“I Would Be Bedridden”: Ryan Blaney Breaks Down Ty Gibbs’ ‘Jump’ at Bowman Gray & How It Feels to Land the Next Gen NASCAR

The new breed of NASCAR cars are fast — astonishingly fast, capable of clocking over 200 MPH down the straights at larger tracks like Daytona or Talladega. So what does it feel like to go airborne at those speeds and bottom out at such speeds?

Ty Gibbs, who dominated much of last year’s Clash at the Coliseum, got the chance to find out firsthand in Sunday’s Cook Out Clash’s Last Chance Qualifier (LCQ) at the Bowman Gray Stadium. During one of the tight restarts in the race, he ended up making contact and going airborne.

Gibbs was vying for a spot among the top three, racing to secure one of the final two positions in the event. On the 64th lap of the last chance qualifier, Gibbs found himself in P13 position when Justin 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’ car 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.

Ryan Blaney, a recent guest on the Door Bumper Clear podcast, talked about what it is like being at the wheel of the Next Gen car when it goes airborne — and when it comes down.

Blaney should know. He is no stranger to such aerial incidents himself — like the time from practice for the Pennzoil 400 at Las Vegas Motor Speedway in February 2023. 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.

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.”

Ouch! But ultimately, Gibbs hung on to secure 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’s wreck

Joe Gibbs Racing teammate Denny Hamlin wasn’t too thrilled about Ty’s 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.”

“I was right there when it happened,” he continued. “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.