Ty Gibbs entered the 2026 season with plenty to prove. After a difficult 2025 campaign, Joe Gibbs’ grandson had to deal with ‘nepotism’ allegations, with many questioning his place on the team. But his performances this campaign have truly changed the conversation.
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With two wins and a championship push, Gibbs, according to teammate Denny Hamlin, appears to have found something that was missing before.
“Ty has just went through a change that makes you think that this isn’t going away anytime soon. This is not a flash in the pan. I believe that he has found the answer to being successful week in and week out,” Hamlin said on the Actions Detrimental podcast, as he credited former Cup Series driver Kevin Harvik for the change.
Harvick’s company, KHI, has been serving as Gibbs’ agent. Harvick himself has also been mentoring Gibbs through simulator sessions and mental coaching to help him improve his racecraft and approach.
That guidance has added to the support Gibbs already gets from JGR, and Hamlin has also noticed Gibbs becoming more mature as a driver.
On his podcast, Hamlin admitted to seeing Gibbs get into unnecessary battles deep in the field last year. That led to some serious conversations about how he needed to race his teammates. Gibbs needed to learn how to put together a full Sunday without letting frustration get in the way.
Even those in his team, like former JGR crew chief Chris Gabehart, criticized him. After leaving the organization last year, he made his frustration clear when discussing how the No. 54 team had been handled.
“It was my view that the No. 54 car should be managed and held accountable in the same manner as the organization’s other cars,” Gabehart said during his lawsuit trial with the team, hinting at preferential treatment toward the owner’s grandson in court.
Hamlin’s comments, however, show that things have changed in the garage. Gibbs is getting close to the potential the NASCAR community always knew he had during his junior days. At the same time, he’s been more responsible out on the track, learning from his mistakes, and listening to those like Harvick.
His Iowa victory proved just that. After falling deep in the field because of an early pit-road issue, he worked his way forward before holding off teammate Christopher Bell for the win.
The 23-year-old Joe Gibbs Racing driver has gone from being a frequent target of criticism to one of the most consistent drivers in the Cup Series. And the numbers back up Hamlin’s belief.
Gibbs has won at Bristol and Iowa, earned the Sonoma pole, and posted 10 top-five finishes. He sits second in the standings, 103 points behind Hamlin, firmly in the title picture. But since joining the Cup Series in 2023, questions remained about whether he could turn his raw pace into consistent results.
Of course, one good season won’t turn Ty Gibbs into a legend. But this is the version Gibbs Denny Hamlin believes is here to stay. And if Harvick’s mentorship and Gibbs’ newfound maturity continue producing results, the driver once defined by controversy could soon be defined by championships.