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- Petty, Letarte Weigh In on Hamlin-Gibbs Incident; Gabehart Talks About Team Penske’s Possible Playoff Dominance
Petty, Letarte Weigh In on Hamlin-Gibbs Incident; Gabehart Talks About Team Penske’s Possible Playoff Dominance
Jerry Bonkowski
September 26, 2025
Welcome to Hoot in the Oval — your all-access pass to everything NASCAR. From Denny’s clutch finishes to Ross’ wild moves, Chase Elliott fandom to Bubba’s bold takes — we’ve got the stories that fuel the track and the timeline. Fast, loud, unfiltered. Buckle up, y’all. 🏁
The latest edition of our newsletter covers:
Joe Gibbs’ comments about the incident between Hamlin and his grandson don’t sit well with Kyle Petty
The Hamlin-Gibbs clash could be a major turning point for the team itself, says Steve Letarte
Chris Gabehart expects Team Penske’s dominance in the Final 4 round after Loudon showing
🏁Inside the Oval
Kyle Petty Disturbed By Coach Joe Gibbs' Comments After the Hamlin-Ty Gibbs Run-In at Loudon
Kyle Petty isn’t happy with how Joe Gibbs handled the incident between Denny Hamlin and Ty Gibbs this past Sunday at New Hampshire.
For several laps, Joe’s grandson, Ty, did not yield to Hamlin and fellow teammate Christopher Bell, both of whom are contending in the playoffs. Hamlin channeled the late Dale Earnhardt and gave Ty the old “chrome horn,” sending him into the outside wall and out of the race.
Problem solved! Not quite, feels petty, who thought team owner Joe Gibbs would have forced Hamlin and his grandson to shake hands and apologize to each other, much like Rick Hendrick’s famous “milk and cookies” conversation nearly 20 years ago when Jeff Gordon and Jimmie Johnson got into it with each other.
But no, the elder Gibbs decided to stay out of the teammate tussle.
“Teammates are never supposed to wreck each other. That’s in a perfect world, and NASCAR is not a perfect world. Both those guys were wrong,” Petty said, before calling out the elder Gibbs.
“What disturbed me was what Joe Gibbs said, that ‘it’s not about me, but it’s about the drivers.’ What’s that mean? I thought it was ‘Coach Gibbs.’ When I played sports in high school, when I had a disagreement with a teammate, the coach put his arm around us and said, ‘Look, boys, you’ve gotta get along, you’re on the same team, we all have one goal, to win. Let’s get along.’ That’s not what Joe Gibbs is saying. [He’s] saying, ‘Boys, have at it,’ that old NASCAR slogan. Go ahead and get it done,” said Petty.
Joe Gibbs had told FOX Sports’ Bob Pockrass, “It’s always the drivers that have to handle that. They’re the ones that got the wheel, and so I think that’s always the case. So that’s what we’ll do. Those guys are the ones driving the cars, and they’ll get together on their own and figure it out. It’s hard for me, okay, so it’s not me, it’s the drivers. That’s the way I’ve always looked at it.”
Gibbs’ hands-off strategy prompted Petty to “rethink” his position. “And I have to say, Denny Hamlin and Ty Gibbs are right, there IS an ‘I’ in ‘team’ at Joe Gibbs Racing.”
🗣️ Pit Politics
Steve Letarte Explains Why the Denny Hamlin-Ty Gibbs Situation Could Be A Major Inflection Point for Joe Gibbs
Like many other observers, NASCAR TV analyst Steve Letarte is worried that this past Sunday’s run-in between Denny Hamlin and Joe Gibbs Racing teammate, and team owner Joe Gibbs’ grandson, Ty Gibbs, could have an impact on the organization for the remainder of this season’s playoffs.
The elder Gibbs said he will leave it to his drivers to sort their conflict, as that has been JGR’s long-time policy. But Letarte feels Coach Joe should have stepped in and forced both drivers to think about the team, rather than themselves, which could impact JGR’s playoff hopes.
“I believe this is a major intersection for Joe Gibbs Racing. I can have an opinion, you can have an opinion, Ty and Denny can have an opinion. But the only man's opinion that matters is going to be that man standing there in the red shirt, and that's Coach Gibbs,” Letarte said on this week’s edition of NASCAR After The Race.
“His name's on the door, his name's on his own damn shirt, his name's on the race car, it's Coach Gibbs' race team. So, I think his reaction to this and his managing [of] this is going to be a major intersection for the organization. Now look, the man's won Super Bowls. His nickname is ‘Coach.’ I don't know if there's a better person to have to handle this situation,” he added.
The predominant feeling is that Joe remained neutral because his leading driver and grandson were involved.
“… Will Ty Gibbs be reprimanded, coached, directed the same, [or] different from any other driver there? I don't know. I don't think anyone will know. … For me, I believe Ty Gibbs was probably a little bit in the wrong here because they were running outside the top 10,” said Letarte.
“If this is for third, fourth, fifth, or a position that you thought might end up in a race win, I think Ty Gibbs has every right to drive his car as hard as he wants to. But you have to admit when it's kind of not your day or not your moment and look at the bigger picture. And I think that is what fell short,” added the analyst.
🏁 Trackside Trivia
King of Kansas Speedway: Did you know?
Only one driver has swept both Kansas races in a single season: Jimmie Johnson in 2008. That year, the track still had its original asphalt (before the 2012 repave). Johnson pulled off the rare double, which even dominant names like Jeff Gordon, Tony Stewart, or Kevin Harvick never managed there.
🎙️ Hoot’s Radio Chatter
Team Penske Could Be ‘Untouchable’ in the Final 4 After New Hampshire Showing, Warns Chris Gabehart
Where have we seen this before? Oh yeah, the last three NASCAR Cup championships, that’s where.
With the way Team Penske dominated this past weekend at New Hampshire, could we once again be watching Penske Racing’s three playoff drivers unite in their ‘all for one and one for all’ strategy, resulting in a fourth straight Penske NASCAR Cup championship?
Sure, New Hampshire was only one race. But in each of the previous three seasons, the second round of the Cup playoffs has almost always been when Team Penske begins its kick toward the championship finish line. Joey Logano did so in 2022 and 2024, earning the Cup crown both times (and the second and third Cup titles of his career). Ryan Blaney, who won Sunday at Loudon, did the same thing while capturing his first-ever Cup crown in 2023.
Joe Gibbs Racing’s Director of Competition, Chris Gabehart, who previously was Denny Hamlin’s crew chief before his promotion at the end of last season, is more than well aware of what Team Penske has in its arsenal.
“The reality is it’s playoff season and here come the yellow cars with sub-par metrics along the way,” Gabehart said of the Penske clan. “Those guys know how to get it done when it counts. We’ll just have to race them the rest of the year and see how it goes.”
There’s no denying that for the last three seasons, the start of the second round has also been the start of ‘go time’ for Team Penske. And stopping the Penske clan is going to be just as difficult as it is for JGR to win a championship… Perhaps even harder.
“They’re too good,” Gabehart said. “They have a championship-winning race pedigree that goes back decades, for the same reason Joe Gibbs Racing and Hendrick are going to be tough. It really is a pedigree, so when it comes to late-race playoff season, they’re going to be tough.”
🏁 Lap Back in Time: NASCAR Stat of the Year
(One stat. One year. Every edition.)
1957: Chevrolet temporarily withdraws from NASCAR
The Automobile Manufacturers Association banned factory-backed racing in 1957. So, Chevrolet pulled out mid-season after 18 wins. However, they still finished as the year’s winningest manufacturer. Their dominance was so strong that no one could catch them even without factory support.