Joe Gibbs Racing had a bit of a mixed bag of results for 2022. While two of their drivers made deep playoff runs, the other two had middling seasons. Expectations for Joe Gibbs drivers are higher than most of the other Cup Series roster. Joe Gibbs Racing is one of the three powerhouses of NASCAR. Driving a Joe Gibbs car means driving in the top equipment. Their grades will reflect this expectation.
Denny Hamlin – #11
2022 Stat Line: 36 Starts – 2 Wins, 10 Top-5s, 16 Top-10s, 3 Poles, Avg Fin: 15.5
Crew Chief:Â Chris Gabehart
Driver’s Points Ranking: 5; Owner’s Points Ranking: 5
Notable Results:Â Coca-Cola 600 win, Spring Richmond win; Rivalry with Ross Chastain ending with “Hail Melon”
At this point in his career, Denny Hamlin has established himself as arguably the greatest driver to never win a Cup Series championship. Especially with a late career surge in performance, Hamlin’s lack of championship to his impressive pedigree is his lone blemish. Coming into 2022, Hamlin made the Championship Four the previous three seasons. In 2019 and 2020, Hamlin racked up 13 wins to result in back to back fourth place points finishes.
The narrative that surrounds Denny Hamlin is that he (or his team) choke in the biggest moments. The past two seasons, Hamlin’s pit crew has let him down during late race pit stops during the championship race. However, Hamlin is not completely innocent in these choke jobs. While bad pit stops can hurt a driver, champions overcome those obstacles to obtain the glory. Even in seasons of dominating performances, Hamlin’s greatness vanishes late in those same seasons.
For Denny Hamlin, 2022 was an odd season. The mainstay for Joe Gibbs Racing put up respectable numbers in the macro, despite the dip that almost all drivers faced with the Next Gen car. However, the start of the season was poor. He did not secure a Top-10 finish until his win at Richmond. Wrecks at superspeedways, driver error with the new shifting at Las Vegas, and a noticeable lack of speed in general plagued Hamlin’s early 2022 season. Even after the win at Richmond, Hamlin was still missing from contention most weeks. Through the first twenty races of 2022, Hamlin and his team only managed five Top-10s.
Second Half Surge
Once the first twenty races were out of the way, Hamlin returned to strong form to finish the season. Among the last sixteen races of the year, Hamlin failed to finish in the Top-10 only five times. Of those five, one was the disqualification at Pocono (where he unofficially won the race) and another was crashing out during the rain debacle at Daytona to close out the regular season.
Despite not winning, Hamlin continuously was in contention throughout the playoffs. Starting the playoffs with back-to-back second place finishes helped Hamlin push forward through the first round. Solid performances in the Round of Twelve saw Hamlin drive into the Round of Eight. The Round of Eight is where Hamlin’s poor regular season hurt him the most. Despite his worst finish during the Round of Eight being an seventh at Homestead, it was not enough to get Hamlin into his fourth straight Championship Four appearance. Instead, he was eliminated by his 2022 rival pulling off the ultimate video game move.
Rivalry with Melon Man
During the Trackhouse review, Ross Chastain’s propensity for getting into rivalries was discussed. His most notable rivalry of 2022 had to be with Denny Hamlin. During the middle stretch of the season, Chastain’s mistakes always seemed to harm Hamlin the most. Whether it was at WWT Raceway or Atlanta, Chastain and Hamlin found each other consistently. Hamlin “evened” things up with Chastain during the Pocono race. During a restart, Hamlin gave Chastain no room coming out of Turn One, causing Chastain to hit the wall and wreck out of the race. Though, karma struck Hamlin after the race when he was slapped with the disqualification.
Despite constant chatter from Denny Hamlin that he would provide severe payback to Chastain, it never came outside of Pocono. Hamlin talked up a big game about getting Chastain back. However, it never truly came to fruition. This cheap talk came to a head at the elimination race at Martinsville.
With one lap to go, Hamlin seemed securely in the playoffs over Chastain by a single point. Hamlin had driven up through the top ten during the last run of the race. Meanwhile, Chastain was lacking the speed necessary to keep up with Hamlin. If not for Chastain’s “hail melon”, Hamlin would have raced for a championship. Instead, Hamlin’s hollow threats to Chastain seemingly bit him in the rear in an epic way.
