NXS: Joe Gibbs Racing 2016 Review, 2017 Preview - Speedway Digest

Joe Gibbs Racing’s 2016 season in the NASCAR Xfinity Series can be summed up in one word: domination. Winning 17 of the 33 races is unprecedented in NASCAR these days – moreover in any form of motorsport. I mean, think about it: JGR won in half of the races this season in the Xfinity Series. If that isn’t mind blowing, I don’t know what is.

The main reason for JGR’s supremacy in the series is due to the immense talent Coach Gibbs has assembled. From a NASCAR Monster Energy Cup Series champion in Kyle Busch, to a NASCAR Camping World Truck Series champion in Erik Jones, to what would eventually become the NASCAR Xfinity Series champion in Daniel Suarez, JGR seems to be the home of champions.

2016 REVIEW:

Busch won a whopping 10 races in 2016 behind the wheel of the No. 18 Toyota Camry and also earned the owners championship for JGR. He earned nine poles, 14 top tens, 14 top fives and led over 2,000 laps of the 2,918 run. Not too bad, wouldn’t you say? He started off the season with a bang, winning three races in a row at Atlanta, Las Vegas and Phoenix, respectively. He then garnered a pair of six shooters at Texas, won three more in a row at Kentucky, New Hampshire and Indianapolis before closing the campaign out with wins at Richmond, Kansas and Phoenix (again). Just imagine if he was running for the title. It would’ve been locked up as soon as the green flag flew at Daytona.

The man who shared driving duties of the No. 18 car was Matt Tifft. The 20-year old had an interesting season to say the least, as brain surgery forced him to miss the middle chunk of the season. The mere act of strapping into a race car after that procedure was amazing enough. What he did after was what made people step back. His best finish of the season came at Kentucky, where he came home fifth. He finished with five top tens in 10 starts on the year and led 23 laps. The rock-solid end to 2016 will hopefully provide him with a springboard of momentum heading into 2017 for Joe Gibbs Racing.

Erik Jones was the championship favorite heading into his rookie season behind the wheel of the No. 20 car. Although he didn’t deliver on that lofty expectation, he did win Rookie of the Year honors. And who knows, maybe if a certain someone *COUGH COLE WHITT COUGH* wasn’t in the way, Jones maybe could have challenged for the title. But Jones’ 2016 was nothing to shy away from. Four wins coming at Bristol, Dover, Iowa and Chicagoland, 20 top tens and 15 top fives. Add nine poles, 627 laps led and a trip to the Championship Four in the Xfinity Series’ inaugural Chase season, and you have yourself a magnificent year

But the man who hoisted the hardware in 2016 was Daniel Suarez. The 25-year old from Monterrey, Mexico became the first Latin-American born driver to win a championship in NASCAR. His second season in the series was his best. Three wins at Michigan (out-dueling Busch), Dover and the season-finale at Homestead-Miami, 27 top tens, 19 top fives, three poles and 347 laps led is an unreal box score to look at. The dude finished outside the top ten only six times all season. That’s a remarkable achievement in and of itself. He won when he needed to, and ended up in victory lane and made the sport even more global. Whenever you say Daniel Suarez, you’ll attach “NASCAR champion” to his name. Not bad for a kid from Mexico, huh?

2017 PREVIEW:

Here’s what we know: since Carl Edwards abruptly announced he’s stepping away from competition in 2017, Suarez is now moving up to the MENCS a little before he expected to be doing so. With ARRIS by his side, he will pilot the No. 19 at the top level full-time in 2017. That leaves the No. 19 NXS car open unexpectedly. JGR has yet to announce any plans for that ride.

Due to the fact that Tifft will be driving full-time in the series in 2017 in the No. 20 car, one can assume that Busch and Suarez would most likely split driving duties of one of the Xfinity cars for 2017. Cody Caughlin was also signed by JGR in the offseason, and the Ohio native might get some reps in the series as well.

You may be thinking to yourself, what about Erik Jones? Well, he will be racing full-time in the No. 77 car for Furniture Row Racing this season, allowing Tifft to slide into the No. 20 seat. There are also some possible attractive free agents in the series, most notably Darrell Wallace Jr. We don’t know what else will happen, but we’ll find out soon.

If this year is anything like last for Joe and J.D. Gibbs, they’re in for a treat. But the way it looks, with their champion and rookie of the year leaving and some uncertainty surrounding the rest of the lineup, it might not be all peaches and cream in the Xfnity Series for JGR.

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Davey Segal

Davey Segal is a junior sports journalism major from Rockville, Maryland. He attended his first race in 2002 at Dover International Speedway with his father, and fell in love with the sport immediately. He would love nothing more to graduate from Michigan State University with his journalism degree and begin to cover America's No. 1 motorsport as a profession. He writes about the sport for Speedway Media, Fronstretch and Impact 89 FM and proceeds a weekly podcast about all things NASCAR. He enjoys only one thing more than sitting on his couch every weekend and watching the action unfold: being at the race track to see it for himself.