NASCAR insider highlights the MAJOR issue with under fire Cup Series star

Nobody expected Ty Gibbs to be the biggest story of the NASCAR Cup Series playoffs, but here we are.

Days on from New Hampshire, the fact that Ryan Blaney claimed the win on Sunday is almost forgotten. Instead, Gibbs vs Denny Hamlin is where it is at.

When 22-year-old Ty decided it would be a good idea to race hard against his Joe Gibbs Racing teammate, it set in motion a chain of events which some insiders fear could derail the entire season.

The upshot was a frustrated Denny wrecking Ty and sending him into the wall, and raging “What the f*** is he doing” on team radio.

Afterwards, Hamlin again went in hard, saying he felt “wronged” by a teammate who is NOT in the playoffs racing so hard against one who very much is.

There are hot takes everywhere as a result as the NASCAR media bubble tries to compute what went down, and there is very little love for Ty, who also just happens to be the grandson of team owner Joe Gibbs.

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Jordan Bianchi on Ty Gibbs

Jordan Bianchi, NASCAR insider for The Athletic, believes this comes back to one major issue for Gibbs Jr - maturity. Remember this is not the first time he’s been involved in a major playoff flashpoint with a teammate [see Brandon Jones at Martinsville in 2022].

Speaking on ‘The Teardown’, he said: “In this instance, I get it, you’re racing hard, but it’s 11th and 12th place, 10th place - whatever it is. That one or two spots, that means nothing to Ty Gibbs.

“In the grand scheme of things, those positions mean everything to Christopher Bell and Denny Hamlin.

“It’s stepping back and saying ‘I’m going to put the organization first and foremost’, and especially when you’re not in the playoffs.

“To me this speaks to the greater issues with the driver of the 54 car about maturity. And it’s been a big thing and a big word this year about him. And his growth as a driver and the steps he needs to do to become a better, more well-rounded race car driver.”

Now all eyes turn to how JGR will deal with the fallout this week. Hamlin said he expected team leadership to ‘quarterback’ the situation, while Joe Gibbs said he expected the drivers to deal with it. Right away, that appears to be something of a disconnect.

Former Cup Series champion Kevin Harvick meanwhile believes the incident has the potential to derail Hamlin’s championship bid, and divide the shop at Joe Gibbs Racing. This is a story which may run for a while.

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