NASCAR Cup Series: Bad News For Joe Gibbs Racing As Truex Jr And Gibbs Relegated To Back Of Grid

Martin Truex Jr. and Ty Gibbs will be starting from the rear at the upcoming Atlanta Motor Speedway race, the opening round of the NASCAR Cup Series Playoffs.

The decision to reposition Truex Jr. and Gibbs—both representing Joe Gibbs Racing (JGR)—comes after precautionary modifications to their engines’ plug wires. Detected by Toyota Racing Development crewmen, these pre-race adjustments aimed to prevent potential issues.

Both drivers’ cars, Truex’s No. 19 Toyota and Gibbs’ No. 54 Toyota, underwent similar modifications that had previously impacted the engine of another Joe Gibbs Racing driver, Denny Hamlin’s No. 11 Toyota, resulting in his last-place qualifying result.

In terms of qualifying performance, Gibbs had initially secured the highest position among Toyota drivers, landing 20th after the single-lap time trials on Saturday. However, with the mandatory engine plug wire changes, both he and Truex will now start the Quaker State 400 from the rear, facing an arduous task to move up the ranks.

Speaking to the media after his qualifying issues, Hamlin explained, as quoted by Motorsport:

“They see a few red flags, certainly. They’ll dig into it tonight, figure it out, and get it fixed for tomorrow.”

Michael McDowell, on the other hand, celebrated the pole position for the Quaker State 400. Reflecting on his successful qualifying, McDowell explained, as previously reported by Newsweek:

“Yeah, I would have told you you’re lying.

“I think coming into this weekend, [sitting] on the pole in the spring race earlier in the season, I felt that pressure to come back here and have another shot at it.

“We executed our plan well today. You know, as far as whether it’s an indication for tomorrow, I don’t think it’s a huge indicator of anything…”

2024 NASCAR Atlanta Qualifying Results

(Prior to Martin Truex Jr. and Ty Gibbs’s grid penalties)

1. Michael McDowell, No. 38
2. Ryan Blaney, No. 12
3. Todd Gilliland, No. 38
4. Josh Berry, No. 4
5. Austin Cindric, No. 2
6. Kyle Larson, No. 5
7. Joey Logano, No. 22
8. Austin Dillon, No. 3
9. William Byron, No. 24
10. Chase Briscoe, No. 14
11. Alex Bowman, No. 48
12. Harrison Burton, No. 21
13. Noah Gragson, No. 10
14. Daniel Hemric, No. 31
15. Kyle Busch, No. 8
16. Chase Elliott, No. 9
17. Chris Buescher, No. 17
18. Ross Chastain, No. 1
19. Brad Keselowski, No. 6
20. Ty Gibbs, No. 54
21. Ryan Preece, No. 41
22. Martin Truex Jr., No. 19
23. Tyler Reddick, No. 45
24. Bubba Wallace, No. 23
25. Corey LaJoie, No. 7
26. Christopher Bell, No. 20
27. Ricky Stenhouse Jr., No. 47
28. Shane Van Gisbergen, No. 16
29. Justin Haley, No. 51
30. Daniel Suarez No. 99
31. Cody Ware No. 15
32. Carson Hocevar, No. 77
33. Erik Jones, No. 43
34. Zane Smith, No. 71
35. John Hunter Nemechek, No. 42
36. BJ McLeod, No. 78
37. JJ Yeley, No. 44
38. Denny Hamlin, No. 11