It is no secret that Dale Earnhardt Jr has always voiced his unfiltered opinion with relevance to NASCAR. Having said that, he has been known to support the drivers more often than not. However, this time around, he was caught up in a tricky situation. Surprisingly, Rick Henrick’s former driver recently delivered an eye-opening statement about Joe Gibbs’s grandson.
While Junior maintained a diplomatic tone in expressing his opinion, his verdict looked clear. Given his relationship with Joe Gibbs, it would be interesting to see how well Dale Jr’s stance is taken.
Dale Earnhardt Jr makes a surprising admission as he speaks about his driver and Joe Gibbs’ grandson’s feud
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Last week, plenty of action took place at Watkins Glen International. While the Cup Series had its own set of dramas, the Xfinity Series race turned out to be quite inevitable. With the highlight of the race being the feud between Ty Gibbs and Sam Mayer, it gave everyone plenty to talk about.
Following a late restart in the race, Mayer spun leader Ty Gibbs, going on to win the race on Saturday. With Gibbs leading 70 of 86 laps, it was a painful loss to take. Having said that, this is not the first time the duo has been involved in on-track duels. While Mayer suggested the nudge be accidental, Gibbs felt otherwise, leading to a war of words.
SAM MAYER HIT TY GIBBS!
WOW! pic.twitter.com/NSiUeqxt6Z
— NASCAR on NBC (@NASCARonNBC) August 19, 2023
In light of this event, Dale Earnhardt Jr was asked his opinion, especially with it involving his JR Motorsports driver Sam Mayer. Speaking on his podcast, Dale Jr Download, Junior said, “I will always tell my drivers that I would prefer them not to wreck other cars, don’t wreck people on purpose. And don’t get into situations on the racetrack that are embarrassing to the team or put everybody and our partners in a bad light.”
However, he didn’t hesitate to celebrate his driver’s win, regardless of the fashion in which it was achieved. To this, he said, “When we win a race pretty much regardless of how we won, I’m going to go to Victory Lane and stand next to that driver and take my picture. Wins are hard to come by and these drivers are young, they’re flawed and they’re developing and this is part of Sam’s process.”
While he said that, he understood the wild history between Gibbs and Mayer. However, he refuted the notion that his driver was guilty of the act. Dale Jr said, “There’s been times when I’ve been pretty embarrassed by some things we’ve done on the racetrack. [However], Saturday was not one of those things, I didn’t feel any embarrassment.”
READ MORE – After Joe Gibbs’ Grandson’ Punchgate Fiasco, Denny Hamlin Calls Out Dale Jr’s Prodigy’s Intentional Move
It is an interesting stance coming from the two-time Xfinity Series winner. Interestingly, even a NASCAR veteran was not in favor of Ty Gibbs recently.
NASCAR Insider slams Joe Gibbs’ grandson for his comments after the race at The Glen
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It is no secret that Ty Gibbs was left furious on Saturday after losing out to Sam Mayers in the fashion he did. Frustrated by the incident, Joe Gibbs’ grandson made an astonishing statement. He said, “I’m racing on Sundays. He [Mayer] has more starts and I have more wins.”
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"Congratulations on his second win. Definitely wish I could have gotten my 13th there."
Ty Gibbs on the late-race tangle with Sam Mayer, and his 12 @XfinityRacing wins. pic.twitter.com/p6ET7CH2ip
— NASCAR on NBC (@NASCARonNBC) August 19, 2023
While the comment looked audacious in a certain way, NASCAR veteran Brett Griffin was unhappy with it. To this, he said, “Listen, it’s great that there is this rivalry there but in reality, they’re rarely in the same series anymore. And I love that they hate each other, I love that they show us that they hate each other.”
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WATCH THIS STORY: Joe Gibbs’ Self-Centered Grandson Faces Outrage After Dangerous Oversight in Xfinity
However, he expressed disappointment with Gibbs’ statement. Griffin said, “But Ty, in this situation, spot off for the quote.” It is indeed interesting how this rivalry is brewing. In fact, it is only bound to get more eventful when the two drivers meet again.