In 2024, the NASCAR Cup Series featured four rookie drivers, with Carson Hocevar emerging as the Rookie of the Year. Despite this fresh influx of talent, none of the rookies clinched a victory in their full-time debut year. However, there has always been at least one first-time winner each season.
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Last year, Shane van Gisbergen triumphed during the 2023 Chicago City Street Race marking his first NASCAR Cup race win. Harrison Burton followed the trend in 2024, securing his first victory during the fall Daytona race.
Echoing the movement, NASCAR on NBC sparked a conversation by asking, “There’s been at least one first-time winner EVERY SEASON since 2016. Who will be the first in 2025? #NASCAR.” Among the fans, there was notable support for Ty Gibbs as the frontrunner for 2025’s potential first-time winner.
One enthusiast opined, “It’s between Gregson, Berry, Gibbs for me but I think ty Gibbs will get the first win.” Another supporter of Joe Gibbs’ grandson shared, “Gibbs likely will get one this year.” Even a detractor grudgingly acknowledged, “Much to my disliking, I am afraid it will be Ty Gibbs…. He has run so well since, well, since really he started. He is so close to winning right now, he has to be!”
Gibbs is the most likely by far. Although a Berry win on a short track isn’t out of the question
— Tommy Mattix (@tmattix65) January 4, 2025
Another fan analyzed, “The two biggest Advantages here are Gibbs (third year, great equipment), and Gragson (much of the same crew he had at SHR. It’s time for Ty to get a win or go back to Xfinity. Gibbs gets his first win this season at an intermediate.”
Gibbs wrapped up the 2024 season ranking P15, amassing eight top 5, and 12 top 10 finishes. He led a total of 417 laps and secured two poles. Despite several impressive performances, his best one was a second-place finish in the sport’s first visit to Darlington Raceway. Starting P4, he dominated for 34 of the race’s 293 laps, marking his first runner-up finish in his Cup career.
Previewing Ty Gibbs’s 2025 NASCAR Cup season
Gibbs experienced a more favorable season in 2024 compared to his Rookie of the Year run in 2023, where he concluded the year in P18. While the 22-year-old is yet to secure his first Cup race victory, he finished the 26-race regular season in P9, advancing to the playoffs for the first time.
However, his playoff journey was cut short after the Round of 16 last year, finishing the three races in 17th, 22nd, and 15th at Atlanta, Watkins Glen, and Bristol, respectively.
Throughout the final 10 races of the season, Gibbs only managed a single top-5 finish. Nevertheless, he remains optimistic about the progress of his #54 team, believing that further development is just around the corner.
He reflected, “We had some good runs this year, been in contention to almost win races like Chicago and Michigan. We were close. I think we’re on our way, we just need to get better faster. (We were) not good enough, like a ‘C’ (grade), I guess. For me, 22-year-old Ty is just trying to make it happen.”
Gibbs’s new crew chief, Tyler Allen, also commented on their preparations for the upcoming season, expressing both his and Ty’s enthusiasm, “It’s the next level. I think Ty’s really excited. I’m excited to work with him. Just getting back in the game.” Will 2025 be Ty’s year? We wait and watch.
