“A big deal for us”: Team owner Joe Gibbs reflects on Christopher Bell’s win and ‘one of the most exciting’ races of the year

The 2025 playoffs are shaping up quite well for Joe Gibbs Racing. Chase Briscoe won the maiden race of the segment. Denny Hamlin took the win at World Wide Technology Speedway last Sunday. And as a cherry on top, it was Christopher Bell, another JGR driver, who emerged victorious at Bristol this weekend.

The team owner, Joe Gibbs, was elated. The automotive tycoon recently expressed how important Bell’s win was for the team.

“We love this place. I think it's one of the most exciting races of the year. It is just a thrill tonight,” Joe Gibbs told SiriusXM NASCAR Radio. “I think we have fast cars all the way around, and for Christopher to get the win was great for DeWalt. Just appreciate them, Toyota, all of our partners...just a big deal for us.”

Christopher Bell found his way to victory lane, driving from fourth on that last restart, leading the final four laps of the 500-lap event. It was his fourth win of the season and 11th overall for Joe Gibbs Racing. Rounding up the top five were Brad Keselowski, Zane Smith, Ryan Blaney, and Joey Logano.

“We just know at any given week, it could be us and it hadn't been for a long time,” Bell told NBC Sports after the race. “But Bristol baby tonight it's us.

Bell is now locked into the Round of 12 with Briscoe and Hamlin. He sits fourth in the driver standings with a 20-point cushion on the cutoff line. Next up for the drivers is the Mobil 1 301 at New Hampshire Motor Speedway.

Scheduled for next Sunday, September 21, the 301-lap feature will be televised on USA (2 pm ET) with live radio updates on PRN and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio. Winning the race will yield an automatic ticket to the next round, which is the Round of 8.

Christopher Bell happens to be the defending track champion. Last year, the Joe Gibbs Racing ace won both the Xfinity and NASCAR Cup Series races at the 1.058-mile oval track in Loudon, New Hampshire, in a single weekend.

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Joe Gibbs sends a message to his grandson and JGR driver Ty Gibbs following the latter’s Bristol heartbreak

Ty Gibbs showcased a fast car this Sunday at Bristol. He led an impressive 201 of 500 laps in what was his 116th career start. The young Joe Gibbs Racing phenom knew he had a shot at winning, but things went southward with only 50 laps to go.

Gibbs blew his right-front tire at the entry of the pit road, which forced him to go all the way around the track with the deflated tire. Leading laps after that was out of the question. In the end, the driver was able to salvage a P10 finish.

Although Joe Gibbs was celebrating Christopher Bell’s win in victory lane, he didn’t cast a blind eye to his grandson’s misery. Addressing the same, the former football coach said,

“Yeah, this sport is really hard. I keep telling him (Ty Gibbs) honestly, I use the word 'patience,' and two races ago we were talking after the race, and he said, Coach, will you quit using the word patience; I don't want you to use it ever again. So patience is out the window. We're trying to win here.” "I just think he knows this is what he's wanted to do his entire life, and so he's after it. I admire, like I said, our entire 54 team. To be truthful, they're young, but the pit crew, everybody, they just keep fighting, so it's really great,” he added.

Ty Gibbs didn’t make the playoffs this year. However, he does have a shot at bagging his maiden win of the season over the next few weeks. For now, all eyes are on New Hampshire Motor Speedway.

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Edited by Tushhita Barua