It’s tough to imagine, but even someone as experienced, as successful, and as capable as Joe Gibbs can sometimes face problems in their work. But that is more or less what Gibbs is facing when it comes to being the team owner of his grandson, Ty Gibbs.
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The young Gibbs recently finished in 3rd place at Phoenix, his best result in a Cup car so far, which undoubtedly would’ve been a proud moment for Grandpa Gibbs. But at the end of the day, the #54 driver is still a racecar driver, just like Grandpa Gibbs is still a team owner. So are there times when Coach Gibbs faces challenges in balancing the role between being a grandfather and being a team owner?
This was a question posed to him after the race in Phoenix, to which he replied, “I think anybody out there with kids or grandkids knows what I’m talking about, no matter what the sport, baseball, hitting, pitching, or basketball. It’s part of your family. You love them to death. You want ’em to be successful at what they want to do.”
“This is Ty’s dream. I think from the time he was two, he’s been on something with wheels eight hours a day.”
Coach Gibbs further touched on how difficult climbing the NASCAR ladder will be for his young grandson, as he said, “It’s a very tough climb, tough world. He’s got to really work hard.”
“We’ll see if he can get it done.”
How was Ty Gibbs’ first season at JGR in Cup vs. Kyle Busch?
It goes without saying that if there’s any driver who can fill the void, the big void left by Kyle Busch after he left JGR, it’s Ty Gibbs. So it’s worth wondering if Gibbs had a better first year in the Cup than Busch’s first year in the Cup.
Kyle Busch in his first Cup season in 2005 with Hendrick Motorsports, scored 2 wins, and 7 finishes inside the Top 5. On the other hand, Ty Gibbs in his first season in the Cup in 2023 with Joe Gibbs Racing, went winless and scored 3 finishes inside the Top 5.
Clearly, Busch’s first year in the Cup was way, way better than Gibbs. But perhaps this is what Coach Gibbs was talking about when he said that his grandson has “a very tough climb” ahead of him, a lot of hard work to get better and do justice to his talent.
Still, for now, Ty Gibbs can revel in the fact that he just scored his career-best finish in the Cup Series. The only way to go from here for him would be to win a race, which could very well happen this season.
