Sure, no one would have predicted that the three Gibbs drivers would have the bottom three spots in the Chase and be out of title contention three races in.

 

Yet, a closer look at how JGR drivers have performed in the Chase would reveal that this team underperforms when the pressure is on as compared to how other Chase teams do.

 

I went through every result of the Chase since its inception in 2004 and looked at where each Chase driver finished and looked at how the team results stacked up. It's not great for JGR. I base this off percentages because not all teams have had the same amount of starts during the Chase. To avoid confusion, yes Tony Stewart won three races for JGR in 2006 during the end of the season but remember that he wasn't in the Chase that year so such stats don't count in this. This is just what a team has done when its driver or drivers are in the Chase. Take a look:

 

Winning percentage by organizations in the Chase:

 

1.  Hendrick Motorsports ... 14.1 percent (14 wins in 99 starts)

2. Roush Fenway Racing ... 7.1 percent (9 wins in 127 starts)

3. Richard Childress Racing ... 6.8 percent (4 wins in 59 starts)

4. Dale Earnhardt Inc. ... 6.7 percent (2 wins in 30 starts)

5. Penske Racing ... 5.0 percent (2 wins in 40 starts)

6. Gillett Evernham Motorsports ... 3.3 percent (1 win in 30 starts)

7. JOE GIBBS RACING ... 0.0 percent (0 wins in 59 starts)

 

PERCENTAGE OF TOP 5s BY ORGANIZATIONS

 

1. Hendrick ... 46.5 percent (46 top 5s in 99 starts)

2. Roush ... 41.7 percent (53 top 5s in 127 starts)

3. DEI ... 26.6 percent (8 top 5s in 30 starts)

4. JOE GIBBS RACING ... 23.7 percent (14 top 5s in 59 starts)

5. RCR ... 22.0 percent (13 top 5s in 59 starts)

 

 

PERCENTAGE OF TOP 10s by ORGANIZATIONS

 

1. Hendrick ... 65.6 percent (65 top 10s in 99 starts)

2. RCR ... 55.9 percent (33 top 10s in 59 starts)

3. Roush ... 55.1 percent (70 top 10s in 127 starts)

4. JOE GIBBS RACING ... 50.8 percent (30 top 10s in 59 starts)

5. DEI ... 50 percent (15 top 10s in 30 starts)

 

 If you go back to Atlanta last fall, Joe Gibbs Racing has had 17 starts in the Chase during the last 7 races and has no wins, two top 5s (11.7 percent) and four top 10s (23.5 percent). Those are poor numbers when compared to what others have done lately. Just for example, Hendrick has won four of those seven races since Atlanta last fall with Roush Fenway Racing winning the other three.

 

When you're among the elites -- Hendrick, Roush, JGR and RCR -- it's about winning championships. Wins are nice during the "regular season'' but folks remember what you do come crunch time. So far, Joe Gibbs Racing has shown little when compared to Hendrick and Roush.