A 67-point gap is not something a crew chief can talk his way around. With one race left in 2026, Adam Stevens has run the numbers on the No. 20 car, and they leave very little room to maneuver.
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“You’re first and foremost going down there to try to win, and win in a dominating fashion to give yourself some semblance of hope to race for the championship,” Stevens explained on SiriusXM NASCAR Radio on X
The Joe Gibbs Racing crew chief knows Christopher Bell needs something close to perfect. Following Martinsville, the No. 20 Toyota sits second in the Chase standings, 67 points behind Hendrick Motorsports’ Kyle Larson. Larson needs just nine points at Homestead to lock up his third Cup Series title, no matter what anyone else does.
Under NASCAR’s revised 2026 Chase format, a win is worth 55 points, with stage points offering extra ground. According to NASCAR‘s championship scenarios, Bell must win and collect at least 14 stage points, or 13 stage points plus the Xfinity Fastest Lap point, depending on Larson’s total.
It’s a narrow path, and Stevens isn’t closing it before the green flag. He also isn’t pretending it will stay open for long.
“But that could be over and done with as soon as Stage 1 is over, if they score points and we don’t, or however that goes,” Stevens added.
Larson has already built a cushion large enough that another strong points haul would leave his challengers little room to recover. Stevens expects a clearer read on Bell‘s chances by the end of Stage 2.
“Certainly by the end of Stage 2, we’re going to have a much clearer picture on how that project’s going for us,” he said.
That candor matters because the finale is not a simple all-or-nothing swing for Bell. If the early stages go against him, the team has a second objective, and it comes from inside the building.
Denny Hamlin entered Martinsville third in the standings but slipped behind Bell afterward. He now sits third, just three points back of the No. 20 Toyota. Chase Briscoe, another JGR driver, is fourth, 84 points behind Larson. Briscoe has been eliminated from title contention but remains in the fight for the final standings.
“Then our focus is going to shift to trying to finish as high as we can in the points, you know,” Stevens admitted.
Second versus fourth may not come with a trophy, but Stevens made clear it counts.
“It looks good on the resume to finish second, better than it does to finish fourth. I know that. So, you know, one of us out of this group is going to probably do that. So I hope that it’s us.”
That makes Homestead a two-part assignment. First, give Bell a shot at Larson. If that fades, keep Hamlin from taking second. Stevens also wants the team to pounce if the No. 5 runs into trouble.
“I hope that we can all maintain second through fourth if we can’t muscle up there and win and take advantage of the five having some problems,” Stevens said.
“But if it’s not in the cards, then we need to finish as close to the front and as high in the points as we possibly can.”
Teammates chasing the same prize is hardly new. In 2007, Hendrick Motorsports’ Jimmie Johnson and Jeff Gordon arrived at Homestead as the only two drivers considered alive. Johnson carried an 86-point lead after four straight wins, yet Gordon still had a shot. They shared a shop and a close friendship, but only one could leave as champion. Johnson took his second consecutive title, with Gordon second in the standings.
Joe Gibbs Racing lived it in 2019, when Kyle Busch, Martin Truex Jr. and Hamlin all made the Championship 4 at Homestead. Busch won the race and his second Cup title. Truex finished second in the race, while Hamlin came home 10th.
The 2019 finale was particularly significant for JGR because all three drivers had arrived with a legitimate opportunity to win the championship. Their presence demonstrated the organization’s strength, but it also meant the team had to manage multiple individual title ambitions on the same afternoon.
Ultimately, the outcome went Busch’s way, even though Hamlin and Truex delivered championship-caliber seasons of their own.
Those examples show that rivalry and organizational unity can coexist. Bell and Hamlin are in a different, points-based spot, but two JGR drivers squaring off over the same position adds another layer to the finale.
For Stevens, the first job is still Victory Lane. The team will chase the title as long as the numbers allow. If Larson becomes unreachable, protecting second becomes the target. Homestead could deliver either outcome, and the No. 20 crew can’t afford to lose sight of both.