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Joe Gibbs Racing (JGR) has established itself as one of the strongest teams in the 2026 NASCAR Cup Series season. The team will head into the 12th race of the year with multiple victories and consistent front running speed. But one of its biggest strengths has been its pit crews, which rank among the fastest groups on pit road.
Having four cars inside the top five and three occupying the first, second, and fourth positions gives the team a major advantage during races. A tenth of a second may seem minor, but on pit road it often determines who exits ahead and controls the next restart.
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Recent pit crew rankings based on the average of each team’s 10 fastest four-tire pit stops show JGR occupying three of the top four positions. Christopher Bell’s No. 20 crew leads the series with an average stop time of 9.06 seconds. Chase Briscoe’s No. 19 crew sits second at 9.07 seconds.
Chase Elliott’s crew ranks third at 9.08 seconds, while Denny Hamlin’s No. 11 team is fourth with a 9.10-second average. Ty Gibbs rounds out the Joe Gibbs Racing presence in fifth at 9.14 seconds.
Three of Joe Gibbs Racing’s drivers are also in the top seven of the championship. Denny Hamlin, second in pointsm has two victories, including Nashville, and Ty Gibbs got his breakthrough win at Bristol and is ranked 5th in points. Bell is seventh ahead of this week’s race at Michigan.
Chase Briscoe also strengthened his playoff hopes after a top-three finish at Nashville last weekend. He moved up into 14th place in the points standings.
Joe Gibbs Racing president addresses Denny Hamlin’s retirement plans
Joe Gibbs Racing president Dave Alpern has commented on Denny Hamlin’s future in the No. 11 car in a recent episode of SiriusXM NASCAR Radio. Alpern said Hamlin would have to “fight” the team to leave if he keeps performing at such a high level, when the team revisits the topic around this time next year.
Hamlin has discussed the possibility of retiring after his current contract expires. He does not want to race just to fill a seat and wants to keep winning races. But the 45-year-old continues to run near the front and win races, competing for championships.
“He may have to fight us to leave. … I think we’ll get to about this time next year and we’ll evaluate. If he’s still running like he’s running now this time next year, I’d have a hard time thinking he’s leaving. But you never know,” Alpern said.
Hamlin is signed with Joe Gibbs Racing through 2027 and is just one race win away from beating NASCAR legend Kyle Busch’s record of 63 Cup Series victories.
Edited by Palak Gupta
