No matter how hard NASCAR tries to police the race car drivers with new rule book changes or implications, drivers just seem out of sync. If we are to go by the Cook Out Clash last chance qualifying races, the competitors used more than just beating and banging in desperation to secure the final two spots. Although there were a lot of instances and retaliations that caught everyone’s attention, nothing came close to Ty Gibbs’ antics.

The Madhouse certainly came alive when drivers tussled for each spot during the LCQ. None of the drivers held anything back and put their bumper to good use. However, Justin Haley delivered a heavy blow to the driver of the No. 54 Toyota as he tried to fill the hole from the outside to the inside lane. Not just once but Haley spun off Gibbs twice and what happened next was pure relation by the JGR driver, ensuring that even Haley couldn’t advance to the main event.

Little did the JGR driver know that NASCAR officials kept a close eye on his retaliation. And if we are to go by the reports, they are going to straighten him out before the Daytona 500 weekend.

Ty Gibbs will get an earful from NASCAR

Hooking a rival driver on a racetrack isn’t the best tactic to be put to use. Chase Elliott did it back in 2023, retaliating against Denny Hamlin and we saw Austin Dillon with the double tap last year at Richmond. The RCR driver intentionally shipped Joey Logano in the wall on the high lane and rammed Denny Hamlin who was sneaking through in the inside lane. Although Dillon was credited with the win, his playoff qualification was chalked off and this set the precedent for NASCAR to brandish a similar ruling next time around.

Heading towards the pit road, Ty Gibbs intentionally rammed his racecar into the No. 7 Chevy, and the impact saw his car lift in the air before landing safely. It did look egregious for both the aggressor and the driver on the receiving end. And this warranted NASCAR’s intervention. “We know it’s a tough place, and there’s gonna be some aggression and some good short-track racing, which is what we wanted.” Brad Moran, NASCAR Cup Series managing director said on SiriusXM NASCAR Radio.

Although he understood the fierce nature of racing at the Madhouse, the NASCAR officials wanted to convey a message to him regarding conduct on the racetrack. “I’ll be having a discussion with Ty before we go on the track in Daytona and just get his take on what happened and make sure we’re clear on what we need from that point moving forward.” Moran added. NASCAR is going to stay firm on its stance of letting the drivers know the fine line between hard racing and wrecking on purpose.

For those who are out of the loop, NASCAR will drop the hammer on drivers who artificially try to alter the finish of a race. And the intentional wrecking and shipping drivers into the fence fall within this rule. Although Elliott might have gotten the waiver back in 2023, such provisions are now out of the equation as we saw in Austin Dillon’s case. So, Ty Gibbs might want to take it easy as the season has just begun. NASCAR officials also had to get on the radio to get Rowdy to cool off as Justin Haley once again came on the receiving end of things.

Haley had a rough outing at Bowman Gray

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Rowdy’s reaction wasn’t instantaneous but a slow buildup after a series of events where he felt he was used up. The first incident happened on the sixth lap of the heat race where Busch got spun out in a pile-up involving Noah Gragson and Justin Haley. The RCR star gathered himself and went about his business only to find himself in a similar situation, spinning on the racetrack.

Busch had enough of these antics and went on a rant on the radio. “Never gave me one fu–ing corner.” Next thing you know, he chose to remind Haley that he had enough of his antics on the racetrack and showed his front bumper in the rear of the No. 7 Chevy. NASCAR had to intervene and tell Busch’s team to convey the message to their driver.

“Alright, we’re getting a warning here. And they said this is the last warning. Come off the bumper.” Spotter Derek Kneeland said this to Busch on the radio. But, the RCR driver couldn’t understand the double standards as he was treated similarly during the green lap runs. “It’s okay to do it under green, though. Got it.”

Despite this hiccup, Kyle Busch advanced to the main event where he finished 15th after 200 laps of racing on the quarter-mile track.