Chris Gabehart calls for “proper racing etiquette” at JGR after Denny Hamlin-Ty Gibbs New Hampshire controversy

NASCAR: Wurth 400 - Source: Imagn
Apr 28, 2024; Dover, Delaware, USA; NASCAR Cup Series driver Denny Hamlin (left) chats with crew chief Chris Gabehart (right) on pit road prior to the Wurth 400 at Dover Motor Speedway - Source: Imagn

Reporter Matt Weaver shared a video on X of Joe Gibbs Racing competition director Chris Gabehart talking about the incident between Denny Hamlin and Ty Gibbs at New Hampshire Motor Speedway. In the clip, Gabehart called for “proper racing etiquette” after Hamlin spun Gibbs in the middle of the playoff race.

Ad

In the video, Gabehart said the team needs to talk about how drivers handle close racing, especially during the playoffs. His words in Weaver’s video were,

“Yeah, you know, we’ve just gotta get a better understanding of, you know, proper racing etiquette or situations, and the playoffs, or a certain situation, and we’ll just have to talk through it and get everybody's point of view and figure out how to move forward as one after that.” [2:00 onwards]
Ad
He added, "Denny thought he was gonna have more space than he had, so he made an entry with that expectation, and then when he had less space than he had, you can’t just stop these big things on a dime when you’re loaded up like that. You’ve heard Denny and the other guys mention it many times; you’ve got to guess going into the corner what other guys are there, when you guess wrong, sometimes an error can be made."
Ad
Ad

The incident took place on Sunday at New Hampshire Motor Speedway during the second stage of the race. Ty Gibbs was running in 11th place with just over 100 laps completed, while Denny Hamlin and Christopher Bell were fighting for position behind him.

Hamlin seemingly had the faster car, but Gibbs held track position and raced both teammates aggressively to keep it. Hamlin ultimately drove his No. 11 car to the inside of Gibbs’ No. 54.

Ad

The JGR-driver then clipped the left rear quarter panel of Gibbs’ car, which sent Gibbs spinning and brought out a caution. Gibbs was able to rejoin the race, but a broken toe link forced him to the garage soon after, ending his day.


Denny Hamlin explains crew suspension decision

Denny Hamlin also spoke about why Joe Gibbs Racing delayed the suspension of two pit-crew members after Bristol. NASCAR had given front tire changer Austin Maloney and jackman Joel Bouagnon two-race bans after Hamlin’s car lost a wheel.

Ad

JGR chose to push the penalty back by one week so the crew could work the New Hampshire race. Denny Hamlin told reporter Bob Pockrass that the decision was based on the type of track. He said,

“I think it was an obvious decision simply because you know pit stops are not as crucial at the Roval as what is it what they would be here or Kansas here because of track position. You're going to get a much larger field spread at Roval. You're typically going to pit under green there so a stop that's a second slower is not going to be as detrimental. So it just makes sense with the rules that were given to defer one week.”
Ad

Denny Hamlin also said losing regular crew members will have an effect, but he thinks the replacements could still perform well.

“Certainly not having the same guys that we've always had will have some sort of an impact but I mean you know you never know it could be just as good,” he added.

The suspension came after Hamlin’s car lost a right-front wheel following contact with A.J. Allmendinger at Bristol. He was given a two-lap penalty and finished 31st, five laps behind.

Get the latest NASCAR All-Star race news, Xfinity Series updates, breaking news, rumors, and today’s top stories with the latest news on NASCAR.

Quick Links

Edited by Tushhita Barua
Sportskeeda logo
Close menu
WWE
WWE
NBA
NBA
NFL
NFL
MMA
MMA
Tennis
Tennis
NHL
NHL
Golf
Golf
MLB
MLB
Soccer
Soccer
F1
F1
WNBA
WNBA
down arrow icon
More
Manage notifications