text:
Joe Gibbs Racing
|Joe Gibbs
J. D. Gibbs
|Huntersville, North Carolina
|Sprint Cup Series
Nationwide Series
|Race drivers
|Sprint Cup Series:
11. Denny Hamlin
18. Kyle Busch
20. Matt Kenseth
Nationwide Series:
11. Elliott Sadler
20. Matt Kenseth (17 races)
Sam Hornish, Jr.
Kenny Habul (2 races)
54. Kyle Busch
Sam Hornish, Jr.[1]
|Sprint Cup Series:
11. FedEx
18. M&M's/Snickers/Skittles
Interstate Batteries (6 races)
20. Home Depot/Husky Tools
Dollar General
Nationwide Series:
11. OneMain Financial/Sport Clips
20. Reser's Fine Foods
Game Stop
Sun Energy 1
54. Monster Energy
|1992 Daytona 500 (Daytona)
|Latest race
|2014 Irwin Tools Night Race (Bristol)
|Drivers' Championships
|Sprint Cup Series: 2000, 2002, 2005
Nationwide Series: 2009
|Race victories
Sprint Cup Series: 114
Nationwide Series: 96
|Pole positions
Joe Gibbs Racing (JGR) is a group of NASCAR racing teams owned and operated by former Washington Redskins coach Joe Gibbs, who first started racing on the NASCAR circuit in 1991, and J. D. Gibbs, his son. Headquartered in Huntersville, North Carolina, near Charlotte, the team has amassed three Sprint Cup championships since the year 2000 and participated in other lower-tier NASCAR series for driver development, winning one championship in the East Division of the NASCAR Camping World. For the team's first sixteen seasons, JGR ran cars from General Motors. During that period, the team won their three championships, two in Pontiac Grand Prixes and one in a Chevrolet Monte Carlo. Despite this, JGR felt as if they weren't as important as some of the other GM teams such as Hendrick Motorsports and Richard Childress Racing. Therefore, during the 2007 season Joe Gibbs Racing announced that they would be ending their arrangement with GM at the end of the year and begin running Toyotas the following season.
The team currently fields the No. 11 FedEx Toyota Camry for Denny Hamlin, the No. 18 M&M's Toyota Camry for Kyle Busch, and the No. 20 Husky / Dollar General Toyota Camry for Matt Kenseth in the Sprint Cup Series. They also field the #11 OneMain Financial Toyota Camry for Elliott Sadler, the #20 Reser's Fine Foods/GameStop Toyota Camry for Kenseth and other drivers, as well as the #54 Monster Energy Toyota Camry for Busch and Sam Hornish, Jr. in the Nationwide Series.
Sprint Cup[edit]
Car #11 History[edit]
Previously JGR's research and development car, what is now the #11 car debuted at the 2003 Pepsi 400 as #80, driven by Mike Bliss and sponsored by Advair and finishing 26th. The car remained idle until the 2004 Tropicana 400, when Bliss finished 31st in the ConAgra/Slim Jim machine. After a fourth place finish in the fall race at Richmond International Raceway, the team switched to #11. Ricky Craven, recently released from PPI Motorsports finished 30th at Talladega, and Busch Series driver J. J. Yeley ran two races in the car.
The car went full-time in 2005, receiving sponsorship from FedEx. Jason Leffler, who had driven form JGR in the Busch series, was signed to drive the #11 for the full season. Leffler was released after struggling in 19 starts and Yeley, Terry Labonte, and Denny Hamlin finished out the season with Mike Ford replacing Dave Rogers as the crew chief. Hamlin had the most starts (7) and finished in the top 10 three times. He was awarded the #11 FedEx Express full-time ride in 2006 in addition to his full-time Busch schedule in the #20 Rockwell Automation Chevrolet. By the end of July 2006, Hamlin had three poles and three victories (the Budweiser Shootout and both Pocono Raceway races) to give the rookie a berth in the Chase for the Cup, where he would finish 3rd in points. In 2007, Hamlin won the first of two races at New Hampshire International Speedway in 2007, and finished 12th in points. In 2008, Hamlin won the Gatorade Duel and the first race at Martinsville Speedway, and improved to eighth in points. He qualified for the Chase again in 2009 after winning the second race at Pocono Raceway and Richmond International Raceway. He ended the season with four victories after winning Martinsville and Homestead-Miami Speedway in the chase. 2010 was Hamlin and the 11 team's breakout year. They won at Martinsville and Denny followed the win by having knee surgery. After the surgery, the team won 4 of the next 10 races at Texas, Darlington, Pocono, and Michigan. The team made the chase after another win at Richmond. The team won races during the chase at Martinsville and Texas and held the points lead going into the season finale. However, an early wreck would put them behind the competition, and Hamlin wound up finishing second to Jimmie Johnson during the 2010 chase. Hamlin later admitted to putting too much pressure on himself during the Chase, which mentally impacted him. As a result, Mike Ford took a "no compromise" attitude for 2011, hoping to right the ship. However, the team struggled throughout 2011, with multiple blown engines and a single win at Michigan to push the #11 into the Chase. Hamlin would finish 9th in the final standings. At season's end, Mike Ford was released as crew chief and was replaced by Tony Stewart's crew chief Darian Grubb.
Under Darian Grubb the team started 2012 off in the best way possible by winning the second race of the season at Phoenix. That win was followed with another victory at Kansas six weeks later. The 11 team once again proved dominant on the short tracks pulling off a convincing win in the Bristol Night Race in August. The week after Bristol, the No. 11 FedEx team brought home another victory at Atlanta Motor Speedway, making the No. 11 the car number with the most wins in NASCAR with 200 wins. Hamlin then won the Sylvania 300, giving Joe Gibbs Racing its 100th win.
