Dale Earnhardt Jr. debates Ty Gibbs’ responsibility for ‘narrative’ after Sonoma NASCAR controversy

Ty Gibbs and pit road. Going back to his days in the Xfinity Series, the 22-year-old Gibbs has been involved in several incidents at a part of the racetrack where NASCAR prioritizes safety the most.

This past Sunday at Sonoma Raceway, Gibbs was involved in another one. Gibbs drove through Brad Keselowski’s stall during his Lap 52 pit stop and clipped the No. 6 team’s tire carrier. A minor altercation ensued after tire carrier Telvin McClurkin confronted the No. 54 pit crew. NASCAR ruled that Gibbs did nothing wrong, concluding that the No. 6 team should have given Gibbs more room to enter his pit stall. The altercation was reviewed, however, and Gibbs and Keselowski’s teams were not penalized.

While Gibbs did not break any rules, there still has been outrage over the way he entered his pit box. Dale Earnhardt Jr. believes Gibbs has “created the narrative” based on his previous actions on pit road.

“That’s Ty Gibbs’ responsibility, not ours. Ty Gibbs has created the narrative,” Earnhardt said on the Dale Jr. Download.

Ty Gibbs has checkered past with pit road

NASCAR previously fined Gibbs $75,000 for door-slamming Ty Dillon on pit road during the September 2022 Xfinity Series race at Texas Motor Speedway. Earlier that season, Gibbs got into a fight with Sam Mayer post-race at Martinsville Speedway. NASCAR fined Gibbs $15,000 for making contact with Mayer’s car on pit road after the race.

Adding to the outrage is that he’s the grandson of Joe Gibbs. Despite his talent, there’s surely some who believe he shouldn’t be in the 54 Toyota. Earnhardt doesn’t think that plays much of a role here, but rather Gibbs’ “odd” actions on the racetrack.

“That’s a little bit maybe of some people might feel that way,” Earnhardt said. “The dude is freaking talented. He’s a badass racecar driver — in particular on the road courses — and smoked our ass in the damn Xfinity Series when he was there. He belongs. He’s earned the ride, but his actions sometimes on the racetrack are interesting and odd.”