Tension at Joe Gibbs Racing: Hamlin and Gibbs Open the Debate
Calm has returned to Joe Gibbs Racing after the incident between Denny Hamlin and Ty Gibbs in the last race. Hamlin, who is in the playoffs seeking his first championship in the Cup Series, and Gibbs, grandson of the team owner, were involved in a crash on the track. After the contact, Hamlin questioned his team over the radio, asking if they were afraid to give orders to the 22-year-old driver. Hamlin admitted that he got carried away by frustration and that “I definitely got too heated, and it was too far on my part”.Christopher Bell, JGR teammate, made it clear that the priority is mutual respect among Toyota drivers at this stage of the season. “We shouldn’t crash into each other. That was very clear and obviously wrong and I hope it doesn’t happen again.” Meanwhile, Chase Briscoe, also from JGR, secured the pole position for the race in Kansas, marking his seventh pole of the year, the most since Kyle Busch in 2017. Kyle Larson, driver for Hendrick Motorsports, believes it is correct for Briscoe and Hamlin to compete cleanly at the start of the race. Larson pointed out that Gibbs raced too hard against a title contender, who is also his teammate, early in the previous race. “If you’re fighting for a win, you’re fighting for a win. You’re never going to give up a Cup Series win for a teammate. But I think if you’re in the middle of the pack in a stage, yes, that expectation should be followed.” Larson added that at Hendrick Motorsports, the expectations of how drivers should race are clearly defined and evident on the track each week. “You’re always looking for what you can do to make things a little easier for your teammates.”There are things I should have done differently.
Denny Hamlin
