KANSAS CITY, Kan. – Following the incident between teammates Denny Hamlin and Ty Gibbs, calm has returned to Joe Gibbs Racing. Hamlin, who is competing for his first championship in the Cup Series, and Gibbs, grandson of team owner Joe Gibbs, had a run-in on the track. Hamlin, after the contact, questioned on the radio whether the organization was afraid to give team orders to the young driver. Hamlin revealed that all parties involved had the opportunity to express their opinions at the meeting this week. Although he did not give details, he admitted that “I definitely got too upset and went too far on my part”.
Christopher Bell, JGR teammate, made it clear that Toyota drivers must respect each other on the track at this stage of the season, where there are six races left to crown the champion.There are things I should have done differently.
Denny Hamlin
Chase Briscoe, JGR driver, achieved his seventh pole position of the year, leading the starting grid in Kansas. Briscoe and Hamlin will share the front row. Kyle Larson, Hendrick Motorsports driver, thinks it’s the right thing to do. Gibbs was racing aggressively against a title contender who was also his teammate.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
Larson explained that the expectations on how Hendrick’s drivers should race are clearly defined. He added that in his team, they are always looking for how to make things easier for their teammates.I think in the end, if you’re racing for a win, you’re racing 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 in the middle of the pack in a stage, yes, that expectation should be followed.
Kyle Larson
