With talented rookies like Carson Hocevar, Josh Berry, and Zane Smith in the NASCAR Cup Series grid, it would be somewhat of a shock if one was told that the breakthrough driver of 2024 is not one of them. Then who is it? Who is the driver that has shown the greatest promise with just six races in?
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It’s none other than the 2023 Rookie of the Year, Ty Gibbs. Safe to say, Gibbs has carried over the momentum that earned him the prestigious Rookie of The Year award to the current season, and in just a few races, he has displayed several glimpses of his incredible potential. After snatching a top 10 finish at Atlanta Motor Speedway, the #54 driver went on to grab a P5 finish at Las Vegas and then a P3 finish at Phoenix Raceway.
Ty Gibbs has had a strong start to 2024. This makes us wonder … pic.twitter.com/LbxBSHAtTL
— NASCAR (@NASCAR) March 16, 2024
The 21-year-old Toyota pilot now sits third in the overall point standings and astonishingly just seven points below former Cup Series champion Kyle Larson and teammate Martin Truex Jr., who are currently tied at 185 points.
Gibbs fell short of experience at Bristol
While Gibbs couldn’t win at the Food City 500, he did lead a whopping 137 laps, thus sweeping both the stages on his way to a ninth-place finish, his fourth top-10 performance in the first five races of the season. This adds to the 57 laps that he had led the previous week at Phoenix and places him third in the highest number of laps led this year. Impressed at his extraordinary performance, veteran journalist Davey Segal wrote on X, “@TyGibbsis a rocketship today Restart 28th, already up to 10th. Is told to “make it live” and they have the quickest car, have already passed 2/3 of the entire field.”
.@TyGibbs is a rocketship today 🚀
Restart 28th, already up to 10th. Is told to "make it live" and they have the quickest car, have already passed 2/3 of the entire field.
40 to go in Stage 2. #NASCAR
— Davey Segal (@DaveyCenter) March 17, 2024
There were several moments during last week’s race when it appeared Gibbs would record his first Cup Series win at Bristol itself. Still, sadly, it seemed like he fell short of the experience needed for the tricky tire management, which his teammate and veteran racer, Denny Hamlin, took full advantage of.
Nevertheless, one thing is certain: Gibbs has what it takes to win a race and punch his career’s first playoff ticket. Currently, Gibbs is 68 points above the cutline, which is a solid position to be in right at such early stages of his career. But whether he can etch his name as a championship-contending athlete is yet to be seen.
