Joe Gibbs left Martinsville on Sunday visibly disappointed. NASCAR threw his driver, Christopher Bell, out of Championship 4 for riding the wall during the Xfinity 500. He was not given a chance to appeal the decision either.
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The coach was further broken seeing how the Chevrolet teams bunched up to help Bell’s rival, William Byron, make the final transfer spot at his cost. His emotional words to reporters as he walked past the team haulers, revealed how hard Gibbs has taken it.
As things stand, Gibbs has no driver representing him in the final four. This is not an outcome he must have envisioned when the season began.
However, one is left wondering whether Gibbs has only himself to blame for the situation.
He was one of the many team owners who bent to NASCAR’s will over the charter negotiations. They signed the papers last month even though they weren’t happy with the terms.
The racing promotion had put pressure on the owners, threatening to retract their charters. Gibbs, like many others, didn’t want to risk getting into a legal battle with NASCAR.
This show of weakness has possibly given NASCAR a upper hand and a stronger hold or say on the fortunes of the team owners. A section of the fans added their voice to this narrative, responding to Matt Weaver’s post on X.
One fan wrote, “You know what would have helped him out? Owners sticking together and not signing away everything to NASCAR’s corrupt system.”
The big teams like Joe Gibbs Racing and Hendrick Motorsports refused to go against the system. However, 23XI Racing and Front Row Motorsports, two smaller and younger teams, filed an antitrust lawsuit last month.
Another fan added, “I wonder how the owners are now feeling about signing those charters?!”
Providing more control to the promotion was going to end badly. The predominant belief is that the effect of that decision is already showing. Gibbs is the first one to be hit.
One other fan offered had a solution to the coach. They said, “Join the 23XI lawsuit, Joe!!!”
Joe Gibbs Racing driver Denny Hamlin’s public outrage over the last couple of years on forums including his podcast, Actions Detrimental, was not viewed lightly by NASCAR. So, tightening things to subjugate critical opinions from teams and drivers is clearly on NASCAR’s agenda.
One follower wrote, “I’m sure he’d Iike to say a lot more. New charter agreement keeps him from saying anything negative about NASCAR”
I’m sure he’d Iike to say a lot more. New charter agreement keeps him from saying anything negative about NASCAR
— Ryan Hannah (@RyanHannah35) November 3, 2024
The question now is whether Gibbs will join the legal battle against the promotion, now that he has been pushed, and pushed hard. Is that even possible given that the contracts are already signed?
The answers will come soon. But it is certain that Bell is out of the playoffs and that NASCAR was gray at best in how they went about making the decision.
