Ty Gibbs, who dominated much of last year’s Clash at the Coliseum, found himself making contact and getting briefly airborne during the tight restarts this year in the Cook Out Clash’s Last Chance Qualifier (LCQ) at Bowman Gray Stadium. He was vying for a spot among the top three, racing to secure one of the final two positions in the event. Meanwhile, Ryan Blaney, a recent guest on the Door Bumper Clear podcast, discussed the experience of handling the Next Gen car after it goes airborne.
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Blaney, who is no stranger to such aerial incidents — like the time from the practice for the Pennzoil 400 at Las Vegas Motor Speedway in February 2023, where a collision with another car sent his vehicle spinning, its left rear tire clipping the wall and launching the car into the air before it crashed — offered his insights on the incident involving Ty.
He commented, “I wonder how his back is today; Ty Gibbs launching over the #7. Obviously, he didn’t mean to jump wheels. I think he meant to just door him and pull off. I know what it feels like to just bottom out one of these cars. There are these blocks under the frame that are just solid. I know I would be bedridden. I wouldn’t be here today; I would be in the hospital.”
"Yep, I'm flying through the air… this is not good." – Ty Gibbs, probably 🙃
📺 Full Episode: https://t.co/UKXPjrCtFL pic.twitter.com/hIrXzypt5N
— Dirty Mo Media (@DirtyMoMedia) February 4, 2025
On the 64th lap of the last chance qualifier, Gibbs found himself in P13 position when Haley aggressively took turn 1 and made contact with Gibbs’ left rear quarter panel. Gibbs attempted to regain control coming out of turn 2, but his car skidded into the infield grass on the backstretch. The mishap necessitated a pit stop for new tires and front bumper repairs.
Before he could clear the track at turn 3, Gibbs’ vehicle struck Haley’s #7 Spire Motorsports Chevrolet, catapulting the front end of his car into the air, effectively performing a wheelie before he exited the track. Ultimately, Gibbs secured a 14th-place finish in the LCQ, while Larson won that race. Josh Berry, who started in P13 place and finished second, was among the drivers who advanced to the main event.
Denny Hamlin shares his perspective on his teammate, Gibb’s wreck at The Clash
Joe Gibbs Racing teammate Denny Hamlin expressed his reservations about Gibbs’ maneuver during his latest “Actions Detrimental” podcast episode. He stated,
“Certainly, didn’t love it, didn’t look great. It just happened to be weird how the tires rolled over each other which made his car launch there, but it looked worse than it actually was.”
Adding, “I was right there when it happened. He didn’t have a whole lot of speed, I think it’s just the tires rolled right over each other, and it caused the launch. But still, it’s something that NASCAR isn’t gonna love or anything like that.”
Despite these concerns, Hamlin remains hopeful about Gibbs’ future in the Cup Series, acknowledging that while Gibbs is still navigating his path as a newcomer, he will eventually master the intricacies of the sport.
