JGR Makes Adjustments Following Martinsville Engine Failures

In last Sunday's NASCAR Cup Series Xfinity 500 at Martinsville Speedway, Joe Gibbs Racing, which will have two of the four drivers in the Championship 4 battle this weekend at Phoenix Raceway, saw their respective races at the 0.526-mile Virginia short track come to an end due to expiring powerplants under the hoods of their Toyota Camry XSE race cars.

Coach Joe Gibbs, the team owner of Joe Gibbs Racing, explained in a Championship 4 Owner Media Availability on Monday that JGR feels they have a handle on what caused the engine issues at Martinsville, and that they have made changes heading into this weekend's NASCAR Cup Series Championship Race, which should help Denny Hamlin and Chase Briscoe with durability.

But the Pro Football Hall of Fame Head Coach and NASCAR Hall of Fame team owner admits there are nerves after the engines expired in both of his Championship 4 contenders a week before the most important race of the season for the race team.

"...we got a great group of technical people here. Our Toyota people, particularly with the motors, which was a huge issue for us. It makes you really nervous. It makes them nervous, because they're professionals," Gibbs said.

Gibbs says Joe Gibbs Racing and Toyota disassembled the Martinsville engines, and he feels like the team and OEM have a good understanding of what happened in the 500-lap race at Martinsville Speedway.

"So, this morning what we did, we got all the parts. We laid them out. We had a full discussion on where we are, what happened. That's the first thing," Gibbs explained. "Certainly in racing, you want to make sure you understand what did happen. That's really important. What did cause? Don't miss that. I think we've got that detailed."

While what transpired at Martinsville Speedway was certainly a concern, Gibbs continued, "I think we kind of have understood where we are and what those parts were and have made adjustments, for sure. Really, those parts will not be in the cars for this weekend. So, we feel good about that."

Will engines be a problem for the Joe Gibbs Racing drivers in Sunday's NASCAR Cup Series Championship Race at Phoenix Raceway? That remains to be seen, but Gibbs is going into the weekend confident that his team and the folks at Toyota have figured out the issues and resolved them going into the race.