Dale Earnhardt Jr Leads Angry & Concerned Reactions to Recent Ty Gibbs Disaster

The 2023 NASCAR Cup Series Busch Light Clash held at the LA Memorial Coliseum took a scary turn for rookie Ty Gibbs during a practice run. With just minutes left on the clock, a fire erupted in the cockpit of his #54 Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota Camry. Ty, who had been placed sixth on the leaderboard during Saturday’s practice sessions, was able to escape the burning car unscathed.

@SiriusXMNASCAR recently shared a video on Twitter that showed the #54 catching fire with Ty inside.

Later Dale Earnhardt Jr retweeted along with an emoji depicting worry. The reaction from the fans was mostly along two lines. While some expressed hope that this was an isolated incident, others criticized NASCAR for not doing enough to mitigate dangers in the NextGen car.

“Can somebody explain to me what’s so great about these LITERAL trash fires…,” one fan wrote, while another commented, “Glad they mandated the head sock helmet skirt and underwear and socks after this has started again already.”

NASCAR has implemented several safety measures for the 2023 season as part of its ongoing commitment to driver safety. These include rerouting the exhaust through the rocker panels and adding mufflers to the Cup vehicles. However, some fans have criticized the organization for not doing enough, with one comment reading,

“It looks as if NASCAR has done nothing to clear up fire danger in this car!” Another fan noted, “Never saw this with the old cars.”

The 2023 NASCAR season has started on a sour note for Ty Gibbs

Ty Gibbs was unable to compete in the Busch Light Clash as NASCAR alleged that the team made unauthorized modifications during repairs. The team worked hard to fix the vehicle, but Ty had to sit this one out and observe from the sidelines.

But the organization remains committed to maintaining driver safety as its top priority. NASCAR is continuously working to implement measures that minimize the risk of similar incidents in the future.

Meanwhile, the cause of the fire has not been confirmed, but some speculate that heat from the exhaust sparked the fire, causing the foam in the door—used to absorb impact and mandated by NASCAR’s rule book—to ignite. The team is still investigating the source of the blaze. The car has since been taken away for inspection.