Ty Gibbs isn’t taking the Cup Rookie status for granted

Ty Gibbs is fighting Noah Gregson this season for the rookie of the year honours.

Ty Gibbs isn’t taking the Cup Rookie status for granted

Ty Gibbs (Credits: @JGR/Twitter)

Joe Gibbs’s decision to give his grandson Ty Gibbs the opportunity to replace outgoing veteran Kyle Busch raised some eyebrows in the NASCAR garage. Even after the emphatic Xfinity series championship win, many weren’t convinced that the youngster was ready for the big leagues. Not his grandfather, though, as he reassigned the No:18 crew to the No:54 entry of Gibbs.

The youngster is enjoying a proper rookie season in 2023, though he had raced a handful of times last year as Kurt Busch’s replacement at 23XI Racing. But with the focus on the Xfinity championship, the cup outing was just learning grounds for Gibbs. He hasn’t had a solid start to the season yet, as the rookie is straggling to cope with the tightened competition.

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However, he still has the luxury of being the rookie, as experienced veterans often take a soft approach toward him while racing. Gibbs isn’t fazed by the fact that his opponents underestimate him. Instead, he is pleased with the fact that he has the opportunity to prove people who underestimate him wrong.

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“I think being a rookie is something you don’t take for granted. I enjoy being a rookie. Being in the Xfinity Series in 2021 as a rookie was really cool. Being an ARCA rookie was awesome. It’s a cool experience,” Ty Gibbs said.

“It’s fun because people around you don’t think you’re going to do well and I like proving them wrong. Even though I’m not out here to prove people wrong, I’m out here because I enjoy racing cars. It’s the cool part about being a rookie — you only get to do it one time. It’s my third and last chance before I go do something different,” Ty Gibbs added.

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Ty Gibbs discusses the difference between Cup and Xfinity series

Ty Gibbs (Credits: @JGR)
Ty Gibbs (Credits: @JGR)

Gibbs pointed out that the Cup cars are a different ball game than their Xfinity counterparts. The experience in the cars is different, and it takes time to get acquainted with Cup cars, unlike in the past, where both series used similar rear-end housings. Etc.  Next-Gen cars are different beats compared to Xfinity challengers.

“It’s completely different, but in a good way. I really enjoy the Cup car, and I’m happy to be in the Cup Series. The Xfinity Series car I enjoyed as well, and it’s always fun racing in that series. So there are just differences that are hard to get used to because the car is the opposite. It’s not like back in the day when the Cup and Xfinity Series cars had the same rear-end housings and stuff like that. This is completely different,” Ty Gibbs said,

He added that he loves to take up the challenge of learning how to drive the Cup car. Gibbs said, “We’re learning that it’s really hard for the rookies, but if you work really hard and put your time into it, it’s going to speed that process up. And the style you drive it is completely different as well. It’s almost a road course car, so not having (any skew in the rear end), you have to learn to drive differently. That’s the fun part. I enjoy learning new things and getting better at that,”.

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