RELATED: New looks for the 2018 season
CHARLOTTE, N.C. — Joe Gibbs Racing enters the 2018 season with a new team dynamic — a mix of two second-year drivers with two established stars of the sport. For Kyle Busch, who fits into the latter category, it’s an opportunity to continue a mentorship that pre-dates the young drivers’ rise to NASCAR’s top division.
Busch, 32, and 37-year-old Denny Hamlin bring a wealth of experience to JGR’s lineup for the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series campaign; both are perennial playoff contenders with 10 or more years with the same organization. Daniel Suarez, 26, is in just his second year with the Gibbs group, and 21-year-old Erik Jones is the team’s newbie, having just completed his rookie season with JGR ally Furniture Row Racing.
But Suarez and Jones are far from fresh-faced newcomers sporting name tags and needing awkward introductions.
Busch has had a working relationship with both drivers for years.
“Obviously, it’s a unique opportunity for me being one of the elder statesmen, if you will, of the sport, let alone Joe Gibbs Racing and being able to lead our younger guys,” Busch said Tuesday morning during the NASCAR Media Tour hosted by Charlotte Motor Speedway. “Erik and Daniel, those guys have come through Kyle Busch Motorsports, so it’s been fun to watch them progress through the years through the Truck Series, Xfinity Series and now being into the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series.
“I’m looking forward to working with them and continuing to see their progress, but also working to continue to be one of the leadership guys at our team and being able to race on for championships for years to come.”
CAREER STATS: Kyle Busch | Denny Hamlin | Erik Jones | Daniel Suarez
Hamlin said Tuesday that Matt Kenseth’s voice will be missed at team meetings, but he expects to lean on Jones and Suarez for information, as well.
“Erik was already there last year in the meetings, so we don’t really bring someone in new. Erik started to become more outspoken as the year went on, and so did Daniel. I’m sure their second year in will be even more magnified,” Hamlin said.
“Me and Kyle are both vocal enough in our meetings that it just depends on what happened to who that weekend who gives the most information,” he said, adding the weight of performing well rests on all of the team’s shoulders.
Both young drivers excelled during their time with Kyle Busch Motorsports. Jones landed seven victories in the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series for KBM, and Suarez scored one before his move to Xfinity competition for Gibbs.
RELATED: Driver, crew chief changes for 2018
Suarez will be rounding into his second year with Joe Gibbs Racing, continuing with the No. 19 Toyota that Carl Edwards vacated with his sudden retirement before 2017 season. Jones shifted into the No. 20 team, replacing Kenseth, after a year of seasoning with a place-holder Furniture Row Racing team.
Jones said he’s still getting familiar with his new team, but having crew chief Chris Gayle make the same move with him has helped smooth out any kinks.
“There were a lot of unknowns last year at this point for myself at least, going into a new series with a new team, a new group of guys — it was just a lot of things that were really unsettled and weren’t really all figured out yet,” Jones said. “At least having everybody in place and knowing Chris, knowing the Cup Series one year better than I did last, it’s definitely an advantage. I have a better feel for the cars and everything to expect there in what’s going to be week-in and week-out and how the season kind of rolls and progresses.
“We’ll see how it all goes, but I’m definitely at a more comfortable point with the Cup Series than I was a year ago.”
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