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Denny Hamlin blasted Joe Gibbs Racing teammate Chase Briscoe over his team radio during Sunday’s YellaWood 500 at Talladega Superspeedway, after Briscoe left their drafting line late in Stage 1 and Hamlin fell back through the field.
The exchange was first shared on X by The Athletic’s Jordan Bianchi.
https://x.com/Jordan_Bianchi/status/2114438491354362280
What happened
Late in Stage 1, Denny Hamlin, Briscoe and Ty Gibbs were in a line pushing toward the top 10 behind the three RFK Racing cars, which had broken away from the field on strategy. Briscoe pulled out of the line to join a group of Chevrolets, and Gibbs went with him. That left Hamlin without help, and he lost 11 spots.
Hamlin used profanity on the radio, saying he was “so sick of this” and calling Briscoe “the worst.” He finished Stage 1 in 17th, while Briscoe was seventh.
Two teammates, one title
Both drivers came into Talladega in the title fight, with Briscoe third in points and Hamlin fourth. Earlier this week, Toyota Racing Development president Tyler Gibbs said Toyota wanted its drivers to work together until the closing laps of each race, even though they were sometimes “taking each other’s lunch.”
The race turned around for both drivers. Hamlin survived a 12-car crash on Lap 132 with front-end damage and finished eighth, moving up to second in the Chase standings, 73 points behind race winner Kyle Larson.
Briscoe, who started on the pole, was caught in the 15-car crash with five laps left and finished 33rd. He dropped to fourth, 79 points back.
A history between them
The two have history. Briscoe made contact with Hamlin late in the 2021 race on the Indianapolis road course, when Briscoe drove for Stewart-Haas Racing. Briscoe said on the Actions Detrimental podcast in August that he did not wreck Hamlin on purpose, Motorsport.com reported.
No post-race comments from Hamlin or Briscoe about Sunday’s radio exchange had been reported as of Sunday evening.
Next up: Martinsville
The Chase continues at Martinsville Speedway in Ridgeway, Virginia, on Sunday, November 1, at 2 p.m. ET on NBC. Hamlin won the spring Martinsville race in 2025.
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