Joe Gibbs Prepares for Emotional Championship 4 with Hamlin and Briscoe

Joe Gibbs has experienced his share of championship weeks in his illustrious dual-sport career. From the sidelines of Super Bowls to the pit boxes of NASCAR’s biggest races, the Hall of Fame coach and team owner has lived nearly every high-pressure moment imaginable. But as he prepares to watch two of his drivers, Denny Hamlin and Chase Briscoe, battle for the NASCAR Cup Series title this weekend at Phoenix Raceway, the 84-year-old admits this one feels different.

“It’s been an outstanding year for us,” Gibbs said during Championship 4 media availability. “But in pro sports, you can have some tough Mondays.”

Gibbs was referring to Christopher Bell’s narrow elimination at Martinsville, which kept Joe Gibbs Racing from sweeping three of the four Championship 4 spots. Yet even amid the sting, Gibbs’ perspective reflected decades of experience and gratitude within one of the most humbling sports.

“But we have two cars that obviously to be in the Final 4 is a thrill for us,” Gibbs said. “You’ve got the [No.] 11 [team] with Denny [Hamlin] and [Crew Chief] Chris Gayle, all the emotion and stories that go with that car. Then you’ve got our first-year car with Chase [Briscoe] and [Crew Chief] James [Small] just having a heck of a year. We’ve got two stories there, and we’re really excited about that.”

As Gibbs was disappointed about Bell missing out on advancing to the Championship 4, he was equally worried about engine issues that plagued Hamlin and Briscoe in the Xfinity 500 at Martinsville. However, he feels confident that changes to parts in the engines of the No. 11 and No. 19 cars ahead of this weekend's Championship Race will cure what ailed the powerplants a week ago.

Two paths, one dream: The Bill France Cup. However, for Gibbs, those two stories couldn’t be any more different.

Briscoe, in his first year with JGR, has turned a breakthrough season into a Cinderella run, seven poles, three wins, and a shot at the sport’s biggest prize. Gibbs said he’s been struck by the 30-year-old’s resilience.

“I noticed, I think, yesterday they were talking on Sirius[XM] radio about the couch Chase slept on for two years while trying to get an opportunity in the sport,” Gibbs said. “To see him now, a first-year guy, seven poles, three races won, winding up in the Final 4, that’s a great story when you think about that.”

On the other side of the garage sits Hamlin, the veteran face of Joe Gibbs Racing and unquestionably NASCAR’s most accomplished driver without a championship.

“Here's somebody that's won 60 times in our sport,” Gibbs said of Hamlin. “All the things that he does now: He's an owner of a race team. He races for us, and all he's done over those years. His family, where he is today, when he first came with us, all that is a huge story. [The health of] His dad and everything that's taken place there.”

Gibbs continued, “It's two definite different stories. I think for everybody, the only thing that Denny has not claimed is a championship. I know everybody asks him about that in every interview. If you do that for 20 years, I can tell you there's a burning desire for him to win a championship.”

While there is a desire for all parties within JGR to pull off a championship-winning run, it won’t be an easy path to the cup for Hamlin or Briscoe. This year’s Championship 4 will again pit Gibbs against Rick Hendrick, the longtime friend who helped him get his NASCAR team off the ground more than 30 years ago.

Going Head-To-Head With Hendrick Motorsports

Hendrick Motorsports drivers Kyle Larson and William Byron, who won last weekend's race at Martinsville, will go head-to-head with JGR’s duo for the NASCAR Cup Series title on Sunday.

“What's it like [going against Rick]? I don't like it, okay,” Gibbs joked. “[Martinsville is] a good example. Got to give Rick and his crew over there, the 24 and the 5 and the 9, just everybody over there, 48, and everybody was fast. It shows you what a quality organization, and how good they really are. So no, I would prefer to go against somebody that's not very good (smiling). The problem is that doesn't happen in NASCAR.”

The respect between the two Hall of Fame NASCAR team owners runs deep. Gibbs recalled how Hendrick mentored him when he first entered the sport, even loaning him resources and engines.

