After Joe Gibbs chose to wash his hands of the New Hampshire clash, leaving it to his grandson Ty Gibbs and Denny Hamlin to sort it out, Dale Earnhardt Jr. made it clear that the younger Gibbs should make amends before the tension boils over.
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The flashpoint came on Lap 110, when Ty Gibbs, running 11th, fought tooth and nail with Hamlin and Christopher Bell. And given that Gibbs was trying to hold both his teammates, Hamlin dove low, clipped Gibbs’ left rear, and sent the No. 54 into the Turn 1 wall, drawing a caution. Hamlin vented his anger, and Gibbs shot back with a pointed “Game on” before limping to the garage with a broken toe link that ended his day.
Neither driver aired grievances publicly, though Hamlin was seen in conversation with Joe Gibbs and former crew chief Chris Gabehart on pit road. Dale Jr., however, siding with Hamlin, acknowledged that Ty Gibbs bore some responsibility, suggesting he should have cut his playoff-bound teammates a break.
According to Junior, this was a matter of common sense and needed to be addressed by the young driver himself. “This is a big teaching moment for Ty, well beyond like next week and his racing career and all of that. like how they managed this little hiccup. What happened on the racetrack? It sucks. He shouldn’t have raced him like he did. He got wrecked by his teammate, Denny. All that sucks.”
Still, Junior argued Gibbs should put the incident in the rearview and own up. “You go into the meeting. You talk about it. Ty should, I think, stand up and say, ‘I f*cked up. Should let y’all guys go. I don’t know what I was thinking. That was foolish of me. Won’t happen again going forward in these playoffs. You got my word. I’m gonna be a good teammate.’”
Otherwise, echoing Steve Letarte’s warning, Dale Jr. said the fallout could cast a long shadow on the team dynamics and reputation. Given Hamlin’s stature, he stressed that the team must get a handle on the situation quickly.
Junior sounded worried that if left unchecked, the ripple effects could run far deeper than just one bad afternoon. However, he also said that he is confident they’ll handle the situation, and it won’t be a significant stain on their reputation going forward.
