Overview

• NASCAR officials ruled Ty Gibbs’ entry legal under the orange-line rule and cleared him of fault after he clipped RFK Racing’s Telvin McClurkin at Sonoma without issuing penalties.
• Denny Hamlin and Kevin Harvick characterized the incident as competitive gamesmanship, while Brad Keselowski and RFK crew members flagged its potential safety dangers.
• Dale Earnhardt Jr. urged NASCAR to meet with Gibbs and set firmer pit-road limits to reduce injury risks ahead of the next stop.
• The clash exposed decades-old ambiguities in crew-positioning and interference regulations that rely on subjective judgments.
• With six races remaining before the playoffs, teams and fans are demanding explicit lane markings and stricter enforcement to safeguard pit crews.