It’s been nearly seven years since Joe Gibbs Racing cut bait on a certain young driver, perceived to be struggling at the NASCAR Cup Series level, in favor of an established name. The replacement with all the accolades, 41-year-old Matt Kenseth, paid immediate dividends — seven victories and a championship bid in his first season with JGR, resulting in a runner-up finish in the standings. But that season was the only one of Kenseth’s tenure in which he finished inside the top four in points.



The young driver freed to make room for the aging former champ was Joey Logano, whose production output for his age ranked among the best in Cup Series history. JGR’s misevaluation was Team Penske’s gain. Logano has finished fourth or better in points three times in the last six seasons, including a championship in 2018.



Since Logano, JGR promoted two young drivers from its development pipeline — Daniel Suárez and Erik Jones. Furniture...