Give the camera operator a raise for this one. ? pic.twitter.com/cjKahU8hbp
— NASCAR on NBC (@NASCARonNBC) July 14, 2024
Ty Gibbs woke up on Sunday morning optimistic that he could parlay his second career pole position into his first career NASCAR Cup Series race win. The wait for career win No. 1 will have to wait at least until start No. 73 for the driver of the No. 54 Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota Camry.
Gibbs, who led Sunday’s race two times for a total of 21 laps, was mired deep in the field on a restart with 29 laps to go. As he was working his way up to speed down the Long Pond Straightaway, a plume of smoke and fluid began to shoot from the side exhaust pipe on his No. 54 machine.
The 21-year-old slowed, and his day would be done-in by a mechanical failure.
The engine detonation for Gibbs is the third engine-related issue for the Joe Gibbs Racing NASCAR Cup Series program in the last seven races.
Christopher Bell, who looked to be on his way to a win at World Wide Technology Raceway seven races ago, was plagued by a motor issue in the closing laps, which foiled his hopes at winning that race. The following event at Sonoma Raceway, Denny Hamlin blew the engine in his No. 11 Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota on Lap 2 of that race.
Engine failures have become increasingly more rare over the years as mechanical durability and advancements in engine technology have improved. It’s strange to see so many issues within the Joe Gibbs Racing team in such a short span of races.
