JGR has to manage three equally competent and fast drivers in the Chase.
The entire NASCAR community is focused on Chase Briscoe right now. The JGR driver managed to sweep two straight wins in the last two races, increasing his championship chances by a mile. While that is good news for both Briscoe and JGR, there is a certain aspect of it that scares the team too. While Briscoe basked in the glory of victory lane, there was another driver who almost snatched the victory from his jaws. It was Christopher Bell. And let's not forget the overarching threat of Denny Hamlin, who is equally eager to get the Cup title secured for the first time.
Currently, all three JGR drivers are sitting in the top 5. Merely 16 points separate the three of them. Hamling leads in P2 and is among the many drivers who are desperately trying to catch up to Kyle Larson. Now here's where things start to get complicated. Only four races are left in the Chase, and each one of these three drivers needs to secure multiple victories in order to have a legitimate shot at the championship title. But only one of them can do it.
JGR is going into a dilemma with their multiple talents
Toyota started the year incredibly strong and is continuing the momentum. But the biggest burden that they carry is the amazing racing prodigies they have. Sometimes, to win a race, a driver needs the help of their teammates. In Toyota and JGR's case, each one of them has a fair shot at the Cup Series crown. So who do they prioritize?
Referring to the same, JGR President Dave Alpern says, "If you have me a choice, I'd always want as many as possible. Because that's the idea. With four teams you want as many chances as you can because you want it for all of them."
He further admits, "The hard part is you're trying to catch the 5, but you've got three teammates that are all taking points off each other. On the flip side, if you've got only one that's in contention, you can focus all your efforts on that car."
As blasphemous as it sounds, Alpern is right. Motorsports is a winner-takes-all business. And no team has the resources or time to introduce equal efforts into every driver and try to win the championship with all of them. At the end of the day, there has to be one loser.
But if both of them are winners, they will clash again and again, stealing each other's valuable points. And then a driver like Kyle Larson will come who has no teammate to squabble against. The result is what we are witnessing in the Cup Series standings right now. This situation won't end anytime soon unless one of these drivers comes at least 10-15 points closer to Larson and starts looking like the one who can dethrone his Chevy.
