Over the last few months, the conflict between Joe Gibbs Racing and Chris Gabehart has turned out to be nothing less than a soap opera for NASCAR fans. And one of the storylines of it involved Gabehart commenting on the professionalism of Ty Gibbs. But after Gibbs’ maiden win at Bristol, his crew chief, Tyler Allen, made some revelations that weaken Gabehart’s take on the JGR star.
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Tyler Allen comments on his driver’s growth as a person this year
After having four top 5 finishes in five races between COTA and Martinsville, Ty Gibbs got his first win at the Cup level on Sunday at Bristol. Following the race, his crew chief was asked about his relationship with the #54 driver and how it has evolved.
Allen claimed the current state of their relationship is mostly down to both of them ‘maturing’ in their respective roles. He recalled coming from one year of experience in the O’Reilly Series and Gibbs being a young driver who was prone to frustration and emotional outbursts, but then Gibbs began to change.
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“I think he’s matured a lot at the end of last year and at the beginning of this year, he’s just shown a lot of maturity, and our relationship’s been good, the cars have been fast, that always helps. And then to get this win, I think it just kind of cements us together. We got each other’s backs, and we’ve got a good thing going,” he described.
The crew chief also revealed how, within JGR, Ty Gibbs’ teammates have shown interest in the philosophy of the #54 team, given their consistent results this season. Christopher Bell also mentioned on Saturday about Ty Gibbs’ feedback and ‘what a joy’ he is to be around.
Gibbs’ crew chief claimed that because of his results, Ty Gibbs feels more confident and gives ‘good feedback’ in meetings compared to when he was running outside the top 20. As for why the young driver is no longer ‘snowballing’ with his emotions during difficult moments in races, Allen said, “We talked a lot in the off-season about how to approach the 2026 season, and he’s doing his dirt racing, and he just loves driving race cars, and he wants it to be fun. And I said, ‘We’re going to make this year fun then.'”
Allen emphasized that Gibbs is having fun and feeling loose, which also translates to him being fast on the track.
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DAYTONA BEACH, FL – FEBRUARY 15: Ty Gi, bbs, 54 Joe Gibbs Racing Monster Energy Toyota waves to the crowd prior to the running of the 68th NASCAR, Motorsport, USA Cup Series Daytona 500 on February 15, 2026 at Daytona International Speedway in Daytona Beach, FL. Photo by Jeff Robinson/Icon Sportswire AUTO: FEB 15 NASCAR Cup Series Daytona 500 EDITORIAL USE ONLY Icon2602151552500
It’s worth mentioning that amid the several allegations and comments Chris Gabehart made against JGR, one thread of it involved Ty Gibbs. Gabehart claimed that Gibbs, the grandson of team owner Joe Gibbs, was given ‘different treatment’ and would also skip team meetings.
But Allen’s comments paint Ty Gibbs in a different light, something which the young driver also addressed after his win.
Ty Gibbs directly addressed Gabehart’s comments after Bristol
During a post-race interview at Bristol, Ty Gibbs addressed Chris Gabehart’s comments about him not being present for team meetings and being treated differently.
“Obviously, people are going to say false things about how I wasn’t present in meetings. I’ve been the same the whole time, just to clarify that,” he said.
He claimed he doesn’t care about his critics, and now they’ll have to find ‘something else to focus on.’ Gibbs had been subject to a lot of criticism from fans and insiders alike for his lack of race wins, especially given the fact that his grandfather owns the team.
After all, it took 131 races for him to win his first Cup race. For some perspective, Kyle Busch, who many believe Gibbs succeeded at JGR, won in his second start for Coach Gibbs’ team.
With that said, it’ll be interesting to see how many more wins Gibbs can earn this year, given his consistency and string of good results.
Written by
Edited by
Suyashdeep Sason