole at Road America and dominated until late race contact with another car. Drivers Kelly Bires
Kelly Bires
Kelly Bires is an American stock car driver. He currently drives the #25 Ford Mustang for Team Rensi Motorsports and the #18 International Comfort Products Corporation Toyota Camry for Joe Gibbs Racing in the Nationwide Series.-Early career:Bires began karting at Sugar River Raceway in Brodhead,...
, Drew Herring, and Joey Logano
Joey Logano
Joseph Thomas "Joey" Logano , nicknamed "sliced bread" by Randy LaJoie, is an American stock car auto racing race car driver who currently drives the #20 Home Depot Toyota Camry in the Sprint Cup Series and the #20 GameStop/Sport Clips Toyota Camry in the Nationwide Series for Joe Gibbs...
also took turns in the 18. Bires ran at Richmond and Chicago with International Comfort Products Corporation
International Comfort Products Corporation
International Comfort Products Corporation is a company that designs, manufactures and markets central air conditioning systems, gas and oil furnaces for use in homes and commercial buildings headquartered in La Vergne, Tennessee, United States....
, Herring drove at the second Nashville race with Sport Clips
Sport Clips
Sport Clips is a chain of male-oriented haircut salons based in Georgetown, Texas, United States. As of 2011, it operates approximately 800 franchised stores....
, and Logano drove the 18 at Chicago, Dover, Kansas, and Phoenix.
Car #20 history
Porter-Cable
Porter-Cable is an American company that manufactures power tools. The company is known for introducing a number of noteworthy power tools, such as the first portable belt sander, helical-drive circular saw, and portable band saw. It is a subsidiary of Stanley Black & Decker.- History :Porter-Cable...
. Despite missing three races, driver Jeff Purvis had eleven top-tens and one pole, finishing 11th in points. The team switched to #20 for 2001, and Mike McLaughlin was named the driver. Without a major sponsor, McLaughlin was able to win the Subway 300 and was sixth in points when Gibbs decided to shut down his team because of sponsorship problems. He moved to the 18, and finished seventh in points that year. Coy Gibbs ran five races in the #20 in 2002, with sponsorship from ConAgra Foods
ConAgra Foods
ConAgra Foods, Inc. is an American packaged foods company. ConAgra's products are available in supermarkets, as well as restaurants and food service establishments. Its headquarters are located in Omaha, Nebraska...
. His best finish was a 14th at Kentucky Speedway
Kentucky Speedway
Kentucky Speedway is a tri-oval speedway in Sparta, Kentucky, which has hosted ARCA, NASCAR and Indy Racing League racing annually since it opened in 2000. The track is currently owned and operated by Speedway Motorsports, Inc. and Jerry Carroll, who, along with four other investors, owned...
. After he moved to the 18, Gibbs was replaced by Mike Bliss
Mike Bliss
Michael Bliss is a NASCAR driver who has run in all three major series. He currently drives the #19 Chevrolet Impala for TriStar Motorsports in the NASCAR Nationwide Series. He began racing at age 10...
and Rockwell Automation
Rockwell Automation
Rockwell Automation is a global provider of industrial automation, power, control and information solutions. Brands in industrial automation include Allen-Bradley and Rockwell Software....
came aboard as sponsor. Bliss had fourteen top-tens and finished tenth in points. In 2004, he pulled off a win at Lowe's Motor Speedway
Lowe's Motor Speedway
Charlotte Motor Speedway is a motorsports complex located in Concord, North Carolina, United States 13 miles from Charlotte, North Carolina. The complex features a quad oval track that hosts NASCAR racing including the prestigious Coca-Cola 600 on Memorial Day weekend and the Sprint All-Star Race...
and had three poles. In 2005
2005 in NASCAR Busch Series
The 2005 season of the NASCAR Busch Series began with the Hershey's Take 5 300 at Daytona International Speedway and concluded with the Ford 300 at Homestead-Miami Speedway. Martin Truex Jr...
