Joe Gibbs Racing Future Lies With Christopher Bell, Ty Gibbs
A promising start to last season for JGR went south halfway through the season. It ended in the worst possible way, with the loss of Joe's son Coy Gibbs the night before the season finale. They enter this year with three of the same four drivers, but a more balanced team overall. There will be plenty of motivation flowing throughout their building as each driver feels like they have something to prove in 2023.
It begins with the organization’s two veteran drivers, who were both extremely frustrated with how last season ended.
Denny Hamlin started off strong but began to run into some bumps in the road after a few on-track incidents with Ross Chastain. The battle between those two was quickly making headlines, and Hamlin always seemed to be on the receiving end of the two getting together. The driver of the No. 11 Toyota vowed to get his revenge when the time was right, but it never came to fruition.
Like salt in an open wound, Hamlin was eliminated in the final round of the playoffs when Chastain made his famous slingshot pass on the final lap of the cutoff race at Martinsville. It was another season down the drain for Hamlin, who is still searching for his first Cup championship as he enters his 19th season.
Martin Truex Jr would have given anything to be in Hamlin's shoes. The 2017 champion was arguably one of the top drivers last season, but failed to win a race. The 42-year old finished 4th in the regular season standings, but missed out on the playoffs by just three points.
With those two veterans leading the way, two young guns are ready to learn and grow. Christopher Bell had a breakout season last year, making it all the way to the Championship race at Phoenix. He did it in impressive fashion, winning two elimination races in must-win situations. The driver of the No. 20 Camry showed why JGR has been so keen on him from the very beginning.
Ty Gibbs is filling the void left by Kyle Busch, but he will not be taking over the No. 18 car. Gibbs will instead have his familiar No. 54, which he used last season in the Xfinity Series on his way to winning the championship. The young phenom is not trying to follow in Kyle’s footsteps, he wants to blaze his own path. Ty will need to learn, grow, and mature in his rookie season, but the talent is clearly there. With 11 Cup starts last year with 23XI Racing, he could quickly find his way to victory lane.
Hendrick Motorsports drivers Chase Elliott (27-years old) and Kyle Larson (30) are still considered the top young guns in the series, but that could soon change. While Bell (28) and Gibbs (20) have a long way to go before they can match their three combined titles, they have the potential to catch up quickly.
Expectations are high for this team, and for good reason. This is arguably the strongest four-car driver lineup in the garage. Time will tell, but it definitely feels like the JGR camp is primed for a bounce-back season with each of their drivers.
With Busch gone and both Truex and Hamlin entering the final year of their contracts, this could be the changing of the guard at JGR. Bell and Gibbs are going to win a ton of races and championships over the next decade, and Coach Gibbs is hoping that it starts now.
