“It was definitely a good day for us,” Ty Gibbs told reporters after the race. “I think we’re definitely a capable team of running in the top five every weekend. It’s good to get this result and be in this position.” The 22-year-old grandson of NASCAR legend Joe Gibbs has been under a microscope since he stepped into the Cup Series. Driving for Joe Gibbs Racing, one of the sport’s most storied teams, comes with sky-high expectations. But 2025 started rough for Ty.

The first six races brought no top-10 finishes, leaving fans and critics questioning if he could handle the pressure. Social media buzzed with doubts—some called him overhyped, others wondered if he was just coasting on his family name. Yet, the past two weeks have flipped the script.

The early season was brutal. Ty struggled with the Next Gen car, a machine he’s openly criticized for its handling quirks. “It’s tough to pass when you’re stuck in dirty air,” he said in an interview, pinpointing how the car’s design makes racing a grind. Posts on X echoed his frustration, with fans noting how hard it is to recover from a bad starting spot. Ty’s No. 54 team seemed to hit every pothole—poor qualifying, bad breaks, and moments where adversity snowballed.

But something clicked at Darlington. He battled to a ninth-place finish, his first top-10 of the year. It wasn’t a win, but it was a spark. Then came Bristol, where Ty didn’t just compete—he stole the spotlight. Ty’s back-to-back strong runs at Darlington and Bristol, capped by a career-best third-place finish at Bristol on April 14, 2025, feel like a redemption in the making.

Started sixth, a solid spot that kept him out of the pack’s chaos. Early on, he charged forward, running as high as second. A mid-race stumble dropped him to 15th, caught on the outside lane where passing was nearly impossible. But Ty didn’t fold. With his team dialing in the car, he clawed back, lap by lap, to finish third—his first top-five of 2025. Crew chief Chris Gayle couldn’t hide his pride: “Ty’s starting to trust the car more, and we’re finding speed every week.” That humility, paired with his hunger, is winning over doubters.

The real insight came from Denny Hamlin, Ty’s teammate and a NASCAR veteran, during a raw conversation with Jared Allen. Hamlin laid it bare: “Yeah, they’ve gotten better, no doubt about it. Was in the top five pretty much the entire race this past week, so I think a lot of it was qualifying really helps, right? You never had to go to the back. We’ve documented for the last 20 minutes how hard it was to pass, and so it seems like it just felt like qualifying was the key to all this, right? Is, can you stay up front, you know, do you have anything wacky happen? It seems like where that team has struggled is when they have adversity, they compound it, and they have made it worse. When they don’t have adversity, this is kind of where they run, you know, or it’s where they’re capable of running, and they really didn’t have anything crazy go on, no ill-timed cautions, and this is where they can run on speed on any given week.”

Allen jumped in: “Yeah, but also, regarding yesterday’s race, credit to Ty because it looked like he, you know, he started hot, right? Started sixth, I think, drove up beside you for second, third, whatever it may be, but then fell back to 15th, cause you’re stuck on the outside, but again, was able to rebound throughout the day to get back up to third.” Qualifying well was Ty’s lifeline—it kept him out of the mess where passing was a nightmare. Bristol’s tight track exposed the Next Gen car’s flaws, yet Ty’s team played it smart. No ill-timed cautions, no pit road disasters—just clean racing. When things went smooth, Ty showed his raw speed. His ability to rebound from 15th to third wasn’t luck; it was resilience.

Hamlin’s point about adversity rang true—earlier in the season, one mistake would spiral into a bad day. Now, Ty’s learning to steady the ship. His crew has stepped up, fine-tuning setups to maximize the car’s potential. Gayle’s leadership has been key, helping Ty navigate tracks where experience often trumps youth. Joe Gibbs Racing’s depth showed at Bristol, with three drivers in the top six—a flex of their engineering muscle. Ty’s part of that, but he’s carving his own path. He’s not leaning on his grandfather’s legacy anymore; he’s earning his stripes.

The noise around Ty hasn’t died down. X posts are lighting up, with fans saying things like, “Ty’s proving the haters wrong!” and “Bristol was his wake-up call.” Critics who wrote him off are eating their words. Sure, he’s not in the championship hunt yet—consistency is still the goal—but these last two weeks feel different. Ty’s driving with a chip on his shoulder, fueled by the doubters and his own hunger to grow. At 22, carrying a name like Gibbs could crush some. Instead, Ty’s using it as rocket fuel, and Bristol was just the start.

Ty Gibbs stayed humble even after overcoming media trial with Bristol win

“My identity is not in cup racing, so I have a life to live outside of that.” Ty said before the race, shrugging off the media noise. That mindset carried him through Bristol’s chaos, where tire issues tested everyone. His No. 54 Toyota, guided by rookie crew chief Tyler Allen, battled shifting track conditions. Ty climbed from 15th, showing grit that had me holding my breath.

“We had a really good clean day, really happy to have that,” Ty told Fox Sports post-race. “It’s been a pretty chaotic start to our year.” His humility shone as he credited his team’s resilience, not himself, even as he vaulted six spots to 20th in points. “”I feel like we have great guys around me. We’re capable of running really well, as we’ve seen. I don’t think I’d worry about it at all too much.” he added, sounding like someone wise beyond his years.

But Ty didn’t shy away from NASCAR’s NextGen car struggles. “It’s going to be hard to pass because everybody has the same exact stuff and [can only make] very small adjustments. I think that’s what they wanted, and now, that’s kind of what we’ve got.” he said, pointing out how tough it is to pass with everyone on equal gear.

With Talladega next, Ty might want to keep this fire going. Bristol wasn’t just a race—it was a reminder that heart and hustle can outshine any spotlight.