Joe Gibbs was hoping to continue his winning streak. Having swept all three races in the Round of 16, his team was eager to make their mark at New Hampshire Motor Speedway with a triumph as well, but things didn’t work out exactly as planned. Ty Gibbs, who isn’t competing for the championship, was right in the middle of the chaos, and an unfortunate incident with Denny Hamlin sent him spinning and crashing into the outside wall, prompting the youngster to say, “What the f-ck is he doing?”

With tempers flaring at the ‘Magic Mile,’ Joe Gibbs urged his drivers to “handle that” in the upcoming days. But Ryan Blaney, who secured a clutch win at the 1.058-mile venue, revealed that he would have approached the situation differently if he were racing a teammate in similar circumstances.

Ryan Blaney was never going to cross the line

Team Penske has been the side to beat in the Next-Gen era. Ever since the new car was introduced a few years ago, Roger Penske’s team has dominated the Cup Series championship, with Joey Logano winning twice and Ryan Blaney lifting the Bill France Cup in 2023. Plenty of factors have led to their success, such as lightning-fast cars and the perfect execution of race strategy. But teamwork, while often overlooked, has also contributed to their success, with the Ford cars working together perfectly to ensure success on the racetrack.

Sharing his thoughts on racing his teammate in a high-stakes situation, Ryan Blaney said in the post-race press conference, “Joey (Logano) and I are racing for the lead, we know what this is for. So, fully expect us to race hard, but race clean. Like, I was never going to lay a bumper, trying to get by him there in Stage 3, or Stage 1. I think, when he was leading, I got by him, like, didn’t want to do it that way, teammate or not. I didn’t want to do it that way, especially with a teammate. Like, I’m not going to rough you up, but I fully expect to race hard, and that’s what Roger (Penske) expects of us.”

Joe Gibbs Racing’s situation was nothing short of bizarre. Ty Gibbs first made contact with Christopher Bell, prompting Denny Hamlin to say on the radio, “Does Ty know we are going for a championship. What the f-ck?” Later, the two racers were wheel-to-wheel until a slight contact on the No. 54 Toyota’s left rear sent the 22-year-old spinning into the outside wall. Considering that both Bell and Hamlin are fighting for the championship, it was surprising to see Gibbs’ aggressive moves on his teammates instead of playing a ‘support’ role.

After the race, team owner Joe Gibbs candidly said, “These guys are the ones driving the cars, so we’ll get these guys together and sort it out.” For Ryan Blaney, clearing the air as soon as possible in such circumstances is the best course of action, and the Team Penske driver said, “I think it’s more beneficial to speak on it, sooner than later. Because if you don’t speak on it sooner than later, things fester. People have their own minds. Did he do it on purpose? You know, whatever.”

Toyota has traditionally been dominant at New Hampshire Motor Speedway, especially in the Next-Gen era. And considering how Joe Gibbs Racing has fared in the opening three playoff races, they’ll view the result at the ‘Magic Mile’ as a missed opportunity. But with upcoming races at Kansas and the Charlotte Roval on the horizon, Joe Gibbs will hope his drivers work together to secure more wins, despite Ty Gibbs warning his teammate, “We’ll see him next week.”

Ryan Blaney gives credit to his team after New Hampshire dominance

Team Penske and Ford couldn’t have asked for a better outcome at the 2025 Mobil 1 301. When the checkered flag was waved at New Hampshire Motor Speedway, it was Ryan Blaney who emerged victorious, breaking his three-race winless streak with a 0.937-second margin. Coming in second was Wood Brothers Racing’s Josh Berry, whose team has a technical alliance with Roger Penske’s side. As for the reigning champ, Joey Logano, he ended up fourth after winning Stage 2.

Applauding his teammates for their effort, Blaney couldn’t help but say, “Massive props to all of Team Penske, Wood Brothers. We did a great job leading up to this race and preparing through the weekend, practice, and qualifying in the race. Our cars are really fast. As a whole, like as a whole company. That’s something they should really be proud of. I’m just in the fortunate situation I get to drive a fast race car. Yeah, it speaks volumes of the hard work that they’ve done, and I think for us to run first, Josh to run second, was Joey third or fourth? Top five, stage win, that’s a great day. Huge props to them.”

While many have claimed Team Penske’s dominance in the Next-Gen era is down to the ‘win and in’ playoff format and ‘luck,’ the reality couldn’t be more different. Ryan Blaney and his teammates have proven time and again that they can carve out results from unlikely circumstances, while racing hard but cleanly against each other. Perhaps Joe Gibbs Racing can take a leaf from their book, going into Kansas Speedway to prevent another ‘fallout’ next Sunday at the Hollywood Casino 400.