Joey Logano weighs in on Ty Gibbs controversy after NASCAR decision
Joey Logano has made his stance on Ty Gibbs' controversial pit stop in Sonoma crystal clear after the No. 54 Toyota came into contact with a rival tire changer
For reigning NASCAR Cup Series champion Joey Logano, the recent controversy revolving around Ty Gibbs, his pit crew, and that of Brad Keselowski at the Toyota/Save Mart 350 has served as a valuable lesson.
On lap 52 at Sonoma on Sunday, Joe Gibbs Racing’s Gibbs sparked outrage on pit road after he pulled through Keselowski’s box to reach his next door, making contact with RFK Racing tire changer Telvin McClurkin on the way.
McClurkin was thankfully uninjured and was able to help pull off Keselowski’s pit stop just seconds later, but once both cars left their boxes, he let his anger be known, with the crews getting into an altercation, with NASCAR officials stepping in to separate them but deciding against penalizing Gibbs.
“When the 54 came in, I was holding that tire, and Ty Gibbs’ car hit my hands and twisted my wrist. I was able to complete the stop, but it slowed Brad’s stop,” McClurkin told TNT shortly afterward.
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Reflecting on the incident, Team Penske’s Logano told SiriusXM NASCAR Radio he used such situations “to learn what is ok and not ok from a rules perspective,” as they allow him to see firsthand what is actually enforced by NASCAR.
However, while he acknowledged that per the letter of the law, Gibbs was in the clear, he didn’t like what he saw. “So I watched that situation, I know this is ok to do. Don’t agree with it. Don’t agree with putting any human in line with a race car. Ever. You shouldn’t play with that in a competitive scenario like that. But he didn’t break any rules, so there’s that.
“I don’t like playing that game with humans. They’ve got families, they have their careers, it’s their livelihood, and you’re a knife to a gunfight kind of thing where you’re driving a race car and they’re holding tires. They don’t stand a chance.
“You’ve got a ridiculous amount of power and responsibility driving a race car. So you’ve got to kind of look at that stuff. And all of us have made mistakes. Listen, guilty, been there, done it, things that you shouldn’t have done, I get it. In the heat of the moment, sometimes you don’t see all that stuff.”
Gibbs’ teammate Denny Hamlin also recently gave his two cents on the incident on his Actions Detrimental podcast, putting it down to “bad timing” whilst later adding he believed both teams were simply “trying to gain an advantage.”
“Whenever you’re pitted in front of someone and then you’re barely in front of them on track, what happens is you have their tire carriers and their jackman kind of standing at the wall,” the 57-time race winner said. “They’ve changed the rule recently over the last year or two to where they don’t want these guys jumping off the wall with tires. That’s too much weight, you’ll create injuries. So, they let them kind of get ready in their pit box.
“Well, they’re trying to get around to the right side of the car before it even stops. So, Brad’s team is trying to get their advantage, which is, ‘Let me get to the right side as soon as possible.’ But they’re not able to run out there till after the 54 passes, which that definitely does slow them down.
“I didn’t see the carrier move from his position, but I think Ty was trying to get the best angle into his box - which he’s entitled to - and the contact happened.”
As for Gibbs, who, as far as NASCAR was concerned, did not break any rules, he noted post-race that as the lead car, he had the right to pull in through Keselowski’s box.
“By NASCAR’s rules, I’m the lead car because I’m the pit box pass where the 6 is, and I’m in front of him as well,” he said, via On3. “We have these orange lines right there as you can see…Where if I’m behind him, I have to go around those orange lines for it to be a rule, and going in, I have the right of way.
“So, you know, they’re on the wall for a reason, they jump for a reason, they kind of get out of the way. And those guys like to push it, and that’s kind of the consequence you pay. So, that’s unfortunate for them that they had a penalty. Nothing malicious, it’s my right of way.”
Gibbs wound up finishing seventh, losing one spot on his starting position, while Keselowski came home in 11th, having climbed 10 positions on the day. Meanwhile, Logano ended the day in ninth, gaining 13 spots under the Californian sun.
