Ty Gibbs is quickly making enemies as he moves up the ranks in the racing world, and he may even have his own teammates turning on him after what transpired at Martinsville Speedway on Saturday.
Gibbs advanced to the final race of the Xfinity Series Championship 4 after he rammed into Joe Gibbs Racing teammate Brandon Jones on the final lap of the third attempt at overtime and spun him out. Gibbs went on to win. Both he and Jones would have secured spots in the championship finale had they finished first and second. Instead, Jones has been eliminated. You can see the controversial move below:
GIBBS DUMPS JONES TO WIN AT MARTINSVILLE!
Teammates heck. The No. 54 wrecks his teammate @BrandonJonesRac on the final lap to get the Grandfather Clock!@J_Allgaier gets the final spot in the Championship 4.#NASCAR #NASCARPlayoffs pic.twitter.com/eZJ373IoXq
— NASCAR on TSN (@NASCARonTSN) October 29, 2022
Several drivers ripped Gibbs over the finish and expressed support for Jones, who is leaving JGR after the season. Gibbs was unapologetic, saying Jones did the same to him earlier in year.
“It was definitely not a clean move, for sure,” Gibbs said, via Reid Spencer of the NASCAR Wire Service. “I definitely didn’t want to wreck him, but I definitely wanted to move him out of the groove so I could go win. I felt like we lost the spring race getting moved by him.
“He’s my teammate, but definitely want to get the win here. It’s important to get the win. And now we’re going to the championship. It’s cool. Hopefully, I don’t get hit by any cans or anything right here.”
Coy Gibbs, who is Ty’s father and one of the executives at JGR, called his son’s move on the final lap “disappointing.” He said the team will address it.
More Coy Gibbs: "When you're young, you make mistakes. And hopefully you learn from them."
— Jeff Gluck (@jeff_gluck) October 30, 2022
Jones, who is set to leave Joe Gibbs Racing for JR Motorsports next season, needed a victory to advance to the Championship 4. Ty Gibbs will now race against Justin Allgaier, Josh Berry and Noah Gragson — all JR racers — for the series title next Saturday at Phoenix Raceway.
Gibbs’ victory on Saturday was his 10th in 50 Xfinity races. His rapid ascension is viewed as one of the main reasons JGR did not re-sign Kyle Busch. Gibbs, 20, has already irritated a lot of people in NASCAR.
