22-year-old Ty Gibbs would not have anticipated that it would take him this long to secure his maiden Cup Series victory. The Joe Gibbs Racing driver won the Rookie of the Year award in 2023 and shined bright as a promised superstar. However, he failed to win in 2024 and has had a terrible start to his 2025 season as well.
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Is it time for him to panic? Absolutely. He has only two top-30 finishes in the last eight races and only seven top-10 finishes in the last 33 races. He currently sits 35th in the points table, 87 points behind the leader.
Gibbs must find consistency over the upcoming races. The big question is, what if he doesn’t? The fandom doesn’t think he has a whole lot to lose.
A fan said on X, “Or what? His grandfather isn’t going to fire him.” Ty Gibbs is the grandson of Joe Gibbs. Not many believe that the team owner is cut-throat enough to sacrifice his blood for the sake of his team. Another fan said, “Why? They ain’t going to replace him until he retires and owns the team, lmao.”
Gibbs is already listed as an owner of the No. 54 Joe Gibbs Racing team that runs in the Xfinity Series. His future is far from what can be called insecure.
For one fan, parallels could be drawn between the Dillons and the Gibbs. They wrote, “But his grandpa is the owner, so just like the Dillon boys, nepotism will keep him employed.”
But his grandpa is the owner, so just like the Dillon boys, nepotism will keep him employed
— Jesse Francis (@JFran2414) March 3, 2025
The biggest criticism against Austin Dillon and Ty Dillon is that they are in the big leagues only because they are the grandsons of Richard Childress. If Gibbs does not pick his performances up, he will soon be categorized the same as them. That fear should be motivation enough for him to press the throttle harder.
Another hater added, “he sucks. Grand pappie’s name can get you in the car but not around the track.” He is in a situation where he needs to prove the negative sentiments against him wrong. Many criticize him just for the fact that he is the grandson of a team owner and did not go through the hardships the usual NASCAR driver does.
As true as the contention may be, it is not related to the level of skill and talent in him. Last Sunday’s race in COTA was his 91st start in the Cup Series.
Since the 2011 Southern 500, 26% of all the first-time winners in the Cup Series won their maiden race between their 92nd and 105th starts. This means one thing: the wind is in Gibbs’ favor.
