“I’m Always Concerned About It”: Joe Gibbs Makes Honest Admission About JGR Policy After Ty Gibbs’ Hard Crash

Joe Gibbs was never interested in allowing his Cup Series drivers to race outside of NASCAR. It was not worth the risk, he used to justify. That stance was vindicated last weekend.

Gibbs had diluted his stance, and started allowing JGR racers to compete outside of NASCAR. This change came about after dirt racers like Christopher Bell and Chase Briscoe joined his stable. Ty Gibbs, his grandson, and the driver of the No. 54 Toyota Camry XSE, participated in the High Limit Racing Series season-opener at Las Vegas last weekend.

Gibbs drove the 410 winged sprint car for CB Industries. And, while battling for position with Corey Day, Ty made contact and climbed over the right-rear wheel of Day’s car and rolled several times at the exit of turn 2 before striking the catch fence and landing on the track.

It was just sheer good fortune that Ty didn’t sustain any severe injury. He was able to climb out of the car and walk away from the wreck. However, the incident left a strong fear in his grandfather’s heart. Joe Gibbs is just hoping that the drivers get back to the times when the Cup Series was their only focus.

“It was Ty, Christopher, and it was Chase also. All of them had something to do with their stuff,” said Gibbs, “I originally wasn’t in one spot when thinking about it. Changed my mind. I decided those guys, really, to be truthful, don’t have a lot else in the off-season. I made that decision, so.”

Gibbs added that he will always be concerned about his drivers hurting themselves and foiling something much larger.

Ty has spent a lot of time on dirt tracks since the offseason of 2024. He aims to follow in the paths of Kyle Larson and Bell, who have used dirt racing tricks to their advantage in the Cup Series.

However, his off-NASCAR excursions have not resulted in any substantial skill advantage in the Cup Series. Ty is in his fourth full-time season with Joe Gibbs Racing. And he has yet to record his maiden victory.

Several strong performances have come his way in this time, but nothing boosts the confidence of a young driver like being in Victory Lane. Ty heads to Darlington this Sunday riding a streak of three top-5 finishes. He will be keen to carry this momentum and land a race victory.