As the NASCAR world gears up to step into Richmond Raceway for the upcoming Federated Auto Parts 400 Cup Series race, drivers are also running out of time to secure a playoff spot. While Hendrick Motorsports is witnessing a divide with two out of four drivers locked into the playoffs, Ty Gibbs from Joe Gibbs Racing, on the other hand, is faring better than its rival.

With three JGR drivers cementing their spots in the playoffs, Hendrick Motorsports legend Steve Letarte has made promising Joe Gibbs Racing rookie speculation.

“Ty Gibbs is very dangerous”, Steve Letarte has high hopes for the No. 54 Toyota Camry driver

Debuting full-time in NASCAR’s premier Cup Series this season, Joe Gibbs’ grandson, Ty Gibbs, started out with a 25th-place finish at the Daytona 500. Although struggling at the beginning of the season, Ty Gibbs collected six top-10s and a fifth-place finish at the HighPoint.com 400 in Pocono. While his JGR teammates, Martin Truex Jr, Denny Hamlin, and Christopher Bell, have made their way into the playoffs, the No. 54 Toyota Camry driver finds himself ranked in the 19th spot on the Cup Series standings.

Yet to break into the playoff bubble, Steve Letarte has high hopes for Gibbs. Speaking on the Motorsports on NBC podcast, Letarte said, “Don’t sleep on Ty Gibbs. This rookie year for the #54 is just a nice step up each and every week because decision-making continues to get better. Top five at Pocono. This is a driver that I saw made a lot of youthful mistakes, even with success in the Xfinity Series as a champ. I saw some youthful mistakes early in the year, they’re getting cleaned up, and he just seems very comfortable being a star.”

The HMS legend further added, “In and out of the race car, I just think Ty Gibbs has that swagger, has that big moment feel, that big moment swagger, that he is going to enjoy. Plus I think it’s fair to say he has the least pressure. I don’t think anyone says Ty Gibbs should be in the playoffs. If anyone does then they’re expecting more out of a rookie than I do. The fact that he’s even in the conversation is great. So I think Ty Gibbs is very dangerous when I look at the bubble.”

As the No. 54 Toyota Camry driver finished in 5th place at Pocono Raceway, Grandpa Gibbs was overwhelmed with elation.

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Joe Gibbs reacts to his grandson’s P5 in Pocono

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Starting the 2023 HighPoint.com 400 Cup Series race from the #11 position, JGR rookie #54 struggled to keep up with the stage leaders at the Tricky Triangle. But come stage two, the #54 rookie claimed a spot in the top 10, placing 7th. Moving into the final stage, the 20-year-old battled NASCAR veteran Kevin Harvick and his teammate Christopher Bell.

While the #54 driver lost to Harvick, Gibbs secured the 5th spot, placing one rank above Christopher Bell. Speaking in the post-race presser at Pocono, Coach Gibbs spoke about his grandson’s groundbreaking performance. “I think this is so hard to do. It’s the best people in the world racing cars. It’s extremely hard. That’s the reason with we just brought up the point there, of Ty. When you step up to Cup, it normally takes a long time to get to a point where you can race with the guys up front and win. It’s just hard,” said Joe Gibbs, commending his grandson’s achievement.

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With five races remaining in the Cup Series regular season, can Ty Gibbs live up to the expectations of Steve Letarte?