Kevin Harvick, former NASCAR Cup Series champion, offered his podcast reaction to the recent incident between Ty Gibbs and Denny Hamlin at New Hampshire Motor Speedway, challenging comments from Joe Gibbs Racing competition director Chris Gabehart. On the latest episode of the Happy Hour podcast, Harvick called Gabehart’s take “unfair” to the #54 Camry team and voiced strong support for Gibbs’ right to race aggressively.
Inside the Gibbs-Hamlin Tension During Mobil 1 301
The flashpoint occurred during the Mobil 1 301 race, held last weekend at New Hampshire Motor Speedway, with Ty Gibbs and his teammate Denny Hamlin battling side by side for 11th place on lap 110. The duel took a turn when Hamlin’s #11 Toyota Camry XSE made contact with Gibbs’ car, causing Gibbs to spin out on the track. This incident intensified the ongoing debate around the boundaries of competition between teammates at Joe Gibbs Racing.
Chris Gabehart, who previously served as Denny Hamlin’s crew chief, weighed in following the on-track clash, emphasizing the pressures each driver faces.
“[Denny] was probably looking for more of a break than he got. 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,” he said. – Chris Gabehart, Joe Gibbs Racing Competition Director
“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 where everybody can get what they need out of it,” he added. – Chris Gabehart, Joe Gibbs Racing Competition Director
Gabehart’s assessment suggested that Ty Gibbs could have made more room for Hamlin, sparking further scrutiny of the rookie driver.
NASCAR Community Debates Gibbs’ Racing Approach
Mamba Smith, NASCAR’s Chief Hype Officer, offered another perspective on the incident, raising questions about the expectations placed on young drivers like Ty Gibbs as they work to establish themselves.
“Ty’s trying to build his own career. Is he always supposed to roll over?” [27: 25 onwards] – Mamba Smith, NASCAR Chief Hype Officer
Kevin Harvick firmly rejected the idea that Gibbs owed his teammate extra consideration on the track. During the podcast, Harvick described Gabehart’s remarks as unjust and emphasized the inherent difficulties in navigating these types of racing incidents.
“I think that’s a I think that’s an unfair comment towards Ty personally. Yeah, that’s what I think to to to have that expectation. So, it’s a there’s not a good solution, you know, from the 11 standpoint. I mean, there is not a good solution as to how it should go because the damage is already done.” [27:28 onwards] – Kevin Harvick, Former NASCAR Cup Series Champion
The aftermath of the clash saw Denny Hamlin finishing in 12th place, just behind Carson Hocevar, while Ty Gibbs endured his third DNF (Did Not Finish) of the season, dropping him to 35th in the final standings of the race.
Kyle Busch’s Difficulties Highlighted During Podcast
Harvick’s podcast also touched on the continuing struggles of NASCAR driver Kyle Busch in the Cup Series, attributing much of the decline to the introduction of NextGen cars at the start of the 2022 season. Harvick asserted that these vehicles have disrupted what used to make Busch a dominant force on the track, particularly his ability to adapt and provide valuable feedback.
“I think his car has totally disrupted everything that’s made Kyle Busch good. Everything that made Kyle Busch good up until this Gen 7 car was the fact that he could drive it over the limit, save the car, and he could tell you every single thing that you needed to put in the car to make it go fast.” (via Kevin Harvick’s Happy Hour podcast on YouTube) – Kevin Harvick, Former Stewart-Haas Racing Driver
Busch, who joined Richard Childress Racing in 2023, has gone two seasons without a win. Missing the playoffs in both 2024 and 2025, Busch currently sits 22nd in the Cup Series standings with 613 points, having accumulated eight top-ten finishes and two top-fives this year.
The Broader Impact on NASCAR and Its Drivers
The controversy involving Ty Gibbs and Denny Hamlin, along with ongoing challenges faced by established racers like Kyle Busch, underscores the high-stakes nature of modern NASCAR competition. Harvick’s podcast reaction, rooted in his own experience as both a competitor and observer, has brought further attention to the pressure young drivers feel and the evolving dynamics within prominent organizations like Joe Gibbs Racing. As the debate about racing etiquette and rookie development continues, the NASCAR community remains engaged in determining what standards define fairness on and off the track.
Joe Gibbs Racing competition director Chris Gabehart on Hamlin and Gibbs plus 'here come the yellow cars.' pic.twitter.com/Kem6zJglY2
— Matt Weaver (@MattWeaverRA) September 21, 2025
