For Joe Gibbs Racing, Murphy’s Law was in full effect this weekend. Everything that could go wrong, went wrong catastrophically. The Sonoma race was one that not one or two but the entire JGR driver line would probably like to erase from their memory.
But what’s even more shocking is seeing Martin Truex Jr underperforming, as a four-time Sonoma victor. The bad luck even caught up to Joe Gibbs‘ grandson, Ty Gibbs, as he suffered a DNF.
Utter disaster strikes Joe Gibbs’s grandson twice in Sonoma
ADVERTISEMENT
Article continues below this ad
. Also impacted by the crash was Kaulig Racing’s Josh Williams, who indirectly blamed Gibbs for the mishap! While there’s no videographic evidence, the racer reportedly said, “It’s what happens when you send to the rich kids to the back with a bad pit stop and they’re gonna win the race with 30 laps to go.”
Now, moving to Gibbs’ Cup Series prospects, the day wasn’t any better. Denny Hamlin and Ty Gibbs were the first two cautions in a race that had eight — Missing just one to tie the record of nine at Sonoma, which occurred in 1990! With Hamlin out early, the 21-year-old driver was having the best performance of the JGR quartet. He started 10th and was running pretty well, but it all changed on lap 16. He hit the new wall in turn 11, which messed up his Camry’s right front suspension.
Sonoma’s Turn 11 is always dreaded; drivers approach it with extreme caution. The sharp hairpin requires precise braking and perfect timing, or else it can have drivers spinning off. And that’s what we saw happen with Gibbs. After the race, Gibbs pinned the blame on himself, saying whatever went down was all his doing. In a conversation with Frontstretch, he said, “I just made a mistake and took us out of this day”. He further elaborated, saying, “Yeah, I hit the (turn 11) inside wall. I was finding grip down there and was making up time and then got too close and clipped the wall and hurt the right front.”
While Ty Gibbs agreed that his mistake took him out of the race, he thinks certain adjustments could have been made the outcome better. He finished second to last, but at least it didn’t detonate, unlike his teammate’s car!
Denny Hamlin isn’t going to forget Sonoma!
Trending
What Is Left of Denny Hamlin’s Depleting Core After Having to Deal With a Nearly $70 Billion Loss?
Despite 2023 Disaster, Chase Elliott Risks Angering Rick Hendrick by Choosing Alex Bowman’s HMS Banned Tactic
NASCAR Rumors: Corey LaJoie’s Cup Future Dependent on ‘$’ Amid Rick Ware’s Hopes of Tony Stewart’s SHR Replay
Kurt Busch Finally Breaking Radio Silence After Criminal Charges Forced 3-Month-Long Hiatus Has NASCAR Fans Breathing Easy
NASCAR Rumor: Handed $25,000 Fine, Xfinity Star Could Replace Chevy’s Rejected Prodigy
Denny Hamlin going into the Sonoma race was anyway not confident of winning. He just wanted to finish off within the top-five’s and gain good points. However, not everything went to plan and he finished last in the race!
Dramatically, his car ignited at the end of lap 1. This was the first incident after which the downfall of the entire Joe Gibbs team followed. The incident was shocking, given that Next Gen cars don’t go about imploding this way. And this isn’t the first time that the Toyota’s engine is causing issues for the team. Last weekend at Gateway Park engine issues were what took Bell out of the race. After the race when Bell was asked if he heard any sound. He said, “Little bit of smoke, sound, but no smell.”
ADVERTISEMENT
Article continues below this ad
Early issues for the No. 11 and his day is over. pic.twitter.com/Nqo8Aqte8g
— NASCAR (@NASCAR) June 9, 2024
And what happened to Denny Hamlin looked eerily similar then. Almost looks like the No. 20 machine was retrofitted to the No.11! Even Hamlin was shocked by what went down, he was heard saying to the radio, “Hell no. It f***ing detonated.”
ADVERTISEMENT
Article continues below this ad
It sure did detonate and right now Toyota has a big duty at hand, to see what went so wrong! The Fords and Chevrolet are not further off and any consistent problems could cost them dearly. However, it was not all disaster because Bell did manage to finish 9th.
Were you too shocked with the race at Sonoma? Let us know!