Transitioning from the Xfinity Series to the Cup Series in 2023, Ty Gibbs stormed to multiple remarkable finishes. The cost he paid for those finishes was earning a reputation as a reckless driver. Though he did not appear to be willing to change his aggressive racing style initially, there was a moment during last Sunday’s race when he showcased a higher level of maturity.
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Breaking down the 68 laps that were contested at COTA, racing icons Jeff Burton and Steve Letarte discussed Gibbs’ case on “Motorsports on NBC”. The duo brought up a particular incident where Gibbs was running second and voluntarily conceded his spot to teammate Christopher Bell since he had a faster car.
Analyzing Gibbs’ action, Burton said that perhaps everyone, including analysts like himself, had been too hasty in judging him as a reckless driver. “I think all of us in this industry judge Gibbs on his Xfinity racing. His Cup driving and his Xfinity driving are two completely different things,” he said.
“He was in the middle of chaos in Xfinity. He didn’t care. He just didn’t care. He just did whatever he wanted to do. But, for the most part in Cup, we haven’t seen that. He’s been much more mature. He’s raced very, very smartly.” Gibbs’ move to let Bell by and not battle him ended positively as he finished in 3rd place.
Burton continued to acknowledge that the youngster did make quite a few mistakes last season but was entitled to them as a rookie. His season in 2024 has been surprisingly clean so far and his performance, better than last year. Ty Gibbs has 5 top-10 finishes in the 6 races that have gone by and now stands 2nd on the points table.
How a determined Ty Gibbs learned from his mistakes in 2023
When Ty Gibbs was awarded Rookie of the Year in Nashville last December, he did not seem to be the happiest person at the venue. The reason behind his solemnness was the awareness that he could’ve had a much better season. Talking to the press, all he could ponder on was how he wanted to improve and prove himself better.
It was then that he noted how racing in the Cup Series was different from his earlier pursuits. “You learn over time and the way Cup Series is now, there are not as many crazy moves going on as there were in Xfinity Series,” he said to NASCAR. He continued with resolve that he would work harder and figure out a way to win races.
Though he isn’t there yet on the victory lane, it is safe to say that Gibbs is only a few yards away from it. A victory in the highest level of motorsports is coming and his heightened level of maturity is right up there, helping him get to it.
