DENNY HAMLIN

No. 11 Bob’s Discount Furniture Toyota Camry XSE

HAMLIN AT IOWA: Joe Gibbs Racing driver Denny Hamlin started 12th and finished 24th in last year’s inaugural NASCAR Cup Series race at Iowa Speedway. In that race, Hamlin slid back through the field and was lapped at one point early on. He eventually recovered to score stage points in stage two before suffering damage on the restart to begin the final segment. With his car’s performance limited, he finished the race with a 24th-place result.

INDIANAPOLIS RECAP: Hamlin raced a backup car to a third-place finish last Sunday at Indianapolis Motor Speedway. After posting the fastest time in Saturday’s practice session, Hamlin crashed on his qualifying run and crew members from Joe Gibbs Racing and 23XI Racing chipped in to prepare his backup car. Hamlin started from the rear of the field and methodically worked his way forward and eventually finished third in stage two. He spent the final segment battling inside the top 10 before ultimately finishing third.

SEASON SO FAR: With four races remaining in the regular season, Hamlin is currently fourth in the overall standings. Since missing the race at Mexico City in June, Hamlin has trimmed his deficit to the leader from 110 points down to 20 points. He leads the series in wins (four) and playoff points (24). He is also tied for the lead in top-five finishes (11).

FASTEST LAP: Hamlin earned an additional point by registering the Xfinity Fastest Lap in last weekend’s race at Indianapolis Motor Speedway. For the No. 11 driver, it is his series-leading sixth fastest lap award of the season. Hamlin has posted the fastest lap in five of the last six races on non-drafting ovals.

CHRIS GAYLE: Crew chief Chris Gayle is no stranger to Iowa Speedway. In addition to last year’s Cup Series race where he worked with Ty Gibbs, Gayle has eight starts at the track during his time as a crew chief in the NASCAR Xfinity Series. In those eight races, his teams recorded one win (Sam Hornish Jr. in 2016), four top-five finishes, seven top-10s, and 190 laps led.

BOB’S DISCOUNT FURNITURE: Sunday’s race at Iowa Speedway will be the NASCAR debut for Bob’s Discount Furniture and its partnership with Denny Hamlin and the No. 11 team. Bob’s is one of the largest and fastest growing furniture retailers in the United States with more than 200 stores across 26 states. Bob’s is set to open 20 new locations this year. For more information or to shop online, visit http://www.mybobs.com. 

MEET DENNY AT BOB’S: Hamlin will sign autographs for fans at the Bob’s Discount Furniture Block Party at their West Des Moines, Iowa location (6805 Mills Civic Parkway, Suite 120, West Des Moines, IA 50266) on Saturday, August 2, at 5:15 p.m. CT. The event will begin at 2 p.m. CT with 130 autograph session wristbands distributed on a first-come, first-served basis and the No. 11 Bob’s Discount Furniture Toyota Camry XSE show car will be on-site. There will also be prizes, Bob’s swag giveaways, and family-friendly activities taking place throughout the day.

CHASE BRISCOE

No. 19 Bass Pro Shops Toyota Camry XSE

BRISCOE AT IOWA: Chase Briscoe owns two victories at Iowa Speedway. In 2019, he won the NASCAR Xfinity Series race at the track after leading the final seven laps of the event. He also won his only ARCA Menards Series start at the track in 2016. He posted top-10 results in his other two other Xfinity Series starts at the track and a seventh-place finish in his lone NASCAR CRAFTSMAN Truck Series start. In last year’s NASCAR Cup Series race at Iowa, Briscoe finished 28th.

INDIANAPOLIS RECAP: Last weekend at Indianapolis Motor Speedway, Briscoe became the first driver in NASCAR history to win the pole award for three of the four crown jewel races in a single season. The Mitchell, Indiana native led 34 laps and won stage one. Late in the race, Briscoe was running seventh before the final overtime restart when he was forced to pit for fuel and ultimately finished 18th.

