Joe Gibbs Racing Pumped for Atlanta Motor Speedway

Photo - Getty Images

Photo – Getty Images

Joe Gibbs Racing started the 2016 season exactly how they finished the 2015 campaign – with a win, and a bunch of strong performances.

Denny Hamlin won the Daytona 500, Kyle Busch finished third, Carl Edwards placed fifth and Matt Kenseth came in 14th despite leading 40 laps. Martin Truex Jr., from JGR technical partner Furniture Row Racing, finished runner-up.

Don’t expect JGR to slowdown in Atlanta Motor Speedway. The organization excelled during the low downforce package races last year in Kentucky and Darlington, and gets to run a similar low downforce package this season beginning in the Peach State.

Last season, all four JGR drivers finished in the top-four at Kentucky: Busch (first), Hamlin (third), Edwards (fourth) and Kenseth (fifth). At Darlington, three of them finished in the top-ten: Edwards (first), Hamlin (third) and Busch (seventh).

Edwards is the top JGR driver at Atlanta. In 18 starts at the 1.54-mile track, he has three wins, nine top-fives and 11 top-tens. His 100.4 driver rating at Atlanta ranks second in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series.

Not far behind Edwards is Busch, who owns two wins, four top-fives and five top 10-tens in 17 starts at Atlanta. He claims the fourth-best average finish (14.3) and seventh-best driver rating (92.8).

Kenseth has never won at Atlanta, but boasts the top average finish (8.6) and third-best driver rating (97.9) at the Georgia track.

Hamlin won at Atlanta in 2012 and has the fourth best driver rating (97.2).

JGR has won 11 of the last Sprint Cup 20 races dating back to Busch’s victory at Kentucky last July.