Though the 2024 rendition of the Clash at the Coliseum put an end to the bland 90-day off-season, bringing the community out of slumber, the result wasn’t what anybody hoped it would be. While the race was a thriller with Denny Hamlin taking home the victory at the short track, NASCAR nation’s eyes were glued to another driver after his remarkable performance.

It was Ty Gibbs, who was arguably the man of the hour, despite the late loss. His #54 Camry was at the front, leading more than 80 laps in the highly contested no-points race. But at the end of the day, the 2023 rookie of the season only got an 18th-place finish. Reflecting on the youngster’s strong showing, 23XI Racing insider and Bubba Wallace‘s spotter shared his thoughts, calling the young Gibbs a “missile.”

23XI Racing spotter opens up about Joe Gibbs’ grandson’s stellar Coliseum run

Although the race ended 3 days ago, it still seems to be the talk of the town. Mainly because NASCAR decided to move the race up, essentially hurting their chances of a bigger audience. This simple decision to save the race, however, had adverse effects. The lot who were waiting for the weekend to see Machine Gun Kelly perform had their hopes crushed. However, the racing fans who were in for an on-the-edge-of-your-seat action were not let down.

The return of Denny Hamlin to the pole got the community talking. And while the veteran held onto that position for the initial part of the race, he was quickly overwhelmed before falling back to the middle. But, this did not mean Toyota was out of the competition. Young Ty Gibbs jumped into action, taking the top spot.

Taking the lead from Hamlin on lap 50, Gibbs led 84 of the next 91 laps and looked like he was driving off into the sunset. But, with 10 laps to go, a caution caused by Michael McDowell sliding into the outside wall threw a wrench into the works.

Reflecting on Joe Gibbs’ grandson’s valiant attempt, Freddie Kraft, on the Door Bumper Clear podcast said, “I’ll tell you who I think had…He didn’t have the result he wanted but somebody that I think had the best night was Ty Gibbs, Ty Gibbs’ is a missile, you know if he doesn’t blow the entry on the 10 to go restart, he’s dominating that race.” 

“He would fall back a little back and then every time I looked up, everybody was in a pack except you know the #54 [Gibbs] was gone so that might be a foreshadowing of the things to come,” said the 23XI Racing spotter. 

WATCH THIS STORY: Ty Gibbs: A reluctant rising superstar?

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While the Joe Gibbs Racing driver may carry the reputation of being privileged, it is safe to say that his effort on Saturday was commendable. He was a few laps away from his first win. But as fate would have it, a spin, after contact with Kyle Larson, brought him down to the 18th spot. However, mentioning how well he raced the elite, Kraft lauded the young racer’s strive.

“I think Ty is starting to come on to the end of last year and you might see some really good things at the end of this year because that kid is talented, he’s very talented, he has got a lot of speed and you know you still see some tendencies of making mistakes here and there but he’s got plenty of speed to get it done,” said the veteran spotter, giving Gibbs the props he deserves. 

READ MORE: “I Beat Your Favorite Driver Again!” – Denny Hamlin Met With Fans Cheers as He Steals First Clash at the Coliseum Title