Joe Gibbs Racing was the biggest winner at Homestead. #20 driver Christopher Bell finally buried his chances after getting close to victory on multiple occasions in the playoffs. Having won four poles since the first race of the playoffs at Darlington, Bell has failed to grab his glory so far. Although Bell had the best outcome for a driver in Miami, JGR’s other drivers in contention for the championship race, Martin Truex Jr. and Denny Hamlin, failed to impress.

Hamlin has lost considerable traction in the championship chase in recent months and has failed to find a solid result in the Round of 8 that would propel him to the Championship 4. Pace has not been the issue for the #11 FedEx Camry, as he has displayed in these races. Truex and Hamlin have surprisingly failed to execute their respective teams’ strategies in the last two races. However, that is not enough incentive for team owner Joe Gibbs to rule out their chances of landing a Cup Series title this season.

Joe Gibbs highlights the difficulty of getting into the final 4

Denny Hamlin and Truex Jr. sit behind 23XI Racing driver Tyler Reddick in the playoff standings. The distance is surely reachable, with 17 points between both and the cutoff line. However, with two race winners and William Byron with a 30-point lead sharing the feeling of comfort over three of the available four spots, getting a driver in would require more than just a humongous effort.

Team owner Joe Gibbs has been at the center of the team for decades now. Having watched his drivers battle the grid in playoffs and go on to win the whole tourney, he understands the X-factor needed. Speaking to the media in a post-race press conference, Mr. Gibbs stated, “It’s hard to get into the final 4. I’ll tell you that.”

“I don’t think anything is a given. It’s certainly #19, all they did in the regular season like I mentioned, as good as they are, we’ve had real disappointments with everything that has happened. I think the #11 has been pretty consistent up until the last couple of weeks and so I think you’re looking at it. The great thing is we got three cars from our team that have a chance and we still got a chance, that’s the way to look at it.”

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The situation in the JGR camp has changed since the onset of the Round of 8 races. When the results of the Round of 16 came in, fans and experts were positive about the chances of the team. After all, having three drivers among the eligible eight to fight for a possible four spots is surely a position of strength. But as we enter the final race of the stage in Martinsville, the feeling of having three drivers at Phoenix has faded away.

Gibbs holds on to hope and places trust in Denny Hamlin and Martin Truex Jr.

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The #11 car of Denny Hamlin has been one of the fastest cars this season. As for Martin Truex Jr., the reason for his starkly contrasting performance from his regular-season campaign is yet to be known. Denny Hamlin showed his strength at Homestead Miami Speedway and went to the front row in the final stage of the race alongside runner-up Ryan Blaney.

Hamlin and Blaney were engrossed in a full-fledged battle as the former slipped up in his pursuit after crashing. The driver of the No. 12 Ford has even accused Denny Hamlin of being ‘a hack‘ and trying to sabotage his race intentionally to gain the upper hand. The mistake in judgment from the JGR driver could have been the difference between him and a spot in Phoenix as his teammate Christopher Bell came back from pit road to make a pass on the #12 Mustang. Martin Truex Jr., on the other hand, settled for a P29 finish after experiencing issues with his engine as compared to Hamlin’s P30.

However, Joe Gibbs is ready to count on their experience at Martinsville. Voicing his confidence, he added, “We are going to Martinsville, it’s going to be a classic I’m sure. We do have a chance if we go there with both Denny and Martin.”

Can Denny Hamlin finally break his curse after turning around his fortunes? Let us know in the comments below.

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