One of these Joe Gibbs Racing drivers is not like the others. And that was never more evident than it was on Sunday afternoon at New Hampshire Motor Speedway.
JGR has three teams in the Round of 12 as the NASCAR Cup Series playoffs heats up. Chase Briscoe, Denny Hamlin and Christopher Bell swept the opening round to secure their spots in the Round of 12, and entered the Mobil 1 301 as the organization to beat, having won the three previous races at New Hampshire.
For the organization’s fourth driver, Ty Gibbs, NHMS provided the opportunity to finish what he’d started the previous weekend at Bristol Motor Speedway. He dominated, leading 201 laps before a late issue and a tire gamble that didn’t quite pay off cost him a shot at his first career Cup win.
In his third full season at the Cup level, Gibbs has often looked like that win was just around the corner, but it hasn’t materialized.
The weekend didn’t go to plan to begin with, with the JGR Toyotas outclassed in qualifying and once the race got rolling.
On Sunday, with just over 100 laps complete in the race, Gibbs was running 11th in the second stage with Hamlin and Bell battling for the same real estate. Hamlin probably had a faster car, but Gibbs had track position and raced Hamlin and Bell hard to keep it.
In what looked to be a moment of frustration on Hamlin’s part, the No. 11 dived inside of the No. 54, and then Hamlin appeared to nudge the left rear quarter panel of Gibbs’ car, sending him spinning and bringing out a caution.
“What the f*** is he doing?” said an obviously exasperated Hamlin on his team’s radio. “Are they afraid to talk to him? That’s what I feel like, they’re scared of him.”
Gibbs, meanwhile, responded to the incident with simply “Game on.”
He got back on track, but a broken toe link sent him back to the garage soon after. NASCAR only gives teams one chance to make repairs after an incident, so his day was over. Gibbs made the mandatory trip to the infield care center.
When asked about the spin, Gibbs wouldn’t engage with reporters. “Yeah, it’s unfortunate but I’m excited to go race next week and I’m looking forward to it.”
When asked about Hamlin’s stance that someone in the organization needed to speak to Gibbs, Gibbs replied, “Yeah, we’ll have a good race next week. I’m looking forward to it.”
Hamlin went on to finish 12th, with a pair of stage points from the second stage.
After the race, Hamlin didn’t go into much detail about the contact.
“It’s super unfortunate he got spun there and obviously the contact came from us,” Hamlin said after the race. “Yeah, I don’t have any other comment other than that. Just had some contact into (turn) 1. It was obviously a really rough race before that.”
When asked if he’d have a conversation with Gibbs this week, Hamlin didn’t commit.
“Well, I mean, we’ll work through it and all, but just — we’ll see how it goes. But honestly, it’s unfortunate the contact happened.”
While he admitted the contact came from his car, Hamlin’s assertion that the contact was “unfortunate” seemed to lay the blame for the incident back at Gibbs’ feet.
The incident highlighted the disparity between playoff drivers and what they expect from drivers outside the title hunt. Hamlin clearly felt that Gibbs was racing him too hard, while Gibbs was upset with Hamlin for causing the spin.
It also raises the question of whether Hamlin and his young teammate will coexist for the remainder of the playoffs with their different goals. It’s unlikely that NASCAR will get involved as while Hamlin’s turning into Gibbs looked intentional, it wasn’t blatant enough for the sanctioning body to step in.
That leaves the drivers—and JGR management—to work it out among themselves. It’s unlikely that the feud will continue with a title on the line for Joe Gibbs, but budding resentment within the organization could keep things tense for a while.
Amy is an 20-year veteran NASCAR writer and a six-time National Motorsports Press Association (NMPA) writing award winner, including first place awards for both columns and race coverage. As well as serving as Photo Editor, Amy writes The Big 6 (Mondays) after every NASCAR Cup Series race. She can also be found working on her bi-weekly columns Holding A Pretty Wheel (Tuesdays) and Only Yesterday (Wednesdays). A New Hampshire native whose heart is in North Carolina, Amy’s work credits have extended everywhere from driver Kenny Wallace’s website to Athlon Sports. She can also be heard weekly as a panelist on the Hard Left Turn podcast that can be found on AccessWDUN.com's Around the Track page.
The sense of entitlement of Reverend Joe drivers is getting more evident.
With friends like Gibbs, who needs enemies!
