“Spoiled Driver”: Fans Torch Ty Gibbs Over Controversial Instagram Move After Denny Hamlin Fallout

“We’re f—– right now, so we’ve gotta do something different.” These inflammatory words came from Ty Gibbs during the Watkins Glen race in August. But more than his frustration, what really stood out was Gibbs’ open defiance of one of his team’s most experienced members. He questioned the strategy calls of Chris Gabehart, who has guided Denny Hamlin to 22 Cup Series victories in his career. Just over a month later, people are again facing Gibbs’ impudent attitude.

Ty Gibbs is currently running his third year in the NASCAR Cup Series. The No. 54 Toyota driver has left a trail of brilliance in the ARCA Menards Series and the Xfinity Series, clinching championships in both. But his fortunes have stalled at the Cup level. And fans chide him for fanning the fires of conflict instead of focusing on his career.

Ty Gibbs’ subtle jab at Denny Hamlin

Joe Gibbs Racing’s in-house drama spilled out on lap 110 of the Mobil 1 301 race. Ty Gibbs displayed his typically defiant attitude, not giving way to his teammates, and then faced Denny Hamlin’s wrath as the latter spun him out. Yet Gibbs was tight-lipped in the post-race interview, simply deflecting the topic. “Yeah, it’s unfortunate, but I’m excited to go race next week,” he said. However, after Hamlin questioned Gibbs’ moves on his ‘Actions Detrimental’ podcast, Gibbs could no longer hold his silence.

Kevin Harvick did not believe Denny Hamlin’s plea of innocence, claiming, “There’s no hiding that wasn’t intentional.” He further criticized the 59-time Cup Series champion, saying, “It’s a decision that shows a lot of people that you don’t really have a lot of respect [for others around you].” Ty Gibbs shared a screenshot of a short video clip, placing a finger emoji. To add context to this Instagram story, Jeff Gluck shared Harvick’s video on X. He wrote, “Ty Gibbs reposted this on his Instagram story with a finger emoji pointing toward the words, if you were wondering where his head was at.”

Indeed, although Ty Gibbs’ head lingered around Kevin Harvick’s criticism, it definitely did not linger on his team’s needs. JGR is at the cusp of clinching a championship after six long years, with solid chances prevailing for three drivers. Chase Briscoe, Denny Hamlin, and Christopher Bell swept all three races of the Round of 16, posing a formidable challenge to competitors. To create a rift inside the stellar team at this crucial juncture indeed shows how off-track Ty Gibbs is. That is how a number of industry veterans criticized him, including The Athletic reporter Jordan Bianchi.

And that is why a swathe of NASCAR fans also rallied against Ty Gibbs, calling out the youngster’s lack of vision.

No love lost between Ty and the community

Well, Ty Gibbs’ tale of controversy is nothing new. From wrecking teammate Brandon Smith during the 2022 Xfinity title run to defying Chris Gabehart’s strategy calls, Gibbs has not progressed much from earlier controversies. Gibbs got into icky situations with Corey Heim and Sam Mayer in ARCA as well. Then, he took the air off Ryan Seig’s bumper in a 2022 Las Vegas Xfinity race. So one fan urged JGR to take a call: “No one else think’s it’s insane that an adult in this brat’s life hasn’t stepped in yet ? At some point investors, sponsors, etc are going to wonder who in the actual is running that cluster at JGR.”

What is more, Gibbs’ recent Instagram story underlines the fact that he does not acknowledge his action in New Hampshire. His open defiance of his teammates’ playoff run can be a huge threat to JGR’s pursuit of the championship. One fan wrote, “Him reposting it, with finger emoji pointing to words, just shows his immaturity and he hasn’t learned a thing from the whole thing. Right or wrong, keep it in house, talk it out, be ticked off, but learn and keep quiet. Ty isn’t about JGR winning a Championship 🏆.” Somebody else emphasized how young and naive he is, as the comment read, “I miss being 22. I was never wrong about anything then either.”

Other fans insinuated Ty Gibbs’s lack of vision about his own career. The 22-year-old racer is definitely young, but finishing his third full-time Cup Series year without a victory is concerning. So one fan criticized him for going against an established veteran like Denny Hamlin. “How many Cup wins does Ty have ? Right … get the hell out of the way … he’s lucky to have Denny as a teammate to learn from.” Obviously, Hamlin’s retaliatory action was not entirely clean, either. Yet another fan downplayed that in the face of Ty’s defiant attitude. They wrote, “He’s going to try to dump Denny while driving around 3 laps down on Sunday and trash his equipment in the process. Ty’s such a hack that he’s made me agree with Denny Hamlin.”

Clearly, Ty Gibbs is not exactly in the good books of fans at present. With the controversy deepening, let’s wait and see if JGR can mend its rift soon.