Gibbs team still waiting on season's first Cup victory

What else does Joe Gibbs Racing have to do? Their tests have been productive, their cars have been solid. They've led laps, won a pole, and racked up enough points to place two drivers in the top 10. But they still haven't been able to roll a car into Victory Lane after a Nextel Cup event.

And that eats at people at the team's shop in Huntersville, N.C., where week after week they've turned out vehicles capable of winning races, only to watch them come up short each time. Whether it's an accident, a busted fuel pump or a mistake on pit road, something has always cropped up and forced Tony Stewart or Denny Hamlin to watch while another driver sprays champagne.

"We've been good, and we've got nothing to show for it," team president J.D. Gibbs said. "You see all the laps led, and the drivers are doing their jobs. We've had some stuff come up that was out of our control, and some stuff that was our fault. It's just frustrating. I love bragging on our guys here, and you don't really get a chance to do it. Unless you're a hard-core fan, you'd never really know we're really, really good. All you hear about is the guys who've won, which is fair. But we'll continue to be patient, we'll keep doing our homework, and we'll be fine."

As NASCAR's premier series heads to Texas Motor Speedway, much of the focus is on Hendrick Motorsports, which recorded its fourth consecutive Nextel Cup victory two weeks ago when Jimmie Johnson edged teammate Jeff Gordon at Martinsville. No team has won five consecutive since Petty Enterprises did it in 1971. The record for one owner is an amazing 16 consecutive victories, set by Carl Keikhafer in 1956.

But for a few breaks, it very well may be the Gibbs team on a hot streak. After all, Stewart clearly had the strongest car during Speedweeks before a wreck with Kurt Busch ended his Daytona 500. Stewart led 121 laps at Atlanta before Johnson overtook him for the victory. Stewart and Hamlin combined to lead 434 of 500 laps at Bristol before both drivers were sidelined with fuel pump issues. And pole winner Hamlin led 125 laps at Martinsville before a dropped jack on a late pit stop forced him to settle for third.

Along with teammate J.J. Yeley, Gibbs cars have led laps in every Nextel Cup event this season. Stewart leads the series in laps led with 452, a number that accounts for 22 percent of all laps completed this year. Hamlin is third with 302 laps led. They just haven't been in position to lead the last one.

"A lot of it, to me, is momentum. Throughout the year, you'll get on some rolls there," Gibbs said. "We just need to hit our stride. I feel like we've had good shots in almost all the races. We've had good equipment. Obviously, we've got great drivers. I haven't been doing this forever, but after 16 years, you know if you do your homework, your time will come. I know how much effort our guys put into it, and not having the results is somewhat frustrating. At the same time, it's not like we're struggling. We've got pretty good stuff."

Even without a victory, the Gibbs team appears to be at its strongest since expanding to a three-car operation in 2005. A few personnel changes on the No. 18 car helped boost the fortunes of Yeley, who stood inside the top 12 in points until finishes of 22nd or worse in his last three starts. A part failure and a pit-road error cost Yeley in two of those efforts, and Gibbs likes the promise he sees in the Arizona native. But much like the team as a whole, there's been something lacking in the end. (Continued)