Bell, Joe Gibbs Racing reflect on tragedy as team tries to win championship

The sun was barely up on championship morning a year ago when word began to spread that something was terribly wrong at Joe Gibbs Racing.

The Cup Series title-deciding finale at Phoenix Raceway was hours away from starting and a flurry of activity around the Gibbs cars seemed to indicate the team was looking for a replacement driver for Ty Gibbs, who had won the Xfinity Series title the night before.

Christopher Bell was set to represent JGR in the championship four, but rumors were flying that the entire organization might pull out of the race. Coy Gibbs, the vice chairman of the organization, son of team owner Joe Gibbs and Ty’s father, had been found dead in his hotel room that morning and the team was in chaos.

The four Cup crew chiefs climbed onto golf carts and