The 2024 season has reached an interesting juncture. The NASCAR Cup Series playoff will arrive at its second venue this weekend at Watkins Glen. While the hype around the road course race of the 2024 season is evident. Teams, drivers, and fans are all waiting to see what the iconic racetrack has for them. However, the season has reached a make-or-break stage for Joe Gibbs Racing. With Martin Truex Jr and Ty Gibbs facing a direct elimination and Denny Hamlin barely surviving, the race at Watkins Glen could be deciding the kind of season JGR will have.

While the challenge of another road course lurks ahead, NASCAR’s rule around option tires could also make the challenge an uphill battle for teams going ahead. The red tires have already left quite an impact in their first season at NASCAR and now, with the beginning of the road course challenge in the playoffs, maintaining the balance between both tires will be a challenge for the teams. Considering his experiences with the option tires, a Joe Gibbs Racing star has started smelling the arrivals of tire debacles in the playoffs, fearing more drama after what happened in Richmond earlier this season.

Christopher Bell warns about upcoming wrecks

It has been a season shrouded with wrecks and racetrack incidents in the cup series so far. While there are several reasons for the clashes, flips, and accidents, the option of tires too did not help much. Particularly on rough surfaces like Talladega Superspeedway, Bristol Motor Speedway, and Wakins Glen. As the surfaces get rough, these tires wear at a much greater pace, resulting in handling issues and increasing the risk of accidents on the racetracks.

Christopher Bell has been one of the rising stars of Joe Gibbs Racing this season. Discussing the situation around option tires during the playoffs with Mike Bagley at the NASCAR LIVE wide open, the No. 20 had this to say, “Before we even get to real racing, you know, the real racing is in the round of 8. When we get to three normal racetracks where the best teams should rise to the occasion. Getting through what could be a tire debacle at Bristol. And what could be a tire debacle at Watkins Glen and then we got Talladega in the round of 12? I think the Round of 12 gets better with Kansas and the Rovel, but you still got Talladega mixed in there. So we gotta survive these first few rounds.”

The opening race of the playoffs at the Atlanta Motor Speedway was a tough one for Joe Gibbs Racing. Veterans like Martin Truex Jr. and Denny Hamlin had a disappointing start to the season. The two racers finished 24th and 25th place, respectively. Ty Gibbs did improve his standings but failed to leave a mark.

The inexperienced driver finished 12th at Atlanta Motor Speedway. Amidst the struggles of other racers, Christopher Bell’s performance came in as a breath of fresh air for Joe Gibbs Racing fans. The 29-year-old continued his impressive rhythm of the season to secure a fifth-place finish. Bell has positioned himself comfortably to qualify for the Round of 12. His other three teammates, however, have to fight an elimination battle to secure a spot in the next round.

Despite the tough situation, the optimism is there for Joe Gibbs Racing, largely because of Christopher Bell. The No. 20  has set his eyes on the Championship 4 race aiming to win the most coveted prize of the sport for his team. When asked about the racetrack, JGR racers are counting on as their strength among the playoff venues, Bell said, “Phoenix. For sure, I mean Phoenix is a long way away, and it’s hard to get there, but certainly this year the short tracks the flat tracks have been our bread and butter.”

Racers are apprehensive about the Option tires

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This is not the first that Christopher Bell has signaled concerns about the option tires. The 29-year-old has been one of the most vocal critics of the NASCAR’s new experiment with tires. Raising his apprehensions about the option tires, Bell had earlier said, “What do we want the champion to be? Do we want the champion to be the best car, or do we want the champion to be the guy that sucked all races and saved a set of red tires that got the lucky yellow flag?”

Another racer not so enthusiastic about the option of tires is Chase Elliott. According to Hendrick Motorsports No. 9, option tires are not something racers should worry about. While he acknowledged the positives of option tires, Elliott had this to say, “I could see both sides of the argument, one side being that you just have a softer tire. Does that help the racing? I could see that. I could certainly see that getting Goodyear to buy into having some failures, though, is going to be a hard thing to sell them on because that’s probably going to happen with it.”

What are your thoughts on the option tires? Which team do you think will manage to excel with it at The Glen? Do tell us in the comment down below.