Hamlin's 2013 season began with an on-and-off track feud with former teammate Joey Logano. Initially started on Twitter, the on track incidents began at Bristol in March, where Hamlin spun Logano in turns 1 and 2, leading Logano to confront Hamlin after the race.[2] The rivalry continued into the next race at Auto Club Speedway, where the two fought for the lead in the closing laps. In the final corner, the two collided, allowing JGR teammate Kyle Busch to win the race, and sending Hamlin's 11 car into a non-SAFER barrier wall near pit road.[3] This wreck would mark the begging of a difficult season for Hamlin, as he suffered a lower back fracture and was forced to sit out several races. Veteran Mark Martin replaced Hamlin at one of Denny's better tracks, Martinsville Speedway, where he scored a top 10.[4] Brian Vickers then drove the car for the next three races, scoring an 8th place finish at Texas. Though Hamlin returned to the car at Talladega Superspeedway, he never returned to form during the year, with only 8 top 10s on the year.[5] He did score a win at the season finale at Homestead.
After Jason Leffler's death in 2013, the 11 team payed tribute to their former driver by running a FedEx scheme at Michigan similar to the one Leffler ran in 2005. [6][7]
In the 2014 Auto Club 400, Sam Hornish, Jr. replaced Hamlin due to Hamlin having what was though to be sinus infection, but later revealed to be a piece of metal in his eye that impaired his vision.[8] Hornish, who was actually on standby for teammate Matt Kenseth, finished a solid 17th in his return to Cup.
Car #18 History[edit]
Joe Gibbs Racing debuted at the 1992 Daytona 500 with Dale Jarrett driving the #18 Interstate Batteries Chevrolet Lumina to a 36th place finish after a crash. The team improved dramatically the next year, when Jarrett won the Daytona 500, and finished a then career-high 4th in points.
Jarrett won a race at Charlotte but he slipped to 16th in points in 1994 which led to Bobby Labonte taking over the next season.
In 1995 Labonte won 3 races, sweeping Michigan and winning at Charlotte and finishing 10th in points started a decade of success between Labonte and Joe Gibbs Racing. In 1996 the team struggled to win until the season finale at Atlanta and finished 11th in points. In 1997 the team had a similar year to the previous but managed to improve to 7th in points. Their lone win came at the season finale. The team improved in 1998 by winning races at Atlanta and Talladega en route to 6th place in points.
1999 was a breakout year for the 18 team. They scored 5 wins which came at Dover, Michigan, Atlanta and both races at Pocono. The team came just short of the championship and finished 2nd in points. once again at Atlanta. In 2000 the team rebounded from the disappointments of finishing 2nd in 1999 to win the championships in 2000. The championship year included wins at Rockingham, Indianapolis, Darlington and Charlotte. The 18 team has failed to win a championship since this year.
The team faced disappointment in 2001 after high expectations following the championship season. Only 2 races were won at Pocono and Atlanta. He finished 6th in points. 2002 was the team's worst year since Labonte joined the team. After only scoring a win and Martinsville and finished a disappointing 16th in points. The team rebounded in 2003 scoring 2 wins at Atlanta and Homestead and finished 8th in points. The team failed to win races in 2004 and 2005 finishing 12th and 24th respectively. Even though the team made some progression in 2004, the team made a midseason firing of crew chief Michael McSwain, and Brandon Thomas took over for the rest of the season. Steve Addington, a Gibbs Busch Series crew chief, was named new crew chief for the 2005 season, but a rash of troubles, some caused by mechanical problems, continued to daunt the team, including a loss in the final turn at the Coca-Cola 600, led to the departure of Labonte following the end of 2005. In total, Labonte won 21 races in the car, and won the then Winston Cup championship in 2000. After Labonte's departure, Gibbs announced that Busch Series driver J. J. Yeley would replace Labonte in the #18 for 2006 and 2007. Yeley raced two seasons for Gibbs, and after failing to finish higher than 21st in points, he moved to Hall of Fame Racing.
On August 14, 2007, Kyle Busch signed a contract to drive the number 18 with Joe Gibbs Racing through 2010. Mars, Inc. was signed as the team's primary sponsor, leaving Robert Yates Racing, as Interstate Batteries became a secondary sponsor and the team left the GM brands in favor of becoming Toyota's highest-profile team. Busch gave Toyota its first Cup win on March 9, 2008. Busch led a race-high 173 laps to win the Kobalt Tools 500 at Atlanta Motor Speedway. In his first year in the 18, Busch had brought the car back to its former glory, winning 7 other races at Talladega, Darlington, Dover, Infineon, Daytona, Chicagoland, and Watkins Glen all after only the first 23 races. In 2009 he won the Gatorade Duel, Las Vegas, Richmond and both Bristol races, but failed to qualify for the Chase by only 8 points. As a result, longtime JGR crew chief Steve Addington was fired near the end of the season, and coincidentally went to crew chief for Kyle's brother Kurt Busch at Penske Racing. Dave Rogers, Busch's Nationwide Series crew chief, took over the pit box in 2010. The year produced 3 victories at Richmond, Dover and Bristol, but another struggle in the final 10 races to finish 7th in the standings. 2011 was a definite up and down year for the 18 team. The team won at Bristol and Richmond early in the season, as well as the inaugural Cup race at Kentucky and the August race at Michigan. However, the team struggled through the beginning of the 2011 season, but pulled up to 4th after finishing 2nd at Charlotte. However, Busch was parked by NASCAR for intentionally spinning out Ron Hornaday in the Texas Truck race, and the ban extended to include the Nationwide and Cup series races at Texas. Hamlin and Michael McDowell would replace Busch that weekend, but the damage had been done. Mars pulled its sponsorship for the final two races, forcing JGR to run the #18 with its Interstate sponsorship. Busch struggled in those races and was relegated to tenth in the final standings.
In 2012, Busch had one points victory which he got at the Capital City 400. He also won the Budweiser Shootout to open the season. However, he didn't make the Chase by 3 points, but although he wasn't in the Chase, he got the best Chase ever with 7 top 5 and 8 top 10 finishes and he finished the year in 13th place nearly 100 points ahead of Ryan Newman who finished the year 14th.
In 2013, Busch returned to the #18. He won the second Budweiser Duel, and won the pole at Bristol. He also swept the Fontana and Texas race weekends, winning the Nationwide and Cup races, giving Joe Gibbs his first win at Fontana in Sprint Cup competition and first win for himself at Texas. Later, he finally won the race at Watkins Glen and got his second victory at Atlanta Motor Speedway.
