The 2025 Cup Series has been a roller-coaster for 2012 Brad Keselowski, who entered Sonoma ranked 32nd in points, a steep drop off from his usual standard. Keselowski, whose season-best result was an 11th-place run at Las Vegas, had seen occasional flashes, including his pole in the All-Star Race heat at Charlotte, yet consistently lacked the consistency needed to climb the standings. Despite the mid-season struggles, the In-Season Challenge at Sonoma presented both a fresh opportunity and a pivotal test of his resilience under pressure.

On the other hand, Joe Gibbs’ grandson, Ty Gibbs, has surged lately, solidifying his In-Season Challenge aspirations. After finishing runner-up to SVG on the Chicago street course, Gibbs advanced as the No. 6 seed into Round 3 at Sonoma. His consistent performances, including 5 straight Top-15 finishes, including two Top-5s, helped rejuvenate a season that began sluggishly, lifting him from 27th to 21st in the Cup standings with 377 points. With momentum on his side, Gibbs aimed to parlay his strong bracket momentum into tangible playoff leverage at Sonoma. But the stage was already set for drama, not just on the track but in the pits this time.

Crew members step in where drivers didn’t

During Stage 2 green-flag stops, Ty Gibbs led Brad Keselowski into adjacent pit boxes, with Gibbs’ #54 Toyota slicing into Keselowski’s stall and nearly clipping the #6 crew’s tire carrier. This led to a heated altercation on pit road at Sonoma Raceway, as crews from both camps clashed over the egregious incident. Tensions flared after Gibbs, who had recently slipped to 10th place following a loose-car incident, became visibly upset, sparking a confrontation. NASCAR officials intervened swiftly, separating both teams to restore order on the pit lane.

Veteran reporter Wendy Venturini, broadcasting live on-site for PRN, found herself in the thick of the ruckus, noting, “Fight on pit road! Brad Keselowski’s crew vs Ty Gibbs’ team — @WendyVenturin was right in the middle of that scuffle. Not sure what happened but we’re gonna see if we can find out. NASCAR officials had to separate them.” She later confirmed that officials had stepped in to defuse the situation and that there was no video footage immediately available, likely due to the fast-paced, crowded conditions in the pit area.

But as the footage was released later, its evidence underscored that Gibbs’ entry into the pit road was notably more to the left than earlier stops, raising questions over intent. The split-second lane shift only rattled Keselowski‘s crew but laid bare the escalating battle lines between rival teams in a pressure-cooker weekend. Steven Taranto from CBS Sports also noted, “I’m still trying to find a good look at this but at the end of Brad Keselowski’s stop you could see one of the 6’s crew guys walk straight into the 54 box to confront that crew.” This act was viewed by Keselowski’s camp as intentional and aggressive, therefore aggravating the situation.

Amid the post-altercation adjustments, crew communications revealed the continued tension. As Davey Segal, the host of SiriusXM NASCAR, posted on X, “.@CG1751 just got on the radio to give @TyGibbs some update on their strategy after being quiet for a bit. “Sorry, had quite a bit going on down here,” he said. This isn’t the first time Ty Gibbs might land himself in trouble over pit road incidents. Back in 2022, in Texas, he had veered into Ty Dillon on he pit road that nearly caused a threatening situation with the crew members and officials. He was a part-timer and fined $75,000 while the No. 23 team were docked 25 points.

Both the pit crews’ frustrations highlight the immense amount of pressure that drivers and teams are currently facing, with just a few slots left for the playoff berth. As NASCAR eyes both the drivers for future success, Sonoma’s pit brawl offers no easy solution, only more questions. And with the regular season finale race at Daytona edging closer, the #6 team doesn’t have a lot of opportunities to stage a comeback.

Why Brad Keselowski wants fewer twists and turns

Brad Keselowski didn’t hold back when it comes to NASCAR’s shifting identity. He took to social media to express his frustration with the growing number of road courses, a sharp contrast to the NASCAR he grew up in. “We went from 2 to 6 road course races, possibly 7 next year,” Keselowski wrote. “NASCAR was successfully built as a primarily oval racing series. IMSA was built as the primary road course series in North America. IMSA will always do road racing better than NASCAR and that’s ok… Yes, TOO many road courses in NASCAR.” His commentary speaks to a larger concern that the series is losing its distinctiveness in the pursuit of variety.

Keselowski’s concerns aren’t in vain. Fellow veteran Denny Hamlin echoed a similar sentiment on his ‘Actions Detrimental’ podcast, pointing out that six road courses is a heavy load for a series founded on short tracks and high-contact oval racing. While Hamlin made an exception for the popular Chicago Street Race, noting its importance for exposure and fan engagement, he admitted that most other road courses haven’t moved the needle for him. “I still believe we have too many of them on the schedule,” he said. “We’re short track racing, oval racing, full contact type racing.”

The critique comes as NASCAR flirts with even more expansion, as reports suggest a potential street race in San Diego is being negotiated. But critics like Keselowski argue the balance is tipping too far. The debate is further inflamed by Shane van Gisbergen’s road course dominance, raising concerns about drivers lower in points standings clinching playoff spots based on specialized wins. While Keselowski didn’t directly point fingers at SVG, NASCAR Hall of Famer Richard Petty did, questioning the legitimacy of title contention from wildcard winners succeeding solely on road courses.