Talking Points:

Would Christopher Bell finally break through after 7 runner up finishes this season?

Would Joey Logano keep his hot streak going after consecutive weeks finishing in the top 10?

Would Denny Hamlin win at his home track where he already has five total wins in his career?

Would Tyler Reddick make any progress to jump back to where he was in the Chase standings?

Driver Race Recaps:

Chase Briscoe:

• Chase Briscoe had his best career finish and race of his career so far at Richmond last weekend
• Briscoe felt optimistic and confident heading into the race at Richmond
• Briscoe led a total of 171 laps of the total 400 laps in the race

Denny Hamlin:

• Denny Hamlin qualified outside the top 10, and he remained positive about his outlook heading into the race
• Hamlin was able to stay at the front most of the night during the race
• Hamlin had a top 5 car, but his car was not capable of competing with Briscoe and Logano for the race win on Saturday night

Christopher Bell:

• Christopher Bell was upset after the race at Iowa, which led him to feel confident in the speed of his #20 car heading into Richmond
• Bell had a lot of speed and was up front contending for the lead
• Bell’s crew chief Adam Stevens made a late strategy call to go with two tires. This ultimately led to Bell’s tires fading and him losing the lead late in the race

Ty Gibbs:

• Ty Gibbs felt very confident and motivated after his win the previous week at Iowa
• Gibbs earned a speeding penalty entering pit road early in the race. This led to him having to drive through the field.
• Ty’s fight and emotional maturity led to him earning another strong finish at Richmond

Headlines:

• NASCAR heads to Loudon this coming weekend which is the final short track race of the regular season.
• There was a big shakeup in the points after Iowa. Three time Cup Champion Joey Logano moved up to 9th in the Chase standings.
• Some drivers to watch for at Loudon are Christopher Bell, Kyle Larson, and Joey Logano.
• This is a race you won’t want to miss. There will be a lot of drama and excitement as Loudon never disappoints with the late race chaos and entertaining finishes.

Outro: That is it for episode #9 of Mikey Powell’s podcast. Thank you all for listening and I will see you next week on the podcast for episode #10.

8/12/26

Introduction:

Hello and welcome to episode #8 of Mikey’s podcast Joe Gibbs Racing Race Recap Iowa Episode #8.

Talking Points:

Will the Toyotas dominate again at a short track?

Will William Byron repeat at Iowa?

How will Alex Bowman feel knowing he made his decision about his future in NASCAR?

What will the Chase standings look like after Iowa?

• The Toyotas were strong coming into the weekend after Saturday’s practice, besides the Gibbs cars of Briscoe and Hamlin.
• William Byron had a fast car during the race, but did not finish as well as he would have liked.
• Alex Bowman was at the front, until he got caught up in a wreck early in the race Sunday.
• The Chase standings changed a lot after the race at Iowa, with Ty Gibbs jumping up to 2nd in the points standings.

Ty Gibbs:

• Ty Gibbs was strong in practice which led to him feeling confident about the speed in his racecar for Sunday.
• Gibbs qualified in the top 10 which led to him being up front all day long.
• Gibbs crew chief Tyler Allen made a gamble late in the race, which led to him ultimately winning the race. 
• Gibbs now sits second in the points standings with three races remaining in the regular season.

Christopher Bell:

• Christopher Bell felt confident and optimistic going into Sunday’s race at Iowa
• Bell led laps and won stage two on Sunday afternoon.
• Bell has been consistent all year long and has been ever so close to winning multiple races.
• Bell, frustrated, finished runner up to Gibbs once again after leading laps and maintaining the lead most of the race.

Denny Hamlin:

• Denny Hamlin has always been a contender and raced well on short tracks throughout his career.
• Hamlin dealt with brake issues starting on Saturday and all race long on Sunday. 
• Hamlin pleaded with NASCAR to allow him to fix his brake issues, but they would not budge.
• Hamlin said he drove the best race of his career, driving through the field to finish top 5.

Chase Briscoe:

• Chase Briscoe had brake issues alongside Hamlin during practice Saturday.
• Briscoe did not qualify well, which led to him having to maneuver his way through the field.
• Briscoe ended up finishing top 10 once again which has helped him gain valuable points each race.
• Briscoe now sits fifth in the Chase standings with three races remaining before the Chase.

Headlines:

• NASCAR heads to Richmond Raceway for a Saturday night showdown under the lights
• Austin Dillon will be one to watch as he has been a contender the last few years at Richmond Raceway.
• This race will definitely impact the Chase standings as it is the second to last short track race of the regular season.

Outro:

That is it for episode #8 of the podcast. Thank you all for listening and I will see you next week for episode #9.

7/20/26

Talking Points:

• Hello everyone and welcome to episode #6 of Mikey’s Podcast Joe Gibbs Racing Race Recap North Wilkesboro 

There were some storylines to follow:

Would Joey Logano win another race that was on the schedule for the first time in a while? 

Would Denny Hamlin win another short track race?

Would someone be able to outduel the Toyotas on a short track?

Would Christopher Bell finally break through after winning last year at North Wilkesboro for the All Star race?

• After qualifying got rained out on Saturday night based on the metrics Ryan Blaney ended up starting up front for Team Penske
• All three of the Joe Gibbs Racing cars qualified inside the top 10 besides Chase Briscoe

Denny Hamlin:

• The best car all night for Joe Gibbs Racing was Denny Hamlin
• Hamlin has always been a factor on short tracks in his Cup career
• It was not a surprise to see Hamlin be a in contention, after finishing runner up to Elliott at Martinsville earlier this year

Chase Briscoe:

• The biggest excitement was to see how quickly Briscoe moved through the field early in the race
• Chase Briscoe had speed and pace in his #19 Toyota all night long
• Ever since Briscoe won at Chicagoland his team has been on a different level

Ty Gibbs:

• The main word to describe Ty Gibbs has been Mr. Consistent all year long
• Gibbs started the race very strong by winning the first stage
• Gibbs remained up front all race, and came home top five once again

Christopher Bell:

• Christopher Bell has been on a mission to get into victory lane
• The biggest downfall was getting caught in a wreck, losing out on major points last weekend
• Though Bell did still finish inside the top 20 considering the damage to his car

Headlines:

• The next race up for the NASCAR Cup Series is The Brickyard 400 at Indianapolis Motor Speedway
• The race will have a lot of excitement considering it is a crown jewel event
• Drivers to watch for at this track are Hamlin, Larson, and Elliott
• With 4 races left until the Chase this race will have a lot of drama and intensity

• Thank you for listening to episode #6 of the podcast and I will see you all next week for episode #7