Car #19 History[edit]
Prior to expanding to four full-time cars, JGR had occasionally fielded a fourth car for R&D or driver development purposes. Mike Bliss drove several races for JGR in 2004, with the care numbered #80. In 2007, Aric Almirola made his NEXTEL Cup debut in the #80 car at Las Vegas. He was scheduled to drive at the All-Star Race and Coca-Cola 600, but he suffered a practice crash and the car was withdrawn from both races. In 2008, Joey Logano drove this car, renumbered as #02, with The Home Depot sponsorship and a reverse scheme of teammate Tony Stewart's. He was to make his Sprint Cup debut at Richmond International Raceway, but qualifying was rained out by Tropical Storm Hanna and at Atlanta qualifying was rained out so he could not race. This car returned in 2009 with sponsorship from Farm Bureau Insurance, who had been banned from the Nationwide Series due to the Viceroy Rule. David Gilliland drove in the three races it ran. After the 2009 season, Farm Bureau Insurance announced they would not return for the 2010 season, plans have not been announced yet for this team.
Elliott Sadler planned to drive the #81 Toyota Camry in 2 races in 2013, with his former sponsor at Robert Yates Racing, Mars, Inc., putting their new Alert Energy Caffeine Gum on the car. At Kansas, he got out of the racing groove and wrecked in turn 3. He failed to qualify at Talladega after rain washed out qualifying and was set by owner points as the #81 was too low in points. After Alert Energy was pulled from the market, Doublemint sponsored the car at Talladega.
After not running in 2014, the fourth car will return full-time in 2015 as the #19 with Arris Group sponsoring Carl Edwards for 17 races. Sponsorship on the other half of the season has yet to be announced.[9]
Car #20 History[edit]
Tony Stewart debuted the #20 Home Depot car at the 1999 Daytona 500, qualifying on the outside pole. He won three races at Richmond, Phoenix and Homestead as well as the Winston Open and the NASCAR Rookie of the Year honors and finished 4th in points. 2000 was an up and down year for Stewart as he won six races, including both Dover races, Martinsville, New Hampshire, Michigan and Homestead but only finished 6th in points. 2001 was another good year for Stewart, as he won the Budweiser Shootout, Richmond, Infineon and Bristol and finished 2nd in the overall standings.
2002 was a break-out year for Stewart with wins at Atlanta, Richmond and Watkins Glen along with the Budweiser Shootout and the team won the 2002 championship. In 2003, Stewart won twice at Pocono and Charlotte and finished 7th in points. In 2004 the team had a similar year to 2003 with 2 wins and finished 6th in points in the first ever chase.
Stewart won his second championship in 2005. After winning the Gatorade Duel, the team didn't win again until Infineon and went on to win the Pepsi 400 at Daytona, New Hampshire, Indianapolis and Watkins Glen and held the championship through the Chase.
2006 was Stewart's worst season statistically. After winning early at Martinsville, Stewart suffered an injury at Charlotte and was replaced during Dover. He won again at Daytona but missed the Chase. During the Chase, Stewart won 3 races at Kansas, Atlanta and Texas and finished 11th in points. 2007 was another good year for the team. Though Stewart won the Budweiser Shootout and Gatorade Duel, an early wreck smashed his Daytona 500 hopes. The team won 3 races though at Chicagoland, Indianapolis and Watkins Glen and finished 6th in points.
In 2008 Stewart struggled, getting a lot of second place finishes. On June 9, 2008, Stewart was granted a release from his final year of his contract with Joe Gibbs Racing and moved to Haas CNC Racing, renamed Stewart-Haas Racing due to Stewart's 50% ownership. On August 25, 2008, Joe Gibbs Racing announced Joey Logano would replace Stewart as the driver of the #20 car for the 2009 season in the Sprint Cup Series. Stewart won the 2008 AMP Energy 500 at Talladega during the Chase.
In 2009 Logano won the Lenox Industrial Tools 301 and won Rookie of the Year with seven top-ten finishes. The team finished 20th in points.
Logano failed to win in 2010 and finished 16th in points.
In 2011 Logano again was winless and finished 24th in points. On October 13, 2011, Joe Gibbs Racing announced The Home Depot will become co-primary sponsor for Logano's car with Dollar General. Dollar General is set to sponsor 12 races while the other 22 will continue to be sponsored by The Home Depot. The Home Depot had served as the sole primary sponsor of the #20 car since its debut with Tony Stewart in 1999. Logano won his second career race at Pocono from the pole in the 2012 Pocono 400 after passing Mark Martin with 3 laps to go.
Beginning in 2013, the #20 car was taken over by Matt Kenseth, who left Roush Fenway Racing, as Joey Logano moved to the #22 at Penske Racing. The team saw a resurgence, with Kenseth winning five races in the regular season (Las Vegas, Kansas, Darlington, Kentucky, and Bristol), and led the most laps at several other races (Daytona 500, Kansas, Richmond and Talladega). Kenseth also won the first two races of the Chase, bringing the team up to 7 wins - which was more wins in a single season than the car had ever achieved with Stewart or Logano.
Nationwide Series[edit]
Car #11 History[edit]
What would become the #11 car debuted during the 2005 season as the #19 car at the CarQuest Auto Parts 300. It was driven by Labonte and sponsored by Banquet Foods. Labonte ran seven races that year, with three top-tens. With Labonte moving to Petty Enterprises, JGR development driver Aric Almirola ran the car in seven races in 2006. Tony Stewart also drove the car at select races in 2006, using his NEXTEL Cup crew when he raced. The #19 team was disbanded after the 2006 season. The car returned as the #11 for 2011 and was driven by Brian Scott, who brought sponsorship from his family-owned Shore Lodge. The new team was constantly hampered by bad luck during races. For 2012 Scott was sponsored by Dollar General, but experienced more struggles with a best finish of 3rd at Dover. Scott was released at the end of the season and was replaced by Elliott Sadler, who brought sponsorship from OneMain Financial with him from Richard Childress Racing.
