Following a reckless move by Ty Gibbs on his teammate Brandon Jones during last weekend’s NASCAR Xfinity race at Martinsville, the fans and the NASCAR community were angered beyond belief. Sometime later, the COO of NASCAR was interviewed by Sirius XM Radio where he revealed his thoughts surrounding the Ty Gibbs incident and how it compared to the Bubba Wallace-Kyle Larson incident.
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The COO of NASCAR, Steve O’Donnell said, “Well, I think when you are at 165 miles an hour, hooking someone into the wall for what was to us, payback. It’s very different from what we saw in terms of making a move racing for a win. Not to say that I agree with how that was executed, by any means. We are a contact sport we have said that There is a very fine line in terms of how far do you go on officiating…”
“A lot of tracks have things, you can’t touch the leader. I don’t think the fans would want us to go that route. Certainly did not like what we saw Saturday, uh in terms of how that win came about but, at the end of the day, I think the drivers, it’s in their hands… It’s very hard to judge, That was close for sure. But obviously, we made the call to let that one go.”
Read More: Amid Bitter Kyle Busch Fallout & “Jesus” Ty Gibbs’ Ugly Antics, Denny Hamlin’s Tweet Goes Viral
Fans react to NASCAR COO’s thoughts
Fans did not like O’Donnell’s statement about things being “in their hands.” Fans argued that if Ty Gibbs gets dumped at Phoenix, NASCAR should remember what they said when it was the other way around.
Fans stated,
After Jones spins Gibbs at Phoenix:”This just in Brandon Jones is suspended the first 4 races of 2023 after his incident involving championship contender Ty Gibbs”.
But hey,boys have at it.Ask Matt Kenseth
— Logan (@LoganBolton7) November 1, 2022
"I think the drivers, it's in their hands."
Just remember that when @TyGibbs gets dumped and get what he deserves at Phoenix!— Scott (@WhoistheWolf) November 1, 2022
Yes in the drivers hands. If Brandon does anything a suspension so not really allowing the drivers to get pay back. Ok.
— Hunter (@DCNASCAR1216) November 1, 2022
It's werid. It's like I have heard this before?
— Hunter (@DCNASCAR1216) November 1, 2022
What if Jones had been injured in the incident. Would that still be in the drivers hands?
Or what if it happened at Las Vegas, the same way Wallace took out Larson, but on the final lap, going for the win. Is that acceptable? Is that in the drivers hands?
— Greg Franck (@GL_Franck) November 1, 2022
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So it’s in the drivers hands for one intentional wreck, but for another one, it warrants a suspension? Typical NASCAR to be consistently inconsistent.
— Jon Iaccino (@ji711) November 1, 2022
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WATCH THIS STORY: “It’s a Little Late for That” – Freddie Kraft Reveals How Bubba Wallace Was a Bad Influence on Ty Gibbs
NASCAR classifies itself as a contact sport but fails to draw the line when someone like Ty Gibbs is involved. Many people were angered by Gibbs’s immature and gross tactics while wrecking his own teammate. Considering that this entitled driver would be making his way to JGR in the Cup Series perhaps one day brings the question of how long will he survive in the sport.