After the teammate squabble that captivated the NASCAR world last weekend at New Hampshire Motor Speedway, Denny Hamlin says that Joe Gibbs Racing has helped him work through tensions with Ty Gibbs, his teammate, in internal team meetings.
Speaking to the media ahead of Sunday’s NASCAR Cup Series Hollywood Casino 400 at Kansas Speedway, Hamlin confirmed on Saturday that meetings were held earlier this week, which included all of the drivers at Joe Gibbs Racing and team leadership. The goal of the meetings was to address expectations and in-race etiquette among the teammates heading into the final stretch of the season.
“I think [things] are in a good place,” Hamlin said of the feud between him and Gibbs heading into Kansas. “We had some meetings this week, and they were all productive. The guts of that are going to be confidential.”
The veteran racer added, “all drivers had an opportunity to speak,” during the discussions, and that the entire Joe Gibbs Racing team worked in unison to “come up with a plan.”
The Lap 110 dust-up between Hamlin and Gibbs last weekend at New Hampshire stemmed from aggressive racing, where Hamlin felt his blocking moves from his teammate, despite being out of the Playoffs, were uncalled for. That led Hamlin to lose his cool, and he made contact with Gibbs, which spun him out and ended the day for the driver of the No. 54 car.
Denny Hamlin Crashes Joe Gibbs Racing Teammate Ty Gibbs on Lap 110
The incident raised eyebrows, especially given the tight points battle that Hamlin is embroiled in within the Round of 12 of the NASCAR Cup Series Playoffs.
RELATED: NASCAR Cup Series Playoff Standings
Now, several days removed, Hamlin expressed some regret over how he handled the situation with his teammate.
“Certainly, absolutely. I definitely got hot under the collar, and it went too far on my end,” Hamlin admitted. “There [are] things I wish I could have done a little bit differently.”
Hamlin did not elaborate on what the agreed-upon Joe Gibbs Racing plans were, but his tone suggests that all parties have a desire to move forward with a team-focused approach, especially with three of JGR’s four NASCAR Cup Series drivers in the fight for the championship with six races remaining in the season.
The 44-year-old Hamlin went into the race weekend with high hopes as he and his No. 11 Joe Gibbs Racing team have performed extremely well at the 1.5-mile Kansas Speedway over the last few years.
“We’ve been super strong here the last four or five years,” Hamlin said. “It’s interesting — this is the one track on the schedule where we just haven’t had a clean race. I’m just praying for a mistake-free race.”
While Hamlin will look to remain mistake-free on track, he’s also optimistic that his pit crew, which will be comprised of two backup team members due to suspensions dished out to the team for a detached wheel at Bristol Motor Speedway, is able to get the job done as well.
“Hopefully, we can take two new guys to victory lane,” Hamlin stated.
It’s all falling Hamlin’s way after Saturday’s qualifying session, where the driver of the No. 11 Toyota Camry XSE secured the runner-up starting spot for Sunday’s Hollywood Casino 400 (click here for the official starting lineup). Hamlin, who enters the weekend 27 points above the Playoffs cutline, will start alongside Chase Briscoe, his Joe Gibbs Racing teammate, on the front row in Sunday’s race.
