Denny Hamlin reacts to JGR teammate Ty Gibbs earning first NASCAR Cup win at Bristol

Denny Hamlin was not surprised to see his Joe Gibbs Racing (JGR) teammate, Ty Gibbs, get his first NASCAR Cup Series win at Bristol on Sunday. On the Actions Detrimental podcast, Hamlin reacted to Gibbs getting the win over Ryan Blaney.

“Ty Gibbs gets his first win unsurprisingly,” Denny Hamlin said. “For the last five-six weeks, he’s been someone that’s been in the top five to eight finishing-wise, running may as good or better than that, and going to statistically what was his best racetrack. Shouldn’t have been really a shock to anyone. Great win for him. The fashion in which he did it was able to hold off the best car of the day in Ryan Blaney.”

Hamlin later said that Gibbs is putting himself in a position where he’s running up front “every single week.” He added that he has seen Gibbs have a “much more positive attitude” compared to recent years.

Ty Gibbs on track to compete for a Cup Series title

Gibbs is in his fourth year as a full-time Cup driver and earned his first win after 131 races. But before the victory, the 23-year-old earned four top-five finishes in the previous six races, which is why Hamlin said he’s not surprised that his teammate came out on top at Bristol.

Due to his consistency, Gibbs is making a push to win a Cup Series title. In the current standings, Gibbs is fourth in points and just 19 points behind Hamlin, who’s in third.

After the Bristol race, Gibbs spoke to reporters about holding off Blaney and Kyle Larson for the win. “It’s super cool. Ryan and Kyle, I have a ton of respect for them,” he said. “To be able to race them is awesome. Honestly, I was just happy that the race was sick at the end and we were all sliding around and racing for the win. I think that was super cool. Hopefully, it put on a great show for the fans. Super cool. I’ve watched those guys a lot of my life in NASCAR. To race with them is awesome, it’s an honor.”