Christopher Bell Silences Critics at Bristol as Joe Gibbs Racing Sweeps NASCAR Playoff R1

Joe Gibbs Racing has done it again! After Chase Briscoe’s triumph at Darlington and Denny Hamlin’s win at Gateway, Christopher Bell has now made it three in a row by entering Victory Lane at Bristol Motor Speedway. Leading the final four laps, the Oklahoman finished 0.343 seconds ahead of Brad Keselowski, who was desperately hoping to end his 51-race winless streak. Instead, it was the No. 20 Toyota that snapped its 24-race winless drought, with Bell securing a clutch result when the stakes were higher than ever.

With Joe Gibbs Racing looking like the team to beat at the moment, will Hendrick Motorsports and Team Penske catch up in the Round of 12? Time will tell. But as things stand, Toyota will be pleased with the outcome of the playoffs, as two Chevys and a Ford have been eliminated, while five cars by the Japanese manufacturer remain in contention.

Christopher Bell credits team for Bristol triumph

For the first time since March 9th, Christopher Bell had a wide smile on his face when the checkered flag was waved. After all, the 30-year-old had finally secured his fourth triumph of the season, showing nerves of steel in that final lap at Bristol Motor Speedway. With Keselowski hot on his heels, the No. 6 Ford gave Bell’s No. 20 Toyota a bump going into Turn 3, but the Oklahoman managed to keep his vehicle under control and crossed the start-finish line, as cheers erupted from the grandstands.

Sharing his thoughts after the race, Christopher Bell candidly said, “I never in a million thought I would get my first Bristol win on a tire fiasco. You had to be in the right place at the right time. It feels so good. I’m proud of this team.” He also went on to say, “It wasn’t pretty there at the end, but we got her done. So most importantly, this week’s obviously been a very tough week, and there’s a lot on our mind and and just this one’s for Charlie. We just know that any given week, it could be us, and it hadn’t been us for a long time. But Bristol, baby! Tonight, it does!”

Like a man on a mission, Bell passed the front row of cars on a late restart and ended up winning a four-car sprint. When Bubba Wallace wrecked for the 14th caution with 11 laps remaining, only eight cars were in contention for the win. Carson Hocevar and Zane Smith were occupying the front row when the No. 20 Toyota stormed into the front, with Zane Smith, Ryan Blaney, and Joey Logano finishing inside the top five.

It’s quite telling how cutthroat the race was that Christopher Bell only led 12 laps in a race that featured 14 cautions, and tire management became the name of the game. Drivers were forced to make green flag stops after just 30 laps because of a softer right-side tire. Bell, who started the race in ninth place, didn’t even finish inside the top-10 in the first two stages, but managed to stay in contention as the laps ticked on to secure a win at Bristol for the first time in his career.

Other JGR drivers didn’t enjoy the same luck

Another Toyota driver looked pretty strong at Bristol Motor Speedway. Ty Gibbs was on the verge of securing his first Cup Series win, and showed lightning-fast pace around the 0.533-mile venue until a late-race mistake ruined his chances. The No. 54 Toyota driver missed an important pit stop, which ended up having a domino effect as he subsequently lost track positions and ended up having a loose right-front tire. Before that, he had led 201 out of 500 laps at the high-banked Tennessee short track.

Denny Hamlin was also involved in a late race incident during the final stage. The veteran racer lost his right-front wheel and crashed into AJ Allmendinger in Turn 3 on Lap 384, forcing him to settle for 31st place. The incident forced NASCAR to hold Hamlin for two laps, and he ended up finishing five laps down when the checkered flag was waved. What made the situation even worse is that the sanctioning body decided that the No. 11 driver will lose two crew members for next week’s playoff race at New Hampshire Motor Speedway.

With the Round of 12 playoffs on the horizon, Joe Gibbs Racing will hope to hit the ground running in the upcoming races. With three drivers in contention, the team finds itself in a good space to finally end Team Penske’s dominance in the Next-Gen era. Do you think this might be the year Denny Hamlin finally clinches the championship at Phoenix Raceway? Let us know your thoughts in the comments!