Joe Gibbs Racing President Dave Alpern reflected on the close bond between Denny Hamlin and team owner Joe Gibbs. Having been with the organization since 1992, Alpern said their relationship has evolved into something much deeper over the years, resembling that of a father and son.
Hamlin has only driven for Joe Gibbs Racing in the NASCAR Cup Series. He started piloting the #11 car in the 2006 season, back when the team was still with Chevrolet. This year marks his 20th season under Joe Gibbs, who was a former Super Bowl-winning coach with the Washington Redskins (now Washington Commanders).
Speaking about the relationship between Hamlin and Gibbs, Dave Alpern told SiriusXM NASCAR Radio:
“Denny has deep respect for the Gibbs family, and I always appreciated that. You can say whatever you want about Denny. I don’t care if you’re a fan of someone else, or maybe you’re one of the ones who boo him. Denny is a loyal dude.” [1:04]
“Denny has always had that loyalty to the Gibbs family, and he shows it in a lot of ways… a lot of quiet ways behind the scenes that people don’t see, and in a lot of ways with the way he conducts himself sometimes on the racetrack as well.”
The team president continued by saying:
“It really is special, and I would absolutely say that I’ve seen that Coach is kind of that second father to Denny.”
Denny Hamlin has brought the #11 Joe Gibbs Racing racecar to the victory lane 60 times, tying Kevin Harvick in 10th on the all-time list. His most recent victory came at Las Vegas Motor Speedway last weekend, allowing him to secure one of the four spots for the championship race at Phoenix Raceway.
“The champion is coming from this room”: Denny Hamlin’s former crew chief on Joe Gibbs Racing winning the championship
Following a dominant outing in the Round of 16, Joe Gibbs Racing Director of Competition Chris Gabehart, Denny Hamlin’s former crew chief, expressed optimism about their playoff run. He believes that one of their three playoff drivers could win the championship.
JGR’s three playoff drivers are Denny Hamlin, Christopher Bell, and Chase Briscoe. None of them have won a single championship yet, with the organization securing its last title in the 2019 season with Kyle Busch.
Chris Gabehart said (via Joe Gibbs Racing on X):
“I do think the champion is coming from this room. I have no idea what door number it’s going to be. I genuinely don’t. I think it could be any one of these three door numbers.”
Chase Briscoe (19), Christopher Bell (20), and Denny Hamlin (11) – Source: Imagn
Fast forward to the Round of 8, Joe Gibbs Racing remains the favorite as all three drivers sit above the playoff cutline, with Hendrick Motorsports driver Kyle Larson ranking second. The drivers below the cutline are William Byron, Chase Elliott, Joey Logano (reigning champ), and Ryan Blaney.
Next on the calendar is the YellaWood 500 at Talladega Superspeedway. The 188-lap superspeedway showdown is scheduled for October 19 at 2:00 p.m. ET.
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