Car #18 History[edit]
The current 18 car came under Gibbs control when he purchased the #44 Shell Oil Pontiac from Labonte, who had been operating the team under his control. The team made its debut under the Gibbs banner at the 1998 NAPA Auto Parts 300 with Stewart driving, he qualified 9th but finished 31st after a crash. At the next week at Rockingham Speedway, Stewart qualified on the pole, led 60 laps and finished 2nd. Stewart ran a total of 22 races that year, with five top-five finishes and winning two pole positions. Labonte ran five races that year in that car in 1998, winning the Diamond Hill Plywood 200.
The team switched to #18 with sponsorship from MBNA for 1999, but Labonte ran only one race before he suffered shoulder injuries in a qualifying crash at Darlington. Late in the year, Jason Leffler ran four races in the car that year, his best finish being a 20th at Memphis Motorsports Park. Leffler ran the car full-time in 2000, winning a pole at Texas Motor Speedway, and posting three top-ten finishes. After that season, he left for the Cup Series with Chip Ganassi Racing, and Jeff Purvis took his place. Purvis started off strong and was seventh in points but was released after the GNC Live Well 250 because of sponsorship issues. Mike McLaughlin replaced him, finishing seventh in points that season. Despite going winless in 2002, he moved up to fourth place in points. However, owner Joe Gibbs wanted his son Coy in a full-time ride, leaving McLaughlin without a ride. In his rookie season, Gibbs had two top-ten finishes and finished runner-up to David Stremme for Rookie of the Year.
Despite new sponsorship from Vigoro and The Home Depot, the team decided to run a part-time schedule in 2004, with Labonte returning for two races and J. J. Yeley running seventeen races, garnering four top-ten finishes. Yeley ran the car full-time in 2005, finishing in the top-ten twelve times and finishing 11th in points. Yeley continued to run full-time in 2006, finishing 5th in the points standings with 3 poles, 9 top 5's, 22 top 10's and 27 top 15's. Yeley announced in Daytona that he would be driving in the #1 Miccosukee Gaming and Resorts Chevrolet for Phoenix Racing in the 2007 NASCAR Busch Series. In late November, former Brewco Motorsports development driver Brad Coleman signed a contract to drive for Joe Gibbs Racing. Coleman ran 17 of the 35 NASCAR Nationwide Series races during the 2007 season, sharing the #18 Chevy with Tony Stewart, Aric Almirola, and Kevin Conway. Carino's Italian Grill sponsored Coleman, while Z-Line Designs sponsored Conway and Goody's/ConAgra Foods sponsored Almirola and Tony Stewart. Almirola put the car on the pole at the season opener at Daytona, while Coleman earned his first career Busch Series pole at Talladega. Coleman returned to Brewco Motorsports and the #18 was piloted by the team of Hamlin and Busch with sponsorship coming from Southern Farm Bureau, Interstate Batteries, and Z-Line Designs. Despite running a partial schedule, Busch won ten races in 2008, eight in the #18, while Hamlin won once at Dover. Busch would finish seventh in points. In 2009, Kyle Busch won the Nationwide Series Championship driving the #18 Z-Line Designs / NOS Toyota.
In 2010, Kyle Busch ran most of the races that were paired with Sprint Cup Series races, while Brad Coleman returned to run the stand alone races.. For 2011, Busch drove the #18 for a majority of the season, splitting the ride with Michael McDowell, who ran both Iowa races, Lucas Oil Raceway, and the road courses Road America and Circuit Gilles Villeneuve with sponsorship from Pizza Ranch. McDowell won the pole at Road America and dominated until late race contact with another car. Drivers Kelly Bires, Drew Herring, and Joey Logano also took turns in the 18. Bires ran at Richmond and Chicago with International Comfort Products Corporation, Herring drove at the second Nashville race with Sport Clips, and Logano drove the 18 at Chicago, Dover, Kansas, and Phoenix. For 2012 the 18 would have a similar lineup, featuring Hamlin, Logano, Herring, McDowell, and Ryan Truex. Logano would take a whooping 7 victories with the 18 team, handing the team the Nationwide Owners' Championship. For 2013, the 18 and 20 teams swapped. Matt Kenseth drove the 18 for 16 races with sponsorship from Reser's Fine Foods and GameStop. He won the July race at Daytona and the October race at Kansas. The 18 car did not run in 2014.
On August 19, 2014, JGR announced Daniel Suárez will begin driving the No. 18 full-time in 2015 with sponsorship from Arris Group.[10]
Car #20 history[edit]
After JGR purchased the team from Gary Bechtel in 2000, the team got sponsorship from Porter-Cable. Despite missing three races, driver Jeff Purvis had eleven top-tens and one pole, finishing 11th in points. The team switched to #20 for 2001, and Mike McLaughlin was named the driver. Without a major sponsor, McLaughlin was able to win the Subway 300 and was sixth in points when Gibbs decided to shut down his team because of sponsorship problems. He moved to the 18, and finished seventh in points that year. Coy Gibbs ran five races in the #20 in 2002, with sponsorship from ConAgra Foods. His best finish was a 14th at Kentucky Speedway. After he moved to the 18, Gibbs was replaced by Mike Bliss and Rockwell Automation came aboard as sponsor. Bliss had fourteen top-tens and finished tenth in points. In 2004, he pulled off a win at Lowe's Motor Speedway and had three poles. In 2005, Denny Hamlin came aboard, and posted eleven top-ten's and finished fifth points, the third-place finisher in rookie points. He ran the full schedule in the #20 in 2006, winning twice and finishing 4th in points. Denny Hamlin and Aric Almirola drove the 20 in 2007 with Tony Stewart also piloting the #20 at Atlanta. Hamlin took the car to victory lane four times including Darlington, Milwaukee, Michigan, and Dover with Milwaukee being credited to Almirola for starting the race. The #20 finished 2nd in the owners points behind RCR's #29.
