Joe Gibbs was “ready to upchuck” in tense final-lap Phoenix battle
Joe Gibbs was more than just nervous as two of his drivers duelled for victory at Phoenix
Legendary NASCAR Cup team owner Joe Gibbs has revealed the emotions he went through on the final lap of Shriners Children’s 500, as Christopher Bell and Denny Hamlin fought tooth-and-neck for victory.
A late caution period at Phoenix set up a three-lap dash to the finish, with Bell leading the field in the #20 Toyota ahead of teammate Hamlin.
The two ran side-by-side around the one-mile oval, with Hendrick Motorsports’ Kyle Larson also breathing down their neck and nearly getting under both exiting Turn 4.
Ultimately, Bell managed to fend off Hamlin and Larson to win the race by just 0.049s, in what was the second-closest NASCAR finish at Phoenix.
While JGR boss Joe Gibbs got to celebrate a 1-2 finish as both Bell and Hamlin kept it clean, he admitted that it was hard to watch the two tussle it out for victory - especially with Larson ready to pounce in case things went awry.
“Nervous isn't probably a good word for it, I was ready to upchuck,” Gibbs said in the post-race press conference.
“It is one of the things I always worry about when we get two of our cars up there because that makes for an intense meeting on Monday.
“Hey, they raced it out. It looked like nobody took unfair advantage. So I just appreciate that.
“I think for the last few weeks in a row we had great finishes to races with people having a chance to show their skills and get it done the right way. And I appreciate that again here.”
The Phoenix event marked the third consecutive win for Bell and the Toyota-affiliated JGR squad.
Following the race, 30-year-old Bell said his crew chief Adam Stevens had told him as early as 2021 that it would be possible for them to achieve a three-peat in NASCAR.
Incidentally, it was Larson’s successes during his sole title-winning season that served as inspiration for Bell and Stevens.
