NASCAR Teammates Beat The Hell Out Of Each Other, Bubba Wallace Is Miserable & The Sport Has A Major Problem

While Ryan Blaney was punching his ticket to the Round of 8 – and while most of us were locked in on maybe the greatest RedZone witching hour of all time – we had MAJOR family drama going on in New Hampshire. 

Ty Gibbs vs. Denny Hamlin … who ya got? Some are calling it the Nepo Kid vs. NASCAR's Charles Barkley. I'm not. But some are. We'll get to it. 

Anyway, we did get ourselves a decent little race in New Hampshire yesterday afternoon. Great crowd, which is a good sign for NASCAR given the Patriots were at home at the same time. Not sure the TV ratings are gonna be great, but we'll see. 

What else? I've got Hooters Gianna checking in for the first time in a while to congratulate her hubby, Blaney dropping a solid F-bomb after the race, Bubba Wallace being miserable, and a quick check of the mail on the way out. 

It's been a while, and the box is getting a little full. HOA ain't thrilled. Have to clean it up. 

Four tires, enough fuel to get us to Kansas, and maybe a couple beers (non-alcoholic for 17-year-old Ty, of course) for Denny and Ty … Monday Morning Pit-Stop – the ‘Does He Know We’re Racing For A Championship And He Sucks?' edition – is LIVE!

Ty Gibbs grows a pair

Well, I reckon we'll always look back at New Hampshire 2025 as the race Ty Gibbs became a man. For Chase Elliott, it was Martinsville 2017. For Ross Chastain, it was Gateway 2023. Oddly enough (not really), both of those involved Denny Hamlin. 

The difference, I reckon, is that Chase and Ross were on different teams. Not only are Ty Gibbs and Denny Hamlin on the same team, one shares the last name with the owner! 

Let's get to tape(s):

Which side we picking here?

So, there you have it. Every angle imaginable. A lot of things at play here …

1. It was early in the race. Super early. I'm not sure "team orders" really apply when there's 75 to go in the first stage. Feel like you're free to race whoever you want, however you want, with 75 to go in Stage 1. 

2. That being said, Denny and Christopher Bell are in the playoffs and racing for a championship. Ty Gibbs has an average finish of 18th. 

3. He's also a Gibbs, so there's that. 

4. Denny also doesn't give a shit, is a 44-year-old grown-ass-man, and will gladly wreck the grandson of his boss. 

There HAS to be some sort of context here, right? Why did Ty Gibbs pick New Hampshire to race the shit out of Denny Hamlin? Makes no sense. I'm not gonna sit here and bash him for doing so, because last time I checked this was a RACING series. 

But, I'm also not going to bitch and moan at Denny for … bitching and moaning … at Ty Gibbs. The good news? Denny and Joe Gibbs seem to be on the same page about how to handle it!

This week feels like must-win for Bubba, which I'm sure y'all are thrilled about!

Denny: Leadership will QB it!

Joe: Y'all got the wheel, leave me the hell alone, I'm 150 (84). 

Sounds like Ty Gibbs isn't done with what happened. I would be STUNNED if he so much as touches Denny this week or Kansas or next week at the ROVAL. That would 100% lead to an ass-kicking, which, frankly, I'm all for. Trust me, I'm rooting for Ty to wreck him back, but there is just a 0% chance it happens. 

When I talk about "team orders," THAT's what I mean. No chance. 

Anyway, one can hope. Stay tuned. 

Let's check in on the 'ol points as the fellas head to Kansas, shall we?

So, Blaney, Byron and Larson are all moving on, while Hamlin and Logano have some solid cushion. The two Chases are playing with fire, while Bubba and Tiny Ty are in deep shit. 

The good news for Bubba? He's won at Kansas before. The bad news? He was ass cheeks yesterday! If I know you guys – and I do – you hated to see it. 

The good news (again)? NASCAR will almost certainly dig deep and find a way to get Bubba into the next round. Like when they used to be the special Junior plate on Dale's car at Daytona. 

Kidding! Of course. Right? 

… RIGHT?!

Rhino, mail time & TV thoughts (concerns)

OK, let's do a couple splash-n-goes on the way to Kansas. First up? Let's quickly acknowledge yesterday's winner after he held off … Josh Berry? … of all people at the end. 

Good car, Ryan Blaney! Penske is becoming a problem again. Not great for everyone else!

I mock New Hampshire a lot around here, but don't get it twisted. I think the New England race fans are awesome. They're sneakily maybe the best in the country. Don't sleep on 'em. I just think the racing there has stunk over the years. That's all. 

Next? Last week I wrote about NASCAR's … concerning … TV numbers coming out of Bristol. I don't want to rehash it all today, but you can read the whole thing here. Enjoy! It's a real downer. 

Bottom line? They were putrid for a night race at Bristol, and I have a feeling they're going to be maybe even worse this week. Going up against football is insane, and I'll die on that hill. 

From Pete:

Good article on the ratings struggle for NASCAR in the Bristol race. I didn’t even know it was on. I would argue that moving the 4th of July race out of that holiday was just as stupid. Would look forward to restrictor-plate racing at Daytona on the 4th weekend. Now I don’t even know when it is. I used to watch a bunch back in the day. Maybe it was the personalities like Dale or Michael or Rusty, but I used to enjoy it. Going against football is insane.

And, from Mark C:

I completely agree, sir, that NASCAR needs to finish the season before football starts.  I think they could possibly double up some tracks and run twin races over a weekend and maybe even a short track or two in proximity to Charlotte on a couple of Wednesday nights to keep as close to 36 races as possible. I'm not opposed to Saturday night races in the summer when there is little competition, but never against NCAAF.  Thanks for your articles.  They keep us sane in the off-season and informed in-season.

Thanks, fellas! Couldn't agree more, obviously. 

I've long said that NASCAR should dominate the summer. Dominate it. Mid-week races. Night races. Market the hell out of it all summer long. Remember the COVID summer when they were forced to do mid-week races to get the whole schedule in? They were the best – and the only thing on! People loved it. People watched. 

Normal spring schedule. Kick it into high-gear in the summer. End the entire season by Labor Day weekend. There, I just fixed NASCAR. You're welcome!

OK, that's it for today. Good work all around. Hooters Gianna, who is very pregnant, still has her damn fastball after another Ryan Blaney win. 

Welcome back, Gianna.