In the modern era of NASCAR, Hendrick Motorsports are generally regarded as the best team with names such as Kyle Larson, Chase Elliott, Jimmie Johnson, Jeff Gordon, and more all having experienced success in Rick Hendrick’s organization. But their closest competitor, Joe Gibbs Racing has not often been far behind.
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And with the trajectory of the two teams this season so far, one could argue that the Gibbs cars have been performing significantly better than the Hendricks. At the moment all of JGR cars are in the playoffs with wins to their names. But for the case of HMS, Chase Elliott and Alex Bowman still remain winless.
This idea, that JGR is currently better than HMS was one which Kyle Larson recently mentioned. He also addressed the position at which HMS stands and how they plan on improving.
Kyle Larson thinks JGR has overtaken HMS as the best team
While speaking to the media ahead of the race at Indianapolis Motor Speedway, Larson mentioned, “It seems like the Toyota’s, the Gibbs cars have gotten a lot better… I would say the Gibbs guys definitely have taken over being the best organization…”
Later on, he explained the position in which Hendrick Motorsport was in, he said, “I feel like Hendrick’s was that team for at least the first half. So yeah I think we are trying to figure out how to continue to get better here before the playoffs. But then even in the playoffs, 10 weeks is a long time so you’re trying to peak at the right point.”
He added, “I’m confident that our team, our organization can figure it out. We are not far off by any means. But you always wanna be a little bit better so just continue to work hard.”
How good has this season been for Joe Gibbs Racing?
Looking at the regular season points standing one could exclaim that the JGR cars have been in a comfortable spot this season. Martin Truex Jr. has been leading the championship and Denny Hamlin sits in second place.
Meanwhile, Christopher Bell is nestled in the 4th slot. Finally, Ty Gibbs, who is in his debut season, is hanging by a thread at the last playoff spot, without a win. The results of the next three races in the regular season will determine if the young Gibbs will retain his spot or tumble out of the postseason contention.
But all in all, Joe Gibbs Racing and Toyota have been having a particularly dominant season. At least with the second half of the season. Therefore, it makes sense why Larson would call the JGR outfit the top organization at the moment.