2022 Grade: B-
Despite two wins and a playoff run that almost led him to the Championship Four, Denny Hamlin’s 2022 was a disappointment. A Joe Gibbs Racing entry barely cracking the top ten for the bulk of the season is almost unacceptable. Luckily for Hamlin, his second half surge helped memory-hole his struggles. When reviewing his season after the fact, it is a stark reminder that Hamlin was a non-factor for much of the 2022 season.
2022 was a far departure from the Hamlin of the past few years. Although his wins dipped in 2021, Hamlin was still a consistent race winning threat. An average finish of 8.4 demonstrates that. Meanwhile, Hamlin’s statistics were his worst since 2013. Now, the Next Gen car brought almost every drivers’ stat line. With that said, it was surprising to see Hamlin struggle as much as he did while someone like Chase Elliott saw less of a dip in performance.
2023 Driver Outlook
Until he finally wins one, every season for Denny Hamlin is championship or bust. 2023 is no exception. If Hamlin can replicate his second half of 2022 throughout 2023, he is a strong contender for the championship. Already, Hamlin is a co-favorite to win the Daytona 500.
What is most concerning for Hamlin fans should be the questions surrounding his FedEx sponsorship. Both Hamlin’s and FedEx’s deals expire at the end of 2023. With FedEx slashing their budget due to a down financial 2022, it begs to question whether they will maintain their sponsorship with Hamlin and Joe Gibbs Racing. If FedEx leaves NASCAR, Hamlin could find himself in the same position as Kyle Busch did in 2022. Now, Hamlin should have an edge on finding sponsorship compared to Busch via the Michael Jordan affiliation. Still, concerns are there for the owner-driver. Retirement might be on the horizon.
Kyle Busch – #18
2022 Stat Line: 36 Starts – 1 Win, 8 Top-5s, 17 Top-10s, Avg Fin: 16.7
Crew Chief: Ben Beshore
Driver’s Points Ranking: 13; Owner’s Points Ranking: 13
Notable Results: Bristol Dirt win; Contract negotiations with Joe Gibbs Racing dragging out throughout the season; Radioactive clips
Heading into the 2022 season, Kyle Busch was on an expiring contract with Joe Gibbs Racing. While many figured there would be some back-and-forth between parties, the expectation was that “Rowdy” would return to Gibbs with little fuss. Unfortunately, the process was not so smooth for the former champion.
Kyle Busch has been a bit of a dip in performance at the Cup Series level over the past few seasons. Since the pandemic hit in 2020, Busch has not been the same driver. It seems obvious that the lack of practice time has hurt the 18 team greatly. Busch and his team seemed to master the art of perfecting a setup throughout practices. It appears that the team could not make on the fly adjustments in the same way. Busch’s stat line over the past three seasons demonstrates this.
Candy Man No More
Before the season started, Mars announced that they were no longer going to sponsor Kyle Busch (or anything NASCAR) after the 2022 season. After decades in the sports, the candy company was leaving Busch without a primary sponsor for the 2023 season. This was a crushing blow to Joe Gibbs Racing and Kyle Busch. More than likely, Mars’s decision turned out to be the deciding factor in Busch leaving Joe Gibbs Racing.
At the start of the 2022 season, it seemed inevitable that Busch would return to Joe Gibbs. Even without Mars sponsoring him, surely another sponsor would step up. There were rumors about companies being interested. Representatives from JGR and Toyota were insistent that an agreement would be reached between JGR, Busch, and a potential sponsor. As the months dragged on, the likelihood of a reunion between the two worsened. Whatever negotiations that were happening between Busch and Gibbs did not seem pleasant. Whether it affected Busch’s on track performance can be debated, but it did appear Busch was upset about the ongoing talks.
Underwhelming End with Joe Gibbs Racing
In a bit of a reserve of Denny Hamlin, Kyle Busch’s beginning of 2022 was stronger than his finish. Through fifteen races, Busch’s average finish was 10.6 and he scored 6 of his 8 Top-5s. Though Busch’s lone win was a fluke, his weekly performances resembled the strong Busch runs. Busch was not winning but he was consistently in contention.
From race sixteen on though, Kyle Busch’s season took a turn in the wrong direction. After the race at WWT Raceway, Busch had an eight race stretch of no Top-10s. The slow streak continued through the first round of the playoffs. Outside his Top-10s at Richmond and Daytona, Busch failed to best a twentieth place finish after the Indy road course. Now, his poor finishes seemed down to bad luck rather than a lack of speed.
