BRISTOL, Tenn: In a 500-lap race in Thunder Valley where tires were the top storyline, Joe Gibbs Racing made the most of the situation by not only winning Sunday’s Food City 500 at Bristol (Tenn.) Motor Speedway but capturing four of the top-10 spots as an organization.
Before the green flag flew on Sunday, the chatter in the garage was whether the Goodyear tires would stick together after practice and qualifying, which showed excessive wear, including cording on the right front.
The discussion did not ease following the NASCAR CRAFTSMAN Truck Series race on Saturday night, and it became apparent in the opening laps of the Food City 500 that the team that managed the tire wear the best would be the ones fighting for the trophy.
For Joe Gibbs Racing, however, they not only had the field covered on speed, but tire management as well.
The Huntersville, N.C.-based team led all but 117 laps on Sunday with race winner Denny Hamlin leading the way with 163 laps led.
For much of the race, Ty Gibbs appeared to have the fastest car in the fleet, but after controlling the race for a whopping 137 laps, Gibbs fell victim to his own tire hiccups late in the race. Gibbs recovered after making contact with the wall in the waning laps of the race to finish ninth.
Phoenix winner Christopher Bell also offered flashes of light with his No. 20 DeWalt Toyota Camry, but Bell battled tire gremlins himself in the third and final stage, leaving him 10th at the checkered flag.
With Bell and Gibbs out of the picture for the race win, Hamlin found himself battling Joe Gibbs Racing veteran teammate Martin Truex Jr. for their first win of the season.
Glued in heavy race traffic in the last 20 laps of the race, Hamlin briefly lost the lead to Truex on Lap 483. However, utilizing the high lane and his 23XI Racing driver Bubba Wallace opening a lane on the high side, Hamlin was able to regain control of the race on Lap 484 and set sail over the final 16 laps to his first victory of the 2024 season.
Overall, it was Hamlin’s 52nd career Cup win and fourth at Bristol Motor Speedway.
“That’s what I grew up here doing in the short tracks in the Mid-Atlantic, South Boston, Martinsville. Once it became a tire management race, I really liked our chances,” Hamlin offered after the race.
“Obviously the veteran in Martin (Truex Jr.), he knew how to do it as well. We just had a great car, great team. The pit crew just did a phenomenal job all day. Can’t say enough about them. Man, it feels so good to win in Bristol.”
In the opening five races of the 2024 season, Joe Gibbs Racing won two, with Christopher Bell stealing the show last weekend at Phoenix (Ariz.) Raceway and Hamlin securing a checkered flag on Sunday at the “World’s Fastest Half-Mile.”
Truex settled for his first top-five of 2024 but third top-10 finish overall. After the race, the former Cup Series champion said he never realized how much tire consummation would come into play at the famed 0.533-mile short track.
“Apparently, what’s what I needed to have happen here at Bristol to have a shot at winning,” explained Truex, talking about his team’s strategy.
“Yeah, I don’t know. Just really proud of our team, everybody on our Auto Owners Camry, Bass Pro, TRD, all of our partners, James (Small, crew chief) and the guys did a great job this weekend, Jazzy, having a plan coming here.
“Yeah, I guess this tire management thing fit into my wheelhouse here at Bristol. Man, the difference was just coming out of the pits so far behind Denny. I had to use mine up more on the last run. The last four, five laps of the race, was cord(ed).
“I gave it a hell of an effort. Congrats to them. Our Toyotas are working really well right now. Had a lot of fun today. Wish we could have come up one spot. Short on second. Good run for us. It’s been a great season for us.”
Gibbs, who led a career-high 137 laps Sunday settled for his fourth top-10 finish of 2024.
“That’s just what we had today with our SiriusXM Camry,” said Gibbs. “I felt like we were great all day, just that last run, the right rear just came apart. We were just two laps late of coming in.
“When we had that tire come apart, I think I was like four laps down at one point. Just frustrating but you have to work for it here.”
Bell bookended the JGR train Sunday with his third top-10 of the year.
Next weekend, JGR invades the iconic Circuit of the Americas (COTA) road course, where Tyler Reddick, who drives for Hamlin’s 23XI Racing team is the defending champion. But, with the recent speed in their new Toyota Camry XSE, nobody would be surprised to see JGR’s regime continue to hold court in Austin, Texas.
Follow Chris Knight on Twitter @Knighter01 or email at [email protected].
