Stage 1 of the NASCAR Xfinity Series race at Las Vegas Motor Speedway featured no shortage of wild moments, including a red flag delay for snow in the desert. However, contact between Ty Gibbs and Ryan Sieg, as well as attempted payback, sparked the most conversations.
The conflict between the two Xfinity Series drivers began early in the first stage when Gibbs made contact with the rear of Sieg’s No. 39 Ford Mustang, causing it to lose control and hit the outside wall. The two drivers had a discussion on pit road during the red flag delay, but they did not walk away in a particularly good place.
Here’s a look at what happened between @RyanSiegRacing and @TyGibbs_ shortly after the restart.
Once the race went green again, Sieg appeared to attempt to exact his revenge on the Joe Gibbs Racing driver. He moved up the track and made some contact with the No. 54, but he actually sent himself into a spin and damaged both the No. 02 and the No. 2 entries while Gibbs drove away unscathed.
Prior to the attempted contact, NASCAR black-flagged Sieg for failing to meet minimum speed. The officials called him back to pit road, but he first made the move up the track.
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Play-by-play man Adam Alexander and analysts Joey Logano and Ryan Blaney weighed in after watching the replay. They specifically discussed how these incidents often affect other drivers.
“Unfortunately, some other cars got caught up in that mess,” Blaney said on the FOX Sports broadcast. “Ryan Sieg was trying to settle a score with the [No.] 54, and it’s a shame that it happens. You usually get innocent bystanders that get damage from that, and you hate to see that stuff.”
Sieg Had Strong Words After the Initial Contact
When the red flag waved due to snow, the was an opportunity for the drivers to climb out of their cars, use the facilities, and discuss the first few laps of the race. Sieg and Gibbs, in particular, had a conversation about their previous contact.
The FOX Sports cameras showed the two speaking with animated gestures, but there was no audio available. However, Sieg provided some details to reporter Jamie Little and made it clear that he was not happy about the contact that damaged his stock car.
“𝙎𝙤 𝙞𝙨 𝙩𝙝𝙞𝙨 𝙛𝙞𝙣𝙞𝙨𝙝𝙚𝙙 … 𝙩𝙤𝙙𝙖𝙮?”
“I don’t think so.” – @RyanSiegRacing
“He knows what he’s doing. He’s got the best car in the garage and he races you not very smart early in Lap 10, you know what I mean?” Sieg told Little from pit road. He then ended his discussion with a cryptic comment about how Gibbs “probably needs to learn his lesson.”
Gibbs also responded to the incident and acknowledged that he had “made a mistake.” However, he said he did not intentionally wreck Sieg and that the driver of the No. 39 could continue the feud if he wanted.
NASCAR Had a Post-Wreck Discussion
Per NASCAR rules, Sieg had to head to the infield care center for evaluation after his wreck. He was released, but he did not meet with FOX Sports reporters or any other media members.
According to PRN, NASCAR officials called Sieg’s team to the hauler after he exited the care center. There was no clear information available about the meeting, but the incident on the track that led to Sieg’s second spin likely served as a prominent point of discussion.
With Sieg meeting with NASCAR officials, there are now questions about this feud and whether it will continue during the trip to Phoenix Raceway on March 12. There will not be a clear answer until the drivers line up on the starting grid.
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Ty Gibbs Caught up in Messy NASCAR Feud During Vegas Race [LOOK]