That bad luck bit Busch hard during the first round of the playoffs. In two of the races, Busch’s motor blew. At Darlington, Busch’s engine failed during the last caution of the race while in the lead. In a matter of moments, Busch went from potentially winning his way to the Round of Twelve to out of the playoffs. Busch scrapped together a solid end with four Top-10s in the final five races. However, Martinsville seemed to be black eye when Busch seemingly gave up during the race.
2022 Grade: D+
From the end of the 2021 season to the end of the 2022 season, Kyle Busch lost his primary sponsor, essentially lost his ride at Joe Gibbs Racing, and ended his playoffs with two blown engines. His lone win was due to Chase Briscoe taking Tyler Reddick and himself out on the final turn. Despite a solid start to the season, Busch became a non-factor in the middle of the season. What a bad year for Kyle Busch.
2023 Driver Outlook
A major question for Kyle Busch from 2022 is this: was 2022 a bad luck year or another sign that Busch has lost his step? One could argue Busch showed consistent speed for most of the season and bad luck ruined his season rather than lack of skill. On the other hand, Busch’s 2022 statistics look awfully familiar to 2020 and 2021. A change of scenery for Busch might help answer that question.
Kyle Busch will have a new number, team, and manufacturer for the 2023 season. Joining Richard Childress Racing might be the spark Busch needs to regain his championship form. Tyler Reddick’s performance in 2022 demonstrates that RCR has race winning speed. If Busch can replicate Reddick’s performance in the 8 car, then questions about Busch’s ability will subside. However, if 2023 looks more like an Austin Dillon season, then the alarm bells should ring.
Martin Truex Jr – #19
2022 Stat Line: 36 Starts – 4 Top-5s, 15 Top-10s, 1 Pole, Avg Fin: 14.9
Crew Chief: James Small
Driver’s Points Ranking: 17; Owner’s Points Ranking: 18
Notable Results:Â Pole at New Hampshire
Martin Truex Jr had momentum heading into the 2023 season. Truex finished runner up in the Championship Four last year. Since 2016, Truex won multiple times each season outside of 2020. Also, Truex raced for a championship in the season finale in every season since 2017 (other than 2020). Even with a new car introduced to the Cup Series, expectations were high for Martin Truex Jr.
Then the season happened. Truex missed the playoffs and went winless for the first time since 2014. Not only were there no wins, the overall speed of the 19 machine seemed down. While there were some weekends where Truex looked competitive, it was not the consistent speed fans expect. 2022 was the least amount of laps Truex led while driving for Toyota.
2022 Grade: F
Despite having the best average finish from the veteran drivers at Joe Gibbs Racing, Martin Truex Jr failed to find victory lane or a playoff spot. Sure, NASCAR’s random winning generator that was the Next Gen car cast out Truex’s solid points position. Austin Dillon’s win at Daytona knocked Truex out of the playoffs. Blaney was able to point his way in over Truex. Of three powerhouses of the Cup Series, Truex was the only driver from one of those teams to miss the playoffs.
A Joe Gibbs driver missing the playoffs automatically drags Truex’s grade down drastically. However, Truex’s struggles continued into the playoffs. Seven of the ten races saw Truex finished outside the Top-10. Something was amiss for Truex in 2022, both regular season and postseason.
2023 Driver Outlook
Martin Truex Jr will be looking for a bounce back season in 2023. After no wins and missing the playoffs in 2022, the hope will be to secure a win early in 2023. A slow start to the 2023 season might increase the pressure to produce results. That pressure can either forge a diamond season or push Truex closer to retirement.
Much like Denny Hamlin and Kevin Harvick, the retirement rumors are swirling around Truex. It would not be a shock to see Truex retire after the 2023 season. Unlike Hamlin, Truex’s sponsors will continue to back Truex as long as he wants to race. If 2023 is Truex’s last season, the decision will be his.
Christopher Bell – #20
2022 Stat Line: 36 Starts – 3 Wins, 12 Top-5s, 20 Top-10s, 4 Pole, Avg Fin: 13.8
Crew Chief: Adam Stevens
Driver’s Points Ranking: 3; Owner’s Points Ranking: 4
Notable Results:Â Two wins at eliminations races in the playoffs; Championship Four appearance; Win at New Hampshire
After replacing Erik Jones at Joe Gibbs Racing, Christopher Bell put together a nice debut season with JGR in 2021. He secured his first career Cup Series win and performed slightly better than his predecessor. Heading into 2022, fans of Joe Gibbs Racing were hopeful that Bell would take the next step in his development. What fans did not see coming was Christopher Bell becoming the shining star of the team.
