Ty Gibbs, vying for his best finish of the season, had his hopes dashed by a collision with Tyler Reddick, relegating him to a 13th-place finish. His frustration was discernible over the radio following the incident, though he and Reddick had a civil discussion in the pits later on about the altercation.
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Earlier in the race, Gibbs was navigating Turns 1 and 2 on Lap 298 in 11th place when Reddick, attempting a risky move from several car lengths back, clipped the rear of Gibbs’ #54 car. The contact spun Gibbs out, causing him to lose positions and fight to regain lost ground. Moments before the collision, Gibbs was alerted with a timely “inside” from his spotter.
Post-incident, an agitated Gibbs communicated with his crew over the radio, demanding adjustments to improve the car’s handling, “Just free this fucking thing up, please. It doesn’t roll the center at all.” He also sent a cautionary warning about Reddick, “You’d better keep me away from that little fucker after this race, too.”
Despite Ty Gibbs’ understandable frustration following the incident, his team attempted to calm the waters by explaining the dynamics of the incident with Tyler Reddick and Austin Dillon. They stated that the 23XI Racing driver tried to lift for him, but Dillon wasn’t aware of what was happening and ended up facilitating the contact between Gibbs and Reddick.
“Normal deal. He stuck his nose, and then the 3 was just piling through him from behind. Nothing you can do about it,” were the words on Gibbs’ team radio.
Ty Gibbs got told “inside” right before that incident with Tyler Reddick.
“Just free this fucking thing up, please. It doesn’t roll the center at all.”
“Copy, buddy. It’s going to be OK.”
“You’d better keep me away from that little fucker after this race, too.”
“Normal deal.…
— Jeff Gluck (@jeff_gluck) March 30, 2025
However, Gibbs’ choice of words didn’t win him any favors with the fans. One fan labeled the 22-year-old: “Gibbs is such a punk,” while another critiqued, “Not very Christian language.”
The comparisons flowed with one fan dubbing him “Ty Gibbs. The Lance Stroll of NASCAR,” and another dismissing him as a “Spoiled Rich kid.” Moreover, a fan described him as a “Foul-mouthed little crybaby.”
Although Gibbs could have potentially at least vied for a top-10 finish had it not been for the wreck, despite the disruption, Gibbs’ thirteenth-place finish at Martinsville marked his season-best across seven starts. His performances in prior races include finishing 16th at Daytona, 32nd at Atlanta, 34th at COTA, 25th at Phoenix, 22nd at Las Vegas, and 25th at Homestead.
