As Talladega playoff race looms, numbers expose Joe Gibbs Racing's ongoing drafting-track struggles for Hamlin, Bell, and Briscoe

While Joe Gibbs Racing appears to be in good form in this year's NASCAR Cup Series Playoffs, the team has historically struggled at Talladega Superspeedway. The upcoming superspeedway race is a true wildcard that could either solidify or derail the team’s postseason momentum.

Based on Racing Insights via NBC Sports, Denny Hamlin has only scored two top-10s in his last 11 races on drafting-style tracks. But lucky for him, he has already qualified for the Championship 4 after earning his 60th career victory in the Round of 8 opener at Las Vegas Motor Speedway last weekend.

Chase Briscoe, who is in his first year with Joe Gibbs Racing, has one top-10 finish in the last 10 races on drafting tracks. Meanwhile, Christopher Bell has an average finish of 20.9 at the 2.66-mile Alabama superspeedway, which is his worst among all tracks. Similarly, Ty Gibbs's average finish of 25.7 at the said superspeedway is his second-worst among all tracks.

Chase Briscoe (19), Christopher Bell (20), and Denny Hamlin (11) - Source: Imagn

On the bright side, all of Joe Gibbs Racing's three playoff drivers are entering the YellaWood 500 above the playoff cutline. Hamlin has already secured one of the Championship 4 spots, while Bell and Briscoe hold a 20- and 15-point cushion, respectively. Kyle Larson is the only non-Toyota driver above the cutline in second with 35 points.

William Byron is the first driver below the cutline, followed by his Hendrick Motorsports teammate, Chase Elliott. Joining them are defending NASCAR champion Joey Logano and Ryan Blaney, who suffered an early race-ending crash last week.

The upcoming race at Talladega Superspeedway is scheduled for October 19 at 2:00 p.m. ET. It precedes the Round of 8 finale at Martinsville Speedway, which will complete the final four drivers to race for the 2025 NASCAR championship.

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“That probably left a little chip on his shoulder”: Chris Gayle on Denny Hamlin parting ways with chief crew at Joe Gibbs Racing

Chris Gayle, crew chief of the #11 Joe Gibbs Racing team, suggested that Denny Hamlin felt he had something to prove after parting ways with his longtime crew chief, Chris Gabehart, who transitioned to a competition director role. The change also gave Gayle a chance to evaluate the team’s inner workings and identify areas where he could contribute and make improvements.

In an interview with Kaitlyn Vincie on Fox earlier this week, Chris Gayle said:

“Denny probably knows losing his crew chief at that point from last year, he wasn't expecting to do that. I think that probably left a little chip on his shoulder where, like, ‘Okay, I need to fill in, I need to do a little more.’ Not that he said that to me.” [2:46]

“I think that's allowed me to stand back and see how the team was operating before and fill in some holes that might have been different than the way they would have done it before,” he added. [3:13]

Some argue that this year marks one of Denny Hamlin's most dominant seasons. Hamlin, who has driven for Joe Gibbs Racing since joining the NASCAR Cup Series in 2006, has led the field in wins with six. He has also scored 14 top-5 and 17 top-10 finishes.