Ty Gibbs' car catches fire during practice prior to 2023 "Busch Light Clash"

 

Screengrab from NASCAR on FOX Broadcast

    The first major incident of the 2023 NASCAR Cup Series has happened during the practice sessions Saturday, Feb. 4, 2023 at the L.A. Memorial Coliseum, where the drivers and teams were making their last-minute preparations for the "Busch Light Clash" on Sunday, February 5th. 

The No. 54 Toyota Camry, driven by rookie Ty Gibbs, lit up in flames after just 60 circuits around the quarter mile track. At first, it seemed like there was a rubber build-up around the exhaust system, happening from the tire-wear. Yet now it appears that the modified exhaust system had melted the right-side "safety foam" piece, causing it to catch fire inside the cockpit of the car. Unfortunately, the incident would end the practice session for Gibbs, as the team would now have to make repairs to the injured machine.

After the car was towed off the track, the Joe Gibbs Racing crew members worked feverishly to attempt to get the car back in shape to run the qualifying session later in the evening.

Gibbs was also penalized after it was determined his Joe Gibbs Racing crew made unapproved adjustments just prior to the qualifying session. Gibbs’ Toyota caught fire during the final practice session and was taken to the garage for repairs. The team was able to fix it without going to a back-up car, however NASCAR determined some of the repairs fell into the “unapproved adjustments” penalty category. The No. 54 team would not be allowed to join the qualifying runs to set the heat race lineups for Sunday. 

“First off want to thank my whole Monster Energy team they’ve worked so hard,” Gibbs said. “We have to start last in the heat race but we’ve got a great car.

As Gibbs stated, the No. 54 car will have to start 9th in the last and final 25-lap Heat race, and finish in the top-5 to transfer into the main event. 

The 2023 "Busch Light Clash" at the L.A. Memorial Coliseum will take place on Sunday, February 5th. Live television coverage will begin at 5:00 PM EST on FOX.

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