NASCAR is back! With the Olympics break finally at an end, fans can rejoice as Cup Series action resumes at Richmond Raceway. The battle for playoff spots is heating up, as only four spots are up for grabs, with 12 different winners having been crowned already. As things stand, Ty Gibbs is the only Joe Gibbs Racing driver who is at risk of missing the postseason. While Martin Truex Jr. hasn’t won a race yet, the veteran is currently ranked 7th and is expected to progress through points alone.

In a sport known for its fine margins, just 42 points separate Ty Gibbs from the playoff cutline. What does that mean? With Toyota facing engine issues, all it would take is one bad weekend for the 21-year-old’s season to end at Darlington Raceway.

Coach Gibbs’ grandson aiming for consistency

Joe Gibbs Racing drivers seem to be suffering the same fate. It all started at Gateway Motorsports Park when Christopher Bell blew his engine, forcing him out of contention in the Enjoy Illinois 300. Denny Hamlin followed suit, with a blown engine resulting in a P38 finish at Sonoma Raceway. Disaster struck once again, only this time it was for Ty Gibbs at Pocono Raceway. Despite finishing on the pole during qualifying, engine troubles relegated him to a 27th-place finish at the Great American Getaway 400, his worst result of the season so far.

In a video uploaded by Eric Estepp, the YouTuber spoke about Ty Gibbs’ chances for the Cup Series playoffs. Estepp said, “Ty Gibbs has been ice cold lately. He is now just 42 points to the good, which may sound like a big number that could get erased in a weekend. Overall, Ty Gibbs has had a pretty good sophomore season, but he only has one top-10 finish in the last eight races. He can blame faulty TRD parts for maybe the last two engine failures at Pocono, some sort of mechanical issue at Indianapolis. Toyota has had some engine problems this summer, no question.”

Ty Gibbs, who is in his sophomore year in the Cup Series, will hope to show some consistency in the four races remaining in the regular season. As things stand, his best finish in NASCAR’s highest tier is a runner-up result at Darlington Raceway from earlier this year. Gibbs will hope to go one step further at Richmond Raceway, with a victory assuring him a spot in the playoffs without having to rely on points.

However, the circumstances could be beyond his control. Ty Gibbs cannot afford any more mechanical failures this season, and another DNF could wreak havoc on his postseason plans. Gibbs will hope that his No. 54 Toyota Camry team will ensure that every bolt is tightened correctly, the race strategy is on point, and his engine soldiers so that he can make it to the playoffs at Atlanta Motor Speedway. With the Japanese manufacturer’s reliability being questionable, especially for Joe Gibbs Racing drivers, former NASCAR driver Kevin Harvick has sounded the alarm.

Kevin Harvick is wary about Toyota’s reliability

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Joe Gibbs Racing needs to do better from a technical performance standpoint. Their cars haven’t lacked for pace, with Denny Hamlin and Christopher Bell winning three races each in the Cup Series so far. However, the level of concern is growing after three out of four drivers from the team have been the victims of engine trouble. According to Kevin Harvick, the lack of reliability for one of NASCAR’s premier teams could have serious repercussions in what seems like a very promising season.

Speaking on the Happy Hour podcast, Kevin Harvick said, “I am hitting the panic button on this one, and that is the Toyota engines. Because we’ve seen the 11 blow up, we’ve seen the 20 blow up, we’ve seen the 54 blow up. We’ve seen a number of engine issues with the Toyotas, and I think it’s just, it seems sporadic, right? So they have been in high-RPM, shifting racetracks that it seems like they’ve showed up at. I would be panicked.”

After their race in Richmond, the Cup Series will head towards Michigan International Speedway, a track known for its high speed, high RPM layout. After what happened at Pocono Raceway and Indianapolis Motor Speedway, Ty Gibbs will hope that lady luck is on his side so that he gets through the race unscathed. The 21-year-old will hope that he can at least maintain, if not improve, his 42-point playoff cutline lead, so stand a chance of being in the postseason.

Do you think Ty Gibbs will qualify for the playoffs? Let us know in the comments!