It is not just speed or strategy that one needs to run on the track of Talladega but also a daring heart and momentum. With uncertainties looming in each and every step on the track, the superspeedway has seen some of the most decisive races. This was also apparent in the playoff race, where the racers contended for the lead and tried to collect the extra stage points in order to stay afloat above the cutline and avert themselves from being eliminated.
However, the NASCAR community had braced itself to expect the unexpected in Sunday’s race as the drivers tried to tame one of the steepest banks of NASCAR. While the drivers tried to avert the repetition of incidents of the spring’s Talladega race, a pit road incident seemed to have posited Joe Gibbs‘s rookie grandson on the sharper end of criticism.
Brad Keselowski and Chris Buescher’s team throws a sardonic jab at Joe Gibbs’s rookie driver
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The spring race in Talladega and the season finale at Daytona witnessed two major harrowing crashes that involved Stewart-Haas Racing driver Ryan Preece. Nevertheless, the driver was able to escape unscathed apart from minor injuries. Owing to this the NASCAR audience hoped that the season’s final race on the superspeedway should not be a breeding ground for another wreck carnage.
While the Big One did not materialize on the track till the final stage of the race, there were minor incidents that grabbed the attention of the audience. One such incident occurred at the end of Stage 2, as the drivers tried to exit the pit road after refueling and tire changes. The person involved in the whole incident was Joe Gibbs Racing’s rookie driver Ty Gibbs.
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NASCAR’s pit roads have borne testaments to famous rivalries. Drivers like Ross Chastain and Noah Gragson have traded blows with one another on the pit road, but Ty Gibbs has taken it up a notch. He seems to have chosen the pit road itself as a rival after being mired in a plethora of pit road problems.
One such instance being his slamming the car with his teammate Denny Hamlin on Lap 77 in the Texas race, which led to Hamlin sustaining severe damage to his car. On the other hand, Ty Gibbs himself had to retire from the race. This time around, he took his revenge—so to speak.
The incident occurred when the rookie driver tried to leave the pit road. The refueling Sunoco can got stuck to the driver’s car as Ty began moving before the crew had a chance to detach it. As Ty accelerated, the fuel can came off in the middle of the pit road and burst out into flames. The pit members rushed to the truck to extinguish it and to minimize any damage from occurring.
On account of this, it seemed that it brought back memories for RFK Racing from the playoff race at Darlington after two of its crew members were caught on fire during the pit stop of Chris Buescher. While refueling the car, fuel had spilled from the can and as the car revved up sparks flew and ignited the spilled fuel. As a result, the jackman and the tire changer’s fire suits caught fire but did not suffer any injuries. Nonetheless, after the Ty Gibbs incident, Brad Keselowski and Buescher’s team took to Twitter to take a sly jab at the Joe Gibbs Racing driver. The team stated on their official page, “FIRE / not us this time.”
FIRE
not us this time 😅 pic.twitter.com/bOCNiGccq9
— RFK Racing (@RFKracing) October 1, 2023
NASCAR fans collectively bash Ty Gibbs for his persistent pit road problems
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Though the fire was immediately put out by the pit crew members, the NASCAR fandom seemed to join in to throw shade at the driver. They took to Twitter and commented:
“Little Ty Gibbs lost the gas can!!!”
“Ty Gibbs dragging my mix tape out of the pit box.”
“I’m sitting there and I’m just thinking… I’ve got to finish this stop.”
We sat down with Dalton Leonard (rear changer) and Nicholas Patterson (jackman) for the No. 17 car to get their perspectives on Saturday night’s fiery pit stop 🔥🛞 pic.twitter.com/31DUxq4WUG
— RFK Racing (@RFKracing) September 5, 2023
“Biggest rivalry in nascar. Ty Gibbs vs pit road.”
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ty gibbs bringing the 🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥. ill see myself out
— nascar7 (@nascar_7_) October 1, 2023
Others also wrote, “What a fire by Ty Gibbs on pit road.”
“I swear Ty Gibbs has a different pit road incident every week.”
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With that said, both Ty Gibbs and Brad Keselowski had a tragic day on the superspeedway after being dragged in a multi-car crash later. The drivers sustained heavy damages, while a red flag was issued as the SAFER was destroyed after the wreck. The question that looms large now is: With Keselowski falling behind in points, will he be able to turn the tables in Charlotte?