Following a stretch of poor results, Ty Gibbs has finally begun quenching his thirst with decent performances over the last two weeks. He finished third in Michigan and had a really good run in Mexico City, challenging Shane van Gisbergen for the win, before finishing in eleventh place. Ahead of Sunday’s race in Pocono, he was asked about his confidence levels in light of the same.
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Most drivers would consider the uptrend in results to be a sign that they ought to work harder. But not Gibbs. The 22-year-old doesn’t believe in such emotions and strongly considers that he would give every weekend his best regardless of what. His words echoed a tremendous amount of character and self-belief even if they weren’t the textbook definition of being humble.
Gibbs said, “I don’t really drive off of confidence. I am not an emotional person like that. I know we have fast cars. We show up every week trying to win the same way. So, you know, me having two good runs isn’t going to make me show up the next week and work harder. I’m doing everything I can to maximize what I am going to do.”
Gibbs has no interest in showing up only to finish second
In his debut season, Gibbs won Rookie of the Year honors (2023). In the award ceremony for the same, he told the press that there was a lot more he wanted to achieve and that he wasn’t really satisfied with being the Rookie of the Year alone. While this might have been underwhelming to hear for some, there was strong ambition hidden behind his words.
A year and a half later, he still carries the same fire in his heart. He said, “We show up to do whatever we can. Why not? I don’t want to show up to finish second. None of us wants to show up to not do a great job, right? I think we have been fast here (Pocono). I really enjoy this place. But I enjoy all the other tracks as well.”
Gibbs clarified that the upcoming event is just another race to him and that he would do everything in his power to finish up high. All that’s left to do is wait for the green flag to drop.
