Denny Hamlin, Christopher Bell, and Martin Truex Junior. Joe Gibbs Racing had a disappointing experience at the 40th NASCAR All-Star race. While Denny Hamlin finished second to Team Penske’s Joey Logano, the team’s other three drivers were not among the top ten. Even Hamlin was unable to pose a credible danger to Logano, who set a record by leading 199 of the event’s 200 laps.
Despite the poor results, the Joe Gibbs Racing team showed some promise. On Lap 113, Christopher Bell’s Toyota slid into race leader Logano, attempting to take the lead. But he quickly dropped into the midfield, finishing in 17th position. Martin Truex Jr. started eighth and finished 12th, one spot ahead of teammate Ty Gibbs.
Gibbs maintained solid speed throughout the weekend. However, his chances for a similar outcome were dashed when Kyle Busch nudged him into a spin on Lap 117. It was a disappointing evening for the youngster, who has been playing fairly this year despite his reputation for violence in 2023 and before. Hamlin was satisfied with his outcome, noting that the only way for him to beat Logano would have been to wreck him.
He chose not to do that and settled for second place. He was far more enthused about how fantastic the new Goodyear tires were, saying, “It’s astonishing how well they hold up. Live and learn. Certainly, being in second doesn’t seem to pay anything but at least we had some fun today.”
Ty Gibbs injects positivity into Joe Gibbs Racing despite end result
The weekend began on a positive note for the team with Bell’s #20 crew winning the Pit Crew Challenge. Ty Gibbs then kickstarted the All-Star Open and killed it by leading every one of the 100 laps in the event. He qualified for the main race alongside 23XI Racing’s Bubba Wallace. He’d headed to the big game riding high on momentum and optimism.
Asked about it, he told the press, “Hopefully, we can go and win it. I think (Michael) Waltrip did it once. Let’s go win a million bucks – maybe we can go buy some sprint cars or something.” Unfortunately for him, the plan to buy a few sprint cars will have to wait for some time. Gibbs and the team will have to wait for another week to put themselves back on the winning track.
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