We are mere hours away from the second race of the playoffs at the Kansas Speedway. The 1.5-mile tri-oval holds the power to make or break the dreams of 15 drivers who are yet to fix their spots in the next round. With the Darlington winner Kyle Larson safe in the 2nd round, experienced horses like Denny Hamlin and Kevin Harvick will be powering on all cylinders to find their way first to the checkered flag. The big names on the grid aiming for the win, what are the chances for those like the young Ty Gibbs who aren’t in contention for the championship?

With the 20-year-old claiming that he’d rather be winning races than get the Rookie of the Year award, his spirits would take him into Kansas with fire. But what are his chances? Steve Letarte, for one, isn’t going to place his bets on the grandson of Joe Gibbs.

Steve Letarte doesn’t think Ty Gibbs’s fast car will help him win at Kansas

The Toyotas on the grid this year have been among the fastest machines. Denny Hamlin, Tyler Reddick, and even Bubba Wallace have all found great results with the manufacturer. Joining them in a Toyota this season was Ty Gibbs straight after winning the 2022 Xfinity championship. With 5 top-10 finishes so far, the youngster has put up a great debut season and is in a prime position to earn himself the Rookie of the Year award. But Kansas holds a different challenge than what he has been facing all season. And, Steve Letarte believes he doesn’t have what it takes to overcome this challenge.

Appearing on DirtyMo Media’s ‘Dale Jr. Download’ podcast, the former HMS crew chief spoke of the chances that drivers had, going into the track. Hearing that Ty’s best finishes at Kansas were P34, he said, “He can drive, but Chop… We can hear it from these drivers all the time. It is not about how quick your car is. It is how it is in traffic. How you work the air. And I think the mile and halves are where a veteran cup guy… They don’t even know what they don’t know. (…) They put their cars in the right spot because they just know. Ty has a lot of talent but he doesn’t know what he doesn’t know.”

Adding weight to Steve’s claim that Ty’s win at Kansas racing in the Xfinity Series doesn’t matter a lot in the current situation, are the latest results from the qualifying lap at the Speedway.

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The grandson of Joe Gibbs faces the steepest climb after crash in practice

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In a far less-than-ideal start to the Hollywood Casino 400, Ty and his #54 team will be starting the race from the rear end. A cut to the tire on his Camry sent him crashing into the outside wall. With a poor record already setting him behind, the enmity that he has developed with fellow drivers pulls him further back. Considering these factors, starting at the bottom of the grid has potentially put the full stop on his chances.

But should Ty pull a trick out of his hat and replicate the performance that he had going on at Watkins Glen or the Pocono Raceway, he just might prove his doubters wrong. No matter how many positions he manages to salvage from P36 at Kansas, there are few questions on the table about his potential caliber behind the wheel. Speaking to Autoweek after the race at Richmond Raceway, he’d said, “I know I have a lot to learn and there’s a lot of racing to go, so it hasn’t been a big thing in my mind. Of course, I’d rather have it than not, but I’d rather be winning races.”

Entering the grid, Ty will have little to lose. But Joe Gibbs will hope that his grandson’s antics on the track don’t end up hurting one of his own. As we await the flag to be waved at Kansas, watch the Essentially Sports’ NASCAR page for further race coverage!

Read More: “They Hate Each Other” – NASCAR Insider Slams Joe Gibbs’ Grandson for Unnecessary Rivalry