The Associated Press
LOUDON, N.H.–Joe Gibbs Racing has undergone an unexpected upheaval that forced the organization into a youth movement.
The biggest surprise, though, was going 0-for-2017.
Denny Hamlin ended that rut with the kind of finish down the stretch that showed that yes, the new generation may be on the way but the JGR lynchpin still knows how to win.
Hamlin held off Kyle Larson over the final laps yesterday at New Hampshire Motor Speedway to send Gibbs to its first victory of the season.
One of the top organizations in NASCAR, JGR had yet to have any of its four drivers win until Hamlin took the lead with 33 laps left and held off the hard-charging Larson on the final lap.
Hamlin needed his 30th career Cup victory to secure a berth in NASCAR’s version of the post-season and end a winless streak that stretched to last September at Richmond.
Larson had a sensational run from the rear of the field, where he was forced to start because he failed inspection after he won the pole.
Martin Truex Jr. was third, followed by Matt Kenseth and Kevin Harvick.
JGR won seven of the first 12 races last season and Carl Edwards was 10 laps away from a possible championship when he crashed out in the finale.
Daniel Suarez replaced Edwards this season, and Hamlin, Kenseth, and Kyle Busch have made strong runs at the checkered flag; they just couldn’t find the winning formula until New Hampshire.
“It’s not from a lack of trying,” Hamlin said.
JGR also announced this week that Erik Jones would replace two-time Daytona 500 champ Kenseth in the No. 20 next season.
Jones and Suarez soon will be expected to carry the load into the next decade once Busch and the 36-year-old Hamlin finish their careers.
“They’re going to be there long after I’m gone,” Hamlin noted. “They’ll be the team leaders.
“You just try and set an example for them,” he reasoned. “Show the work ethic that it takes to be a winner on a weekly basis.
“Hopefully, that infectious-type atmosphere bleeds into them and they lead the team after we’re gone.”
