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NASCAR: JGR’s Team-First Philosophy Is Officially Over

By Christopher Olmstead

Jul 11, 2015; Sparta, KY, USA; Sprint Cup Series driver Kyle Busch (18) Sprint Cup Series driver Denny Hamlin (11) and Sprint Cup Series driver Carl Edwards (19) go three wide across the start line on a restart during the Quaker State 400 at Kentucky Speedway. Mandatory Credit: Christopher Hanewinckel-USA TODAY Sports
Jul 11, 2015; Sparta, KY, USA; Sprint Cup Series driver Kyle Busch (18) Sprint Cup Series driver Denny Hamlin (11) and Sprint Cup Series driver Carl Edwards (19) go three wide across the start line on a restart during the Quaker State 400 at Kentucky Speedway. Mandatory Credit: Christopher Hanewinckel-USA TODAY Sports /
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Who is the best team in all of NASCAR right now? Hands down it’s Joe Gibbs Racing. While their team-first philosophy has got them this far, that philosophy is about to go out the window over the final three races of the NASCAR season.

Coming into the round of eight in the 2016 NASCAR Chase, JGR was still maintaining their team first philosophy. It was this way of thinking and working together that has made JGR the team to beat since the middle of the 2015 season.

One of the things that made this work is that all four drivers while competing for the same thing (a championship) all had a chance to get where they needed to be (Homestead in the final four). However, after Sunday in Martinsville that has all changed with Jimmie Johnson winning and securing a spot in the final four in Miami.

With only three spots left in the finale, and four JGR drivers, at least one of them is not going to run for a championship in a few weeks. With more teammates than there are spots, it’s hard to imagine that teamwork is still going to push to the forefront on the track over the next two races.

Kyle Busch, Denny Hamlin and Matt Kenseth have to be the favorites to makes it into the finale given where they are in the standings as compared to their teammate Carl Edwards. Edwards will most likely have to win to advance to the final four which means he will need to be a bit more aggressive Sunday in Texas and next week in Phoenix.

At the same time the other JGR drivers will still have to deal with the likes of Johnson, Kevin Harvick, Joey Logano and Kurt Busch. Johnson winning Texas will keep one of them from securing their spot in the finale and a win by one of the other three will essentially knock another JGR car out of the finale.

The team first philosophy was fine when all four cars had an equal chance to make it to the final four. With that now gone, it’s hard to imagine that it won’t be every driver for themselves. Busch wants to win back-to-back titles, Kenseth wants his second title and Edwards and Hamlin are trying to win their first championships. Do you really thing they would not move a teammate or race one another aggressively to get to a championship?

I believe these four drivers are close. I believe that they all love working together and being on this team. I believe they have built a bond amongst one another.

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And it’s because I believe all of those things that I also believe when push comes to shove, each of them will act in the moment and seek forgiveness after the fact. Championships are hard to come by in NASCAR and teammates or not there comes a point when a driver needs to be all-in to win a title. Sunday in Texas all four JGR drivers are going to be all-in whether they are racing one of their teammates or not.

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