Denny Hamlin wanted none of the spotlight ahead of the Xfinity 500 race in Martinsville. He won the NASCAR Cup Series Round of 8 playoff opener in Las Vegas and punched his ticket to the Championship 4. His Joe Gibbs Racing teammate, Chase Briscoe, followed suit by winning in Talladega. Yet both the locked-in drivers may have given too much leeway to their rivals, as now two Hendrick Motorsports stars are coming to Phoenix.

As a cherry on top of the cake (for HMS drivers), JGR is in a bit of a dilemma. True, Hamlin wanted to stay out of the headlines. Yet, both he and Chase Briscoe managed to stand out due to a pair of DNFs. It may be an ominous sign, as their team owner dissected the issue.

Joe Gibbs is on a war footing

Joe Gibbs Racing is no stranger to mechanical issues. Since 2008, the top-tier NASCAR Cup Series team has been known for its technical mishaps, ranging from engine problems affecting Kyle Busch’s 2013 Chase to Christopher Bell blowing up his engine at the 2024 Gateway race. Similarly, Chase Briscoe continued this tradition on lap 296 of the Martinsville race. He reported problems, and his No. 19 Toyota slowed down from 14th. Fewer than 40 laps later, smoke billowed out of Hamlin’s No. 11 Toyota from the second position. “I think it always concerns you anytime you have a motor issue,” Joe Gibbs said.

Chase Briscoe finished 37th, while Denny Hamlin washed up in 35th place. The mishap happened just a week before both drivers would run for a championship, so Joe Gibbs got on a war footing. “We’ve been on that all morning,” Gibbs said on Monday. “We went through everything that happened and got all the parts out, and we have a plan and strategy where we end up in a good position, and it doesn’t come back to us this next week in Phoenix.” He concluded that the reason for the DNFs was “valve spring issues.”

Denny Hamlin had also faced a starter issue at Martinsville Speedway. Earlier, the No. 11 team faced a power steering issue at Kansas Speedway and a throttle issue at Talladega Superspeedway. Hamlin noted after the Talladega race that the team has battled three of the biggest mechanical issues this season: batteries, starters, and clutches. As an extra precaution ahead of the championship race, Joe Gibbs is removing the faulty valve springs. “Those parts will not be in the cars for this weekend. So … feel good about that.”

After the No. 19 team’s mishap, Chase Briscoe described the situation. “I was just running around there. I felt really good about coming here and where we were at and racing with (Kyle) Larson there, and went to upshift and something happened. I’m not really sure; it’s unfortunate.” However, he is not too concerned: “We’ll go on to next week and that won’t matter anyways.”

On the other hand, Denny Hamlin will be worried. After all, he has come a long way to compete in the Championship 4 this year.

Leaving his chances to fate

2025 marks Chase Briscoe’s first-ever Championship 4 appearance. So even if he does not clinch the title, he would have achieved a lot. But it is hardly Hamlin’s first Cup Series title fight. For almost two decades, Hamlin has missed the Cup Series title several times. In 2019, Hamlin lost the shot after finishing 10th and behind eventual champion Kyle Busch. The most devastating loss was probably in 2010, when Hamlin finished in a heartbreaking runner-up finish behind Jimmie Johnson. That’s why the Martinsville technical snags are making Hamlin’s heart race ahead of the 2025 title race.

“I’m obviously concerned, but there is nothing I can do about it,” said Denny Hamlin after climbing out of his car at the Paperclip. He continued about his hopes for Phoenix Raceway, “We’ll live with it, and hopefully we’ll get back next week. And we are just going to have to see how it goes. I’m confident in the speed that we’ll have next week. I’m really confident in what this team is going to bring next week, and we’ll bring our best. Hopefully it lasts.”

Joe Gibbs Racing is going full-throttle in its preparation for the 2025 season finale. And we cannot wait to see how the No. 11 Toyota performs at Phoenix Raceway!