One of the great mysteries that surrounds NASCAR is what goes on behind factory walls, particularly during the off-season.
The 2025 season concluded in Phoenix on November 2nd, with Kyle Larson crowned Cup Series champion, but another wheel will not be turned in anger until February - a gap of 14 weeks.
So what do NASCAR teams do during this period of the year? Are their headquarters and garages ghost towns? Well, Joe Gibbs Racing President Dave Alpern answered exactly that on Instagram recently.
Alpern often takes to his personal Instagram page to discuss a number of NASCAR-related topics, and this time, he was asked if the factory was a ghost town during the off-season.
JGR chief addresses ghost town question
"Is the shop a ghost town during the off-season? Not really," Alpern explained in an Instagram video. "There's a lot that's going on.
"Now, truthfully, there are some breaks here. Obviously it's a ghost town during Christmas week and around Thanksgiving.
"When we get back, the people who travel will typically like to take some of their vacation there at the end of November and into December before the new year.
"But at the same time, there's more going on here on Thursdays and Fridays, which is normally when the people on the road wouldn't be here in the shop. So actually, later in the week, there's more activity at the shop.
Alpern continued: "We might fix things around the shop, re-arrange, paint, different upkeep that is hard to happen during the season. Once January rolls around, it is full board and there is a ton going on, and we're already preparing for Daytona.
"So there's usually quite a bit of hustle and bustle going on at the shop, even when we're not travelling to the racetrack on the weekends."
The 2026 NASCAR Cup Series season gets underway with The Clash exhibition race at Bowman Gray Stadium on February 1st.
This is followed by the official season opener - the Daytona 500 - at Daytona International Speedway on February 15.