In 2008, the #20 was shared by Hamlin, Busch and Stewart for 9 races before defending NASCAR Camping World East Series champion Joey Logano was named the driver of the 20 for the rest of the season's races except for Loudon (which Stewart won in the #20), Daytona (which Hamlin won in the #20), and Chicago (which Busch won in the #18). All four drivers of the #20 won races driving it in 2008. In 2010, Joey Logano, Denny Hamlin and Matt DiBenedetto shared the #20 car, with Hamlin winning at Darlington and Logano winning at Kentucky and Kansas. For 2011, Logano returned to the #20 with sponsorship from GameStop and Sport Clips. Logano ran the first 10 races but picked up last minute sponsorship from Harvest Investments to run Nashville. Due to a lack of sponsorship, the 20 was unable to run a full schedule for the owners championship. In the 20, Logano grabbed his first superspeedway win at the July Daytona race with help from Kyle Busch. The 20 was also driven by Denny Hamlin at Las Vegas, Richmond, and Darlington, with Hamlin winning at Richmond. Drew Herring drove the 20 with Sport Clips at both Iowa races, where Herring won the pole for the May race, and Lucas Oil Raceway. Ryan Truex stepped into the 20 late in the season for six races, finishing second to Logano at Dover after dominating the race.
The 20 team returned in 2012 to run most of the season. Its primary driver lineup consisted of Logano, Hamlin, Truex, and JGR development driver Darrell Wallace, Jr. Michael Waltrip Racing driver Clint Bowyer also drove the #20 at Daytona when Hamlin was sidelined from the race by back problems.
Starting in the 2013 season, Brian Vickers joined the team driving the 20 with sponsorship from Dollar General. Vickers left for Michael Waltrip Racing's 55 cup car at the end of the year.
In 2014, Matt Kenseth will drive the 20 car for 17 races with GameStop sponsoring 10 races and Reser's Fine Foods sponsoring 7 races.[11] Sam Hornish, Jr. and Kenseth each ran 1 race and Kenny Habul 2 races with Habul's Sun Energy 1 sponsoring.[12] Darrell Wallace, Jr. ran at Talladega in the spring with ToyotaCare and Daytona in July with Coca-Cola "Share a Coke". Michael McDowell ran at Iowa with Pizza Ranch.
|2014 driver rotation
|#20 Driver
|Matt Kenseth
|Reser's Fine Foods, GameStop, Sun Energy 1
|Michael McDowell
|Pizza Ranch
|Kenny Habul
|Sun Energy 1
|Darrell Wallace, Jr.
|ToyotaCare, Share a Coke
|Erik Jones
|NarcolepsyLink.com, Reser's Fine Foods
|Sam Hornish, Jr.
|Sun Energy 1
|Daniel Suárez
|Silent Circle / Telcel
Car #54 History[edit]
This is JGR's 4th Nationwide team for 2013. JGR driver Kyle Busch ran 26 races. Busch didn't take long to get to victory lane. He won the pole, lead the most laps, and won the race in only the second race of the 2013 season at Phoenix International Raceway. He too had won at Bristol Motor Speedway (4th race) and at Fontana (5th race). During the 2013 season, he won a total of 12 races.[1] Joey Coulter, Owen Kelly, and Drew Herring also ran in the 54, which finished 2nd in the owner's championship to the Team Penske No. 22 by one point.[13]
For the 2014 season, Kyle Busch will split the #54 car, with Sam Hornish, Jr. running 7 races.[1] At Iowa in May, Hornish won the Get To Know Newton 250, beating Ryan Blaney's 22 for his third career win.[14]
Following the August 16, 2008 NASCAR Nationwide Series race at Michigan International Speedway, NASCAR used a dynometer to test the horsepower of several cars from all competing manufacturers. While testing the Joe Gibbs Racing cars, officials found that the throttle pedal on the two Joe Gibbs Racing cars had been manipulated using magnets a quarter-inch thick to prevent the accelerator from going 100 percent wide open. Joe Gibbs issued a statement saying "we will take full responsibility and accept any penalties NASCAR levies against us" and "we will also investigate internally how this incident took place and who was involved and make whatever decisions are necessary to ensure that this kind of situation never happens again.[15] Subsequently, NASCAR made regulation change specifically to Toyota, which mandated them to run a smaller restrictor plate to cut horsepower by estimated 15 to 20 horsepower (15 kW) from their engines. Toyota went on to win 20 of the 35 races in the season, 19 of them by Joe Gibbs Racing.
Motocross Team[edit]
On January 5, 2008 the Muscle Milk/Toyota/JGRMX Supercross/Motocross Team which was founded by Coy Gibbs debut at round one of the 2008 Supercross Series in Aneheim CA. In 2009 JGRMX rider Josh Grant won the opening round of the Supercross Series Championship at Angel Stadium.[16] The team has grown in numbers and in 2014 riders include Josh Grant and Phillip Nicoletti. Josh Grant runs the number 33. The team also has an amateur support program that just in its first year yielded numerous amateur national titles, including multiple titles for 16 year old star- Chase Bell.
- ^ a b c Spencer, Lee (January 5, 2014). "Sources: Hornish to share car with Kyle Busch in Nationwide Series". FOX Sports. Retrieved January 5, 2014.
- ^ Ryan, Nate (March 17, 2013). "Joey Logano, Denny Hamlin continue feud at Bristol". USA Today. Bristol, Tennessee: USA Today. Retrieved 27 August 2014.
- ^ Pockrass, Bob (March 24, 2013). "Denny Hamlin injured after last-lap crash with Joey Logano at California". Sporting News. Fontana, California: Sporting News. Retrieved 27 August 2014.
- ^ Pockrass, Bob (April 3, 2013). "Denny Hamlin still upset with Joey Logano, says rival wrecked him intentionally". Sporting News. Huntersville, North Carolina: Sporting News. Retrieved 27 August 2014.
- ^ Pockrass, Bob (March 15, 2014). "Denny Hamlin: Joey Logano still getting silent treatment". Sporting News. Bristol, Tennessee: Sporting News. Retrieved 27 August 2014.
- ^ Bruce, Kenny (June 16, 2013). "HAMLIN HONORS LEFFLER WITH 2005 PAINT SCHEME". NASCAR.com. Brooklyn, Michigan: NASCAR.com. Retrieved 27 August 2014.
