Ty Gibbs passed them through the grass and claimed a NASCAR Xfinity Series win in his first career start
For years, Ty Gibbs has been climbing the lower ranks of stock car racing. The now 18-year-old is the grandson of NASCAR team owner Joe Gibbs.
On Saturday, Gibbs make his NASCAR Xfinity Series debut in the No. 54. He wow’d them…
In a late race restart, Ty Gibbs ran three wide through the grass into turn one. The dirt flew 30 feet in the air and it looked like his race was over.
Ty Gibbs stated, “On that last restart, we were 5th, I believe. The No. 99 kinda checked up on the restart and that’s when I took advantage. I dove to the bottom after we passed the start finish line.”
“I can’t remember who was in front of me. But, they came over a little bit and I had to jump in the grass. I went for a little ride there.”
It was far from over. Gibbs drove to the front of the field. Two corners after getting off track, Gibbs found himself in the lead.
The pass through the grass was the defining move as it allowed him to put a gap between himself and fast charging Austin Cindric. Gibbs drove to victory lane, claiming his first NASCAR Xfinity Series victory in his first start!
Related: Daytona race results from February 20, 2021 (NASCAR Xfinity Series)
Ty Gibbs on the future
“Right now, we’re just trying to get forward to the next race and focus on that,” Ty Gibbs said after his win.
The driver added, “I really don’t know what to expect for the rest of this year, especially on the Xfinity side. I’m just excited that we won.”
Ty Gibbs on haters
He has a few. Gibbs is one the most-hated newcomers to the sport, since Austin Dillon. For some, that hate fuels them. But, for Gibbs, he just tunes it out.
“It’s hard to judge a book by it’s cover. I’m going to get that for the rest of my life. But, I’m not out here to prove to anybody, anything. I feel like if you’re doing that, you’re not doing the right thing. I’m just chasing my dream because I love it.”
“I’ve had a hell of a ride and I can’t thank everybody enough. You just gotta block the haters. It doesn’t really bother me at this point, I’ve never really had an issue with it.”
“That’s the kinda stuff you’re going to have to go through to be a champion. I will take it.”
Related: Austin Dillon gets ‘pumped up’ when he hears the phrase ‘silver spoon’
Joe Gibbs comments after the win
“I don’t think you even dream of this. Stepping up to Xfinity, I was so nervous. Cause he was starting kinda mid-pack. You’re just hoping he can make laps and get through everything,” Joe Gibbs stated.
“As the race started to play out, you see ‘Oh my gosh, he’s up front.’ I was thrilled from that standpoint.”
“He’s got a big schedule this year. Just turning 18, he now can run the big stuff. So, he’s going to run a lot of ARCA stuff. Then, he’ll run probably 10 Xfinity races.”
“Ty’s really got a full schedule. In some racing weekends, he’ll race ARCA and Xfinity. They tried to pick out the places that would help him the most and where he would grow the most,” said on Saturday.
Gibbs previously ran well on the Daytona Road Course with the ARCA Series. They’ve picked places were he’s performed well in the past, or similar tracks.
“I thought his schedule was already out. But, we’ll probably print that soon. I think it’s still a little bit flexible. So, we could add a little more, at the end of the year.”
“This race was a test in a lot of ways. I think we were 12th on that one restart. This thing was hard fought.”
On Saturday, Ty’s 2021 Xfinity schedule wasn’t released. That schedule was released this morning.
Where is Ty Gibbs going to go as he climbs the ranks?
In the last year, two of the NASCAR Cup Series drivers at Joe Gibbs Racing have re-signed. Christopher Bell is in his first year and Kyle Busch isn’t retiring any time soon.
It’s the never ending problem in the Toyota pipeline. Where’s Ty Gibbs going to go?
“This is all we do. And everybody at JGR, we know, you gotta have a great driver. You gotta have the crew chiefs and pit crews, it’s a total team effort.”
“Ty in Cup, that’s a long ways off. But, I am thrilled right now, with our current lineup. What we’re trying to do is just prepare ourselves for the future.”
“Every day, we go to work. And the only thing we work on, is racing. We love it. We’re racing 9 cars in 3 divisions. We think the Xfinity and ARCA really help our Cup program.”
What about adding a Toyota team?
Joe Gibbs added, “I think Toyota will have a lot to say about that. I know Michael and Denny have talked about adding a car.”
Recently, Toyota has also hinted at another Toyota team popping up for 2022 in the NASCAR Cup Series. In fact, they have suggested there could be three new teams.
Related: New NASCAR teams for 2022?
Related: Losing drivers in the Toyota Racing Development pipeline is ‘what keeps them up at night’
Ty Gibbs
2021 NASCAR Xfinity Series
Schedule
Note: The schedule below was released after the media availability comments above.
March 13
Phoenix Raceway
April 9
Martinsville Speedway
May 8
Darlington Raceway
May 15
Dover International Speedway
May 29
Charlotte Motor Speedway
June 5
Mid-Ohio
June 27
Pocono Raceway
July 3
Road America
August 7
Watkins Glen International
August 14
Indianapolis Motor Speedway
August 21
Michigan International Speedway
September 11
Richmond Raceway
October 9
Charlotte Motor Speedway (ROVAL)
October 23
Kansas Speedway
Ty Gibbs
Passing in the grass
Links
Joe Gibbs Racing | Toyota Racing | NASCAR