, Denny Hamlin came aboard, and posted eleven top-ten's and finished fifth points, the third-place finisher in rookie points. He ran the full schedule in the #20 in 2006, winning twice and finishing 4th in points. Denny Hamlin and Aric Almirola drove the 20 in 2007 with Tony Stewart also piloting the #20 at Atlanta
Nicorette 300
The Great Clips 300 is a NASCAR Nationwide Series stock car race held at Atlanta Motor Speedway in Hampton, Georgia, a few miles south of Atlanta. This race has long served as Atlanta's lone Busch/Nationwide Series date, and has been shuffled around the schedule several times...
. Hamlin took the car to victory lane four times including Darlington
Diamond Hill Plywood 200
The Royal Purple 200 is a NASCAR Nationwide Series race that takes place at Darlington Raceway.The race's longtime sponsor Diamond Hill Plywood is based in Darlington, and is owned and operated by identical twins John and Jim Ramsey...
, Milwaukee
AT&T 250
The NorthernTool.com 250 is a NASCAR Nationwide Series race held at the Milwaukee Mile. From 1984-1985, the race was 200 laps, long. From 1986-1992, no race was held. In 1993, the race returned, and was increased to 250 laps, , a distance it has remained at since...
, Michigan
Carfax 250
The Alliance Truck Parts 250 is a NASCAR Nationwide Series race that takes place at Michigan International Speedway. First held in 1992, the race was a event from its inception through 1999, and was extended to 250 miles starting with the 2000 race...
, and Dover
RoadLoans.com 200
The OneMain Financial 200 is a NASCAR Nationwide Series race that takes place at Dover International Speedway. It is the second Nationwide Series race each year at Dover. The race usually takes place in late September.-Past winners:...
with Milwaukee being credited to Almirola for starting the race. The #20 finished 2nd in the owners points behind RCR's
Richard Childress Racing
RCR Enterprises, LLC, doing business as Richard Childress Racing, is a NASCAR team based in Welcome, North Carolina, and is owned and operated by former driver Richard Childress...
#29. The #20 was shared by Hamlin
Denny Hamlin
James Dennis Alan "Denny" Hamlin is an American race car driver. Though originally born in Tampa, Florida, Hamlin was raised for most of his life in Chesterfield, Virginia. After racing in go-karts for a number of years, he worked his way up to Late Models by 2004 and signed a development contract...
, Busch
Kyle Busch
Kyle Thomas Busch, is an American NASCAR driver and team owner. He currently drives the No. 18 Mars/Interstate Batteries Toyota Camry for Joe Gibbs Racing in the Sprint Cup Series, the No. 18 Z-Line Designs/NOS Energy Drink Toyota Camry for Joe Gibbs in the Nationwide Series, and the No...
and Stewart
Tony Stewart
Anthony Wayne "Tony" Stewart is an American auto racing driver and owner. Throughout his racing career, Stewart has won titles in Indy cars and stock cars as well as midget, sprint and USAC Silver Crown cars, giving him the recognition of "one of the finest racers of his generation."Stewart...
for 9 races before defending NASCAR Camping World East Series champion Joey Logano
Joey Logano
Joseph Thomas "Joey" Logano , nicknamed "sliced bread" by Randy LaJoie, is an American stock car auto racing race car driver who currently drives the #20 Home Depot Toyota Camry in the Sprint Cup Series and the #20 GameStop/Sport Clips Toyota Camry in the Nationwide Series for Joe Gibbs...
was named the driver of the 20 for the rest of the season's races except for Loudon (which Stewart won in the #20), Daytona (which Hamlin won in the #20), and Chicago
USG Durock 300
The Dollar General 300 Powered by Coca-Cola is a NASCAR Nationwide Series stock car race held annually at Chicagoland Speedway in Joliet, Illinois...
(which Busch won in the #18). All four drivers of the #20 won races driving it in 2008. Through the race at Chicagoland Speedway
Chicagoland Speedway
Chicagoland Speedway is a tri-oval speedway in Joliet, Illinois, USA, southwest of Chicago. The speedway opened in 2001 and currently hosts NASCAR racing including the opening event in the 2011 Chase for the Sprint Cup. Until 2011, the speedway also hosted the IZOD IndyCar Series, recording...
