Ty Gibbs Isn’t Working Any Harder Despite an Uptick in the JGR Driver’s Form & Here’s Why

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.

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.”

Emotion might not be something that he uses actively. But the familiarity of certain tracks does work to the advantage of drivers. And the Pocono Raceway is where he made his Cup Series debut and secured his first top-five finish. That ought to count for something when he gets into his No. 54 Toyota Camry XSE on Sunday. He has qualified to start the race from seventh place on the grid.

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.

Post Edited By: Abhishek Ramesh

Pocono Raceway Ty Gibbs

About the author

Gowtham Ramalingam

Gowtham is a NASCAR journalist at The SportsRush. Though his affinity for racing stems from Formula 1, he found himself drawn to NASCAR's unparalleled excitement over the years. As a result he has shared his insights and observations by authoring over 3000 articles on the sport. An avid fiction writer, you can find him lost in imaginary worlds when he is not immersed in racing. He hopes to continue savoring the thrill of every lap and race together with his readers for as long as he can.

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