NASCAR executive confirms Ty Gibbs' assertion concerning "right of way" following pit stop incident with Brad Keselowski

NASCAR's Managing Director of Racing Communications, Mike Forde, has supported Ty Gibbs in his pitstop mishap with Brad Keselowski at Sonoma Raceway. He argued that Keselowski should've given 'more room' when Gibbs pulled into the pits.

On lap 52, when Gibbs came in to pit, he appeared to have crossed the diagonal lines meant to guide drivers upon entry, resulting in contact with a tire held by Keselowski's crew member. With Keselowski trailing him in close sequence, the tire changer reported a slow stop due to the tight squeeze.

Forde, however, maintained that drivers can run through up to three stalls when no cars are being serviced. This explains why NASCAR cleared Gibbs of any wrongdoing, while the focus shifted to Keselowski for pitting in close intervals.

During the latest episode of NASCAR's Hauler Talk, Forde outlined his views on the incident.

"Ty Gibbs does not have to obey any of those (lines). Those are for if a car is already in that pit box. So if (Keselowski) was in that pit box, those markings come into play, and Gibbs would have to be on the outside of that diagonal line. Because (Keselowski) wasn’t in that pit stall yet, those don’t come into play,” he said.

Forde also addressed Ty Gibbs' claim of having the 'right of way'.

"In the case of two vehicles coming in nose to tail, the trailing vehicle should allow a sufficient gap. So in other words, (Keselowski) should have given (Gibbs) a little bit more room so that things like the tire carrier getting hit wouldn’t happen,” he added.

The incident resulted in a shoving match between RFK Racing and Joe Gibbs Racing's crew members, but no penalties were issued as a result.

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Dale Earnhardt Jr. finds a loophole in narratives against Ty Gibbs

Dale Earnhardt Jr. has pushed back on the growing narrative of Ty Gibbs' pit road incident, with many speculating that the shunt could've been a retaliatory effort by the JGR driver. This notion stems from an earlier incident, where Gibbs made contact with RFK Racing's Chris Buescher before coming to the pit.

Reflecting upon the same, Earnhardt Jr. said, via Dale Jr Download:

"If you could prove it to be intentional, he should be penalized because you can't use your race car in a danger situation around bodies on pit road right....but how do you prove it to be intentional?

Ty Gibbs ultimately finished seventh and climbed spots in the Driver's standings to place 17th. The result also has him advancing to the final four matchup of the In-Season Challenge at Dover Motor Speedway, where he'll face off against 23XI Racing's Tyler Reddick.

The winner of this bracket will move on to the Champions Round at Indianapolis Motor Speedway to compete for a $1 million prize.