Former crew chief Steve Letarte has long maintained that in the dust-up between Denny Hamlin and Ty Gibbs, the 22-year-old carried part of the blame. He had argued that the fight was over a spot outside the top 10. Had it been for third, fourth, or fifth, and possibly a chance at the win, Gibbs would have been justified in digging in.
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But on a day when the cards weren’t falling the No. 54 driver’s way, he needed to see the bigger picture. Instead, he tangled with Hamlin, who was simply trying to scrape playoff points while battling for 11th in Stage 2. Now Letarte has turned his focus to team owner Joe Gibbs, echoing Kyle Petty’s frustration with the coach’s response.
In the pit-lane interview, Joe Gibbs said he would let the drivers hash it out on their own. “It’s always the drivers that have to handle that. They’re the ones that got the wheel. And so I think that’s always the case. So that’s what we’ll do… So, we’ll kind of get those guys will get together on their own and figure it out. I think it’s hard for me. Okay. It’s not me, it’s the drivers.”
The comment didn’t sit well with Kyle Petty, who argued Gibbs failed to step into his role as “Coach” at JGR, the leader expected to mentor and steady his drivers. Instead, he washed his hands of the conflict, leaving it to Hamlin and Gibbs to settle on their own.
Petty pulled no punches: “What disturbed me was what Joe Gibbs said. He said, ‘It’s not about me, it’s about the drivers.’ What’s that mean? I thought it was ‘Coach’ Gibbs.” He pointed out that even in schoolyard games, a coach intervenes when teammates clash, and Gibbs’ refusal to do so left him unimpressed.
Letarte shared the same view, saying, “I loved everything he said except for they’re going to get together on the road. I don’t love that. And I feel like he shouldn’t let it possibly go forward without a discussion. I do believe that because of the situation, a little guidance would be good.”
“I think it’s coach’s team, and he should tell them what he expects, and then the drivers should figure out how they execute that together… If he has to be on the radio, then he has to talk to the drivers. The drivers should be able to do it. They’re professional athletes. So I love what he was leaning towards, but I don’t think it’s a they’ll get together on their own type of conversation.”
Meanwhile, on his podcast episode, Hamlin has openly called for JGR leadership to step in, reminding everyone that Gibbs himself has previously drawn a line between playoff and non-playoff cars. Hamlin said the message has been repeated many times in meetings: if a driver is out of the playoffs, they should cut teammates every break they can.
He added that if Ty Gibbs believes he owes nothing to Hamlin or Bell, that’s his choice. But if the shoe were on the other foot, Gibbs would expect the same courtesy to keep his title hopes alive.
For now, Joe Gibbs has placed the ball squarely in the drivers’ court, while Hamlin insists leadership must restate expectations. As it stands, no one knows how the feud between Hamlin and Ty Gibbs will ultimately be put to bed.
