2 hours ago 2

Dale Earnhardt Jr. reacts to Ty Gibbs, Chris Gabehart radio scuffle

Dale Earnhardt Jr. listened as Ty Gibbs and No. 54 team race strategist Chris Gabehart had a spat regarding strategy during this past Sunday’s NASCAR Cup Series race at Watkins Glen. It led to a heated back-and-forth on the radio, in which Gibbs expressed his frustration to his team.

“We’re f*cked right now, so we’ve got to do something different,” Gibbs said, via Steven Taranto of CBS Sports. Gabehart, who also serves as competition director at Joe Gibbs Racing, immediately jumped on the radio. He did not appreciate what Gibbs had to say.

“Well, I’m sure you’ve got a real good understanding of that from inside the car,” Gabehart said. “So you can call the strategy if you want or we can keep rolling. But I [would] do the best I could to go as fast as I can.”

Some were quick to take shots at Gibbs for the moment. Earnhardt Jr. believes Gabehart keeping Gibbs in line is exactly what he needs though, and it’ll help him in the long run.

“This is what Ty Gibbs needs,” Earnhardt Jr. stated, via the Dale Jr. Download. “He needs a guy like Gabehart. Gabehart is there to help this kid, and mentor this kid. That was just something, that was a moment — I’ve been in those moments on the radio. I’m upset, I’m out there driving the car, the car isn’t doing what I want. I’m in trouble, and I know I’m in trouble. I don’t feel like anyone else realizes just how bad this shit is.

“You need a person on the radio that tells you, ‘We’re all here to help you man. We’re not here to argue.’ I don’t know anyone better suited for that person, to sort of get Ty back into the game, than Gabehart. So, I thought it was refreshing.”

The moment had Earnhardt Jr. reflect on his own career. Having someone like Tony Eury Sr. as his crew chief helped him grow as a driver, and the two-time Daytona 500 winner believes Gabehart can fill that role for Gibbs.

“I was lucky that I had Tony Sr. to keep my ass in line, and not let me get away with running my mouth and being a little shit,” Earnhardt Jr. added. “Not that Ty Gibbs was really going there, he was just desperate. ‘Man, I’ve got no rear tires. We’re in trouble.’ Gabehart’s like, ‘Need you to keep going. Go as fast as you can go, and do what I need you to do.’

“… Tony Sr. was that guy for me, to basically say, ‘Shut the f up, buckle down. Quit doing what the f you’re doing. It’s detrimental. It’s not helping.’ I’m thankful for that. If he’d not been the guardrail, I would’ve abused all of the lenience, being the son of the team owner, even after Dad had passed away, I still had leeway that no one else at the company possessed and benefitted from.”

In the end, Dale Earnhardt Jr. believes this was a nothing-burger. He still is confident in Ty Gibbs’ talent, and Chris Gabehart will help him get where he wants to go.

“Ty Gibbs is extremely talented. He’s got a chance to really get it going and do it in Cup. If it happens, it’ll happen because of Gabehart,” he predicted. “Not so much making his cars fast, but getting his head right. … I think it works.”