Coach Gibbs’ recent decision to allow his NASCAR drivers to delve into extra-curricular racing activities outside the realm of the Cup Series is one of many major changes that Joe Gibbs Racing is making during the offseason.
Advertisement
Preparing for the 2025 campaign, the four-charter strong racing outfit is also seeing the likes of former Stewart Haas Racing driver Chase Briscoe replace Martin Truex Jr. in the #19 entry and Denny Hamlin’s crew chief changes in a bid to better challenge their rivals in the sport.
The lift on the dirt track racing restrictions comes as a breath of fresh air for drivers in the team, especially with the likes of Christopher Bell and Chase Briscoe who have cut their teeth on the loose stuff early in their careers.
The driver of the #54 Toyota Camry XSE fielded by the team, Ty Gibbs, also seems excited about the upcoming change for the 2025 season. He credited his teammate Bell as the driving force behind the change and how Briscoe’s signing worked as the catalyst in between, He said:
“We have to credit Bell for all the time he’s put in making it happen. Bell’s been trying to have this situation for a long time and he slowly got it put together. Having Chase (Briscoe) come over, he’s a huge dirt guy. I would love to get involved with this. It all just worked its way out.”
Ranging from the famed Chili Bowl Nationals to Late Model Stock and Super Late Models, or the realm of Sprint cars with the World of Outlaws, the dirt track side of racing in the country is a complete genre in itself which has proven to be the breeding grounds for some of the best drivers in top-level motorsports in the country.
Coach Gibbs has still kept some of the control over his drivers in his hands as they will have to seek permission to go race any other series during the season next year. This allows the team and driver to evaluate the circumstances under which the driver is seeking his thrills in another series.
Elaborating on the same, Gibbs explained:
“We sort of talked things over to come up with a process by which they can request to run certain races. If they get approval from everyone they need on our competition side, then they are free to run the race. That includes dirt, but also potentially other forms of racing.”
It remains to be seen what the new development does for the drivers’ morale and performance throughout the upcoming 2025 season.