I wouldn’t expect a car from another team to move over. I wouldn’t expect a teammate to move over if racing for a win. I wouldn’t expect a teammate who has designs on a championship to move over.
But I would expect a teammate to move over in this case. And though I don’t care for playoffs, this has nothing to do with the playoffs. I’d see it the same in a conventional points system as well. If your teammate has a chance to win a title, you don’t and you’re holding them up for 10th place, get out of the way, and let your faster teammate go fight for some points. If you don’t willingly move over, expect to receive assistance in moving. “Game on” indeed.
As I’ve said before, Ty Gibbs is lucky his grandfather owns the team. This would not have been tolerated otherwise, but in this case, I’d bet nothing changes.
I liked it better back in early 80s when no one had teammate(s). This shyt would never happen.
It’s not the non playoff drivers job to stop racing the playoff drivers. They are still out there to win races also. They have sponsors to impress and may be racing for a contract. Too much patty caking as it is in this series anymore.
I agree with you on the large teams changing the dynamics.
You mentioned the early 80’s. Back then, drivers knew better than to block a faster car for 10th place with 100 laps to go. They knew it wasn’t worth it, both because their team couldn’t afford to tear up a car for a spot that didn’t matter much, and because the car would only handle so much abuse while keeping speed.
Even places like Martinsville, if somebody tracked down 10th place in a hurry, with a bunch of laps to go, that driver would generally let whoever caught them go rather than chance getting wrecked.
Fighting for every spot down the order like it means your life is a modern era phenomenon, mostly born from bigger budgets, and drivers who won’t spend the next nights wrenching on the car.
You’re absolutely right!
What a bunch of BS for Daytight to suggest that Gibbs should pull over for Hamblin, or anyone else. If it’s team orders, if the crew chief calls on the radio and says let him by he’s better than us right now, that’s one thing, but no way he should let him by just because Hamblin might think he’s faster.
I can’t stand the Gibbs clan, or anyone that drives for them, but Baby Gibbs has just as much right to maintain his line and his position as Hamblin or any other driver. And Gibb’s sponsors are paying him to race and finish well, not help Hamblin and his sponsors got a better finish. Maybe if he was lapping Gibbs it would be different, but they were racing for position. If Hamblin was that much faster than he should have been able to get by cleanly.
Hamblin’s just upset and losing it because he can see another shot at a championship slipping away.
100% agreed. Its one thing if Gibbs was a lap down, but racing for position? GTFOH with that.
You guys crack me up. Always so ANGRY!
Gonna be hilarious to watch Baby Gibbs take out Denny in the final race (ala Kenseth/Logano style) to ensure he doesn’t win the championship!
I bet Papaw done told him to stay away from Hack Hamlin and not cost him.
There was 100 laps to go when this incident took place. Teamates often move over during a race to see if the other has a racing line or a setup adjustment that makes ‘us all better’. Not much of TEAM when stuff like this happens.
Reverand Joe should put this post on the bullitan board.
Denny: “Don’t you know I’m trying to advance?”
Little Gibbs: “Don’t you know I’m the GRANDSON?”
Saying the driver in 11th place and on the lead lap is “supposed to” move over because you can’t pass him is one of the most asinine things in racing I have heard. Is this racing or shuffleboard? Another reason why the playoffs are such a joke. If this is how its supposed to go, just remove all the non-playoff drivers and have 12 cars in the race. And this is coming from someone who is not a fan of Gibbs at all.
It almost sounds like Formula 1. A driver could run the race of his life and lead near the end of the race, but then the top driver on the team moves into 2nd place. The leader would then have to move over and let the top driver win the race. Actually, I would have loved to see Hamlin spin Gibbs out and end up wiping themselves and Bell out, since he was right behind them.
I would never just lay over for a teammate or any other driver these days. The cars are so much the same anymore. It’s always been the car behind you job to pass you. Nascar is such a joke these days.
Since I consider Hamlin irksome AND a jerk I will continue to hope he never wins a championship.
He’s quick to criticize others for their actions but figures he has the right to wreck people and get away with it. I’m not a fan of Gibbs either.
I wasn’t saying Gibbs is supposed to move over. I’m saying at times (often early in a fuel or tire run) in a race its not uncommon for a driver to let a car pass to save equipment/tires and/or to follow the car and understand what line(s) the opponent is using around the track.
This is not submission, its a stratagy in a race that last for hours. Winning that minute of the race is meaningless.