The recent confirmation that 19-year-old Taylor Gray will be joining the #54 team at Joe Gibbs Racing full-time in the NASCAR Xfinity Series for 2025 was widely anticipated.
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However, what came as a genuine surprise was the announcement that Ty Gibbs would be the listed owner of the car, a revelation that Gibbs himself shared on Instagram. The same has sparked mixed reactions from the stock car racing community.
From @TyGibbs on Instagram about this afternoon’s announcement of Taylor Gray driving the No. 54:
“First year as 54 owner☝️
First year as 54 driver ✅”#NASCAR pic.twitter.com/nlGgRtSBac— Joseph Srigley (@joe_srigley) October 16, 2024
Gray has already been driving for JGR part-time this season, competing in 12 races with two top-5 finishes and one top-10 to his name. His full-time debut in the nationwide series is a step up from his time in the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series with Tricon Garage.
Meanwhile, Gibbs had long expressed a desire to be more than just a driver, aspiring to emulate the influential roles held by his late father, Coy, and uncle, JD Gibbs, who both served in key leadership positions at JGR until their deaths in 2019 and 2022 respectively.
Ty is certainly not lacking in driving credentials either. He won a championship in the ARCA Menards Series driving for his grandfather’s team in 2021, accumulated 11 wins in the Xfinity Series, and even secured the 2022 NASCAR Xfinity Series championship.
He’s also on the hunt for his first victory in the NASCAR Cup Series. However, his step into a more administrative role as the owner of the #54 Toyota Supra has reignited conversations about nepotism within the sport.
NASCAR fraternity critiques Gibbs’ ownership role
Toby Christie, a senior journalist at Racing America, broke the news of Ty being listed as the official owner of the #54 NASCAR Xfinity Series entry in 2025 via a post on his official X account.
“@JoeGibbsRacing has confirmed to @RacingAmerica on SI that Ty Gibbs will be the officially listed team owner of the team’s No. 54 NASCAR Xfinity Series entry in 2025. Gibbs hinted at this in an Instagram Stories post today.”
The announcement stirred a flurry of responses from the motorsports community, with many fans casting the decision as a clear case of nepotism. One fan bluntly remarked, “That’s proper, American nepotism right there.” Another jabbed with a hint of sarcasm, “Say it together now “Thank you grandpa!”
Say it together now
“Thank you grandpa!”
— RyanGerken24 (@RGerken24) October 16, 2024
Further commentary included a skeptic’s view, “This is going to go over well with the blue-collar fan base….” with another adding, “His Father & Uncle have passed, might as well give it to him.”
It is anticipated that Gibbs will shed more light on the announcement during the upcoming race weekend as the NASCAR Cup and Xfinity Series converge at Las Vegas Motor Speedway.
