Let’s wind our clocks back a couple of decades. It’s 2004, and a 24-year-old Denny Hamlin has walked into Joe Gibbs Racing with little more than raw talent and quiet determination, signing as a developmental driver for the team. Back then, he wasn’t supposed to become the team’s backbone – the one constant through eras, teammates, and shifting NASCAR landscapes. Just another driver/team trying to see if they are a fit for each other.

Yet, two decades later, here he stands. 60 wins – the winningest Cup driver in JGR history. Still strapped into the same seat he first earned in 2004. His loyalty has been unwavering, his drive relentless, and his connection with Joe Gibbs deeply personal. But for all the milestones, all the near-misses, and all the years of consistency, there remains the grand prize that continues to evade him. And Joe Gibbs reveals why it ignites the fire within him.

Denny Hamlin’s pursuit of a championship

Joe Gibbs Racing stands firmly in the NASCAR Championship 4 spotlight with two prominent drivers fighting for the sport’s top prize in 2025. Chase Briscoe, the first-year JGR racer, has grabbed attention with a breakthrough season. However, the talk of the town is the other JGR driver – Denny Hamlin, NASCAR’s most accomplished driver without a championship.

Hamlin has been heartbreakingly close to a championship multiple times, only to see it slip away. The closest he has been is second in 2010. “I think for everybody the only thing that Denny has not claimed is a championship, and so I know everybody asks him about that in every interview, and so if you do that for 20 years, I can tell you there’s a burning desire for him to win a championship,” explained Joe Gibbs.

From a promising rookie to one of NASCAR’s most successful drivers with 60 career Cup wins, Hamlin’s journey has been shaped by relentless dedication. However, one can’t forget the quiet sacrifices of his family, who supported his pursuit of racing excellence through every high and low. Over time, he’s evolved beyond being just a driver; today, he’s also a co-owner of 23XI Racing, a team that’s become a force in its own right.

Joe Gibbs has shed light on Hamlin’s journey, saying, “All the things that he does now, he’s an owner of a race team. Okay. He races for us and all he’s done over those years, his family, where he is today, when he first came with us, all that’s just a huge story.” Yet, even with all he’s achieved – the wins, the fame, the legacy – the championship still evades him. And the hunger to win it is what keeps Hamlin going.

For nearly two decades, every season has brought him back to that same pursuit, that same question from every interviewer: When will you finally win it all? As Gibbs himself put it, after 20 years of chasing the crown, that hunger has only intensified. This weekend, it’s not just another race for Denny Hamlin. It’s the culmination of a career built on endurance, loyalty, and an unshakable desire to finish what he started.

Joe Gibbs talks about Chase Briscoe’s remarkable rise

In the same interview, Joe Gibbs also highlighted Chase Briscoe’s inspiring journey to the NASCAR Championship 4 in 2025. He shared a story from Sirius XM NASCAR Radio about Briscoe’s challenging early days. “They were talking to him about the couch that he slept on for like two years while he’s trying to get an opportunity in the sport,” Gibbs recalled.

In 2014, Chase Briscoe moved into his friend, videographer Ross Wece’s apartment, which he then shared along with his JGR teammate, Christopher Bell. He slept on a couch there for four years, which Briscoe’s parents had bought in the 1980s while he was in Illinois. “The couch I slept on for years at@RossWece’s place. My back hurts just looking at this thing again. 😂” Briscoe replied when Wece shared the couch’s photo on X.

Briscoe got his NASCAR break in the ARCA Menards Series. In 2015, Kerry Scherer of Cunningham Motorsports approached the Indiana-native with a test opportunity. With an impressive performance that season, Briscoe then claimed the ARCA Menards Series in his debut season. Later, Briscoe made his debut in the Xfinity Series in 2018.

Now, in 2025, in his rookie season with Joe Gibbs Racing, Briscoe has defied expectations, proving his talent and composure under pressure. He secured seven poles – the most by any driver this season – showing his qualifying speed and consistency. Beyond poles, he won three races, including a key victory at Pocono over teammate Denny Hamlin that locked him into the playoffs. He’s been a dominant force throughout, running top-10 finishes in the playoffs (Martinsville being the only exception).

Gibbs talked about Briscoe’s 2025 season. “To see him, a first-year guy, be able to get everything done that he’s got done, be on seven poles, won three races to wind up in the final four. So, that’s a great story when you think about that.” Looking ahead, Briscoe’s rise reinforces JGR’s strength in blending youthful energy with seasoned leadership. His breakthrough year sets the stage for a dramatic championship battle.