- ^ "PAINT SCHEME PREVIEW: MICHIGAN". NASCAR.com. NASCAR. June 16, 2013. Retrieved 27 August 2014. "Denny Hamlin will drive the No. 11 FedEx Express Toyota."
- ^ Bromberg, Nick (March 23, 2014). "Denny Hamlin to miss race at Auto Club, Sam Hornish Jr. to fill in". Yahoo! Sports. Retrieved March 23, 2014.
- ^ James, Brant (August 19, 2014). "Carl Edwards to join JGR in 2015". ESPN. Retrieved August 19, 2014.
- ^ Estrada, Chris (August 19, 2014). "NASCAR: Mexican rising star Daniel Suarez moving up to Nationwide". NBC Sports. Retrieved August 19, 2014.
- ^ "Reser's Fine Foods and GameStop Return to Sponsor Matt Kenseth in 2014 NASCAR Nationwide Series". Business Wire. January 22, 2014. Retrieved January 22, 2014.
- ^ "SunEnergy1 Sponsors Four NASCAR Nationwide Races: Matt Kenseth, Sam Hornish Jr. and Kenny Habul to Pilot No. 20 SunEnergy1 Toyota". joegibbsracing.com. Joe Gibbs Racing, Toyota. 2014. Retrieved 19 August 2014.
- ^ "NASCAR Nationwide Series 2013: Final owner point standings". motorsportsone.com. Motorsports One. 2013. Retrieved 17 August 2014.
- ^ Jensen, Tom (May 18, 2014). "Opportunity seized: Hornish Jr. wins Newton 250 NNS race at Iowa". foxsports.com. Newtown, Iowa (Iowa Speedway): Fox Sports. Retrieved 17 August 2014.
- ^ autosport.com – Gibbs facing penalties for dyno 'cheat'
- ^ http://www.mxlarge.com/news/4523-joe-gibbs-racing-team-introduction
External links[edit]
- Team Website
- Motocross Team Website
- Joe Gibbs owner statistics at Racing-Reference


text:
Lime Spritzers
Serves 2| Hands-On Time: | Total Time:
- 1 lime
- 2 teaspoons sugar
- 3 ounces white rum
- 1 cup ice
- club soda
- Cut half a lime into thin slices. Juice the other half and pour into a cocktail shaker.
- Add the sugar and 2 slices of lime and mash gently. Add the rum and 1 cup of ice and shake.
- Pour the mixture into 2 glasses filled with ice and the remaining lime slices. Top off with club soda and serve.
Nutritional Information
- Per Serving
- Calories 152
- Fat 0g
- Sat Fat 0g
- Cholesterol 0mg
- Sodium 11mg
- Protein 0g
- Carbohydrate 8g
- Sugar 5g
- Fiber 1g
- Iron 0mg
- Calcium 16mg
What does this mean? See Nutrition 101 .
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Toss the cubes at the bottom of an automatic ice maker once a week.
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High in vitamin C, these hard, tart berries are grown in bogs in colder regions of North America and Europe. They're almost always eaten cooked, as in the classic Thanksgiving relish.

subset: commoncrawl


text:
(From the FanPosts. An annual favorite ... -- TZ)
Ah yes. It's time for the 2nd Annual Positional Rankings Post, wherein I predict the fortunes of the draft picks, and which provides great fodder for future arguments as you can always pull the name Jeff Teague out of the hat and make me crazy.
Watch, I can prove it: "Jeff Teague"
DAMN you. GIVE IT SOME TIME!!!!!
See how that works? But before you write my inner-Nostradamus off completely, here are last year's predictions so you can judge for yourself how I did. And in case you're wondering: After TEARING IT UP IN TURKEY, Josh Heytvelt is now playing for Brandon Jennings' old Italian team. Next stop: world domination.
But enough about last year! 2010 Positional Rankings after the jump.
Note that these rankings are based on who I think will have the best career, not necessarily in the order I think makes sense for the Kings. If I don't mention a player it's because I haven't seen them play and didn't find a good YouTube replacement video. Everyone else I've seen in at least several games unless otherwise mentioned.
My basic draft philosophy:
1. Avoid guys who are underathletic and/or undersized but who pundits say "can just flat out play."
2. Raw upside guys: a) must be athletic; b) SGs and SFs need to be able to shoot and have a handle; c) bigs must have good hands; d) point guards have to be very quick and either really good at scoring or really good at passing.
3. Watch out for the unmotivated (and watch me ignore that hello DeMarcus Cousins my old friend!!)
Point Guard:
1. John Wall – It's become trendy in some parts to treat John Wall as something other than the best draft prospect in the draft by leaps and bounds, and some contrarians are busy whispering that Evan Turner or DeMarcus Cousins is actually a better prospect. This is insane. It's not super exciting when the guy you thought would be #1 by a mile at the beginning of the season is #1 by a mile at the end of the season, but it doesn't change the fact that he's still #1 by a mile. Wall has freakish Reke/Wade-esque finishing ability, he's dynamite in transition, he's an elite athlete, and he has some great vision. If he develops more consistent outside shooting and gains experience he could be one of the top players in the entire league.
2. Avery Bradley – Yes, indeed! It's time for this year's Jeff Teague, i.e. the player that I think is underrated but who will probably sit on a bench for a good team and we won't know for a few years whether I should be merely chided or laughed straight off the website. Bradley is incredibly quick and athletic, he's a tenacious defender, he has an unbelievably advanced midrange game for a freshman, and he's a very creative passer. He needs to improve his shooting consistency, but make no mistake: Bradley can play PG and he is seriously talented. Think of him as a farther-along-at-the-same-age Russell Westbrook.
3. Eric Bledsoe – Bledsoe is a tough prospect to read. He is wildly talented and athletic and is capable of acrobatic shots as well as some impressive (though streaky) outside shooting. On the other hand, he often plays out of control and seems very immature: early in the season he had to be taken out of a game 30 seconds in because he managed to get into a shouting match and no one could calm him down. The question with Bledsoe is whether he has the maturity and work ethic to capitalize on his gifts and obvious intensity. I don't know the guy, so who knows.
