The Denny Hamlin–Ty Gibbs tangle at New Hampshire could have lasting repercussions, as the Joe Gibbs Racing team tries to navigate their drivers playing nice with each other.
This isn’t necessarily anything new. Hamlin and Kyle Busch once had it out during an All-Star Race. Hamlin and Tony Stewart didn’t see eye-to-eye nearly 20 years ago.
The added dynamic here, of course, rests in the team name. Ty Gibbs, grandson of team owner Joe Gibbs, just complicates things even more.
Was Ty Gibbs at fault for the tangle between him and teammate Denny Hamlin at New Hampshire?
After his contact that sent Gibbs into the wall, Denny Hamlin asked on his team radio if people were scared to tell the 22-year-old Ty Gibbs what to do. After all, that is a common theme whenever a family member drives for the team.
People wonder about that at Richard Childress Racing (with Childress’ grandsons Austin and Ty) and Rick Ware Racing (with Ware’s son Cody) about whether team leadership watches what they say to the son or grandson of the team owner.
It probably was a little bit like that at Team Penske, when Tim Cindric was president with Austin driving for the team.
Also, in Gibbs’ defense, he isn’t going to get much of the benefit of the doubt. Family members who drive for a team are thought to get preferential treatment and that, for them, the team rules don’t always apply. The way he drove in his early years also showed a disregard for what would be considered typical courtesies to teammates.
There is no doubt that Gibbs was racing Hamlin (and previously teammate Christopher Bell) tooth-and-nail for 11th place less than halfway through the race. And the question is whether he should have.
Did Denny Hamlin break teammate code?
The case that he should race them as hard as possible: He has had a rough season and finally has had some speed and he shouldn’t have to give up a spot.
The case that he shouldn’t: The other cars were faster than he was so let them go now and the favor will be returned down the road and that those other cars were his teammates, who could use the top-10 stage points in trying to advance.
It would seem that the weight of arguments here lean toward the fact that he shouldn’t.
Dale Earnhardt Jr., on his podcast, seemed flabbergasted about Gibbs racing his teammates that hard and indicated that Gibbs should tell his teammates it won’t happen again. Kevin Harvick, on his podcast, had a somewhat different perspective. He questioned why Hamlin would wreck his teammate so early for that position — even if he was upset with the youngster.
Hamlin said he didn’t mean to send Gibbs to the wall, that he just wanted to ship him enough to make the pass after earlier contact kept him from passing Gibbs. He certainly didn’t execute that move well if that was his intention. He potentially could have ruined his own day and Christopher Bell’s, who was right behind Hamlin and Gibbs.
Did Hamlin make the smartest move in that situation? Maybe not. But should he have even been in that position in the first place? As Hamlin said on his own podcast, even Ross Chastain let him go by when he realized Hamlin was faster.
Maybe Gibbs has some personal beef with Hamlin or with his other teammates. But if he does, this wasn’t the place or the time to try to prove a point. For 11th? Less than halfway into the race? In a season where the best he can finish is 17th in the standings, while he has teammates who could finish first?
If it wasn’t a team and any driver had done the move Hamlin did, people probably would’ve said that the driver had reason to ship Gibbs but also that Gibbs would have reason to return the favor — in the name of racing your competition the way they race you.
And maybe JGR will tell its drivers that should be the way they can handle it, although that would seem counterproductive (especially at an organization that just last year took on partners who have significant ownership stakes in the team).
The big picture indicates that Gibbs should have handled this one differently. The big picture also indicates that sometimes drivers — whether 22, 32 or 42 — do dumb things when they put the helmet on and get in a competitive environment.
The one thing they can’t do is let this linger. If they do, it could just get nastier, as Hamlin knows he will be done at JGR after the 2027 season.
Both of these drivers are intense competitors.
They’re better off being able to live with the other for another 78 races. If Gibbs can do that, he’ll show the growth needed that potentially will earn him a championship. And if there’s any incentive, that could be one more championship than Hamlin.
Bob Pockrass covers NASCAR and INDYCAR for FOX Sports. He has spent decades covering motorsports, including over 30 Daytona 500s, with stints at ESPN, Sporting News, NASCAR Scene magazine and The (Daytona Beach) News-Journal. Follow him on Twitter @bobpockrass.
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