Joe Gibbs Racing driver Ty Gibbs might not have won a Cup Series race yet. But he came out of Indianapolis Motor Speedway on Sunday carrying a million dollars in his bag after winning NASCAR’s maiden In-Season Tournament. The youngster had been seeded against Kaulig Racing’s Ty Dillon in the tournament finale, and he came out on top by finishing in 21st place.
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Dillon finished three laps behind him in 28th place. The midpack finish that both drivers secured might seem underwhelming. But that does not take anything away from Gibbs being a deserved winner. That can be attributed to the numbers that the tournament churned out and the very nature of the competition.
A driver didn’t have to be the best in the field to win the In-Season Challenge. He just needed to be better than the driver he was seeded against. Gibbs did that in each of the five races. But what he also did was secure the third-best average finish during the tournament. Chase Elliott’s average finish of 7.8 over the five races was the best in the class.
You don’t have to be the best to win the In-Season Challenge; you just need to be better than your matchups. But Ty Gibbs won while also achieving the 3rd best Average Finish of the tournament.
Every driver’s Average Finish over the last 5 races / during the In-Season Challenge: pic.twitter.com/6VWMsQr8lY
— Daniel Céspedes (@_DanielCespedes) July 28, 2025
Next to him was his teammate, Alex Bowman, with an average finish of 8.4. Third on this list was Gibbs, with an average of 9.8. To have such consistency means his right to take the million-dollar check home cannot be questioned, no matter what. By comparison, Dillon’s average finish across the tournament was a lowly 18.6.
What Gibbs said about winning the In-Season Tournament
Dillon had been enjoying a dream run heading to the Indianapolis Motor Speedway for the finale. He was 32nd in points when he came into the contest and the last seed in the field. But somehow, he managed to overcome his opponents in every round and ultimately squared up against Gibbs.
But that’s as far as Gibbs was letting him go. He told the press after winning, “Super cool. Very honored to be in this position. Thank you to all of NASCAR and TNT Sports for allowing us to be able to do this. It’s awesome to win this and super cool to be in this position.”
All that remains is for Gibbs to reach Victory Lane in a points-paying Cup Series race. He is currently in his third full-time season, and it’s about time he brought home maximum points.
