Ty Gibbs Claims First Cup Victory at Bristol
By the slimmest of margins, Gibbs held off some of the best drivers in the sport to win his first NASCAR Cup race.
Racing is a family sport – and an expensive one at that. Many of the sport’s top stars found their way in thanks to parents who raced or were otherwise involved. Some of those drivers – Chase Elliott, Ryan Blaney, and Dale Earnhardt, Jr. – are beloved icons in their own right. Others, such as Ty Gibbs, are dismissed as merely being “nepo babies.”
It’s true that Gibbs has always had access to the best equipment when he was coming up. He dominated in ARCA and won an O’Reilly Auto Parts Series championship, making it look almost effortless at times. Indeed, grandpa Joe Gibbs shares a lot of responsibility for that success.
However, it can’t be denied that Ty Gibbs has made the most of every opportunity he’s been given. He has put in the effort to get everything he can out of his machinery. He knows and appreciates the incredible opportunities granted to him by his last name. He takes competition very seriously and expects to win every week. Some would call that arrogance and entitlement. I believe that comes with the territory of being a NASCAR Cup series driver.
The recent lawsuit between Joe Gibbs Racing and Chris Gabehart has portrayed much of what’s going on behind the scenes at JGR – and particularly the 54 team – in a negative light. It’s no secret that Ty Gibbs is being groomed to take on a leadership position at the team when his grandfather retires.
For a few hours on Sunday, Gibbs was able to shut out the background noise and show the world what he is capable of in a race car. On the final restart, he held off Ryan Blaney, Kyle Larson, and Tyler Reddick to win by a margin of just 0.055 seconds. After 131 starts, he’s finally broken through – and I expect to see him in victory lane far more often. Like him or not, you might as well get used to it. He’s going to be around the sport for a long, long time.
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