Joe Gibbs Racing will not wait to leave the gates of Atlanta after an abysmal outing in the opening race of the 2024 Cup Series playoffs. All four drivers of the team had secured a spot in the postseason and were looking to start their championship runs on the right foot. Trouble began when Denny Hamlin qualified dead last on Saturday with a snail-paced No. 11 Toyota Camry XSE.
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Martin Truex Jr. and Ty Gibbs were forced to join teammate Hamlin at the back of the grid after their cars were found carrying unapproved plug-wire changes. While Truex Jr. and Gibbs strived to cut through the field through the race, Hamlin sat back waiting for a big crash to occur in front of him so that he could drive by unscathed.
Truex Jr. appeared set for a decent top-10 finish up until Lap 205 when Chris Buescher turned things around. The RFK Racing driver got loose off a corner and collected Truex Jr. in a crash that involved defending champion Ryan Blaney. The impact effectively ended the No. 19 driver’s day and cast him to a DNF. He now sits 19 points below the playoff elimination line.
Gibbs was able to finish his race despite the disadvantage he was at and secured a 17th-place result. He told the press, “I take responsibility for not finishing great at all. It is my fault, but I’m glad we finished the race and got some points. It is definitely frustrating.” Hamlin, on the other hand, topped the day’s disappointments as his strategy collapsed with minimal on-track cautions thrown in the race.
Saving grace for Joe Gibbs Racing
After the race, Ty Gibbs sits a single point above the elimination line and Hamlin sits two points above it. Christopher Bell alone helped team owner Joe Gibbs save face by finishing in fourth place. He sits 40 points above the line in a safe position to qualify for the next round.
Notably, the race saw Bell’s crew chief Adam Stevens get back to the job after being away to recover from a double knee surgery. He told racer.com, “This is a crazy round and we saw a couple of playoff contenders not be able to have good days, so we’re very, very thankful and fortunate to have a solid day today.”
He hopes that Bell is locked into the Round of 12 by the end of the race at Watkins Glen. The strategy is to have another solid weekend at the Glen and then opt to be a tad bit more aggressive at Bristol.
