It is no secret that Joe Gibbs Racing is chasing its first title in the next-gen era, but there is one roadblock in its way. Joe Gibbs’ team has already won five NASCAR series owner titles. Ride from the early 2000s ( 2000, 2002, and 2005) to the mid-2010s ( 2015 and 2019), but they are on the hunt for the sixth one. It looks tough for the organization.

In recent weeks at Martinsville and Talladega, both playoff drivers, Denny Hamlin and Chase Briscoe, faced the wrath of bad luck as engine failures prevailed. With both the individual titles and the owner championship on the line, both Denny Hamlin and Chase Briscoe are determined to fight for their first title and deliver an outstanding performance for JGR. However, there is one NASCAR insider who knows that it will be an uphill battle for the team.

Freddie Kraft sounds unsure about JGR’s chances of winning the championship

Speaking on the Door Bumper Clear podcast, Freddie Kraft didn’t hold back on the lackluster mechanical issues JGR is facing. He said, “You got to be worried about it. Yeah. Starters, clutches, there’s just been issues there kind of all year long for across the board. And then you saw it in practice or qualifying. I think it was with Denny. Denny had to get pushed off for qualifying because his car wouldn’t fire up. Obviously he has an engine issue yesterday. Herbst has an issue. Briscoe had an issue.” 

Last weekend was an absolute fumble for Joe Gibbs Racing. At Martinsville, Denny Hamlin’s race ended abruptly when his engine shut off without warning while he was running second. There were no signs of trouble, no smoke, noise, or vibration, before the car lost power entirely heading into Turn 1. The failure added to a string of mechanical problems Hamlin had faced during the playoff, including throttle and power steering issues that had already tested his team’s resilience.

Chase Briscoe’s day unravelled similarly. Running around 14th on lap 296, his car suddenly slowed on the frontstretch and rolled to a stop due to engine failure. Post-race inspection revealed a faulty batch of valve springs as the culprit, an issue that had affected both of his engines and raised concerns about quality control across the organization. However, the issue was longstanding.

Hamlin faced a different set of issues at Talladega 2 weeks ago, while Chase Briscoe triumphed to a win. Denny Hamlin experienced a throttle issue caused by debris during the race, which forced an extended pit stop and dropped him down to 24th place. Power steering, stuck throttle, and starter problems, which he acknowledged had already cost him the confidence he was riding high on after the Las Vegas win. These issues, plus Hamlin’s curse of not winning a title yet, despite coming close in 20 years of racing, have left NASCAR veteran Dale Earnhardt Jr. scratching his head.

While both Hamilton and Briscoe had already secured their Championship 4 berths, the timing of the failures cast doubt over their teams’ mechanical dependability as they head to the championship finale. But as JGR prepares to battle Hendrick Motorsports, Tommy of the Door Bumper Clear podcast believes that both teams will be dotting their i’s and crossing their t’s, leaving no space for such mishaps. He said, ” I can guarantee you all four of those cars that show up have the freshest engines that they can possibly have.” 

As Joe Gibbs faces his longtime friend and rival Rick Hendrick at Phoenix, Gibbs is under pressure to resolve these issues. And in a recent interview, Gibbs assured the NASCAR community that he’s got it under cover.

Joe Gibbs remains certain that the Martinsville issues will not return to Phoenix

While Joe Gibbs delivered a strong speech to boost the morale of his organization, the owner touched upon the Martinsville issues and revealed that these mechanical issues will not haunt Denny Hamlin and Chase Briscoe’s run at Phoenix.

Speaking in an interview on Monday, Joe Gibbs said, “I think it always concerns you, obviously. Any time you have a motor issue, but we feel like this morning we’ve been through every single thing that happened, we’ve got all the parts out in here and I think we have a plan, a strategy, where we think we got ourselves in a good position. And it won’t come back to us this next week in Phoenix. I think we’ve got those parts and anytime you’ve valve spring issues, they come in batches. So I think we got things covered.” 

Moreover, some reports indicate that Joe Gibbs Racing has begun replacing key engine components after multiple failures last weekend. The move came ahead of the NASCAR Cup Series finale at Phoenix Raceway, where both Denny Hamlin and Chase Briscoe will contend for the championship.

Following the loss of three engines during the Martinsville race, including those of Hamlin and Briscoe, the team is taking precautionary measures to strengthen their reliability before the high-stakes showdown. And now with new engines and a rekindled motivation, JGR is ready to conquer Phoenix.