The weekend has shown why Bowman Gray gets the name “Madhouse”. One driver who has certainly solidified the reputation is Ty Gibbs. After being spun out by Justin Haley, it seemed as though revenge was unavoidable. While this is the second time that Haley has done this, a move by Gibbs has raised concerns. 

Even while leaving the track, Gibbs remembered to give it back to Haley. The Last Chance Qualifier, a 75-lap run and it was during this drive that Gibbs and Haley got entangled in an unnecessary banter.

Gibbs goes “airborne” as he is about to leave the tracks

The tensions were at all-time high as the Bowman Gray audience witnessed Ty Gibbs and Justin Haley in a fiasco. On lap 64 of the Last-Chance Qualifier, Ty Gibbs found himself running in 13th. This is when Justin Haley made an aggressive move entering Turn 1. Haley’s car clipped the left rear quarter panel of Gibbs’ vehicle, unsettling it. Despite his efforts to regain control exiting Turn 2, Gibbs lost traction. He ended up sliding off into the infield grass along the backstretch.

Consequently, it had become imperative for Gibbs to make a pitstop get himself some new tires, and fix the front bumper. However, Ty Gibbs made it a point to give it back. Just as he left the tracks to make the stop, he hit Haley’s car. It’s just that he went a bit overboard and this made his car airborne. He collided with Haley’s No. 7 Spire Motorsports Chevrolet, causing the front of his car to lift off the ground in a dramatic wheelie-like motion before finally veering off the track. Speaking of the move, Ryan Blaney voiced concerns. He said, “The only thing that is peaking in my mind is, and I wonder how his back is today, is Ty Gibbs launching over the set”. 

Further explaining the move, Ryan Blaney added, “(Ty Gibbs) Caught wheels with him, and obviously, he didn’t mean to jump Wheels. I think he meant to just door them and pull off. But I know what it feels like to just bottom out one of these cars. There are these blocks under the frame that are just solid, and I know I would be bedridden. I wouldn’t be here today; I would be in the hospital. That looked like it hurt really bad on the old spine”. Haley ended up finishing ninth while Gibbs finished 14th in the Last Chance Qualifier. 

Explaining the move, Ty Gibbs said, “I don’t know, I just had a little left front damage and gave him a little tap, but didn’t mean to make it that big. Stiff, but they’re all pretty stiff in this thing, so”. While Gibbs did not make it to the Clash, he does hold a lot of promise for the upcoming run. The 2025 season marks his third Cup Series season and a victory in this season is necessary for him. 

Hamlin didn’t like what he witnessed about his teammate

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The way Ty Gibbs clashed with Justin Haley and his vehicle went airborne was a clear display of frustration. One driver who has been quite vocal about his dislike for such a move apart from Ryan Blaney is the former’s Joe Gibbs teammate, Denny Hamlin. In an episode of Actions Detrimental, Hamlin opened up more about his stance. 

He said, “It’s so hard to be mentally tough in the moments you get bounced around and you feel like well, I gotta show I’m not gonna take it, so do something back”. Speaking about the extent of the exertion, he further added, “It’s almost like the NFL where a personal foul — someone shoves you, next thing you know you push them in the face, and you get the flag. Maybe find a different way to get back at them. Certainly, didn’t love it, didn’t look great. It just happened to be weird how the tires rolled over each other which made his car launch there, but it looked worse than it actually was”.

Given how NASCAR is particular about these things, there could have been an immediate disciplinarian action on the driver. Do you think that Gibbs did the right thing or was it an unnecessary move to express power?