By season’s end, Christopher Bell clearly had the best season on the team. However, the start of the 2022 season was not too kind to Bell. During the first ten races, Bell finished outside the Top-10 six times. This included back-to-back DNFs in the first two races. Once that stretch of the season was over, Bell became a consistent front runner. His win at New Hampshire locked him into the playoffs.
Heading into the playoffs, the expectation was that Bell would advance at least one round. At best, Christopher Bell might make it to the Round of Eight. Instead, Bell demonstrated how clutch he could be in the postseason.
Winning the Must-Wins
To start the playoffs, Christopher Bell demonstrated impressive speed. Three straight Top-5s to start the playoffs saw Bell breeze into the Round of Twelve. Then bad luck struck Bell. Wrecking out at Texas and a mediocre finish saw Bell sitting on the wrong side of the cutline. Going into the Charlotte ROVAL, Bell was facing a must win situation to keep his championship hopes alive. During the race, Bell maintained his position within the Top-10. However, on the last two restarts, Bell climbed his way up through the Top-10 to secure to lead with two laps to go. Winning at the ROVAL punched his ticket into the Round of Eight.
In the Round of Eight, Bell found himself in another must win situation in the cutoff race. After wrecking out at Las Vegas and an eleventh place finish at Homestead, Bell again had his back against the wall heading into Martinsville. Similar to the ROVAL, Bell managed to remain in the Top-10 for most of the day and capitalized on a late race restart to gain the lead. While Ross Chastain stole the headlines, Bell’s second straight elimination win gave Joe Gibbs Racing their lone Championship Four driver.
2022 Grade: A
Showing up the veteran drivers at Joe Gibbs Racing is no small feat. While Martin Truex Jr and Kyle Busch had subpar seasons, it is still impressive Bell was the lead driver of the team. He led JGR in wins, poles, Top-5s, Top-10s, and average finish. Bell drove his way into the Championship Four by clutching up and winning the elimination races. There is no denying that this season was an overwhelming success for Christopher Bell.
2023 Driver Outlook
Christopher Bell looks primed to be the anchor of Joe Gibbs Racing moving forward. With the departure of Kyle Busch and impending retirements of Denny Hamlin and Martin Truex Jr, JGR and Toyota will lean on Bell to lead the team to success. After his 2022, leaning on Bell does not seem like a bad idea. Bell is a dark horse candidate to win the Cup Series title in 2023.
Thankfully for Bell, he will not have the pressure of being the veteran driver of the JGR stable for 2023. Hamlin and Truex will have that mantle to help guide Ty Gibbs in his rookie season of the Cup Series. That will allow Bell time to further mature and develop before he will have to lead the TRD pipeline when the retirements occur.
Joe Gibbs Racing Grade: B-
Grading Joe Gibbs Racing is a bit of a mixed bag. On one hand, their most unexpected driver ended up competing in the Championship Four. Another of their drivers made a deep playoff run and turned around a poor first half to finish strong. On the flip side, two of their drivers had disappointing seasons. Still, a Championship Four appearance, six wins, and three of four drivers in the playoffs is nothing to discredit. Especially when their standout driver is at the core of their future.
Joe Gibbs Racing is about to look very different in the coming years. No longer will they have a roster of established veterans who can be penciled into the Round of Eight each year. The future of JGR looks to be Christopher Bell, Ty Gibbs, John Hunter Nemechek, and Sammy Smith. This might lead to a temporary dip in performance, much like Hendrick Motorsports experienced during their transition to the youth.
2022 Season in Review Articles:
Griffin Fuller: Hendrick Motorsports, Trackhouse, Stewart-Haas, Wood Brothers, Team Penske
Robert Cwick: NY Racing, RCR, Spire, Kaulig, Rick Ware, Petty-GMS, Front Row, LivFast, JTG-Daugherty
Daniel Smith
Cup Series Parts: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, & Final Rankings
Xfinity Series Parts: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, & Final Rankings
Truck Series Parts: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, & Final Rankings