4. Armon Johnson – The dropoff from Bledsoe to Armon Johnson is steep. Johnson has good size, he's pretty quick and can get into the lane, but his jumper is really weak. Since his point guard skills are also somewhat lacking you're basically looking at a 6'3" shooting guard who can't shoot.
5. Ben Uzoh – This guy is a phenomenal athlete and streaky scorer who can play some D, but is really more of a SG. He may be destined for a Ronnie Price career trajectory, but I wouldn't be surprised if he landed somewhere.
Sherron Collins and Jerome Randle: Sub-6'0" point guards have a really tough time in the NBA when they're not blindingly fast. Collins and Randle are quick, but I'm not sure that they're quick enough.
Shooting Guard:
1. Evan Turner – He may well be the best SG in this draft, but I'm not really a fan. Much like our own Tyreke Evans, Turner is a crafty ballhandler and scorer who can change directions, get his own shot, passes decently, and is a subpar outside shooter. But here's the problem: Turner is not as athletic as Evans (or Brandon Roy for that matter). He's not nearly as quick, he's not explosive, and he doesn't have the same uncanny finishing ability. He also is an almost unparalleled turnover machine: his 4.4 turnovers a game represent half a turnover more than Wall, who is often knocked for being turnover-prone. Turner has to dominate the ball to be effective, but is he really good enough, efficient enough, and athletic enough to justify that in the NBA? And if he's playing off the ball how is he going to contribute? He definitely has enough shot-creation and finishing ability inside 15 feet to be a solid player, but I don't see a star.
2. James Anderson – Anderson is a versatile scorer with deep range both catching and shooting and off the dribble. Unfortunately, while he's a fairly good leaper, he is not very quick and is not the greatest ballhandler, so against good defenses he struggles to create his own shot. Still, he's a very solid all-around player and his ultimate potential probably comes down to how well he adapts to the NBA three-point line.
3. Xavier Henry – An underwhelming athlete whose only offensive skill is catching and shooting. So: Jason Kapono. Or Kyle Korver. Or Martell Webster. You get the idea.
4. Jordan Crawford – Crawford had a pretty stellar end of season run, but I'm still not totally convinced of his NBA potential. He's only 6'4", and while he's fearless at the end of games, he's also fearless about launching ill-advised shots and forcing drives. He's pretty athletic and we all know he dunked on LeBron James in a summer camp, but I don't know if he's quite athletic enough or quite talented enough to make up for his lack of size. Basically: I worry that he's more Rashad McCants than Eric Gordon (or Marcus Thornton for that matter).
5. Terico White – White is another guy who can get up off the floor and is capable of some spectacular dunks, but he's not that great creating his own shot. He is also slightly undersized for a SG at 6'5", but he's a pretty good shooter and can handle the ball.
Elliot Williams – Very similar to Gerald Henderson in terms of size, athleticism, and game. And no, that isn't exactly an endorsement.
Quincy Pondexter – He's definitely athletic and had a strong season, but since he's not a good shooter and not a great ballhandler I don't really see what he's going to do in the NBA.
Willie Warren – Just…. no.
Lance Stephenson – Somewhat crafty scorer, but really not that quick.
Greivis Vasquez – The poor man's Francisco Garcia.
Small Forward:
1. Wesley Johnson – There is always a place in the NBA for athletic guys who can shoot. Johnson already projects as a JR Smith type of player who runs the floor and shoots 3s. But like Smith, Johnson doesn't really have a versatile offensive game. He's not effective taking the ball to the hoop or getting to the line, and he's not good pulling up off the dribble. With his athleticism and shooting ability he seems like he could step in and be a solid contributor relatively quickly, but he won't be a star unless he can learn to put the ball on the floor and vary his offensive game.
2. Paul George – George looks the part of an NBA small forward. He's got the athleticism, size (6'9"), he's a pretty good ballhandler, and he can shoot from outside. The problem is that he plays and acts like he's already convinced of his own greatness. He takes horrible shots, shoots for a very poor percentage, coasts on defense, is careless with the ball, and is the type of guy who will make an awkward fast break layup and then yell at the opposing bench like he's LeBron James. Dude. Come on. You played in Fresno. George has a whole lot of potential, but he needs a whole lot of polish.
3. Stanley Robinson – There is also always a place in the NBA for 6'8" freakish athletes with crazy hustle who can play lockdown defense and knock down open jumpers. Robinson could be an ideal glue guy/bench energizer on a team where he's not counted on to score points, especially alongside a passing PG who can get him alley-oops. But his success is going to depend a lot on landing in the right situation.
4. Damion James – Good but not great at pretty much everything: good but not great athleticism, good but not great size, good but not great shooting, good but not great handle. He had four good but not great years at Texas during which he never really seemed to get all that much better. Despite all that, he may just be good but not great enough to be a solid bench player in the NBA.
5. Al-Farouq Aminu – So why do I rank Stanley Robinson and Damion James ahead of Aminu? It's all about the jump shot: Aminu doesn't really have one. You have to be unbelievably good at other facets of the game to stay on the floor in the NBA when you're a small forward who can't shoot. While he's a pretty good rebounder, offensively Aminu is both clumsy and has terrible fundamentals. Look at how Darius Miles' and Hakeem Warrick's athletic gifts never really translated because they couldn't put the ball on the floor and they couldn't shoot. If Aminu learns some offense he could be a force. But he's so uncoordinated I just don't see it happening. A bust in the making.
Devin Ebanks – The quintessential smooth 6'9" small forward who can dribble, pass, run the floor, looks like a great prospect…. Only he can't shoot. And that just never works. Billy Owens. Julian Wright. Earl Clark…. Devin Ebanks.
Gordon Hayward – When a player's best case scenario is Mike Dunleavy Jr. that should really tell you all you need to know.
Luke Babbitt – A good shooter and able to score in a variety of ways. The problem is that he's so slow he makes Adam Morrison look like Carl Lewis.
