LAS VEGAS (AP) — This time last week observers were questioning what was wrong with Joe Gibbs Racing as the team stumbled out of NASCAR’s opening gate and parked in the back end of the garage as a team struggling in the Cup Series rankings.
Then three JGR drivers finished in the top-five in Phoenix and rolled that momentum into Las Vegas Motor Speedway, where their trucks were repositioned with the rest of the title contenders. The team didn’t slow down and Christopher Bell led a Toyota qualifying march that saw JGR drivers sweep the top three starting positions.
Bell took the pole for Sunday’s race with a lap at 187.156 mph to put the No. 20 Toyota on the pole ahead of JGR teammate Denny Hamlin, who turned a lap at 186.188…