Joe Gibbs Racing (JGR) is an American professional stock car racing organization founded by Pro Football Hall of Fame coach Joe Gibbs. His son, J. D. Gibbs, ran the team with him until his death in 2019. Founded in Huntersville, North Carolina, in 1992, JGR has won five Cup Series championships, four O'Reilly Auto Parts Series championships and one ARCA Series championship.
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.
The team fields four full-time entries in the NASCAR Cup Series: the No. 11 Toyota Camry for Denny Hamlin, the No. 19 Camry for Chase Briscoe, the No. 20 Camry for Christopher Bell, and the No. 54 Camry for Ty Gibbs. In the O'Reilly Auto Parts Series, the team fields four full-time entries: the No. 18 Toyota GR Supra for William Sawalich, the No. 19 Supra for Brent Crews and other drivers, the No. 20 Supra for Brandon Jones, and the No. 54 Supra for Taylor Gray.
The team has a driver development program that groomed future Cup winners Joey Logano and Aric Almirola and won one championship in the Camping World East Series (now known as the ARCA Menards East Series) with Logano. The team won the 2021 ARCA Menards Series championship with Ty Gibbs. The organization teamed up with former NFL player Reggie White in 2004 to create a diversity program, fielding drivers such as Almirola, Marc Davis, and Bubba Wallace, and forming the basis for NASCAR's Drive for Diversity program.
JGR formed a technical alliance with 23XI Racing in 2021 and sold minority stakes to Harris Blitzer Sports & Entertainment (HBSE) and Arctos Partners in 2023.
Contents
History
Gibbs founded the team in 1991 after exploring opportunities with Don Meredith, who currently serves as the team's Executive Vice President. In 1997, Gibbs' son J. D. Gibbs was named team president. In 1998, the team began building its facility in Huntersville, North Carolina. 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. 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.
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.
In 2012, JGR shuttered its in-house Sprint Cup Series engine program, merging with California-based Toyota Racing Development which provides engines to JGR and 23XI Racing. The team builds engines for its own Xfinity Series operations and ARCA Menards Series operations of Venturini Motorsports. The team had a technical alliance with Furniture Row Racing, a single-car team based in Denver, Colorado, which closed after the 2018 season. In June 2023, JGR sold minority stakes to Harris Blitzer Sports & Entertainment (HBSE), founded and managed by Josh Harris and David Blitzer, and Arctos Partners. Gibbs became a limited partner of HBSE in the transaction.
NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series
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-tens and tenth-place points finishes in the latter two seasons. J. D. only ran a total of eight races over the three seasons, with no top 10 finishes.
From 2004 to 2006, JGR drivers drove in the Truck Series for Chevrolet-affiliated Morgan-Dollar Motorsports, fielding Bobby Labonte, Tony Stewart, Denny Hamlin, J. J. Yeley, Jason Leffler, and Aric Almirola in select races. In 2006, JGR contracted Spears Motorsports to field Almirola in their 75 truck for his rookie Truck season. Almirola had three top-tens (compared to two top-tens in four starts the previous year), finishing 18th in points.
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. The partnership ended following the 2022 season when Busch left the organization.
Truck No. 20 history
In 2000 JGR made their debut in the Craftsman Truck Series, fielding of the No. 20 Chevrolet with Coy Gibbs and his brother J. D. sharing the driving duties. In 2001, he began racing a full-time schedule, posting two top-five finishes, and finishing tenth in points both in 2001 and 2002.
Truck No. 48 history
In 2000, JGR fielded the No. 48 Chevrolet part-time with Coy Gibbs and J. D. Gibbs sharing the driving duties.
In 2001 and 2002, J. D. continued to drive the No. 48 on part-time basis.
ARCA
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. Denny Hamlin finished third in the 2004 season finale at Talladega. J. J. Yeley ran the 2005 season opener at Daytona, as part of his development deal with JGR. Aric Almirola ran the 2005 finale at Talladega.
Car No. 18 history
In 1999, Joe Gibbs Racing fielded the No. 18 car for Jason Leffler for one race. Leffler finished fifth at Atlanta.
In 2000, Leffler returned at Charlotte, he started second 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. Matt Tifft ran the season opener at Daytona due to Herbst not being eligible to compete in the race.
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 ten 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 2023, the car returned to JGR, with Connor Mosack driving six races and William Sawalich driving 13 races.
During the 2024 season, the No. 18 was shared between Sawalich and Tanner Gray. Sawalich scored three wins and seven top-three finishes.
Car No. 19 history
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 eighth.
Car No. 81 history
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 2021, JGR fielded the No. 81 for Sammy Smith at Iowa, Milwaukee, and Bristol
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.
