Before the championship driver could even test out the tires on their race car on the first lap, a caution interpreted the start of the championship race in Phoenix. Joe Gibbs Racing driver Ty Gibbs rammed his race car into the safer barrier after a close call coming off the corner exit on Turn 4.

The No. 54 Toyota Camry lost the grip of the racing surface and made contact with the wall coming onto the front stretch. It looked fine as Gibbs made it through and continued to race after completing the first lap. But, as he tried to make an entry into Turn 1, his race car completely lost direction and rammed hard into the safer barriers.

Ty Gibbs suggests changes to the Next Gen car bolstering driver’s safety

While the Next-Gen car has made it tough to sustain hits and wrecks, such accidents often leave fans and viewers worried. The #54 team was concerned about the well-being of their driver, and they quickly reached out to him on the radio. “You okay? You okay, bud? I’m sure it knocked the breath out of you.”

Fortunately, Ty Gibbs climbed out of the race car. The safety crew escorted him off the racetrack. Although the driver was okay, he sent a message to NASCAR about potential changes that could be made to the race car. “Yeah, I’m okay, I think. Just wish the cars were a little softer.” Gibbs said this to MRN.

After being relieved from the infield care center, Gibbs had this to say about his horrifying crash. “It was definitely a big hit. I made contact with the wall, but I didn’t think it was necessarily too bad, and I went off into the dogleg. We’ve been really hard on the track there all week, and I think I just caught it at a bad angle, and it just took off from me. I had no control there. It was a really, really big hit though.

This is not how the #54 team hoped to end their 2024 NASCAR Cup Series campaign, but Ty Gibbs will have to settle for a P40 finish after crashing early. But, this playoff run is something the driver and his team would like to forget and come back strong next year.

The playoffs were a struggle for the #54 team

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This wreck at Phoenix Raceway pretty much sums up Gibbs’ playoff run. For the most part of the regular season, he was a consistent top 10 driver, but just when he needed to fire off, he went off-track. During the night race in Bristol, a speeding penalty was just too much for the young driver to overcome, and he was eliminated from the first round itself.

Although he did pick the pace back up at the Kansas Speedway, he was mired by a streak of 30 or worse finishes since the start of the Roval race weekend. And unfortunately, that streak continued today and resulted in a DNF finish. It’s baffling how the season has turned upside down for the entire #54 team. In the first six races, Gibbs had three top 5 and two top 10 finishes. But in the last six races of the season, the closest he’s come to a top 10 results was at Talladega P13.

The good news for Ty Gibbs and his team is that they can get back right to work in the off-season and come out stronger next year.