As ESPN's Chris Berman might say, Ty Gibbs FUMMMBBBLLLEEEDDD!! in Busch Light Clash
Ty Gibbs had the ball in his hands, but he fumbled it.
Not literally, but figuratively for the NASCAR driver and grandson of three-time Super Bowl winning coach Joe Gibbs.
The 21-year-old driver led a race-high 84 laps in Saturday night’s Busch Light Clash at the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum. But a late-race caution with 10 laps to go setup a shootout between Gibbs and teammate Denny Hamlin for the win.
Hamlin took the lead in the restart and was about to take the white flag when Gibbs, still trying to hold on for a respectable finish, crashed - ending his night and creating an overtime finish where Hamlin held off defending Cup Series champion Ryan Blaney to win the first NASCAR race of the 2024 season.
Gibbs was officially scored as finishing 18th out of 23 starters in the 150-lap race, which took place on a temporary quarter-mile oval inside the home of USC football.
Following the race, Gibbs was seen outside of the hauler arguing with fellow Cup Series competitor Joey Logano, whom he hit before spinning out.
“He’s just mad that I ran him up (the track),” Gibbs told Fox Sports reporter Bob Pockrass about his testy conversation with Logano. “But if you go back and look at the replay, the 12 (Ryan Blaney) kind of chucked him out of the way too. It’s hard racing at the end.
"This place is really hard to get your tires warm once the caution comes out. I just got in there deep and launched up into them and we just all got tangled up after that.
“It just was unfortunate. I guess I have to get better at restarts.”
NASCAR takes the next week off as the sports world focuses on the Kansas City Chiefs and San Francisco 49ers in Super Bowl LVIII. But at least Gibbs will have the chance to score a winning drive of his own when stock car racing’s Super Bowl - the Daytona 500 - takes place on February 18.
**********************************
Daniel Suárez wins in first Mexico Series start in nearly a decade
A disappointing afternoon turned into a great evening for Daniel Suárez. The Monterrey, Mexico native failed to qualify for the Clash but redeemed himself by winning the 150-lap NASCAR Mexico Series race that was run later Saturday night.
A 10-time race winner in the Mexico Series before eventually becoming a regular in the Cup Series, Suárez has been a long-time advocate for the international series that races on ovals and road courses south of the border. On Friday, he stated he considered the Mexico Series race at the Coliseum was as important to him as the Daytona 500.
Suárez started the race in third place and was able to take the lead in the final restart with seven laps to go.
"Man, this really means a lot," Suárez said. "Thank you fans for coming last-minute. It really means a lot. The people who know me, they know that this race means a lot to me. All these drivers, all these teams. I grew up with this.
"If it wasn't for this series - NASCAR Mexico - I wouldn't be in the Cup Series today. So, thank you NASCAR Mexico, thank you all the drivers, thank you to the fans. You make me feel at home.”
And to that, we can add a hearty "Ole!"