This year’s championship-eligible team owners Rick Hendrick, Joe Gibbs and Roger Penske — have 22 NASCAR Cup Series championships among their teams. One of their drivers has hoisted the season’s most prized trophy for the last five consecutive years and 14 of the last 18 seasons.
As representatives from each organization spoke to the racing media on Tuesday afternoon, there was an unmistakable vibe that this is not their first time in the game. However, the excitement, anticipation and hope anticipating Sunday’s Championship Race at Phoenix Raceway (3 p.m. ET on NBC, MRN, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio) was equally as obvious.
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