When Joe Gibbs Racing joined the Cup Series in 1992, a new rivalry was born in NASCAR. For the past 34 years, Hendrick Motorsports and Joe Gibbs Racing have been battling for wins and championships at the very top levels of the sport. That competition was carried even in last year’s finale race at Phoenix, where the four finalists were evenly split among the two winningest playoff teams in NASCAR. Now, coming into 2026, former NASCAR driver Kevin Harvick claims that the rivalry is not going away anytime soon.

Hendrick vs. Gibbs, once again?

In his Happy Hour episode, Harvick mentioned how the HMS and JGR cars looked strong once again at the Clash. By giving the example of William Byron, he said, “William Byron, he’s got the experience now. He’s got the stability in his team. He’s got an organization that is proven winners with Hendrick Motorsports, and they’re in a position to contend for a championship.

Following this, the former Stewart-Haas Racing star mentioned how it can be an all-Mr. Hendrick and Gibbs’ affair once again, as seen in the Clash:

“So Hendrick, swept the front row. We saw 4 Gibbs cars lined up right behind them after qualifying, and I really think that’s gonna be the story of the year. It’s Hendrick versus Gibbs, and that’s just the way that it is. With the small changes in the rules this year with the cars and everything that’s happening, it’s gonna be hard to make up ground on those guys.”

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Most previews for the 2026 season are also pointing to the same. Given both teams’ stable lineups, recent wins, and organizational depth, insiders are expecting these two teams to control much of the championship conversation again.

Notably, Hendrick Motorsports and Joe Gibbs Racing have been two of the most successful NASCAR teams in recent times. Having shared 547 Cup Series victories and 20 Cup titles between them, they are a force to reckon with.

Currently, they have four charters each, and every driver from the aforementioned teams is a threat to win. Larson of Hendrick Motorsports is the current champion, followed by Denny Hamlin of Joe Gibbs Racing, who is the runner-up.

However, despite this long rivalry, both Hendrick and Gibbs share mutual respect for each other.

When HMS star highlighted Rick Hendrick and Joe Gibbs’ bond

In October last year, Jeff Gordon, the Vice Chairman of Hendrick Motorsports, shared his take on Rick Hendrick’s relationship with Joe Gibbs. Speaking about the titans of the sport at Martinsville, Gordon said:

“Mr. Hendrick and Coach Gibbs have an incredible relationship. They talk on a pretty regular basis. They don’t talk race, about what happened on Sunday, unless they’re congratulating one another on something. It’s something that was built over time because of the way it started.”

While the respect is mutual off the track, when it comes to on-track battles, the HMS drivers are reluctant to leave an inch to their JGR counterparts and vice versa. With that said, it will be interesting to see how the Hendrick Motorsports squad performs against Gibbs’ brigade.