“Rick helped us a lot,” Gibbs recalled. “He let Jimmy Johnson (not to be confused with Jimmie Johnson, the seven-time NASCAR Cup Series championship driver), his general manager at that time, kind of go with me to a lot of meetings. He just helped and gave advice. Then we started off originally leasing motors and everything from Rick.”

Gibbs said, “It was a huge deal for us, for us to be able to get off the ground. Rick played a huge role in that. I just really appreciate that.”

For Gibbs, racing has never been just about trophies. It’s been about people and faith. That’s especially true after the loss of his sons J.D. and Coy in recent years, who were integral to JGR’s growth.

“Rick and I have talked a lot about that, our boys, and the fact that they're not here,” Gibbs stated. “So we've had discussions about that, and it's really hard. We both have experienced that.”

Gibbs continued, “We're in a totally different place, both of us. But I think we also share a lot of similar heartbreaks. Anyway, that's part of our life, and that's where we are now. I got my grandkids involved, Heather [Gibbs] involved. Everything is taking place here. I think my grandkids, a number of them, will want to be with the race team and be involved with it. That's exciting for me. It's not the way I thought it would go. Then again, God's plans many times are not ours.”

Even as a team owner, Gibbs’ football background still shows. The master architect of the 53-man NFL roster and of NASCAR race teams draws parallels between his Washington Super Bowl teams and his NASCAR operation.

“In football, you're not going anywhere in football unless you’ve got a great quarterback. Over here, it's the driver. In football, you have to have a coach who knows what's going on. Hopefully, you have a great coach. Over here, that becomes crew chiefs,” Gibbs explained. “So the two sports, the fact that our pit crew guys, it's almost exactly like football. They have mandatory weight training twice a week. They have mandatory practice. It's all videoed and filmed. They're paid bonuses on pit stops. The two sports in that way are a lot alike.”

While Gibbs still sees himself as a motivator, in NASCAR, his role is a bit different.

“In football, I can make it happen,” Gibbs said. “I was over there. I grew up in it. Technically called plays, make it happen. Over here I can't, okay? My role over here is totally different. Pick the people, work with the people, and try to keep our sponsors happy. I said my biggest thrill is trying to pay the bills on the first of every month,” Gibbs laughed.

Still, his respect for the people who can make it happen, the crew chiefs and engineers, runs deep.

“They're kind of the motivators there, the guys that make it happen,” Gibbs explained. “They're the guys that make the calls. That's a very close, tight-knit relationship between drivers and crew chiefs. They really depend on each other.”

Looking ahead to Phoenix

This weekend, Gibbs will again walk the fine line between pride and nerves, knowing that two of his drivers are chasing the same goal.

Hopefully this will be good for the fans and everybody,” Gibbs said, “and the excitement. Probably won't be good for me. I'll be so nervous and uptight about it.”

But for a man who’s built championship teams in two different sports, the formula remains the same: faith, preparation, and teamwork.

Heading into the 2025 season, Joe Gibbs Racing made some bold changes. In addition to acquiring Chase Briscoe to replace the retiring Martin Truex Jr., JGR also shook up the crew chief position for Hamlin’s No. 11 team as Chris Gabehart was moved to the overall competition director role, while Chris Gayle, the previous crew chief for Ty Gibbs, was moved to Hamlin’s team.

Gibbs is proud of how the sweeping changes have turned out.

“I think pro sports change at a rate of about 30% a year. If you're sitting still, you're falling behind,” Gibbs said. “You got to be on the forefront of what's taking place. So, we kind of felt like some changes were needed for us. Just appreciate all of our guys and the way they fought this year to get where we are and have the success that we've had.”

Whether it’s Denny Hamlin finally lifting the Cup, Chase Briscoe completing an improbable climb, Joe Gibbs will once again stand on pit road, living proof that championships are won not just by teams, but by the people who believe in them.

And if both miss out on the championship, which would be a heartbreaking conclusion, Gibbs will be there to help put the loss in perspective. There’s always next year, but heading into Sunday’s Championship Race, it’s all about the here and now.