Car No. 18 history
In 2020, Ty Gibbs drove the No. 18 full-time. Gibbs would win one of the series' six races on the schedule (Toledo Speedway in June) and finish runner-up to Sam Mayer in the standings, who won all other races that year. Gibbs led 104 laps at Dover in the General Tire 125 before crashing out late, marking his only DNF in the series and only finish outside the top four in any year.
In 2021, the No. 18 was run by Ty Gibbs and Sammy Smith. Smith would eventually win the East Championship.
On December 9, 2022, it was announced that William Sawalich would drive the No. 18 full-time in the 2023 ARCA Menards Series East. In his first start at Five Flags Speedway, Sawalich won the pole and led every lap to earn his first career ARCA win. At Nashville, Sawalich was in contention to win his second race, until the caution came out on the final lap. He would spin his tires on the final restart, ultimately giving the win to Luke Fenhaus. He earned his second win of the season at ARCA's return to Flat Rock Speedway, leading the final fifty laps of the race. Following the Bristol race, Sawalich clinched the ARCA Menards Series East championship.
On December 13, 2023, it was announced that Sawalich would return full-time in the ARCA Menards Series East. In the first race of the season, Sawalich would lead the most laps at Five Flags, but he would end up finishing second to Gio Ruggiero. At Dover, Sawalich won the pole and once again led the most laps, before being involved in a late race incident, unable to complete the race and finished seventeenth, the first DNF in his career. In the following race at Nashville, Sawalich rebounded and led 145 of the 150 lap race to score the dominating win. Overall, Sawalich scored three wins and seven top-three finishes to clinch his second consecutive ARCA East championship.
In 2025, Max Reaves, son of Jeremy Reaves, who is the co-owner of Cook Out, and franchise founder Morris Reaves would drive part-time in the No. 18. He would share the ride with Sawalich and Brent Crews.
Car No. 81 history
In 2021, the No. 81 were run by Sammy Smith while Ty Gibbs drove the No. 18. Smith would eventually win the East Championship with those cars.
In 2022, Brandon Jones drove the No. 81 for two races at Iowa and Bristol. He won the race at Iowa.
In 2025, Brent Crews drove the No. 81 to victory at Rockingham.
Car No. 18 history
In 2020, Ty Gibbs drove the No. 18 at Phoenix. He led the most laps in the event but finished second after being passed by David Gilliland on the final lap.
In 2021, Gibbs ran both races at Phoenix, starting on the pole and winning both events. The first event in March was a companion event with the main ARCA Menards Series, while the second race in November was the West Series season finale.
In 2023, William 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.
In 2025, Brent Crews won both of the Phoenix races while Sawalich won Sonoma and Portland.
In 2026, Max Reaves would compete in both Phoenix Raceway events. He finished 9th in the spring race.
Controversy
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 (15 kW) 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." Seven crew members were suspended indefinitely and two drivers and the team were penalized 150 points apiece.
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 and Leavine Family Racing in 2020.
Lawsuit against Chris Gabehart and Spire Motorsports
On February 19, 2026, JGR filed a lawsuit against former competition director Chris Gabehart, claiming he took confidential team information and accepted a leadership role with Spire Motorsports. JGR is seeking damages of at least $8 million. On February 24, 2026, JGR added Spire as a defendant to the lawsuit and requested a temporary restraining order preventing Gabehart from working in a comparable competitive role for Spire during the non-compete period.
Motocross team
In 2008, Gibbs branched out into motorcycle racing, forming the JGRMX team competing in the AMA motocross and Supercross championships. The team is based in Huntersville, North Carolina and is managed by Gibbs' son, Coy Gibbs.
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. Josh Grant and Cody Cooper rode for the team in 2009, with Grant winning the opening round of Supercross at Anaheim. Grant and Justin Brayton rode for the team in 2010, and Davi Millsaps replaced Grant in 2011. James Stewart replaced Brayton in 2012, and won the Oakland and Daytona Supercrosses, while Millsaps finished second in points. On May 6, 2012, Stewart and the team officially parted ways.
Grant and Brayton returned as the team's two riders in 2013 and were joined by Phil Nicoletti in 2014. Justin Barcia and Weston Peick replaced Grant and Brayton on the team in 2015, with Barcia winning two nationals Budds Creek and RedBud). In 2017, the team switched from Yamaha to Suzuki and added a 250cc effort, with Nicoletti and Matt Bisceglia. 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). Hill scored a win at San Diego while Bogle missed most of the season with injuries as Malcolm Stewart filled in for him. The 2019 team consists of two-time Supercross champion Chad Reed, Peick, Hill (450), Decotis, Peters, Alex Martin, Enzo Lopes (250). Peick suffered serious facial injuries in a crash at the Paris Supercross in October 2018.
J. D. Gibbs health complications and passing
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. 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.