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Joe Gibbs Racing NASCAR Cup Series Race Preview – DAYTONA 500 at Daytona International Speedway

Joe Gibbs Racing

RACE INFO

DATE: Sunday, February 16, 2025

RACE: DAYTONA 500

TRACK: Daytona International Speedway (Daytona Beach, FL)

TRACK LENGTH: 2.5 miles

TV: FOX (2:30 p.m. ET)

RADIO: MRN Radio / SiriusXM NASCAR Radio (2:30 p.m. ET)

JOE GIBBS RACING

DAYTONA 500 VICTORIES: Joe Gibbs Racing has claimed four DAYTONA 500 wins in the company’s history. In 1993, Dale Jarrett earned the organization’s first victory after outdueling Dale Earnhardt late in the Great American Race. Denny Hamlin picked up the other three DAYTONA 500 wins in 2016, 2019, and 2020.

JGR AT DAYTONA: Joe Gibbs Racing owns eight NASCAR Cup Series wins at Daytona International Speedway. In 179 combined starts at the World Center of Racing, the organization has posted 40 top-five finishes, 55 top-10s, four pole awards, and 2,146 laps led. Kyle Busch, Denny Hamlin, Dale Jarrett, Erik Jones, and Tony Stewart have all driven JGR entries to victory lane at Daytona.

2024 SEASON RECAP: All four Joe Gibbs Racing drivers qualified for the 2024 NASCAR Cup Series Playoffs. On the season, the team combined for six wins, 40 top-five finishes, 64 top-10s, 10 pole awards, and 3,060 laps led. Christopher Bell led the team in the final standings by finishing fifth overall followed by Denny Hamlin (eighth), Martin Truex Jr. (10th), and Ty Gibbs (15th).

DENNY HAMLIN

No. 11 National Debt Relief Toyota Camry XSE

20 YEARS: This marks Hamlin’s 20th start in the Great American Race. In 19 previous DAYTONA 500 starts, Hamlin owns three wins (2016, 2019, 2020), eight top-five finishes and 490 laps led. Hamlin’s first DAYTONA 500 victory came in dramatic fashion as he maneuvered his way from fourth to first on the final lap to eclipse Martin Truex Jr. by .010 seconds – the closest finish in DAYTONA 500 history. In 2019, Hamlin led a 1-2-3 finish for Joe Gibbs Racing in the Great American Race. He became the first driver in 25 years to win consecutive DAYTONA 500s when he visited victory lane again in 2020.

2024 SEASON RECAP: In 2024, Hamlin advanced to the Round of 8 for the sixth consecutive season and wound up eighth in the final standings. He visited victory lane at Bristol Motor Speedway (March), Richmond Raceway (March), and Dover Motor Speedway (April), and posted 12 top-five finishes, 18 top-10s, and three pole awards.

ELITE COMPANY: Hamlin is tied with NASCAR Hall of Famers Bobby Allison, Jeff Gordon, and Dale Jarrett on the short list of drivers who have three DAYTONA 500 victories. If Hamlin could capture his fourth Harley J. Earl trophy, he would tie Cale Yarborough for second all-time behind only seven-time winner Richard Petty.

SPEEDWEEKS SUCCESS: In addition to his three DAYTONA 500 victories, Hamlin has visited victory lane six other times during Daytona Speedweeks. He has a trio of wins in the 150-mile Duel qualifying races (2008, 2014, 2017) and three more in The Clash (2006, 2014, 2016).

CHRIS GAYLE: In November, Joe Gibbs Racing announced that Chris Gayle would become the crew chief for the No. 11 team after Hamlin’s previous crew chief, Chris Gabehart, was promoted to competition director. Gayle joins Hamlin with a plethora of experience after being with the organization for 20 years as both an engineer and a crew chief. Gayle is no stranger to success at Daytona after leading Erik Jones to his first career Cup Series victory at the track in July 2018 and again in The Clash in February 2020.

BABY ON THE WAY: In December, Hamlin and his fiancée, Jordan, announced that they are expecting their third child in June.

NATIONAL DEBT RELIEF: National Debt Relief, the industry leader in debt settlement and known for its unique approach to debt relief, will be featured as the primary sponsor of Hamlin’s No. 11 Toyota for the DAYTONA 500. Since its inception in 2009, National Debt Relief has helped more than 550,000 people reclaim their independence and get their life back on track by empowering them to resolve their debt and confidently manage their finances. To join the hundreds of thousands of people who have resolved their debt and accelerated their financial independence with the help of National Debt Relief, visit NationalDebtRelief.com  or call 1-800-718-0487 for a free consultation with a certified debt specialist.

CHASE BRISCOE

No. 19 Bass Pro Shops Toyota Camry XSE

BRISCOE AT DAYTONA: Chase Briscoe has eight starts at Daytona International Speedway. Briscoe has two top-10 finishes in four starts in the Great American Race. His best result came in 2022 when he crossed the finish line in third. In 2024, Briscoe finished 10th in the race.

