Team Penske, Joe Gibbs Racing have found success at Kentucky

Of the nine NASCAR Cup Series races held at Kentucky Speedway, the majority of them (six) have been won by two organizations – Team Penske (three wins) and Joe Gibbs Racing (three wins). This weekend both organizations will look to get their fourth victory at the 1.5-mile track and take the series lead in owner wins at the facility.

Joe Gibbs Racing’s three wins began with the inaugural series event in 2011; when Kyle Busch started from the first position due to qualifying being cancelled and then won. Then in 2013, veteran Matt Kenseth brought JGR their second victory from Kentucky and Busch again visited Victory Lane in 2015.

All four Joe Gibbs Racing drivers have run well at Kentucky in the past. In nine starts, Busch has amassed two wins, seven top fives and eight top 10s. Martin Truex Jr. has also made nine starts, posting two wins (in 2017 and 2018 with Furniture Row Racing), two top fives and five top 10s. Denny Hamlin has made nine starts at Kentucky, putting up four top fives and an average finish of 14.8. And Erik Jones has made three series starts at Kentucky posting one top five and three top 10s. He also the series second best average finish (5.3) at Kentucky; behind only his teammate Kyle Busch.

In last season’s race, Busch finished runner-up, Jones was third, Hamlin was fifth and Truex finished 19th.

Team Penske’s three wins at Kentucky have all come from Brad Keselowski; who leads the series in victories at the track (2011, 2014, 2016). In total, Keselowski has made nine starts at Kentucky posting one pole, three wins, four top fives and six top 10s. His average finish 12.3.

Though Keselowski’s teammates Joey Logano and Ryan Blaney have yet to win at Kentucky in the NASCAR Cup Series they have found success at the track in the NASCAR Xfinity Series with Logano winning three times and Blaney taking home the checkered flag twice. In the Cup Series Logano has made nine starts at Kentucky posting two top fives and six top 10s. Blaney has made four series starts at Kentucky posting one top five and two top 10s. In last season’s race Team Penske drivers finished seventh (Logano), 13th (Blaney) and 20th (Keselowski).