Ty Gibbs found himself at the center of a Toyota-on-Toyota incident at Gateway, but Denny Hamlin was quick to point the finger elsewhere. The Joe Gibbs Racing driver made contact with Erik Jones during a Stage 2 restart, sending the Legacy Motor Club Toyota into a spin. With Gibbs fighting for the championship and Jones outside the title battle, the incident carried added weight. Yet, Denny Hamlin believed Jones was simply caught in a difficult position caused by Ty Gibbs’ aggressive on-track move.

“It seemed like Ty got to the inside of the 43 of Erik inside turns 3 and 4, but he was barely inside. And then the 43 didn’t give him a lot of room, but the 54 also, like, said, “I’m here.” And you know, if you look off of Turn 4, the 54 ran pretty hard over the rumble strip. So, he was really, really low. Really low. But, I didn’t think Erik Jones did anything wrong by any means,” Denny Hamlin said on the Actions Detrimental podcast.

Hamlin’s assessment came after Ty Gibbs sent Erik Jones spinning during the Enjoy Illinois 300 at World Wide Technology Raceway. The incident happened four laps into Stage 2 on Lap 56, with the two Toyota drivers battling for 18th position.

Gibbs had been following Jones’ No. 43 Legacy Motor Club Toyota closely for several laps. When the field bunched up following a restart, the No. 54 saw an opportunity to make a move. Gibbs got barely alongside Jones through Turns 3 and 4, but the No. 43 had limited room because another car was also running alongside him on the top lane.

Gibbs then drove deeper into the corner and made contact with the rear of Jones’ car. The No. 43 was sent into a full spin, costing Jones valuable track position while Gibbs continued. Hamlin suggested Gibbs may have expected Jones to move higher, but believed the circumstances did not give the Legacy driver much choice.

Joe Gibbs Racing and 23XI Racing share a deep technical alliance, with the two organizations exchanging information and resources. Though also part of the Toyota umbrella, Legacy Motor Club operates separately from the JGR-23XI partnership. LMC rather operates as a separate Toyota team, trying to build their program from the scratch.

Legacy Motor Club might not be in the Chase, but that doesn’t mean their season is over. Erik Jones and the #43 team will try their best to find a good finish to their season. Plus there’s the owners championship, and gains on that front allows LMC to gain ground on the top teams next year.

Gateway was only the second race of the Chase, which features 10 races and no eliminations. Every position therefore matters, making unnecessary incidents especially dangerous for a driver trying to accumulate as many points as possible. Gibbs may now face payback from Jones or LMC in future races, and that will be bad for the #54 team’s title hopes.

There is also plenty of history between Jones and JGR. He drove the No. 20 Toyota for the organization from 2018 through 2020 before JGR let him go. Eight years of racing with JGR came to an end, and Jones didn’t see his exit coming. But, he landed on his feet at Legacy Motor Club, remaining with the Toyota camp.

Ty Gibbs, meanwhile got his big break, making his debut in the No. 54 car after Kyle Busch’s departure. That makes the Gateway incident particularly ironic.

The driver JGR once moved on from was spun by the grandson of the organization’s owner, while both teams remain connected through Toyota. Yet Hamlin’s assessment was unbiased. He felt that Jones could only do so much after being forced into a situation by the No. 54 at Gateway.