Rain had washed over Dover’s concrete the night before the NASCAR Cup Series race, leaving the Monster Mile slick with uncertainty. As pit crews scurried around their machines like clockwork surgeons, the race started on time, but it was a final-stage rain delay that changed everything. And the team that got hit the hardest was Joe Gibbs Racing, but the result softened the blow.

For Joe Gibbs Racing, this trip to Dover wasn’t just another stop on the calendar; it was an urgent chance to regain momentum after a stretch of near-misses and costly mistakes that had fueled industry chatter. On the restart with 8 laps to go, it was a JGR front row, and while Christopher Bell’s urgency ruined a possible 1-2 finish for JGR, it contributed to a banner day. Here’s how it went down and what Bell had to say.

JGR’s commanding results and race execution at Dover

Dover’s 2025 Cup Series race was a statement performance from Joe Gibbs Racing, even as chaos threatened from every side. Denny Hamlin secured his fourth Cup victory of the year, surviving a dramatic race that took the entire field through a rain delay, multiple overtimes, and tire strategy gambles. #19 Chase Briscoe finished second while Hamlin maintained control over the race podium, executing a bold call to stay out on older tires after a lengthy red flag, a decision that laid the foundation for his win.

Ty Gibbs, another JGR entry, rounded out the top five, reinforcing the organization’s depth as one of only two teams to put multiple cars in the top five at Dover. Meanwhile, Christopher Bell, driving the No. 20 JGR Toyota, became the race’s focal point when he spun not once, but twice. After the first spin in stage 2, Bell made a bold move to gamble on tires and stay out to regain track position, and it worked! But despite getting back to fighting for the lead, his day might have seemed destined for the scrapyard.

Christopher Bell, despite collecting a stage win and leading major laps, saw his chances dashed. He dove in too high on Denny Hamlin’s outside and spun into traffic, causing William Byron and Noah Gragson to wreck, ending what would have been a solid finish to the day for all three drivers. Bell finished 18th, and in his post-race interview, Bell reflected, “We’re excited about and proud of… even though I made mistakes and I spun out whenever I probably shouldn’t have spun out. You know, we’re going for the win, and uh, yeah, if we just keep bringing speed like that to the race track, then we’re gonna be just fine. It’s been a long time coming. I haven’t scored stage points in a long time, let alone won a stage. I think that’s my first stage of the year.”

Despite winning three races early in the year, Bell has not seen victory lane in 4 months outside of the All-Star race in May. He maintains a healthy place in the points standings, but race-winning speed was lacking, and JGR finally managed to get it today, which pleased Bell more than anything. And it wasn’t just him, it was all four of their drivers, as 3/4 of JGR’s Toyotas finished in the top-5! It was a banner day for Joe Gibbs Racing, which proved they are here to compete on one of NASCAR’s most grueling tracks. This is why, when team owner Joe Gibbs greeted Bell on pit road, the latter was all smiles, saying, “Congrats, Coach, that was awesome. What a day for JGR.”

This weekend, the results were more than a statistic. JGR’s strategic calls, pit crew precision, and late-race calm turned a treacherous and extended finish into the team’s 12th Dover victory. From calling for Hamlin to stay out before the red flag for rain, to telling Bell to stay out and gamble for a late caution, everything worked as per plan, and what they ended up with was a bold statement to the rest of the series. However, they still lie a sliver behind their Chevrolet rivals.

JGR still trails Hendrick in the regular-season battle

Despite capturing a dramatic win at Dover and placing three drivers inside the top five, Joe Gibbs Racing still finds itself playing catch-up to Hendrick Motorsports in the overall points standings. While Denny Hamlin’s fourth victory of the season pushed him to 663 points, fourth overall, the current regular season lead belongs to Chase Elliott of HMS with 702 points. William Byron, also of HMS, sits above all JGR drivers with 686 points, underscoring the consistent front-running pace generated by the Hendrick camp.

Christopher Bell, JGR’s next highest driver, is third overall with 635 points and three wins, while Ty Gibbs lags outside the top playoff cut, still fighting to break into the upper tier of the standings. Even with a commanding Dover result that showed depth and resilience, the gap to Hendrick is evident across both points and stage results, aided by HMS’s knack for maximizing top-10 finishes and capitalizing on stage points week after week.

Total team points reflect this dynamic. Hendrick leads all organizations with 2444 points; Joe Gibbs Racing is second at 2138, a sizable deficit. The meaningful difference isn’t just in wins, but also the regular collection of top-5s, stage points, and bonus opportunities HMS has capitalized on throughout the regular season. With summer races ahead, JGR must find a way to match Hendrick’s relentless consistency if they hope to capture the regular season championship and enter the playoffs at full strength.