Ty Gibbs entered the NASCAR Cup Sequence three and a half years in the past and has already competed in three seasons as a full-time driver for Joe Gibbs Racing. But, to this point, he has failed to copy the success he loved throughout his Xfinity tenure. In the one season he drove the No. 54 Toyota full-time within the Xfinity Sequence again in 2022, Gibbs received the Championship after bagging seven wins. Throughout the second-tier sequence, the JGR driver has managed to safe 12 triumphs in 66 begins.
Quite the opposite, within the Cup Sequence, even after 123 begins, the youthful Gibbs has not managed to win a single race but. Gibbs’s efficiency improved in 2024, as he cracked the playoffs for the primary time earlier than getting eradicated after the Spherical of 16, and completed the season in fifteenth place, after wrapping his rookie full-time marketing campaign in 18th in 2023.
However then, final yr, his efficiency dropped even additional: he neither certified for the playoffs nor matched his rookie-season displaying, ending P19. Now getting into his fourth NASCAR Cup Sequence season, Gibbs seems to be to rebound from final yr’s downturn.
Speaking to RACER, he mentioned, “2025 wasn’t actually an important yr for us, sadly. We made some adjustments in the direction of the top and we have been working actually sturdy on the final couple races of the yr. We’re beginning off this yr form of with the identical deal, so I’m actual excited for this yr and to see the way it goes. It’s all a part of the method.”
“I’m solely 23, so in my fourth full-time yr there was rather a lot realized and wish to be in search of success in 2026. I’m going to go hammer down and work onerous and attempt to outwork these guys and beat them. Hopefully we are able to knock a few race wins off and possibly much more that,” he continued.
Given the reintroduced format calls for week-after-week consistency from drivers, the youthful Gibbs understands that he must elevate his recreation to that commonplace. Regardless of struggling final season, he’s constructive, believing that adversity can construct energy and that opponents must maintain pushing ahead and figuring issues out.
For now, his consideration facilities on the upcoming Daytona 500, which is perhaps one among his finest pictures. In his earlier three Daytona 500 begins, Gibbs has managed to complete two of them within the prime 20. After that, his focus would shift to Atlanta, and given his dependable efficiency at COTA, Gibbs seems totally ready along with his technique mapped out.
Since final low season, he has been grinding on grime tracks, trying to seize the momentum that Christopher Bell and Kyle Larson harness from their dirt-track racing backgrounds.
Nonetheless, whereas issues haven’t but labored out in his favor, possibly the chase format, the place he could should prioritize ending races stronger and constantly with out partaking in dangerous maneuvers to win, may unlock the breakthrough he desperately seeks.
