SONOMA, Calif. — The Nos. 6 and 54 pit crews got in a minor physical altercation during Sunday’s NASCAR Cup Series race at Sonoma Raceway.
At Lap 52 of the Toyota/Save Mart 350, Ty Gibbs’ No. 54 Toyota led Brad Keselowski’s No. 6 Ford onto pit road near the end of Stage 2. The two were pitted directly next to each other, with Gibbs’ crew in stall No. 16 and Keselowski’s in stall 17.
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Gibbs drove through Keselowski’s pit box on entry and nearly clipped Keselowski’s tire carrier Telvin McClurkin as the No. 6 crewmen leaped over the wall. The hesitation appeared to slow the No. 6 team’s stop, and upon its completion, McClurkin approached the No. 54 crew to explain his displeasure.
The confrontation resulted in a brief burst of physical shoves between two RFK Racing crewmen and three Joe Gibbs Racing crewmen that was visible from the Sonoma Raceway media center before NASCAR officials intervened to break up the scrum.
Spokespersons for both JGR and RFK Racing described the incident to NASCAR.com and PRN Radio as a “disagreement” as the second stage came to an end.
WATCH: RFK shares overhead view of pit stop, altercation
Jeremy Bullins, crew chief for Keselowski and the No. 6 RFK Racing Ford, came off the pit box to help diffuse the situation.
“If we were in that pit box, I would expect him (Keselowski) to do the same [expletive] thing, so we’re good,” Bullins told No. 54 jackman Braxton Brannon.
A NASCAR spokesperson confirmed that officials reviewed the incident and expressed to the No. 6 team the crew should have given more room for the No. 54 car and ruled Gibbs’ close entry unintentional, therefore not resulting in a penalty.
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