Hamlin and Gibbs: Tension in JGR after NASCAR race incident

KANSAS CITY, Kan. – Following an on-track incident between teammates Denny Hamlin and Ty Gibbs, calm has returned to the Joe Gibbs Racing team. Hamlin, who is competing in the playoffs in search of his first Cup Series championship, and Gibbs, grandson of team owner Joe Gibbs, had contact in the race, leading Hamlin to question his team over the radio about whether they were afraid to give team orders to the 22-year-old young driver. Hamlin admitted that he got carried away by the emotion and that he overreacted.

There were things I should have done differently.

Denny Hamlin

Christopher Bell, another JGR teammate, made it clear that the way Toyota drivers should compete with each other was implicit, especially at this stage of the season. There are only six races left to crown the Cup champion.

We shouldn’t crash into each other. That was very clear and obviously incorrect and I hope it doesn’t happen again. I think it was already clear to us before, and we just need to respect each other.

Christopher Bell

On the other hand, Chase Briscoe, JGR driver, achieved his seventh pole position of the year, leading the grid in Kansas on Sunday, alongside Hamlin. Briscoe’s seven poles are the most in a single season since 2017. Kyle Larson, Hendrick Motorsports driver, believes it’s right for Briscoe and Hamlin to race cleanly at the beginning. Larson considers that Gibbs was racing too aggressively against a title contender, who is also his teammate, in an early stage of last week’s race.

I think in the end, if you’re competing for a win, you’re competing for a win. You’re never going to give up a win in the Cup Series for a teammate. But I think if you’re running in the middle of the pack in a stage, yes, that expectation should be followed.

Kyle Larson

Larson added that the expectations of how Hendrick’s drivers should compete are clearly defined and are evident on the track every week. Larson also highlighted the teamwork that often goes unseen, such as when Alex Bowman made things easier for him in the first stage of the previous race. Larson concluded that he understands Hamlin’s frustration, and hopes the situation improves after the conversations they had during the week.