Two Joe Gibbs Racing Crew Members Suspended Following Improperly Secured Wheel at Las Vegas

Joe Gibbs Racing and rookie driver Ty Gibbs will be without two members of the pit crew on the No. 54 Toyota Camry team, after an improperly secured wheel penalty stemming from Las Vegas.

Braxton Brannon (jackman) and Jackson Gibbs (front changer) have each received a two-race suspension for their part in the on-track incident, which will see them sidelined for NASCAR Cup Series events at Homestead-Miami Speedway and Martinsville Speedway.

Both Brannon and Gibbs will return to action for the season-finale at Phoenix Raceway.

This particular pit crew has been a massive topic of discussion during the NASCAR Cup Series Playoffs, as Joe Gibbs Racing made the decision to swap the crews of the No. 20 and No. 54 prior to the post-season.

The suspension is a direct result of a late-race incident involving NASCAR Cup Series rookie Ty Gibbs, where the No. 54 Toyota Camry shot into the outside wall, and eventually discarded the right-front wheel on-track.

As is standard procedure for these kinds of incidents, Gibbs was held on pit road for two laps - since the wheel came detached while on the racing surface, rather than on pit road.

According to NASCAR's Team Roster Portal, Nate McBride will serve as the interim jackman for the Joe Gibbs Racing No. 54 team at Miami and Martinsville, while Thomas Hatcher will take over as front-changer for the team.

Both McBride and Hatcher have served as crew members on the No. 43 Chevrolet Camaro for LEGACY MOTOR CLUB, driven by Erik Jones - who has begun utilizing Joe Gibbs Racing pit crews in 2023.

Austin Maloney (front changer) and David O'Dell (jackman) will take over the positions left vacated for the next two weekends, as McBride and Hatcher pit the No. 54 Toyota.

Image Credit: Craig White, Racing America