NASCAR champion says shocking Denny Hamlin decision could 'blow up' Joe Gibbs Racing

Denny Hamlin’s NASCAR Cup Series championship bid and the immediate future of Joe Gibbs Racing are under threat after the weekend’s shocking events at New Hampshire.

That is the damning verdict from 2014 champion Kevin Harvick, who was shocked by Hamlin’s ‘intentional’ decision to wreck teammate Ty Gibbs during Sunday’s Round of 12 opener.

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JGR had been in dominant form in the Round of 16 - winning all three races, including a victory for Hamlin at Gateway, the 59th Cup Series success of a glittering career.

But all those good vibes disappeared at New Hampshire with Hamlin finishing in 12th place and all the postrace chatter about that battle with his teammate. A teammate who also just happens to be the grandson of team owner Joe Gibbs.

Hamlin was livid on team radio at Gibbs Jnr - who is not in the playoff field - racing him so hard during Sunday’s race, asking his crew “What the f*** is he doing?”. Eventually that frustration saw him snap as he wrecked Ty on lap 110.

Once the dust had settled, Hamlin doubled down on his frustration during his Actions Detrimental podcast, saying he felt “wronged”. He also said he wanted the team’s leadership to “quarterback” the situation from here to get everybody on the same page moving forward.

Harvick on Hamlin vs Ty Gibbs

Harvick though was concerned by what he saw - he believes the incident has the potential to ruin everything Hamlin and JGR have been fighting to achieve this season.

Speaking on his Happy Hour podcast, he said: “When I look at this scenario, obviously the 11 [Hamlin] - as you can see him go up from the hash mark right there straight into the back of the 54. That was intentional, there’s no hiding that that wasn’t intentional.

“Here’s the question that I have - is that the moment that derails Denny Hamlin’s 2025 championship? That decision now is a decision that you have to talk about next week, it’s a decision that will divide the shop, it’s a decision that shows a lot of people that you just don’t really have a lot of respect.

“And you know I think that when he made that decision, it could be the moment that derails Denny Hamlin’s championship chase for 2025.”

Hamlin reiterated how shocking Hamlin’s decision had been - it was just not something he had expected from the 44-year-old superstar.

“As mature as Denny Hamlin has become, and as much of a leader as he has become, I’m really surprised that he chose that action in that moment during the playoffs for a championship."

What happens next at Joe Gibbs Racing?

Naturally Denny vs Ty is the biggest storyline in the sport this week, and Harvick believes the fallout will be both significant and messy.

“Now it’s the owner, the competition director, you, the 54, you’re gonna put the 20 in the middle of it, the 19 in the middle of it and now it’s the whole company. Now it’s the shop chatter.

“It really really really really surprised me that he made the decision that he made because it’s very evident when you watch the car go straight up the racetrack that it was intentional.

“The drivers and the management team are gonna have to sit down and you have to have a conversation about it - I’ve been in them. You don’t have a choice but to be in the middle of them.

“It’s always interesting to hear the soundbites afterwards. [Chris] Gabehart stood there for a long time and talked very graciously to the media. Joe Gibbs spoke to the media. The drivers did exactly what they had to do from not saying more than they needed to say, because when you get in those moments you better be really careful about how you choose your words because it could absolutely blow the organization up.

“There is not a good solution from the 11 standpoint, there is not a good solution as to how it should go because the damage is already done.”

Hamlin is now fifth in the playoff standings - some 27 points above the cutline - as the field heads to Kansas this weekend for the Hollywood Casino 400 (Sunday, 3pm ET, USA).

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