Ty Gibbs raises eyebrows with 'passive aggressive' response

Joe Gibbs Racing's Ty Gibbs came within laps of securing his first career NASCAR Cup Series victory on Sunday in Phoenix Raceway's Straight Talk Wireless 500, but it was not meant to be, as he fell behind teammate Christopher Bell, Team Penske's Ryan Blaney, and Hendrick Motorsports' Kyle Larson following a late restart.

It was still a solid day for Gibbs and the No. 54 team, one of two teams to record back-to-back top four finishes at Circuit of the Americas (COTA) and Phoenix, and after a disastrous start to the season, he has vaulted his way inside the top 16 in the point standings, and thus into the "Chase" playoff picture.

But it wasn't Gibbs' on-track performance that raised eyebrows; it was his post-race interview, in which he emphasized that he is with "the right guys" who believe in him and work well with him, noting that he is running well because of it and that that level of belief makes a difference.

If that isn't the most passive aggressive interview comment we've heard so far this season, I don't know what is.

It comes weeks after Joe Gibbs Racing filed a lawsuit against former competition director Chris Gabehart, whom they allege "embarked on a brazen scheme to steal JGR’s most sensitive information and use it for the benefit of a direct competitor in NASCAR — Spire Motorsports."

Since then, Gabehart has taken direct shots at Ty Gibbs and alleged that the team run by his grandfather Joe and mother Heather give him preferential treatment.

Gabehart publicly admitting his displeasure with Ty was not particularly surprising, given the tension that arose between the two during the 2025 season when Gabehart, formerly the crew chief for Denny Hamlin's No. 11 team, was brought in to assist crew chief Tyler Allen on the No. 54 team.

But does Ty Gibbs really have a point?

Of course, this interview will do nothing to quiet those who have long criticized Gibbs for being smug, arrogant, lacking self-awareness, and acting every bit the way you'd expect a kid who was born in a silver spoon with his mouth to act, especially after Gabehart's accusations that Ty, nobody else, was allowed to skip competition meetings simply because he didn't feel like going.

Him finishing fourth place in back-to-back weeks also won't do anything to quiet those who have long criticized him for going three consecutive seasons without a win in top-tier equipment since replacing Kyle Busch, notably missing the playoffs twice. That, however, could technically be said for any underperforming driver.

And of course, there are those who consistently criticize his references to "the man above", with some attacking him for his faith and others implying that he simply uses his faith to shield himself from outside criticism.

We've heard it all before when it comes to the 23-year-old Charlotte, North Carolina native.

But it also indicates that there are two sides to every story, even if one side hasn't yet been told. Let's not forget the fact that Joe Gibbs Racing is the one suing Gabehart, and it wasn't until Gabehart's response that the most recent instance of Ty's name being drug through the mud began to unfold.

And you simply can't ignore the fact that Gabehart knows what the general public perception of Ty Gibbs is, so naturally, adding fuel to the fire was always going to give the fanbase more low-hanging fruit to pick.

While the court of law may be useful for the actual lawsuit, the court of public opinion always reigns supreme on social media.

NASCAR fans have always jumped at the opportunity to criticize "nepo babies", and that is especially true when they ruffle feathers at any point during their careers. Gibbs has certainly never shied away from that role.

All things considered, it would be shocking if Ty doesn't know a lot more than he has publicly let on about the lawsuit over the past few weeks. Perhaps it's in his best interest to keep his side of the story quiet for now, even if it means dropping passive aggressive interview quotes that rile up the fanbase along the way.