JGR Competition Director Chris Gabehart addresses Denny Hamlin, Ty Gibbs beef after New Hampshire

Following today’s New Hampshire race, Joe Gibbs Racing Competition Director Chris Gabehart might have work to do. Not only on the track, but with his drivers Denny Hamlin and Ty Gibbs who are now in a bit of a spat with each other.

Chris Gabehart was Denny Hamlin’s crew chief just a year ago. Now, in a higher role within JGR, Gabehart may have to help squash beef between drivers. This season, late in the year, Gabehart has been especially paying attention to the 54 team, even acting as a pseudo-co-crew-chief at times.

Gibbs held Hamlin up on the track in Stage 2 racing for position. For the 11, it was a bit of an insult considering the situation that he is in versus the 54. One is a playoff driver, and one isn’t. This was a race for position in the field, not a battle for the lead.

After multiple laps, Denny Hamlin got aggressive with Ty Gibbs. He gave him a warning bump, and then in the next turn, Gibbs was turned. Ultimately, the 54 was a DNF.

Chris Gabehart spoke to the media about the Hamlin-Gibbs situation.

“[Denny] was probably looking for more of a break than he got,” Gabehart said, via Matt Weaver of Motorsport. “That’s what I would guess. That’s what I saw. The hard part is the 54 is trying to win races and trying to make a name for himself as well. So, everybody needs more space than they have. That sounds like racing to me.”

Gabehart was also asked about how hard Denny Hamlin and Ty Gibbs are expected to race in this situation. A non-playoff driver just doesn’t have as much to race for when it’s for P11 or whatever than a playoff driver. But there’s more nuance.

“Yeah, this is the type of conversation that, you know, when you run well, you’re fortunate enough to have to have every so often,” Gabehart explained. “And we’ll have to have that conversation again. But, I think there’s a reasonable etiquette to follow to where everybody can get what they need out of it. 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.

And that goes for every position. You guys see and talk about the drivers the most, but it’s the crew chiefs, the engineers, and you know, the pit crew members, and you know, to a certain degree on Sundays, you have to be selfish. So, it’s a hard thing to balance, and we’ve just got to do a little bit better job of getting that balanced here today.”

So, it’s an awkward situation, no doubt. However, Denny Hamlin is no stranger to teammate issues. He’s had moments of disagreement with fellow JGR drivers before. Ask Brandon Jones how Ty Gibbs does with teammates in the playoffs.