267 laps of pure madness is what they are calling the penultimate race of the round of 8. While Kyle Larson ran straight into the barrier at the entryway of the pit road and damaged his right front in an attempt to clear Ryan Blaney, his teammate Chase Elliott stayed out of any on-track trouble. After a ruinous qualifying at Las Vegas, the number 9 team had entered the 4EVER 400, 61 points below the elimination line and eighth in the owner standings at 4,007 points. Now Elliott sits 8th and last, with 4029 points.

However, for Joe Gibbs Racing, the day was good and bad. For starters, Christopher Bell stared down at all the criticism owing to his non-violent demeanor as he bounced back from missing last week’s opportunity. And for the other two JGR drivers, the day ended rather unfortunately.

Christopher Bell joins Kyle Larson in the Championship 4

It is indeed going to be a face-off between Joe Gibbs Racing and Hendrick Motorsports. Looking at the current situation, however, the JGR candidate is 28-year-old Christopher Bell. The young man finally found the closure of his qualifying prowess in a dominant victory at Homestead-Miami Speedway.

Interestingly, Bell had not run a green flag lap in the top-5 until the 221st lap of the race. But those couple of laps in the end were enough for the #20 Toyota team. With the last two laps to go, Christopher Bell cruised with ease around the 1.5-mile intermediate oval, with Ryan Blaney in P2 and several car lengths behind him.

Unfortunately for Bell’s teammates, the day did not go as expected, as both Denny Hamlin and Martin Truex Jr. went home with a DNF each.

Watch this story: Kyle Larson’s Victory and Respect for Christopher Bell

Trouble for the regular season champion and his JGR ally

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Not more than a lap apart, the fans witnessed the two Joe Gibbs Racing icons falling out of contention. With 32 laps to go, Hamlin’s machine crashed hard into the outside wall as a result of a problem that the #11 speedster had encountered with his steering. Although unhurt, Denny Hamlin had to settle for a 30th-place finish and 32 laps shy of the 267-lap long race. Needless to say, NASCAR waved a yellow flag.

And exactly during that period, Martin Truex Jr.’s number 19 car showed signs of smoke, hinting at an apparent engine issue. The 43-year-old athlete confirmed on the radio that his engine was failing, and alas, he limped back to the pit, finishing 29th. Both Denny Hamlin and Martin Truex Jr. are now below the provisional cutline, with a 17-point deficit for both of them. Will they be able to overcome this drawback at Martinsville? Only time will tell.

Chaos after chaos at Homestead-Miami Speedway

It was a sorry day for Rick Ware Racing driver J.J. Yeley, as during the closing laps of the race, he spun out, veering all the way across the width of the racetrack, and crashed into the outside wall, sucking John Hunter Nemechek and Trackhouse Racing sensation Ross Chastain in the mess. For a first-time drive with a new spotter, perhaps the 46-year-old’s day might not have been easy.

Moments later, JJ Yeley told Frontstretch that the crash happened when he was least expecting it. “Was on the bottom 4 wide, had gotten past someone, yellow card going in turn 1,” he said. “Thought I was completely fine, everything was great. Next thing you know, just an abrupt impact, turn sideways, and turn the inside wall.”

“At this point, it’s super disappointing,” he added.

Martinsville outlook

With all that, only one race remains until the community gets to know the names of the other two drivers who would be challenging Christopher Bell and Kyle Larson in the championship run. The race at the half-mile racetrack in Martinsville is going to be interesting.

If there are no new winners, it’ll all come down to a battle of points. William Byron, Ryan Blaney, Tyler Reddick, and the JGR duo will find themselves in a fierce battle next week to clench the 3rd spot in the top 4. The driver who claims the last spot will certainly get in through points. Speaking of which, Martin Truex Jr. has a bag full of points from winning the regular season points championship. But who will it be? The wait starts now.

Read more: Christopher Bell Makes Painful 9-Word Admission After Falling 0.082 Seconds Short of Appeasing Joe Gibbs