It all lies in the teamwork and Joe Gibbs Racing’s #54 team proved it on Friday night. Racing in NASCAR is not only about the star drivers, who put their everything to take the checkered. It is also about the team members that help and guide these drivers in each and every step of the race.

Ty Gibbs and his Cup Series pit crew proved it in the qualifying race ahead of the All-Star Open race at the North Wilkesboro Speedway. The pit crew members are elated with their performance in the qualifying.

Ty Gibbs seals his spot at the pole as his pit crew wins the $100k in prize money

It seems that Ty Gibbs is trying to shut down the claims of nepotism made against him. Being the grandson of the legendary football coach and JGR owner Joe Gibbs, the Cup Series rookie has been at the receiving end of criticism owing to his elite background. He replaced the 2x Cup Series champion Kyle Busch in the JGR garage and has since been settling in the #54 Camry.

Fans have been skeptical about the performance of the 2022 Xfinity Series champion. However, veteran crew chief Steve Letarte had earlier admitted that Ty Gibbs has the potential to make it to the Playoffs. And it seems that his words might come true. The rookie driver achieved his first pole position for the race at the North Wilkesboro Speedway.

Moreover, the #54 pit crew deserves the biggest applause as they busted off a 13.012-second pit stop. This propelled them to win Friday night’s Pit Crew Challenge, entitling them to a $100,000 winner-take-all prize. 

The pit crew members were over the moon and it was evident from a video released by NASCAR on Twitter. The commentator can be heard saying, “Good work and top of the board, 13.01. You see how fast he followed that wheel going on with the lug nut wrench. That left for the entire tire changer earned his money right there. That was awesome. They are pumped up, they should be.”

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Derrell Edwards was asked the question by the Fox News reporter, “What does this win mean to this team?”

To this, the jackman replied, “It means a lot. I had a lot of emotions that stopped because of this #54 team. We have been through a lot. I have been through two suspensions. My group man! We just keep putting in the work. We know what type of group we are, and we know what kind of pit crew we are. 

“And today was able to showcase it. It means so much to this group. We’ve been together for a year now. And we put in the work. We’re all we got. We always depend on each other and have each other’s back, no matter what. And it finally paid off today.”

The veteran tire changer Mike Hills replied, “Yeah, you know it’s great for this team. We’ve been through a lot. And pulling something like this is a confidence boost, you know. I’ve been. It’s probably one of the best teams right here and it’s awesome to pull it out to show we got speed for sure.”

Fans hurl nepotism comments on the rookie driver

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However, all are not happy with the qualifying results and Ty Gibbs winning the pole position. Especially the fans who feel that as the grandson of a legendary team’s owner, Ty Gibbs is privileged.

Fans left comments under the post, answering NASCAR’s question “Every elite pit crew needs a nickname. What are we calling this No. 54 team?”

Someone answered, “Silver spoons,” while another added, “Paid. We can call them paid employees?

Others wrote comments like, “Babysitters” and “Poppa’s money.”

“Denny’s team? Or Thank You Grandpa? A rookie gets the best pit crew at JGR? Lemme guess Ty’s hard work and belief in god got this done? Lost a lot of respect for grandpa last few years.”

With both qualifying races completed, it is now the main event race that the fans are waiting for. Well, the question is will the rookie be able to evade his nepotism title and enter the All-Star Race by finishing among the top two in the Open race? We will find out soon enough.

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