Are power dynamics changing within the Joe Gibbs Racing driver’s lineup? After Martin Truex Jr.’s exit from the team, the seniority was supposed to pass on to Denny Hamlin and the No. 11 team. But in reality, it’s Christopher Bell and the No. 20 team has taken up the charge and that’s purely based on the results. Bell is the only driver from the JGR champ to compete in the championship race in the Next Gen era, twice in 2022 and 2023. Had it not been for the race manipulation tactics at Martinsville he would’ve been competing for the title last year.

At the same time, Hamlin and the #11 team have fallen unable to get a shot at the long-elusive title dream. Well, the veteran driver did have a shot to snap his 29-race winless streak at Phoenix last Sunday. But, this is where things got interesting as he was up against the rising star within the JGR ranks. We’ve seen Denny Hamlin establish his authority over his rivals on the racetrack, even against his teammate. The spring race in Richmond last year is a good example of how he piped Truex Jr. for a race win. But, the dynamics changed at the Desert Mile yesterday and Christopher Bell was the aggressor, and this has caught Kevin Harvick’s attention.

Harvick Exposes JGR’s Philosophy Flaws

In recent years, Joe Gibbs Racing has been following the philosophy of ‘every man for himself’ with a general lack of team orders between teammates. And this was quite visible when Christopher Bell took his 3rd win at Phoenix, beating Denny Hamlin by only 0.049 seconds. This close call highlighted a deeper issue within Joe Gibbs Racing, that could even impact Hamlin’s chances of securing a playoff spot as he has not won a single race this season so far.

This lack of team orders at JGR can be a two-edged sword, on one hand, they foster the competitive spirit between the teammates as they push each other to their limits, but on the other hand, it also leads to a missed strategic opportunity for the team to secure a playoff spot for Hamlin, as Bell already has multiple wins under his belt. But still, he wanted to stamp his authority signaling that he’s the leader of the JGR camp and a title contender.

“I asked him about that on the victory lap. I said, are there any team orders or is there anything that you guys talk about? And he really made it sound like they don’t even really ever talk about it. And everybody is instructed to go out there and race for themselves,” former NASCAR champion, Kevin Harvick, said on the Happy Hour Podcast.

The finish was a carbon copy of the Xfinity Series race finish on Saturday. While Christopher Bell was relatively clean with his approach, he did ship the No. 11 car up the wall coming off the final corner on the last lap. The surprising part was that Hamlin didn’t retaliate at all, we’ve seen him go door-to-door with the likes of Kyle Larson and Chase Elliott, but something changed last Sunday. “I’m more mad at myself than anything.” This was Hamlin’s admission after the race, clearly he felt he hadn’t given his all on the racetrack. But this wasn’t the first instance of JGR drivers trading blows on the last lap for a race victory.

“And we’ve seen that through the years. We’ve seen Carl Edwards knock Kyle Busch out of the way. We’ve seen some of those Gibbs cars get into each other. And I believe that is the Gibbs culture. I want you to be the best you can be and not worry about that guy because he’s your, he’s your teammate”. Harvick added.

In the 2016 Toyota Owners 400 race as Harvick mentioned we saw Edwards use the infamous bump-and-run move on Rowdy Busch at Richmond Raceway. Just like the Bell and Hamlin battle, this was also decided on turns 3 and 4 where Busch opted for the high lane and Edwards made a hole from himself taking the checkered flag. But the interesting part about last Sunday’s 1-2 finish is that just because it was a JGR team win it was viewed in that manner. Imagine if this was Hendrick Motorsports’ 1-2 finish, it would’ve been celebrated as if it was a NASCAR event, this happened last year at Martinsville, right?

But, the two teams obviously have distinct cultures that have worked out for them. For the time being, the #20 team is on an upward trajectory and it’s fair to say not just Hamlin, but even Chase Briscoe will be aiming to be on par with them.

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The Rise of Christopher Bell

Christopher Bell’s rise in NASCAR has been nothing short of spectacular. The 2025 NASCAR season has seen Bell cement his place as one of the sport’s best drivers, with a historic streak of three consecutive wins at Atlanta, Circuit of the Americas, and Phoenix. This three-peat puts him along with the elite company, making him only the 29th driver in NASCAR history to win three consecutive races and only the first to do so in the Next-Gen era.

Even Harvick couldn’t help but stress how Hamlin has taken a back seat at JGR with Bell’s rise and consistent performances on the racetrack. “Where’s [Christopher] Bell at as the team leader at JGR? Because it surely seems to be developing into the Christopher Bell leadership role, and being kind of that lead-driver…I mean, it’s not the No. 54, and it’s not the No. 19. Denny’s whole scenario has changed…So, with the performance and the continuity and everything being consistent for that No. 20 team, it just seems like as they go forward, they have found a new leader of their team, for when Denny Hamlin is not at JGR anymore.”

The #11 camp has undergone a major overhaul after Chris Gabehart parted ways with them and took on a new role within the organization. Chris Gayle is the man in charge, calling out the shots for now. For a driver chasing the championship glory, many viewed Gabehart as the man who could help Hamlin reach the milestone. But clearly, Coach Gibbs had different ideas. Not to forget, the No. 19 team is still finding its feet with the arrival of Chase Briscoe.

Given how the 2025 NASCAR Cup Series season has started it looks like Bell is on a mission to stamp his authority not just within JGR but in the garage. So it is going to be interesting to see how Hamlin and the #11 team respond to the bitter in the upcoming races. We might have a rivalry brewing up within the same team.