Joe Gibbs Racing’s Ty Gibbs just might have been robbed of his first NASCAR Cup Series win at the Atlanta Motor Speedway. It wasn’t a late-race crash or a TRD mechanical failure that took us out of the winning contention. But, rather, it was the Walmart billboard that found its way on the racing surface, putting the race to a halt.

Debris caution has kind of faded away from Cup Series racing, but the race control decided to drop the yellow with 15 laps to go. Ty Gibbs was good on fuel, while the pack chasing him was saving, thus putting the JGR driver in a commanding position. However, a debris caution might have foiled Gibbs’ chances for a maiden win and his advance to the next round.

Multiple banners were hanging over the racetracks that featured the names of the NASCAR-sponsored brands. However, in a bid to avoid any further interruptions to the racing action, the safety crew got to work. They removed all the banners across the track in hopes of avoiding debris cautions. But the damage was already done to Ty Gibbs and his hopes as chaotic restarts could wash over his chance of a victory.

This is what the No. 54 Toyota had to face.

Not just the JGR camp, but the fans online were fuming over the race official for trying to steal a win from the 21-year-old driver.

Willing to boycott Walmart following the late race debris caution

The stock analysis reports the retail giant to be worth around $616 billion. However, for the JGR fans, the brand proved to be a bad omen. Had it not been for the debris cation, with the Walmart banner flying on the track, Gibbs would be in the victory lane preparing for the next round. Expressing sheer disappointment with the company, this fan wrote, “you suck, Walmart 😖”

“Save Money, Live Better” is the brand slogan Walmart uses to attract consumers to its stores. However, this mere act of their banner foiling the plan of a potential win for JGR youngster angered a Reddit user. Who then twisted this brand message to express his discontent following the on-track incident? “Walmart, home of cheap products and signage apparently.”

Perhaps the only thing Ty Gibbs and the #54 team needed was a win to their name. They have had seven top-5 finishes this season, including a P2 result at Darlington. We have seen drivers taking each other out of the race in trying to get payback, but no one could’ve imagined that an advertising banner could decide a driver’s playoff fate. “A banner is going to effect the playoff picture.”

This is Ty Gibbs’ first playoff run, and out of the upcoming two venues, Atlanta was supposed to provide him with an opportunity to advance further. Watkins Glen is a road course, while Bristol will put the young driver’s short-track racecraft to the test. Although a surprise result by the driver cannot be ruled out in the upcoming races, this fan was already convinced about the detrimental effect of this debris caution. “Imagine being eliminated from the playoffs because of Walmart.”

After grueling 26 regular season races, the playoffs are indeed where results matter the most. It’s the platform for a driver to showcase their talent and for fans to rally behind their favorite stars. Not sure if any other sports influence their fans’ purchasing power, but it looks like NASCAR does. “I’m officially done purchasing from Walmart now.”

Late-race cautions haven’t done well for the drivers in the past, and it looks like the young gun from JGR might see a win slip away from his hands.