Ty Gibbs had a hot start to the 2024 NASCAR Cup Series season; however, as the season drew to a close, his stats sharply fell. This cold streak has transitioned into the 2025 season, in which Gibbs sits 34th in points with one top-20 finish. Now, fans are debating what this cold stretch says about his time in NASCAR.
During his rookie campaign in 2023, Ty Gibbs had just four top-fives and ten top-tens. Good enough to walk away with Sunoco Rookie of the Year; however, just a tick off from what most expected to see from Gibbs.
Throughout his time at NASCAR’s developmental levels, Gibbs quickly adjusted to whatever car he was driving. Gibbs won in his Rookie Season in both ARCA and the NASCAR Xfinity Series, the latter of which was in his series debut. But in his rookie season, Gibbs proved that the Cup Series is truly a different level.
Most fans expected Gibbs to improve his stats in 2024, and he did so, scoring five top-tens, half of his 2023 total, in the first six races. However, since this streak and entering last week’s race at Phoenix, Gibbs had just five top-fives and seven top-tens and is averaging a finish of 20.2 in 33 races.
This cold stretch, which seemingly began at the Roval last fall, saw Gibbs finish in the top 20 just once. The team at FOX noticed something, so they flashed a brutal graphic on-screen during last Sunday’s race highlighting Gibbs’ struggles.
This graphic got fans talking.
Gibbs would not finish in the top 20 at Phoenix, bringing his No. 54 Camry home 25th. Since the end of his 2024 hot streak, he now has an average finish of 20.2; since the Roval, his average finish has been 31.1, and this season alone, he sits at 26.8.
Gibbs was always going to be under pressure at JGR. Not only was he the 20-year-old grandson of the team owner, but he took over for perhaps the team’s greatest driver.
After the 2022 season and the departure of Mars Inc., Kyle Busch and Joe Gibbs Racing ended their 15-season stretch together. During his time at JGR, Busch won 56 races, including Toyota’s first Cup Series win and two Championships. However, with falling performance and sponsorship, JGR swapped Busch for Gibbs.
Gibbs, the then reigning NASCAR Xfinity Series Champion, was now under the microscope from fans to perform in 2023. While Gibbs took his time adjusting to the series, Busch went on to win three races at Richard Childress Racing.
While Gibbs slowly improved, Busch’s performance declined out of 2023 and into 2024, seemingly justifying the swap at JGR. However, the two have traded places yet again, raising the scrutiny level almost three years after the move.
Most would assume that Ty, as the grandson of the owner, has a long leash to turn a baseball phrase; however, in the past, when Ty’s late father, Coy, had a short career before stepping out of the race shop and into the office.
However, Coy struggled in the lower NASCAR Truck and Xfinity Series, the latter of which Ty is a champion and 12-race winner. While some fans are quick to draw comparisons between Gibbs and former JGR driver JJ Yeley, who took over for Bobby Labonte in a similar manner, Gibbs statistically is far from the struggles Yeley saw at JGR.
For example, take Hendrick Motorsports driver William Byron. Byron had a debatably worse start to his time in the Cup Series, with calls for HMS to move on from the driver as early as his Junior season.
For Byron, the change that made the difference was finding the right Crew Chief; since his former Truck Series Crew Chief Rudy Fugle took over in 2021, Byron has set the world on fire.
Gibbs is currently in his first term with Crew Chief Tyler Allen; perhaps when the two find their stride, Gibbs could break out as well. As unlikely as it would be for JGR to move on from Gibbs, for numerous reasons, fans should not give up on the 22-year-old just yet.
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