In a triumphant return to Victory Lane at one of NASCAR’s most storied tracks, Joe Gibbs Racing (JGR) captured a hard-fought win at Darlington Raceway this past weekend — and team president Dave Alpern didn’t hold back in giving credit where credit was due. While the driver and pit crew basked in the glory of the moment, Alpern highlighted the lasting impact of a former crew chief whose strategic blueprint laid the groundwork for the team’s latest success.
“This victory is a testament to the foundation we built years ago,” Alpern said. “We’re running on a playbook that was crafted with foresight, precision, and a deep understanding of how to win in this sport. That’s the legacy of our former crew chief — and it’s still paying dividends today.”
Though Alpern did not name the former crew chief directly in his initial remarks, insiders quickly identified the praise as directed toward Jason Ratcliff, a longtime fixture at JGR known for his sharp race-day strategies and mentoring of top-tier drivers. Ratcliff, who stepped away from his crew chief duties in 2023, had spent over a decade fine-tuning JGR’s competitive approach, particularly for challenging tracks like Darlington.
Sunday’s race at “The Track Too Tough to Tame” was a nail-biter from start to finish. The JGR driver — battling intense competition and multiple cautions — executed a textbook-perfect late-race pit stop strategy and made a decisive move in the final 10 laps, taking the lead and never looking back.
“We followed a strategy that felt like it was designed for this exact moment,” said the winning driver. “Everything from tire management to the timing of our final pit stop was spot-on. That’s not just great execution — that’s great planning. A lot of that came from lessons we learned with Jason.”
The Darlington victory marks another milestone in what has already been a strong season for Joe Gibbs Racing, and it further cements the organization’s reputation for long-term vision and internal consistency. According to Alpern, that kind of success doesn’t happen overnight — and it doesn’t happen without people like Ratcliff.
“Wins like this remind you that NASCAR is a team sport in every sense,” Alpern concluded. “Our current team executed beautifully today, but it was built on a foundation of hard work, strategy, and a culture of excellence that we continue to carry forward. That blueprint is alive and well.”
As the team heads into the heart of the season, JGR appears to be in top form — with an old-school strategy guiding a new era of dominance.
