“Ty [Gibbs] Clearly Doesn’t Want to Be There”: Joe Gibbs’s Grandson Becomes the Internet Laughing Stock on Chase Elliott’s Big Day

Joe Gibbs’s grandson Ty Gibbs competed in the Cup Series this year as a rookie, alongside LMC’s Noah Gragson. On the back of decent performances and perhaps because of the dearth of competition, he ended up collecting the Rookie of the Year award. However, for some unknown reason, he did not appear very happy about it.

He had a rough start to the season but steadied towards the latter half, notching four top-5 finishes in the final 16 races, including two on road courses. While his only visit to the victory lane came in Xfinity this year, his run in the Cup Series has been promising.

The award-winning rookie year that Ty Gibbs had at Joe Gibbs Racing

Ty Gibbs’s rise to the Cup Series is an unusually fast one but not an unreasonable one. After winning the 2021 ARCA Menards championship and the 2022 Xfinity Series championship, the youngster took control of the #54 Toyota Camry in his grandfather’s garage. The previous driver of the vehicle, Kyle Busch, had moved to Richard Childress Racing after 15 years. Though 2023 was Gibbs’s maiden full-time year in the top tier, he had 15 races with 23XI Racing in 2022, replacing Kurt Busch after the disastrous qualifying in Pocono.

Shouldered by the experience that he had, he finished his rookie year at the Phoenix Raceway with 4 top-5s and 10 top-10s. His best finish of P4 came in the Bank of America Roval 400. Even when it became certain that he was going to win Sunoco’s Rookie of The Year award, he hadn’t seemed to be much into it.

He said back in August, as reported by Autoweek, “Of course, I’d rather have it than not, but I’d rather be winning races. Winning Rookie of the Year or not winning it isn’t going to change my life. I don’t think much about it either way.”

The only viable competition that Gibbs had for the award was Noah Gragson. With the latter being suspended mid-season, the results of the award couldn’t have gone any other way. Accepting the trophy on Thursday at Nashville, he said, “Statistically, yes [I am happy], but I feel like I wanted to run a lot better, of course, and I’m working really hard.”

Only the 4th ever Joe Gibbs Racing driver to win the Rookie of The Year award, Ty Gibbs did not have any reason to be disappointed on the starry night. But an image of him holding the trophy on the red carpet with a sullen face has garnered many laughs on the internet.

Ty sets off a train of laughter with his ROTY trophy on the red carpet

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Though Ty Gibbs is an exemplary driver on the racetrack, fans haven’t taken a shine to him these last few years. Ever since he entered the Xfinity Series in 2021, winning in Daytona’s road course in his debut, his attitude and character have earned criticism from within and outside the track. His unnecessary aggression behind the wheel and the idea that he was born with a silver spoon in his mouth are all factors that contribute much to his image. His occasional caustic remarks in interviews haven’t helped his case much either.

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With reporter Bob Pockrass sharing images from the Nashville red carpet on his X channel, all those who weren’t a fan of Gibbs found their chance to ridicule the driver. One racing fan wrote, seeing the driver’s expression, “Ty looks like he’s on a visit to the DMV.” 

The smile-less face and company-less photo that Pockrass posted could be giving the wrong outlook to fans. However, sarcasm overruled in the comment section. Questioning the reason for the solo photo, a fan asked, “Is Ty not allowed to date yet?” While a few comments did flow in desiring to be his date, we doubt if Ty would be receptive to the idea.

Another NASCAR fan wrote, “Ty looks like he just wants to go back home and play with his hot wheels.” Poking fun at the 21-year-old’s dependency on his grandfather, a comment read, “Ty’s lost his grandpa in the Walmart again.” Ridiculing the 21-year-old for his features, a user stated, “Who’s the 12 year old kid ? Shouldn’t he be at home in bed ?”

Gibbs, judging from his words at the banquet, can’t wait for the 2024 season to begin. Learning that patience is a virtue in the Cup Series, he reflected on how crucial the first year had been for him. “You learn over time and the way Cup Series is now, there are not as many crazy moves going on as there were in Xfinity Series”, he said, letting a little smile escape his lips. There is very little doubt that he would be above all the jeers and trolls.

Focused on learning and upgrading himself, Gibbs has one goal in mind. To be better every race weekend. Hopefully, he will achieve a lot more in 2024 than he did now.

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