HMS Legend Warns About Joe Gibbs & Co’s Revenge in Phoenix After NASCAR’s Brutal ‘Hail Melon’ Shutdown

Steve Letarte, a NASCAR legend with a deep connection to Hendrick Motorsports and now an NBC Sports analyst, shared his thoughts on the Dirty Mo Dough podcast about what to expect from Joe Gibbs Racing (JGR) at Phoenix.

Letarte is especially focused on Christopher Bell , who, after his controversial "Hail Melon" move at Martinsville, has plenty of fire left to burn. For those who missed it, Bell's daring move—where he slammed into the wall to try and race his way into the championship—got him eliminated due to NASCAR's ruling of unsafe driving. Letarte says Bell isn't just racing for pride anymore; he's racing for revenge.

Bell and his JGR teammates, like Denny Hamlin, are still hungry after missing out on the championship four. "With that said, Bell's a monster. Larson's a monster. Hamlin is a monster. But like Bell, there isn't a Joe Gibbs car in it. I think he goes out and stomps them. He's pissed—I'd be pissed. He's gonna go out there, stop them, and say, 'I would have won the championship, and that's it."

Truex , meanwhile, will have his family there, but he's sticking to his introverted ways—focusing on the race ahead. After a two-decade-long career, which includes stints with Dale Earnhardt Inc., Front Row Motorsports, and JGR, Truex could cap it all off with a win at Phoenix. But even as he's looking ahead to the Daytona 500 with 23XI Racing next year, his eyes are on Phoenix for one last shot at glory—and perhaps disrupting the championship race in the process.

But it's Bell, fueled by the Martinsville controversy, who's got the most to prove in the season finale. Letarte can't wait to see if the fiery determination Bell showed after that elimination will turn into a victory lap this Sunday. While some believe that Bell should have gotten away with his wall riding move at Martinsville, former NASCAR racer Kevin Harvick believes that NASCAR made the right decision.

Kevin Harvick supports NASCAR in their decision against Bell