At only 20 years told, Gibbs – the grandson of NFL and NASCAR Hall of Famer Joe Gibbs – has already enjoyed enormous success in NASCAR’s lower divisions.
He won the 2021 ARCA Menards Series title behind the strength of 10 wins and accumulated 18 victories in 47 starts. He also won in his first Xfinity Series start that season and ended the year with four wins in 18 starts.
Last year running fulltime Xfinity with Joe Gibbs Racing was more of the same, as he won seven races, including the championship race at Phoenix, and claimed his first series title.
Ty Gibbs, Joe Gibbs Racing, Monster Energy Toyota Supra celebrates his win
Photo by: Nigel Kinrade / NKP / Motorsport Images
Kyle Busch’s departure from JGR provided the opportunity to move Gibbs to Cup this year – perhaps earlier than anyone expected.
But can a driver who is used to turning into Victory Lane on a regular basis suddenly accept that running 16th may be a good day on the Cup side?
Both Gibbs and his crew chief, Chris Gayle, believe he can.
“For me, I don’t really try to look at expectations. It doesn’t really bother me. I work as hard as I can and I want to do the best I can every single weekend,” Gibbs told Motorsport.com. “If my best is winning the race, then it’s winning the race. If it’s finishing 10th, then it’s finishing 10th.
“I don’t go into any race and say, ‘I can’t win,’ unless we get damage or something like that happens. I’ll dream as big as I can dream and keep working as hard as I can.”
One of the biggest challenges Gibbs has faced so far is the difference in competition between the Xfinity and Cup series.
“I think it’s just a different style of racing. I think the racing is a little harder in Xfinity. In Cup, it’s a little bit more respectful, I think,” he said. “The Cup guys are a lot more mature, a lot more talented.
“But I also think the Cup guys look more at the bigger picture. I think looking at the bigger picture is very important and that’s something I’ve learned and will keep learning the longer I’m in the series.”
Gayle, who has served as crew chief to a young Cup driver previously (Erik Jones), said the pitfalls that came from the competition change on the Cup side can weigh heavily on newcomers.
“It’s a tough spot to be in, especially if you get down on yourself. He’s won all these races in Xfinity and to step up now and the competition level is so high – I don’t want…
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