Denny Hamlin / #11 FedEx Toyota
2024 Crew Chief: Chris Gabehart
2024 Season Grade: B
| Starts | Wins | Top 5 | Top 10 | Poles | 2024 Rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 36 | 3 | 12 | 18 | 3 | 8 |
Still in search of that elusive first championship, Hamlin and his #11 JGR crew had eyes on 2024 as being a serious threat. While the bulk of the season saw Hamlin run up front plenty, a string of late season bad luck quickly eliminated veteran Hamlin from yet another Round of 4 heading into Phoenix.
As in past seasons, Hamlin was immediately entered into the championship race for 2024 during the pre-season. Coming so close in past seasons, Hamlin appeared to be the best position for 2024. The first two races of the season saw some stumbling with finishes of 19th (Daytona 500), and 23rd (Atlanta). These runs were quickly followed six straight top fifteen finishes, including two wins. Race eleven in Dover would see Hamlin unfortunately score his last win for the season. The upcoming races through race 28 in Watkins Glen saw Hamlin’s finishes bounce throughout the field, quickly killing any serious playoff momentum.
Following The Glen however, Hamlin’s luck would start to turn around again. The final eight starts of 2024 yielded several top 10 finishes, and a finish of no worse than 14th. This all was too late though, as Hamlin had already been eliminated from the Round of 4. The JGR driver would end his 2024 season still ranked a strong eighth in the final standings on the strength of three wins and 943 laps led.
2025 Outlook: The upcoming season will be a season of change for Hamlin, as the team will experience it’s biggest changes in recent memory. Crew Chief Chris Gabehart will move into the competition director role across all of Gibbs’ Cup teams. Replacing Gabehart will be long time crew chief Chris Gayle, who moves over from Ty Gibbs #54 team.
Longtime JGR and Hamlin sponsor FedEx has also announced they will not be returning in 2025, ending a long running relationship with the team. A new anchor sponsor has not been announced as of yet, but many of last years associates appear to be returning.
All of these changes, paired with the distractions of Hamlin’s 23XI Cup team and the legal battle surrounding charters for 23XI could be enough to make Hamlin a solid top fifteen driver in 2025, but a playoff run could be out of reach for a season.
Martin Truex, Jr. / #19 Bass Pro Shops Toyota
2024 Crew Chief: James Small
2024 Season Grade: B
| Starts | Wins | Top 5 | Top 10 | Poles | 2024 Rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 36 | 0 | 5 | 11 | 2 | 10 |
Truex came into 2024 eying a second series title before hanging up his helmet at the end of the season as a full-time Cup Series driver. Officially a JGR driver since 2019, each season saw the Bass Pro Shops team be a strong contender during the regular season, but unfortunately be eliminated from a serious playoff run. This would be no different this particular season, as Truex would fail to reach victory lane despite being in contention several times.
The regular pre-playoff season was decent for the 19 team with a worse finish of 18th in the first 12 races. Truex’s final season seemed to be shaping up to possibly be “the one” before the bottom seemed to fall out after Kansas. Top 10 finishes would be hard to come by for most of remaining season as bad luck and accidents plagued Truex and crew. The series return to Kansas for race 30 of the season was Truex’s highlight, with a third place finish. With two poles in the last two races of the season, Truex had a nice send off but those races resulted in finishes of 24th (Martinsville) and 17th (Phoenix).
Similar to Kevin Harvick’s last season, Truex’s final season was strong, but just not strong enough to earn a final trophy. This does not take away from a sure-fire Hall of Fame career though, as Truex has one championship (2019), and 34 career wins across 693 Cup Series starts dating back to 2004.
2025 Outlook: Similar to teammate Hamlin, the #19 team will see changes heading into the new season. Former Stewart-Haas Racing driver Chase Briscoe has been selected to take over for Truex in a multi-year deal. Briscoe, who is a Cup Series winner in his own right, is a solid choice as replacement but expectations are fairly high with such a premier ride. While the team chemistry builds a solid Top 10 points finish is possible, but the new team combination could be a late bloomer.
