Hamlin and Gibbs: Tension at JGR after on-track incident | NASCAR

KANSAS CITY, Kan. – After an on-track incident between teammates Denny Hamlin and Ty Gibbs, calm has returned to Joe Gibbs Racing. Hamlin, who is competing in the playoffs in search of his first Cup championship, and Gibbs, grandson of team owner Joe Gibbs, had a clash in New Hampshire. Hamlin, annoyed that Gibbs didn’t give way, bumped him. After the incident, Hamlin questioned via team radio whether the organization was afraid to give team orders to the 22-year-old young driver.

I definitely got too angry and went too far on my part.

Denny Hamlin

Hamlin acknowledged that he reacted inappropriately, admitting that “there were things I should have done differently”. Christopher Bell, JGR teammate, stated that the message was clear and didn’t need to be expressed about how Toyota drivers should compete with each other at this point in the season. There are 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

Meanwhile, Chase Briscoe, a JGR driver, achieved his seventh pole position of the year, leading the starting grid in Kansas on Sunday. He will start alongside Hamlin. Briscoe’s seven poles are the most in a single season since Kyle Busch in 2017.

Briscoe and Hamlin will likely compete cleanly at the start, something that Kyle Larson, a Hendrick Motorsports driver, considers correct. Gibbs was competing too aggressively with 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 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 explained that the expectations on how Hendrick’s drivers should compete with each other are clearly defined and are evident on the track every week. In addition, he added that they always seek to make things easier for teammates. He mentioned an example from the previous week, where Alex Bowman gave him opportunities, demonstrating the teamwork that is often not seen on television. Larson concluded that he understood Hamlin’s frustration and expected an improvement in performance after the conversations held during the week.