Things went haywire for Joe Gibbs Racing at New Hampshire. After becoming the first team to sweep all races of a playoff round, JGR witnessed tension in its own fold. Shortly into stage 2, Ty Gibbs caused controversy by getting in the way of Denny Hamlin and Christopher Bell. That led to an exchange of barbs and a general mood of upset between Hamlin and Gibbs. Yet Bell, on the other hand, quietly dodged the unpleasant atmosphere – and is quite optimistic.

Team Penske dominated the Mobil 1 301 race. As per their yearly fashion, Ford drivers are re-surging in the playoffs – Joey Logano led a race-high 149 laps and Ryan Blaney led 116 laps en route to victory. But even in the middle of his competitors’ potential, Christopher Bell is confident about the future races.

Christopher Bell is banking on his points

At Gateway, Denny Hamlin and Chase Briscoe finished 1st and 2nd, while Christopher Bell clinched 7th place. The latter subsequently unleashed a frustrated outburst on the radio. In the following race, he delivered a thumping victory at Bristol’s tire management races. So Bell’s tone changed in New Hampshire, despite finishing only one spot better in 6th place. Meanwhile, Briscoe finished 10th, and Hamlin 12th, even after he scuffled with Ty Gibbs. This time, however, Bell sounded very pleasant in the post-race interview. And he credited that happy mood to his points scenario – Bell sits 29 points above the elimination cutline. He said, “I think from a points standpoint, we did well.”

Christopher Bell further justified the disparity between his emotions at Gateway and those in New Hampshire. Fueled by his past glory in Bristol, Bell is confident. He continued, “I know a lot of people are going to look at me and say, ‘How can I be frustrated at Gateway and not today?’ Well, this weekend really was a whole different story. We just didn’t have the pace. We didn’t have the pace to run with the top competitors. We walked out of here with a lot of points, so I think it was a successful day.”

What is more, the upcoming races in Kansas and the Charlotte Roval are not intimidating either. Christopher Bell came dangerously close to a win in NASCAR’s Kansas race in May 2025, with Larson beating him by a slim 0.712-second margin. Also, Bell owns a 2022 victory at the Charlotte Roval. So he continued, “I feel good about our performance at the next two…Yeah, Kansas is very similar to what we had at Darlington, so hopefully we do good. I think we can. And then surely the Roval is a road course we’re definitely strong at. Optimistic – you never know until you get through them. But today was a good day and off to a good start in the Round of 12.”

Christopher Bell was the top Toyota finisher and also the happiest Toyota driver in New Hampshire. Two of his compatriots, however, are dejected.

Nursing their wounds after solid efforts

While JGR dominated the Round of 16, 23XI Racing was stellar. Both Bubba Wallace and Tyler Reddick hoped to continue their powerful streak to the Round of 12. Wallace qualified in 14th, and Reddick put up a stellar starting spot in 4th place. However, they were not able to capitalize. Reddick was a contender in the top ten, but he suffered from brake issues early in the event. He nursed his soft brake pedal home, but he had a subpar finish of 21st place. Reddick lamented his finish post-race: “The way the race started, I thought we were going to be able to run in the top 10 all day. But between the brake issues we had and – it just got away quick. The balance went away, and the next thing you know, we were trying to battle for 20th. Just a terrible day.”

Bubba Wallace also struggled with track position throughout the race. After the frustrating afternoon left him in 26th place, the 23XI Toyota driver was as taken aback as his teammate: “Just a miss all around, really. We couldn’t really seem to get things going. Our best run lasted for five laps, the caution came out, and then it was just right back to no good. I hate it. I felt really optimistic and marched forward at the start, and it just never really went anywhere. We kind of plateaued lap 5, and that was it. I hate that. It’s just a head scratcher.” 

Reddick is 23 points outside of the playoff cutline, while Wallace sits 27 points out. Both Toyota drivers are at the base of the playoff grid, although a strong track is coming up next. Both own wins at Kansas Speedway – Bubba Wallace won in 2022, and Tyler Reddick won in 2023.

With a wild day unfolding in New Hampshire, Toyota drivers will focus on doing better. Let’s wait and see if Christopher Bell and his compatriots can get ahead of Ford.