NASCAR Cup Series

Hendrick teams determined to close gap on Joe Gibbs Racing on pit road

Published Feb. 28, 2015 7:00 p.m. ET

foxsports

When it comes to innovation and dominance in NASCAR, Hendrick Motorsports is typically the one leading the charge. However, when it came to pit stops and innovation on pit road last year, Joe Gibbs Racing took the ball and ran with it.

During the 2014 season, the JGR crews were lightning-quick week-in and week-out, with four-tire stops approaching less than 11 seconds. While JGR has typically been one of the best organizations on pit road, some observers suggested that "magic" impact wrenches the team had developed were the biggest reason for success.

Call it whatever one may, JGR's advantage on pit road hasn't gone unnoticed by Hendrick. Hendrick driver Kasey Kahne called pit stops "crucial" to having a good day on Sunday at Atlanta Motor Speedway, but believes that speed on pit road is not always what matters most.

"I'd rather have a consistent team that maybe isn't quite the fastest but is consistent so we always know where we're going to end up," said Kahne, the most recent winner at AMS. "We've worked hard on that. Hendrick Motorsports has always worked on having the best pit crew, but Gibbs was the best last year."

During the offseason, three pit crew members — all from Dale Earnhardt Jr.'s No. 88 team — left Hendrick to join the new No. 19 JGR team of driver Carl Edwards. In addition, longtime pit crew coach Greg Morin left the Hendrick organization, becoming the second pit crew coach to do so in less than a year.

Also during the offseason, Hendrick crew chief Kenny Francis transitioned from his longtime role atop Kahne's pit box to become the lead engineer for the organization. In his new role, Francis has been tapped to coordinate projects and help with overall communication within the organization.

Francis has also been assigned the task of helping the organization close the gap to the Gibbs teams on pit road.

"Everyone is trying to catch the Gibbs guys. They're pretty tight-vested about what they've got, quite understandably," Francis told FOXSports.com at Atlanta Motor Speedway. "We're trying to understand what we need to do to catch up. We feel like they've got a hard-earned advantage, particularly with the impact wrenches. I don't know that anyone has that sorted out and that gapped closed. I think all the teams are probably working in that direction."

Francis noted that the Gibbs teams have been working hard in this area for more than five years, and the Hendrick teams have been working diligently at it for several years, as well.

"They identified an area where they thought they could gain an advantage, then they developed it and succeeded in doing so," Francis said.

While many saw the Gibbs advantage truly shine last season, Francis said it is no secret the Gibbs teams have had the advantage on pit road for much longer.

"They just looked at it, focused on it, put some thought into it, and just came up with a better solution or a more advanced solution," he said. "What that is? Very few people actually know. We're trying to develop our own way of competing."

Echoing Francis, Kahne said the entire Hendrick organization worked hard during the offseason to close the gap.

"It's not just about the team; it's about the pit crew coach and everything as they improve from the (air) guns. ... There's a little bit of everything getting worked on these days to compete," Kahne said. "I think we got a little bit behind in a few areas, so we're working to catch up. Hopefully, we'll be a little better now, and as the season goes on we'll get closer and closer and eventually be the best."