Hendrick Motorsports, Joe Gibbs Racing rekindle friendly rivalry for NASCAR championship

Jeff Gordon was in the thick of dissecting Hendrick Motorsports' prospects for the NASCAR championship when he was interrupted by a text message from his team's chief rival. This wasn't any typical trash talk about the title. Joe Gibbs Racing president Dave Alpern instead was contacting the Hendrick vice chairman to convey how privileged JGR felt in facing a longtime adversary. "He just beat me to the punch; I would have done the same thing," Gordon said Sunday night at Martinsville Speedway, where Hendrick locked up the final two berths in the title round of NASCAR's premier series. "It just goes to show you the respect we have for one another. We're honored as well. I'm really proud to have the relationship that we have with Gibbs. Off the track, we say we're teammates, but on the track, we're fierce competitors." For the second time in four years, the Championship 4 in the Cup Series is an even split between the two winningest playoff teams in NASCAR history. The best finisher of four drivers in the Nov. 2 season finale at Phoenix Raceway will claim the crown. Hendrick will be represented by 2021 champion Kyle Larson and William Byron, who beat Ryan Blaney at Martinsville for the team's record-extending 62nd playoff victory. Ranking second with 42 playoff victories (including wins in five of the first nine playoff races this season), Gibbs has Denny Hamlin and Chase Briscoe. It's the third time that Hendrick has owned half the title field, and the fourth time with at least two Championship 4 drivers for JGR, which had a record three in 2019 (winning the title with Kyle Busch). The powerhouses have combined for 547 Cup wins in a friendly rivalry dating back more than three decades, when Joe Gibbs consulted Rick Hendrick about starting a NASCAR team after winning three Super Bowls as a Hall of Fame football coach. "I didn't have anything," Gibbs said during a news conference Monday. "Everybody referred me to Rick. He helped us a lot and gave advice. It was a huge deal for us to be able to get off the ground. Rick played a huge role in that. I just really appreciate that." In addition to supplying engines for JGR's Cup debut in 1992, Hendrick also invited Gibbs to high-level meetings with executives. Gibbs laughs about trying to return the favor by bringing Hendrick to a Washington football game. "His shoes came apart on the sideline," Gibbs said. "He almost lost his toes it was so cold. That was a story." With five Cup championships, Gibbs eventually became a NASCAR Hall of Fame team owner in 2020, three years after Hendrick was inducted into the stock-car racing shrine. Hendrick Motorsports captured its record 14th Cup championship in 2021 after Larson beat Hamlin on a final pit stop at Phoenix. That title race also included 2020 Cup champion Chase Elliott for Hendrick and 2017 champ Martin Truex Jr. for JGR. This year's title field is nearly as deep, featuring the regular-season champion (Byron) and the leaders in wins (Hamlin with six) and top-five finishes (Briscoe with 15). Toss in Larson, the only former champ in the bunch who ranked second in laps led and top fives, and it's a wide-open championship without a clear favorite because there is no driver from Team Penske, which won the past three championships with Blaney and Joey Logano. "I think the door is wide open," Larson said after taking fifth at Martinsville to beat out JGR's Christopher Bell on points for the last Championship 4 spot. "I really couldn't tell you who would be the favorite now. Where if Blaney had won, we all would say he's the favorite. It's going to be a fun week trying to be the best prepared for it. You could make a case for any of us. We're all four deserving teams, so may the best man win." Gordon, who won four Cup championships in his driving career while battling with former Gibbs stars Bobby Labonte and Tony Stewart, is expecting an "epic battle" between two team owners who maintain an "incredible relationship" with regular conversations. "They don't talk racing," Gordon said. "They don't talk about what happened on Sunday unless they're congratulating one another on something." Gibbs jokes he'd like to avoid racing his longtime friend Hendrick. "I would prefer to go against somebody that's not very good," he said with a laugh. "The problem is that doesn't happen in NASCAR. We know what we're up against somebody that's really, really good. Two cars for them. Two for us. Hopefully, this will be good for the fans and the excitement. Probably won't be good for me. I'll be so nervous and uptight about it."