Team owner Joe Gibbs is having a hard time seeing the glass half full this week.
This despite two of his four drivers qualifying for the NASCAR Cup Series Championship 4.
Speaking on a call with reporters, the owner and founder of Joe Gibbs Racing explained why he wasn’t in great spirits. At least as of midday Monday.
Joe Gibbs Had A Real Shot At Putting 3 of 4 JGR Drivers In Championship 4
With Chase Briscoe and Denny Hamlin combining to win the first two races in the Round of 8, Joe Gibbs Racing had already placed two of its three playoff drivers into the Championship 4 before Sunday rolled around.
So, going into the playoff elimination race at Martinsville, JGR focused its efforts on getting a third JGR driver — Christopher Bell — into the Championship 4 alongside his title-contending teammates.
That didn’t quite work out, however. After entering the race as the second of two drivers in position to advance based on points, Bell ultimately failed to make the cut. Hendrick Motorsports’ William Byron winning the race in combination with Bell being unable to make up a small points deficit to Hendrick’s Kyle Larson left Bell behind the cutline at day’s end.
While Bell seemed to take the disappointment in stride when interviewed after the race, his team owner still seemed to be struggling to come to terms with it the next day.
“In pro sports, you can have some tough Mondays,” said Gibbs, a three-time Super Bowl-winning coach of the team formerly known as the Washington Redskins. “We’re having one today. Because yesterday we hated it with the 20 (Bell) kind of missing being in the playoffs there.
“It was just one of those days where, hey, you have to give credit to the Hendrick cars. They did a fantastic job. You have to give them credit on a day like that.”
It Was Close But No Cigar For Christopher Bell And JGR At Martinsville
Christopher Bell, who’s collected a career-high four NASCAR Cup Series victories this season, finished seventh at Martinsville. He took the checkered flag seven points behind Kyle Larson for the final spot in the Championship 4.
“Our playoff schedule is so tough,” team owner Joe Gibbs said. “The 20 (Bell) has had a heck of a year. But we just weren’t quite good enough to get in. So, that part of it is a downer.”
At least Gibbs is trying to focus on the positives — even with the emotions associated with Sunday’s outcome still being raw.
“To have two cars that, obviously, are in the Final 4 is a thrill for us,” he said on Monday. “You got the 11 with Denny and (crew chief) Chris Gayle and all the emotion and stories that go with that car. Then, you’ve got our first-year car with Chase and James (Small, crew chief) just having a heck of a year with the 19.
“We got two stories there. We’re really excited about that. It’s just today that it’s been tough to get back to being excited.”
