Ty Gibbs is doing everything Toyota Racing Development president David Wilson could want from the rookie more than halfway through the NASCAR Cup Series season.
“I still remember the tough couple of weeks we had with Ty toward the end of last season,” Wilson said. “The difficulty coming out of Martinsville. And I remember you all asking our perspective on Ty and how that concerned us. What I believe we talked about is that we were putting our trust in our belief in Ty and his family, bottom line and of course, he was met with some unimaginable tragedy shortly thereafter.”
Gibbs was thrust into the Cup Series spotlight by unexpectedly making his debut at Pocono Raceway when Kurt Busch suffered a concussion. Gibbs finished out the year in the car while also competing for the Xfinity Series championship.
The spotlight — and criticism — heightened in the last few weeks of the season. Gibbs wrecked former Joe Gibbs Racing teammate Brandon Jones for the win at Martinsville Speedway in the penultimate race of the season.
But a week later, Gibbs came back with an impressive performance to claim the championship. The following morning, Gibbs pulled out of the Cup Series race after the unexpected passing of his father Coy.
“Ty has learned a lot and I hope that’s appreciated,” Wilson continued. “The way that he races, the words that he chooses, because, remember, as a young driver, he struggled with that. Finding his voice in a genuine manner.
“Forget about the on-track stuff. As a human being, we’re incredibly proud of how he has handled himself professionally, genuinely. And that, to me, is more important because the on-track stuff, we always knew he was going to be just fine, and I think that his level of progression this year has been terrific.”
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In his return to Pocono Raceway last weekend, Gibbs earned his first top-five finish in the Cup Series. Gibbs is also in contention for a playoff spot with five races left in the regular season. A victory would earn Gibbs a spot, but he is also still mathematically in contention at 28 points below the cutline.
“It’s certainly met our expectation and, heck, it would not surprise me if he doesn’t have a win in him before we’re done this season,” Wilson said. “He’s obviously got some work to do to claw his way into the final couple of playoff spots.
“(It’s) certainly achievable in five races. He’s a heck of a road racer (and) we’ve got some good tracks ahead of us.”
Gibbs made the final round in qualifying for the sixth time at Richmond Raceway. He will start Sunday’s race from the seventh position.