“Everyone Makes Mistakes!” Denny Hamlin Exposes Why NASCAR Fans Hate Ty Gibbs
Joe Gibbs Racing veteran Denny Hamlin has shared his thoughts on Ty Gibbs’ NASCAR Cup success being discredit because of his nepo collection
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Denny Hamlin (Via @JoeGibbsRacing/X)
The NASCAR Cup Series race last Sunday at Bristol witnessed history in making as Joe Gibbs Racing’s Ty Gibbs produced a clinical final lap to secure his maiden Cup win, defeating Ryan Blaney and Kyle Larson. While many in the community was happy for the youngster, there was still a significant chunk of detractors that was disappointed.
JGR veteran Denny Hamlin talked about this negative perception of Joe Gibbs’ grandson in the latest episode of his podcast. The young racer having a bad repo over wrecking his teammate in the second division for wins and him replacing Kyle Busch, one of the most beloved racers in the grid, played a key role behind the hate.
I think people were very soured by the fact that he took the ride when Kyle [Busch] left. I think that that was a combination of the perception of Ty Gibbs. … Around that time, he had his whole thing at Martinsville, when he wrecked his teammate. It was just like people immediately were like, ‘This is why we don’t like Ty.’
Denny Hamlin said on his podcast.
The 23XI Racing co-owner Denny Hamlin clearly dislike this attitude towards the driver that he sees as family, owing to his two-decade long partnership with the Gibbs. He reminded fans that everyone including Ty Gibbs deserves some grace and he should not get judged for an incident that happened years ago.
Everyone makes mistakes. Everyone deserves some grace. You should be able to evolve your feelings about a certain person based on recent events, not necessarily one bump in the road.
Denny Hamlin added via Actions Detrimental.
The No:11 driver knows how the hate feels, as till last year he was undoubtedly the most hated racer on the garage owing to his run-ins with fan favorite despite the fact that he was producing some great moments on the track. The same is happening for the No:54 driver, who had a tough start to his Cup career but has now found his groove and earned an opportunity to gains fans respect.
If I was judged personally by my worst moments, then yikes. But I just try to create enough good ones to where that’s where you form your opinion of me. So, I just think that Ty came in at a tough time. He did some things that didn’t help, but slowly and surely. … He deserves a fair shot from the fans.
Denny Hamlin asserted.
Denny Hamlin addresses Ryan Blaney is the best drivers’ of 2026 claims
In the same podcast, Hamlin talked about claim that at the moment Ryan Blaney is the best on the garage despite losing the race to Gibbs by 0.05 second. He has been incredibly consistent for last few weeks and had superior pace. It was the mistakes from his crew on pit-road that has been holding him back.
Gosh, it’s hard to say no on that. I mean, from the pure speed to the ability to pass. … I would say Ryan Blaney is week-in, week-out the guy that you got to beat right now… What stands out for Blaney is the pace. We always live in the moment, right? What did you do this week? I just think the guy is just really fast.
Denny Hamlin said.
It tough to answer the question though, as there is Tyler Reddick who won four races from eight starts in the 2026 season, making a strong case. But at the moment, Blaney is faster and consistent. But things can change anytime in the Next-Gen era where the competition is closer than it has ever been in stock car racing history.
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