, JGR has won 14 of the 22 Nationwide races in '08 and its drivers have won 15 races overall (Busch won the Dollar General 300
Dollar General 300
The Dollar General 300 Miles of Courage is a NASCAR Nationwide Series stock car race that takes place at Charlotte Motor Speedway in Concord, North Carolina...
driving for Braun Racing
Braun Racing
Braun Racing was a NASCAR racing team based in Mooresville, North Carolina. The team was sold to Steve Turner in September 2010. The Nationwide and Sprint Cup Series teams remain active under Turner Motorsports. Following the announcement of the purchase, Turner Motorsports announced that they had...
). In 2010, Joey Logano, Denny Hamlin and Matt DiBenedetto shared the #20 car, with Hamlin winning at Darlington and Logano winning at Kentucky and Kansas. For 2011, Logano returned to the #20 with sponsorship from GameStop
GameStop
GameStop Corporation is an American video game and entertainment software retailer. The company, whose headquarters is in Grapevine, Texas, United States, operates 6,500 retail stores throughout the United States, Canada, Australia, Austria, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Ireland, Italy, New...
and Sport Clips
Sport Clips
Sport Clips is a chain of male-oriented haircut salons based in Georgetown, Texas, United States. As of 2011, it operates approximately 800 franchised stores....
. Logano ran the first 10 races but picked up last minute sponsorship from Harvest Investments to run Nashville. Due to a lack of sponsorship, the 20 was unable to run a full schedule for the owners championship. In the 20, Logano grabbed his first superspeedway win at the July Daytona race with help from Kyle Busch
Kyle Busch
Kyle Thomas Busch, is an American NASCAR driver and team owner. He currently drives the No. 18 Mars/Interstate Batteries Toyota Camry for Joe Gibbs Racing in the Sprint Cup Series, the No. 18 Z-Line Designs/NOS Energy Drink Toyota Camry for Joe Gibbs in the Nationwide Series, and the No...
. The 20 was also driven by Denny Hamlin
Denny Hamlin
James Dennis Alan "Denny" Hamlin is an American race car driver. Though originally born in Tampa, Florida, Hamlin was raised for most of his life in Chesterfield, Virginia. After racing in go-karts for a number of years, he worked his way up to Late Models by 2004 and signed a development contract...
at Las Vegas, Richmond, and Darlington, with Hamlin winning at Richmond. Drew Herring drove the 20 with Sport Clips
Sport Clips
Sport Clips is a chain of male-oriented haircut salons based in Georgetown, Texas, United States. As of 2011, it operates approximately 800 franchised stores....
at both Iowa races, where Herring won the pole for the May race, and Lucas Oil Raceway. Ryan Truex
Ryan Truex
Ryan Truex is a NASCAR driver. He currently drives the #20 Toyota Camry for Joe Gibbs Racing in the Nationwide Series.-Early Racing Career:...
stepped into the 20 late in the season for six races.
Controversy
Following the August 16, 2008 NASCAR Nationwide Series race at Michigan International SpeedwayMichigan International Speedway
Michigan International Speedway is a two-mile moderate-banked D-shaped superspeedway located off U.S. Highway 12 on more than in Brooklyn, in the scenic Irish Hills area of southeastern Michigan. The track is used primarily for NASCAR events. It is sometimes known as a "sister track" to Texas...
, NASCAR used a dynometer to test the horsepower of several cars from all competing manufacturers. While testing the Joe Gibbs Racing cars, officials found that the throttle pedal on the two Joe Gibbs Racing 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 levies 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.autosport.com – Gibbs facing penalties for dyno 'cheat' Subsequently, NASCAR made regulation change specifically to Toyota, which mandated them to run a smaller restrictor plate
Restrictor plate
A restrictor plate or air restrictor is a device installed at the intake of an engine to limit its power. This kind of system is occasionally used in road vehicles for insurance purposes, but mainly in automobile racing, to limit top speed and thus increase safety, to provide equal level of...
to cut horsepower by estimated 15 to 20 hp from their engines. Toyota went on to win 20 of the 35 races in the season, 19 of them by Joe Gibbs Racing.