J.D. Gibbs says fourth Joe Gibbs Racing team ‘to be determined’
Joe Gibbs Racing President J.D. Gibbs is seeking sponsorship to run a fourth car in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series in 2010. // Jim Fluharty, NASCAR Scene
HOMESTEAD, Fla. – Joe Gibbs Racing President J.D. Gibbs says sponsorship will determine the status of the organization’s fourth NASCAR Sprint Cup Series team, a team that has competed in three of the final six races with driver David Gilliland.
“We have the capacity to do it. We could knock it out and do that, probably a few more races without an issue,” Gibbs said Saturday at Homestead-Miami Speedway. “But we’ll see."
Partial sponsorship, such as that provided by Farm Bureau Insurance this season, could allow for a handful of races, he said. And if the schedule doesn’t expand greatly, the team could resurface at a moment’s notice.
“When you do that few number of races,” Gibbs said, “you can do it whenever. You do have to plan and prepare for it. … If you start talking eight, 10 or 12 races, that’s a whole other situation.”
Gilliland qualified 17th, best among the four JGR teams for Sunday's Ford 400, the final Cup race of 2009. Teammate Kyle Busch will start 30th, while Joey Logano will start 35th and Denny Hamlin 38th.
In his two previous starts for the team this season, Gilliland has finished 25th (at Lowe’s Motor Speedway) and 28th (Texas). Gibbs says in spite of the final results, he’s been impressed with what the fourth team has been able to accomplish in such a short time.
“I love David and [crew chief] Wally [Brown],” he said. “I think the hard part is when you have to spend all that time focused on qualifying, when you start the race you’re off a little bit. You go down a lap and then you get pretty good, but it’s halfway through the race. That’s the hard part. It just takes time.”