Power Forward:
1. Greg Monroe – Here is the paradox that is Greg Monroe: 1) When it's all said and done I think he's going to be the best power forward in this draft. 2) The idea of drafting him makes me crazy. Monroe is extremely skilled, he's 6'11", he can shoot, dribble, run the floor, he is quick for his size, and he will be one of the elite passers in the NBA the second he steps on the floor. He is one of the most multi-talented offensive bigs to come into the league in a long long time. The problem is that despite his better rebounding this season he is earthbound, soft, he was a key player on two Georgetown teams that wildly underachieved, and he is a rather terrible defender, of which the Kings already have too many. All that said: Petrie will draft him. He just will. They've probably already sewn the jersey.
2. Craig Brackins – You know how Bonzi Wells realized he screwed up by not accepting the Kings' offer and he signed with the Rockets but was never the same again? That was kind of the season Brackins had. After making the headslapping decision to return to Iowa St., Brackins struggled through a disappointing year during which he mainly was content to launch threes and contested long twos. He showed some signs life at the end, but this bad season obscures what a uniquely talented player Brackins really is: how many athletic 6'10" power forwards are comfortable putting the ball on the floor like a guard, pulling up from midrange, posting up, and shooting well from outside? This is still the guy who dropped 42 points on Cole Aldrich. If he rediscovers his heart he could be a serious sleeper.
3. Derrick Favors -- Other than Favors' admittedly very impressive reverse alley-oop against Clemson, this is what happens way too much when you go looking for Georgia Tech highlights: Oh wow! Oh wait, that was Lawal. Oh wow! Oh wait, that was Lawal. Oh wow! Oh wait, that was Lawal. One of the biggest questions I ask myself when thinking about pro potential is: What can this guy do in the NBA? Well, I don't think Favors is skilled enough to consistently score on the block, and while I've seen him hit the (very) occasional 15 footer and he has a soft touch around the rim, he really doesn't have much of an offensive game. Barring rapid improvement on offense you're looking at him mainly as a rebounding/shotblocking/hustle guy. Only: he doesn't really hustle, he's a disappointing shotblocker given his athleticism, he's slow running the floor, he never showed aggressiveness, and he wasn't even the best rebounder at Georgia Tech (again, that would be Lawal). Favors has lots and lots of potential: it's not hard to squint and imagine him becoming the next Amare. But he was just so underwhelming in college that I can't shake the feeling he's going to end up being someone everyone would have been thrilled with if they drafted him at #15, but not so much at #2 or #3.
4. Ekpe Udoh – Udoh can do a little bit of everything offensively. He can score inside with either hand and he can shoot from outside. He's not a great shot creator and he needs to add strength, but because he's both a good shooter from 15' and a good passer, he could be pretty deadly operating out of the high post. He needs to add strength if he's going to be a good rebounder, but he has some real shotblocking potential.
5. Patrick Patterson – Patterson diversified his game this season and added a consistent outside jumper to the mix. At 6'9" and not freakishly strong he's somewhat undersized for PF, but because he is quick and has that outside jumper he could be a Udonis Haslem type, with an outside chance at Carl Landry territory. I'm not really a fan of undersized power forwards, but Patterson has the offensive and athletic gifts, as well as the hustle, to be one of the exceptions.
Ed Davis – Looks the part of an elite power forward and is a talented rebounder, only he has shaky hands and not much touch around the basket. He could be a pretty good rebounding/shotblocking PF, just don't count on him for offense.
Gani Lawal – Relentless hustler, incredibly strong, improved his skills a lot this season. If you need toughness and rebounding, he's your guy. Outshone Favors most of the season.
Donatas Motiejunas – What I know about him is mainly limited to YouTube videos, and from what I've seen he looks and plays a lot like Andrea Bargnani. With all of its attendant pros and cons.
Jarvis Varnado – Athletic and long-armed, which translates to some very good shotblocking. He's not very polished on offense after four years at Miss. St., but he has the skills, as well as the cool name, to be the next Bo Outlaw.
Larry Sanders – The question about Sanders is whether he will ever be strong enough to be a good rebounder and post defender in the NBA. He needs to be, because shotblocking alone isn't enough to keep him on the floor.
Trevor Booker – You have to love the ferocity that Booker plays with. You'd love it even more if he were taller.
1. DeMarcus Cousins – At this point the only person in America who has had their sanity questioned more often than DeMarcus Cousins is Lindsay Lohan. Cousins has real serious 20/10 potential - he's strong, he has great footwork, terrific hands, and is solid offensively both with his back to the basket (with an unstoppable jump hook) and facing up out to 15'. However, IN CASE YOU HAVEN'T HEARD, question marks abound about his conditioning, maturity, and heart problems of the motivational variety. Will he be Kenyon Martin, threatening to put his hands on someone when they prank him but otherwise able to keep it together? Or is he Eddy Curry, never sufficiently motivated to capitalize on his talents? His future (and the franchise that drafts him) hangs in the balance.
2. Hassan Whiteside – Unfortunately I was never able to watch Marshall play this season, so this rating is based solely on some grainy YouTube videos. Which naturally make him look pretty awesome. Long, extremely athletic, able to hit outside shots, incredible shotblocker. People compare him to Marcus Camby. What's not to like? Well, there's a reason YouTube is YouTube. They don't show weaknesses.
3. Cole Aldrich – Notable for being quite possibly the least exciting draft prospect in the last ten years. You know he's solid. You know he has a place in the NBA. And the idea of drafting him makes you want to fall asleep. Don't worry. It can't be helped. An entire fanbase is going to groan when his name is called and then promptly talk themselves into the pick the next day.
4. Daniel Orton – Um. Who knows? He's big and athletic, but this season he basically just served as a foul machine. Your guess is as good as mine.
5. Solomon Alabi – He's tall
Jerome Jordan – If you like your centers skinny and weak, Jordan is your guy.
Brian Zoubek – If the Collins twins could have long NBA careers why not Brian Zoubek?
My personal Kings draft board, balancing need and BPA (according to my own twisted logic):
1. Wall
2. Cousins
3. Bradley
4. Monroe
5. Favors
6. Johnson
7. Turner
8. Brackins
9. Udoh
10. Davis
11. Whiteside
12. Lawal
13. Bledsoe
14. Patterson
15. Anderson
Let the Teague jokes commence.