Gibbs set to challenge Hendrick for NASCAR dominance

Jeff Owens, NASCAR Scene

While the sports world continues to marvel at Jimmie Johnson’s fourth straight Sprint Cup championship and the racing world continues to heap honors on Johnson for the magnificent, record-setting achievement, there is another mark that should be equally celebrated.

Equally impressive is the four straight championships won by Hendrick Motorsports, NASCAR’s most dominant team.

The entire Hendrick organization, in fact, might be the only entity in NASCAR more impressive than Johnson and his No. 48 Chad Knaus-led team.

Hendrick has won five of the past nine Cup championships, dating back to Jeff Gordon’s fourth title in 2001. If you go back farther, it has won nine of the past 15 championships, dating to Hendrick’s — and Gordon’s — first title in 1995.

Over the past 15 years, no team in NASCAR has been more consistent and more dominant than Hendrick Motorsports. And last year’s performance was its best ever, sweeping the top three spots in the final standings with Johnson, Mark Martin and Gordon.

But how long can Hendrick’s dominance continue?

And is there any team out there capable of surpassing it as NASCAR’s top team?

Yes, and that team might be on the verge of offering Hendrick its most serious challenge yet, particularly long-term.

While Roush Racing might be Hendrick’s biggest threat right now if perennial contenders Carl Edwards, Matt Kenseth and Greg Biffle can bounce back from an off year, it is Joe Gibbs Racing that offers the biggest long-term threat.

Why?

Youth.

Gibbs has two legitimate championship contenders right now in Kyle Busch, who has won more races than any driver other than Johnson the past two years, and Denny Hamlin, who is coming off his best season yet with four wins and a fifth-place finish in points.

Gibbs’ third driver may also be on the verge of becoming a superstar. Joey Logano won a race and the series’ rookie-of-the-year award last year.

Though they combined for nine wins last year, the biggest asset the three drivers bring to the table is youth.

Busch is just 24, but he already has the experience of a seasoned veteran, dominating, at times, all three of NASCAR’s top three series. With a bit more patience and maturity, he will be a championship contender for years to come.

Hamlin, just 29, has been a proven points producer who knows how to challenge for a championship. He would have been a serious contender last year if not for bad luck during the Chase for the Sprint Cup.

Hamlin erased his biggest question mark last year, proving he can win consistently. While Busch still needs some seasoning, Hamlin appears to be the total package and may represent Gibbs’ best shot at winning its third Cup championship. He will enter 2010 as one of the favorites for the title.

Though Logano has a lot to learn and a ways to go, he has plenty of time to get there. His driving talent is unquestioned, and he is backed by one of the sport’s strongest crew chiefs, Greg Zipadelli, and strongest teams. It’s only a matter of time before he, too, becomes a championship contender.

Can they challenge Hendrick?

Yes.

Busch and Hamlin are ready to challenge Johnson, Gordon and Martin now, and the Gibbs’ trio should be positioned to pass them in the next five years.

Gordon is 38 and on the down side of his career. How much longer he will race and contend is anybody’s guess.

Martin’s performance at age 50 last year was remarkable, but how much longer can he keep it up? Another year or two? Maybe.

Johnson is 35 and looks as if he can win three or four more championships. But eventually, like Gordon, he will begin to slow down, opening the door for younger drivers like the Gibbs boys.

(Hendrick's fourth driver, Dale Earnhardt Jr., is also 35, but at this point, is not a factor. He must make great strides just to enter the conversation again.)

Gibbs may also be in prime position to strengthen its team even more. It began laying the groundwork last year for a fourth team. If it lands adequate sponsorship, it will be able to pursue another top talent this year.

And with Kasey Kahne, Kevin Harvick and Kurt Busch all possibly available, Gibbs could add another championship contender to its stable.

If that driver is Kahne, who is almost certainly going to leave Richard Petty Motorsports and will be the sport’s most sought-after free agent, Gibbs could quickly surpass Hendrick in terms of depth and driving talent.

Kahne, 29, has 11 career wins and appears to have the ability to be one of NASCAR’s most dominant drivers with the right team. He could flourish with a powerhouse like Gibbs.

If Gibbs should land Kahne, it would have three legitimate championship contenders, like Hendrick, with another in Logano being groomed for stardom.

Ironically, Hendrick could have been in a position to bid for Kahne, but it cannot add a team under NASCAR’s team cap rule. It also filled its only opening when it signed Martin to a two-year contract extension.

Unless Gordon retires or Hendrick and Earnhardt Jr. part ways – both highly unlikely – Hendrick will have no room to pursue Kahne or another free agent.

Even without Kahne, Joe Gibbs Racing appears set for the future and poised to win another championship, becoming Hendrick’s biggest threat of the next five years.

Hamlin, Logano and Kyle Busch eventually could become Hendrick’s Johnson, Martin and Gordon, forming the most dominant trio in the sport.