NEW KID ON THE BLOCK: 2025 is Briscoe’s first season under the Joe Gibbs Racing and Toyota Gazoo Racing banners. JGR officially announced Briscoe would drive the No. 19 Toyota Camry during the 2025 season on June 25, 2024. The No. 19 has a long history in NASCAR and Briscoe joins an elite group of drivers to have piloted the No. 19. Martin Truex Jr, Carl Edwards, and Cale Yarborough are among the drivers to have been behind the wheel of a No. 19 car in NASCAR’s top series.

2024 SEASON RECAP: Briscoe delivered the final Stewart-Haas Racing victory at Darlington Raceway in the Southern 500 last fall. He wrapped up his season with one win, three top-five finishes, and nine top-10s.

JAMES SMALL: 2025 will mark 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, 45 top-fives, 87 top-10 finishes, and four NASCAR playoffs appearances. The Australia native led Truex to a runner-up finish in the 2021 championship and to the 2023 regular season championship.

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 BassPro.com.

CHRISTOPHER BELL

No. 20 DEWALT / Interstate Batteries Toyota Camry XSE

BELL AT DAYTONA: Christopher Bell has finished third in three of the last four NASCAR Cup Series races at Daytona International Speedway. In 2024, Bell was the only driver to finish in the top five in both Daytona races. He also posted two top-five finishes and four top-10s in five NASCAR Xfinity Series starts at the 2.5-mile track.

DUEL WINNER: Last February, Bell passed teammate Denny Hamlin on the final lap to win his 150-mile qualifying race at Daytona.

FIRST CUP WIN: Daytona International Speedway was the site of Bell’s first Cup Series victory in February 2021. In only his second start for Joe Gibbs Racing, Bell won on the Daytona Road Course.

2024 SEASON RECAP: 2024 was a banner year for Bell as he earned career-high stats across the board with 15 top-five, 23 top-10 finishes, 11 stage wins, 1,145 laps-led and finished in the top five in the final standings for the third consecutive season. In addition to wins at Phoenix Raceway and New Hampshire Motor Speedway, Bell also captured his first career crown jewel victory by winning the Coca-Cola 600 at Charlotte Motor Speedway in May.

BACK ON DIRT: Dirt racing kept Bell busy this offseason. He kicked off January with a win in his own car at the Tulsa Shootout on January 4. Bell returned to Tulsa in mid-January to compete in the Chili Bowl where he won the Race of Champions and advanced to the main event before ultimately finishing 10th.  Most recently, Bell competed in the World of Outlaws DIRTcar Nationals at Volusia Speedway Park in Barberville, Florida, and won on February 6.

CREW CHIEF: Adam Stevens enters his 11th season as a full-time NASCAR Cup Series crew chief and his fifth season with Christopher Bell. Over the course of his career, Stevens has proven himself to be a winner no matter the role or series. He is a two-time NASCAR Cup Series champion and leads all crew chiefs with seven Championship 4 appearances in the current playoff format’s 12-year history.

DEWALT HOOD: DEWALT will feature Mike Scott Plumbing on the lower hood of the No. 20 for the Daytona 500. For more information visit MikeScottPlumbing.com.

INTERSTATE BATTERIES: Interstate Batteries, the leading replacement battery brand with the largest independent battery distribution system in North America, enters their 34th consecutive season as a primary partner at Joe Gibbs Racing. The ‘Outrageously Dependable’ brand will have primaries on the No. 20 Toyota at Las Vegas Motor Speedway (March 16), Texas Motor Speedway (May 4) and in the season finale at Phoenix Raceway (Nov. 2).

TY GIBBS

No. 54 Monster Energy Toyota Camry XSE

DAYTONA 500 NOTES: Ty Gibbs has competed in two DAYTONA 500s with a best finish of 17th in 2024. His best overall performance at the 2.5-mile superspeedway was a fifth-place result last August. In two NASCAR Xfinity Series starts on the 2.5-mile superspeedway, Gibbs finished 11th and seventh, respectively.

2021 DAYTONA: In February 2021, Gibbs won his Xfinity Series debut on the Daytona Road Course after leading 14 of 56 laps and making a dramatic charge from fifth to first on an overtime restart. Gibbs became the youngest driver to win an Xfinity road course race at 18 years, 4 months, 16 days. The Charlotte, N.C., native also became the second-youngest winner in Xfinity Series history behind Joey Logano who won in June 2008 when he was 18 years and 21 days old.

NEW CREW CHIEF: Tyler Allen has assumed the role of crew chief for 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. Allen and Gibbs worked together in May 2024 when Ty competed in the Xfinity Series race at Charlotte Motor Speedway. That weekend, Gibbs won the pole and led 27 laps before finishing ninth.

2024 RECAP: Last season, the No. 54 team qualified for the Cup Series Playoffs and finished 15th in the final standings. Gibbs scored career highs in top-five finishes (eight), top-10s (12), laps led (417) and won pole awards at Charlotte Motor Speedway (May) and Pocono Raceway (July).

DIRT DEBUTS: Over the offseason, Gibbs competed in the USAC National Midget Turkey Night Grand Prix at Ventura Raceway in California and the Chili Bowl in Tulsa, Oklahoma.

CHAMPIONSHIPS: Gibbs is the 2022 NASCAR Xfinity Series champion and the 2021 ARCA Menards Series champion. He also won Rookie of the Year honors in the Xfinity Series (2021) and Cup Series (2023).