JGR Leaving Hamlin, Gibbs to 'Figure It Out' After New Hampshire Wreck

Things are more than likely going to be tense at Joe Gibbs Racing (JGR) leading up to Monday’s competition briefing, following an on-track incident that occurred in Sunday’s NASCAR Cup Series event at New Hampshire Motor Speedway between Denny Hamlin and Ty Gibbs.

Hamlin, a playoff-eligible driver for the team, and Gibbs, who is not, tangled just past the one-third mark of the Mobil 1 301 at the 1.018-mile short track, after the two had been battling extremely hard for a position outside the top-10 – which sparked some anger on the radio of the No. 11.

The NASCAR Cup Series veteran was displeased with the 22-year-old Gibbs, saying on the radio, “Doesn’t Ty [Gibbs] know we’re racing for a championship,” and after multiple laps of being raced hard, contacted the left-rear of the No. 54, spinning him around in Turn 1.

RACE RESULTS: 2025 NCS Mobil 1 301 at New Hampshire Motor Speedway

Gibbs made significant contact with the outside wall and nearly took out another Joe Gibbs Racing entry (Christopher Bell). However, that damage began a disastrous chain of events that led the No. 54 to finish the afternoon in the NASCAR Cup Series garage, coming home 35th.

Hamlin voiced his displeasure on the radio even more after the incident, making it clear that somebody needed to talk to Gibbs and claiming that the team was too afraid to do so. (Some important context, here: Ty Gibbs is the grandson of team owner Joe Gibbs.)

Once their respective races were finished, both Gibbs and Hamlin refused to air out any of their dirty laundry in the media, whether that be through USA Network’s coverage of the event, or just through reporters at the racetrack.

Channeling his inner Kyle Busch, Gibbs said: “It’s unfortunate but I’m excited to go race next week and I’m looking for it,” and some iteration of the same response when asked a follow-up question on the matter.

While Denny Hamlin gave a different answer, the gist was generally the same: “It’s super unfortunate he got spun there and obviously the contact came from us. Yeah, I don’t have any other comment other than that. Just had some contact into (turn) one. It was obviously a really rough race before that.”

JGR teammates Denny Hamlin and Ty Gibbs didn't say much about their New Hampshire mid-race incident to the media. However, Hamlin did call the contact unfortunate and said they'll work through it. pic.twitter.com/X3Qrzs5Tnp
— TobyChristie.com (@TobyChristieCom) September 21, 2025

Joe Gibbs might be in a bit of a precarious position with this one… Denny Hamlin is no doubt the organization’s star driver, winning 59 NASCAR Cup Series events for the team. Whereas, Gibbs, the 2022 NASCAR Xfinity Series champion, is the future of the organization, and the grandson of the Super Bowl winning coach.

“It’s always the drivers [who] have to handle that,” Joe Gibbs explained. “They’re the ones that got the wheel. And so, I think, that’s always the case. So, that’s what we’ll do. I think those guys are all the ones driving the cars. And so, those guys will get together on their own and figure it out.”

Chris Gabehart, a former crew chief for Denny Hamlin in the NASCAR Cup Series and now in a competition role for Joe Gibbs Racing, had this to say about the incident that transpired throughout the event.

“Probably was looking for more of a break than he got, that’s what I would guess,” Gabehart said. “That’s what I saw. The hard part is, you know, the No. 54 is trying to win races, and make a name for himself as well, and you know, so everyone needs more space than they have. This sounds like racing to me.”

Regardless of what Hamlin, Ty Gibbs, Joe Gibbs, or Chris Gabehart think of the incident that happened on the racetrack Sunday, the pair of teammates are going to have to figure this out, seeing as a rivalry within the organization could drastically impact the overall performance of the team, and for a driver like Gibbs who is rising through the ranks, could limit his access to an important resource.

“This is the type of conversation that, when you run well, you're fortunate enough to have to have every so often, and we'll have to have that conversation again. I think there's a reasonable etiquette to follow, where everybody can get what they need out of it,” Gabehart added. “But, you know, at the same time, you can't create an atmosphere where everybody just has to roll over and play nice all the time, either, or you won't hang as many banners as Joe Gibbs Racing has hung over the years."

Hamlin is set to head to Kansas Speedway next weekend looking to continue his path forward and compete for the NASCAR Cup Series championship, while Gibbs, driver of the No. 54 Toyota Camry XSE, is still looking to secure his first career victory.

Only time will tell if the situation is truly a matter of “game on” like Gibbs said on the radio.

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