We could see Truex one last time in 2025 as well, as there has been a rumored Daytona 500 start available, but nothing concrete has been announced as of yet.
Christopher Bell / #20 DEWALT Toyota
2024 Crew Chief: Adam Stevens
2024 Season Grade: A-
| Starts | Wins | Top 5 | Top 10 | Poles | 2024 Rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 36 | 3 | 15 | 23 | 3 | 5 |
Bell will be entering his fifth season as driver of JGR’s #20 Toyota this upcoming season, and has cemented himself and the team as a threat on any given race weekend. While the playoff system certainly played into Bell’s 2024 season, it should be also recognized that Bell had a career season and was the best driver numbers-wise. Amassing 23 top 10 finishes, the 20 car was a model of consistency.
Bell’s reputation as a relatively under the radar threat began with the Daytona 500 where he finished third. The next two races in Atlanta and Vegas would result in finishes below 30th, with one due to an accident. The 20 team would turn around again and win the following race in Phoenix. Following Phoenix, Bell showed that he should be considered a threat winning twice more in Charlotte, and then again at Loudon. Maintaining his usual under the radar spot, scoring seven Top 10’s in the seasons final 8 races.
The season finale in Phoenix was a microcosm of Bell’s season as a whole. Bell ran strong throughout the race, spending much of the race leading or running in the top five. A late race move similar to Ross Chastain’s infamous (and now illegal) “Hail Melon” move was catastrophic for Bell as a potential race and championship win slipped through his fingers. Bell would end the season fifth in points with 3 wins and 1,145 laps led.
2025 Outlook: The only one of four Gibbs teams returning with no changes in 2025, expect Bell and crew chief Adam Stevens to be a threat again. While Bell’s numbers will be tough to duplicate again, the team is certainly capable. With some changes in luck, 2025 could wind up being the one for Bell finally.
Ty Gibbs / #54 Monster Energy Toyota
2024 Crew Chief: Chris Gayle
2024 Season Grade: C+
| Starts | Wins | Top 5 | Top 10 | Poles | 2024 Rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 36 | 0 | 8 | 12 | 2 | 15 |
The upcoming season will be Ty Gibbs’ third behind the wheel of the #54 Toyota, and Gibbs is slowly proving he belongs. While the 54 car was the underperforming team of the four, Gibbs had his best Cup season yet with clear improvement in performance. Despite the improved results, Gibbs is still seeking his first career win.
The beginning of the season showed a massive improvement in consistency for the 54 crew, as they reeled off nine straight top twenty finishes including three top fives. The remainder of the season saw Gibbs also bounce throughout the running order, but there were highlights showing Gibbs potential including a second place finish at Darlington and a handful of third place finishes. As was the case with many teams this season, the final races of the season were not kind to Gibbs, as he would not finish better then 30th. This would also include a crash in the season finale in Phoenix, relegating the Monster Energy Toyota to a 40th place finish.
In a career season thus far, Gibbs’ 2024 performances got him the closest he has been yet to that first win in his young career. Most important to remember though, is that this is only his third full-time season after limited time in NASCAR’s Xfinity Series where he ruffled quite a few feathers along the way. His Cup career however, has been far calmer.
2025 Outlook: Gibbs’ #54 team will also be seeing some changes for the new season. With 2024 crew chief Chris Gayle heading to teammate Denny Hamlin’s team, Xfinity Series JGR crew chief Tyler Allen will be atop Gibbs’ pit box in 2025. Allen comes off a second place finish in the Xfinity Series owner points with 8 wins and rotating drivers.
The duo of Gibbs and Allen bares some watching in the new season, especially with Allen being established within the JGR fold already. While new teams always take some time to jell, a performance similar to 2024 is possible, and the number in the win column could finally change…only time will tell.