Denny Hamlin Reveals Surprise NASCAR Driver Was Originally Set to Replace Kurt Busch Instead of Ty Gibbs at 23XI Racing

Ty Gibbs has been the talk of the town since he replaced Kurt Busch, who suffered a concussion and was not allowed to participate in two races. Gibbs not only drove as the replacement in Kurt’s 23XI team car, but also made his Cup Series debut in a way. However, 23XI team co-owner Denny Hamlin revealed Ty Gibbs was not the guy who was initially going to substitute for Busch.

During the Door Bumper Clear podcast, Hamlin revealed the process of getting Gibbs to replace Kurt Busch. He said, “We didn’t know. It was a complete clusterf**k. We didn’t know what we were doing. We must have changed the plan three times the night before the race. Because we had protocols to put John Hunter in.”

“We had planned for John Hunter. In January, we had him fit into the car. We had his insert, how much he has to be raised up, the pedals, and all of our presets. Then as this happens, I talk to Joe, tell him what’s going on, then obviously we put Ty in the car.”

Denny Hamlin added, “It was a very late last-minute thing, and we just thought Ty needed to get some seat time.” As it turned out, Gibbs was not the undisputed first choice, but was among the three under consideration. He only got the chance after Joe Gibbs advised so.

Ty Gibbs beats up Sam Mayer at Martinsville after an ugly on-track altercation

Back in Martinsville, Ty Gibbs punched Sam Mayer across the jaw while still wearing a helmet himself. He then proceeded to drag him to the ground. Officials clamored over the duo and promptly separated them. Even though Ty’s actions were questionable, Sam Mayer’s on-track antics were particularly interesting.

During the race, Sam Mayer was seen bumping into Ty Gibbs and then forcefully squeezing himself from beside the driver in a move that looked straight out of a NASCAR video game. Because of the squeeze, Gibbs ended up losing a few positions on the track.

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He quickly caught up with only one intention in mind: ram into Sam as hard as possible to team him a lesson. That did not turn out great for him, as he ended up with a bent hood.

After the race, a pissed-off Ty Gibbs got out of the car to confront Mayer and pushed him away. As he started to walk away, Mayer caught up with him and confronted him head-on. Ty Gibbs lost his cool and landed two to three jabs on Sam Mayer’s skull. He also held his head in an attempted chokehold and pulled him to the ground.

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What did you make of this incident? Also, what is your take on Denny Hamlin’s revelation? Let us know.