Sunday was a day of mixed feelings for the Joe Gibbs Racing owner. Despite seeing his #20 car cruise to the victory lane, he wasn’t able to celebrate it with all his heart, for his other two cars, the No. 19 of Martin Truex Jr and the #11 of Denny Hamlin could not finish the race due to mechanical issues. Going into the Round of 8, Gibbs would have hoped that he would see all three of his rides shoulder each other in the Championship 4 race at Phoenix. As things stand, after Miami, that doesn’t look likely.

Talking to the press in the aftermath of Christopher Bell’s win, the team owner expressed his pleasant surprise with the outcome. Despite the negative side of the day, watching one of his drivers secure the ticket to Phoenix was a particularly emotional moment for the old man, for he’d lost his son prior to the 2022 championship race.

Joe Gibbs lauds the unpredictable nature of the sport as Christopher Bell surprises him at Miami

Going to the playoff race at Homestead-Miami, Christopher Bell was nobody’s clear favorite for the win. With intermediate monsters like fellow teammates Denny Hamlin and Truex Jr racing for the win, he had taken a spot behind them in the starting grid as well. However, when the sun set at the Magic City, the end product that the No.20 team put together surprised everyone. Though he did not overshine any of his competitors through the first couple of stages, it was Bell who clinched the win after an eventful final stage.

The driver’s benefactor and his crew chief Adam Stevens took the stage to talk to the press after the event. Impressed by the will of his young driver, Gibbs said, “It shows you that in sports, particularly in our sport, the #20 was an example of just never giving up and just keep fighting because, I mean, it went all the way to the second stage where, you know, you don’t really think that car is going to make much of a dent in things today. And, when we’re going to Phoenix with the second year in a row with Christopher it’s exciting for us.”

Praising Bell for his ability to hold up until he got his chance to bypass the others, Gibbs was also in awe of the driver’s dynamics with his crew chief. As the prospect of going to Phoenix stirred up old memories in his mind, he also paid an ode to his late sons, who played a big role in the success of Joe Gibbs Racing.

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Rome wasn’t built in a day. Neither was Joe Gibbs Racing. Having its foundation stone laid back in 1991, the team has now transitioned into one of the most prominent powerhouses in racing worldwide. Two important architects of this marvel were J.D Gibbs and Coy Gibbs. Although sadly neither of them is with us today, the result of their life’s work keeps honoring them week after week. The results at Homestead-Miami follow that path. After piling up 5 Cup Series championships in the cabinet at their office, the team will compete for yet another title at Phoenix in a few weeks.

Gibbs continued, “I think… also going to Phoenix will be emotional for us. I think of Coy and everything last year, and also JD. Those two guys spent their entire lives building our race team. So, anyway thrill for us to get a chance to do this.”zzz

On the other side, pulling down on the happy occasion were Hamlin and Truex Jr. Neither of the mammoths got to see the end of the race after facing mechanical failures in quick succession. Both now sit below the cut-off line for Phoenix and face a severe corner at Martinsville. Touching on their topic, Gibbs said, “We just had real disappointments with two of our cars. The good news is they both are good at Martinsville.” The final playoff race before Phoenix will round things for the 2023 championship battle. Though it is highly unlikely, the old man could still be hanging to the hope that he would see all three of his cars race for the championship.

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