As the NASCAR Cup Series is about to see its 2025 finale at Phoenix Raceway, the spotlight falls on two powerhouses: Joe Gibbs Racing and Hendrick Motorsports. With JGR’s five-time champions clashing against 14-time champion HMS. And Denny Hamlin, the team’s veteran leader, is standing at the heart of it all as he chases that elusive first crown. Yet, with Chase Briscoe alongside him, and Mr. H’s team fielding Kyle Larson and William Byron, the stage is set for a showdown where every detail counts.

This friendly rivalry, rooted in decades of mutual respect between owners Rick Hendrick and Joe Gibbs, adds layers of intrigue as preparations intensify for the finale. Hamlin’s candid takes on team strategies offer a rare peek behind the curtain, hinting at how these giants align for the Nov. 2 battle. But what difference does the No. 11 driver really see in the two teams’ approaches?

Inside Denny Hamlin’s take on rival setup plays

On the latest episode of the Action Detrimental podcast, Denny Hamlin peeled back layers on how JGR and HMS tackle car setups heading into Phoenix. The flat, one-mile oval demands precise balance in aerodynamics and handling, where even small adjustments can make a really large difference.

Hamlin likened it to guessing a number from 1 to 100, stressing that JGR aims straight for the bullseye rather than taking blind shots. “If the right answer is ten, we’re trying to guess ten, but it could be 19. It could be 25,” he said. “We’re trying to hit it on the number. I don’t think we’re trying to hedge a little on this side, a little on that side.” This precision stems from Hamlin’s simulator grind, where he spends seven hours weekly, honing setups that favor his exit-speed style over aggressive entries.

And this approach contrasts subtly with HMS, where drivers like Larson prioritize corner attacks. Yet Hamlin downplayed vast gaps, noting every driver has their own style of driving and should hold onto their strength without experimenting. At Phoenix, these nuances could decide the race: JGR’s tighter cohesion might shine in traffic, while HMS’s adaptability aids clean air runs.

“Me and Chase are very different in our styles,” Hamlin explained on the podcast. “He attacks corner entry quite a bit. I’m a person that tries to get off the corners as good as I possibly can. So that’s going to require different things out of our cars.” Past finales here, like Larson‘s 2021 dominance, show how such differences create split-second gaps in the race finishes.

Drawing from his offseason reflections, Hamlin echoed this mindset earlier this year: “I’m going to have to outwork people. I’m going to have to look at things that maybe other people aren’t looking at. I’ve learned to win it more with my mind than I have with my talent.” Ex-crew chief Chris Gayle also backed this sentiment of Hamlin working as hard as anyone to win a race by giving examples of incidents like late-night texts that Hamlin sent about Martinsville setups.

With all four cars, two from each of JGR and Hendrick Motorsports, racing for the title, Hamlin identifies 75% of the car setup as similar in this strict Next-Gen era. “I think it’s probably 75% is common. And then there’s 25% that we probably veer off into their own hemispheres. So all four of these cars are going to be pretty close.” No light-years divide them; as Hamlin suggested, about 25% of the car setup may be different, and that means the majority of the things come down to individual driver skill in the final race.

Those close calls set the tone, but voices from the other side amp up the drama even more.

Gordon eyes fierce title tilt

Jeff Gordon, Hendrick’s vice chairman and four-time champ, couldn’t hide his thrill after William Byron’s Martinsville masterclass locked in HMS’s duo. This setup mirrors 2021’s split field, turning Phoenix into a duel between NASCAR’s top shops. Gordon, who won his last title in a similar high-voltage race, sees history repeating with added bite with JGR’s Briscoe as the surprise package against Larson’s proven poise.

“It’s going to be an epic battle,” Gordon said, capturing the buzz. He also pointed to the mutual grind, with teams dissecting data from the previous 35 races to nail Phoenix’s flat track. HMS’s 319 cup wins edge JGR’s 227, but with Briscoe’s 15 top-fives and Denny Hamlin hungry for his first title, they may flip the script on domination. Gordon’s words accept that fire too.

“You got four cars, two organizations, that are going to give it everything,” Gordon added. “It’s going to be a fascinating week of preparation, seeing how it unfolds at the racetrack in Phoenix.” The backstory runs deep; Gibbs leaned on Hendrick for engines in ’92, forging respect amid 500+ combined victories. Now, with emotions running high, the stakes are high for both teams.  One winner from this team claims the 2025 crown, leaving the rest to regroup for 2026’s changes.