2025 SO FAR: Briscoe earned a spot in the 2025 Cup Series Playoffs with his win at Pocono Raceway – his first victory in a Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota Camry. Briscoe leads the Cup Series with five pole awards this season. His five pole awards this season are more than he had in his first 144 career Cup Series starts. Through 22 races, Briscoe is one of only four drivers with eight or more top-five finishes.

JAMES SMALL: 2025 is James Small’s sixth season as a NASCAR Cup Series crew chief. The first five years of his tenure as crew chief were spent with Martin Truex Jr. as Small led the No. 19 team to eight wins, 46 top-five finishes, 86 top-10s, and four NASCAR playoff appearances. The Australia native led Truex to a runner-up finish in the 2021 championship and to the 2023 regular season championship. Small earned his ninth career win with Briscoe at Pocono Raceway earlier this year.

BASS PRO SHOPS: Bass Pro Shops is North America’s premier outdoor and conservation company. Under the visionary conservation leadership of Johnny Morris, Bass Pro Shops is a national leader in protecting habitat and introducing families to the outdoors and has been named by Newsweek as “America’s Most Trusted Retailer for Outdoor Gear”. For more information or to shop online, visit http://www.basspro.com.

CHRISTOPHER BELL

No. 20 Rheem Toyota Camry XSE

BELL AT IOWA: Christopher Bell finished fourth in the inaugural NASCAR Cup Series race at Iowa Speedway. He started the race from the rear of the field in a backup car after a flat tire in practice damaged his primary car. In five NASCAR Xfinity Series starts at Iowa, Bell has two wins (July 2018 and June 2019), a pair of runner-up finishes and two pole awards. The Oklahoma native also earned two top-five finishes and three top-10s in three NASCAR CRAFTSMAN Truck Series starts at the 0.875-mile track.

ADAM STEVENS AT IOWA: Bell isn’t the only one with Xfinity Series success at Iowa. Crew chief Adam Stevens also has a proven track record at the 0.875-mile facility. Stevens earned a win as crew chief for Sam Hornish Jr. in 2014. In eight Xfinity Series starts at the track, his teams never finished lower than 12th.

INDIANAPOLIS RECAP: Bell earned his 13th top-10 finish of the season with an eighth-place result at Indianapolis Motor Speedway. After qualifying 16th, he made gains throughout the race before finishing eighth after a pair of overtime restarts to conclude the race.

RHEEM AT IOWA: Rheem will host more than 60 guests this weekend in Iowa. Executives will be on-site from the Rheem Operations team as well as guests from Air Management, the Rheem Water Heater Division, and the Ruud Water Heater Division.

TY GIBBS

No. 54 Monster Energy Toyota Camry XSE

MILLION DOLLAR MAN: Ty Gibbs won the inaugural In-Season Tournament by defeating Ty Dillion last weekend at Indianapolis Motor Speedway. He was awarded $1 million after being the sixth seed and advancing over Justin Haley, A.J. Allmendinger, Zane Smith, Tyler Reddick and Dillion throughout the five-week tournament.

GIBBS AT IOWA: Gibbs started 27th and finished 25th in his only NASCAR Cup Series start at Iowa Speedway last year. He won a pair of ARCA Menards Series races at the track in 2020 and 2021.

INDIANAPOLIS RECAP: Gibbs started fifth and finished 21st in last Sunday’s race at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway.

HEATING UP: With seven top-15 finishes in the last eight races, Gibbs has climbed from 27th to 16th in the overall points standings.

TYLER ALLEN: Crew chief Tyler Allen is in his first year leading Gibbs and the No. 54 team. While this is Allen’s first experience as a crew chief at the Cup Series level, he had a standout season in 2024 in the NASCAR Xfinity Series. Allen led JGR’s No. 20 Xfinity Series team to eight victories and a runner-up finish in the owner’s championship.