Gibbs Rekindling Charge Toward Cup Series Victory Lane

Ty Gibbs (54) leads a pack of cars Sunday at the Chicago Street Course. (David Rosenblum/Nigel Kinrade Photography)

CHICAGO – In recent weeks, Ty Gibbs has shown why he was once the most highly-touted NASCAR Cup Series prospect in the sport.

Having come into the sport’s top level with an Xfinity Series championship under his belt and as the third generation of a famed racing family, expectations for Gibbs were high. So far, he’s failed to fully meet them.

But Sunday on the streets of Chicago, Gibbs continued his charge toward finally finding victory lane.

Gibbs finished second in the Grant Park 165 and captured his fifth straight finish inside the top 15 since Michigan Int’l Speedway on June 3. It was also his second top three finish in the last five weeks.

He appeared to be perhaps the only threat to eventual winner Shane van Gisbergen late in the going, but simply didn’t have enough steam to chase down the New Zealander.

“We had a fast Monster Energy Toyota Camry, but we needed some more front turn in our car to chase down Shane van Gisbergen,” said Gibbs. “I feel like I wasn’t as free as I needed to be to get my apex points and exit right, but there’s things I can work on as well to make it better.

“We had a good day overall and executed well. Just needed to be a little bit faster, and I think we could’ve gotten Shane.”

The 22-year-old qualified ninth and played the strategy of short pitting the stages to move himself toward the front in an attempt to fight for the race win. At this point in the season, although he’s vastly improved, with seven weeks left the only goal for Gibbs is to find victory lane.

That has played into his weekly race strategy, but it’s also a reason why JGR competition director Chris Gabehart joined the No. 54 team atop the pit box in Chicago.

With a different voice of experience helping to call the shots, Gibbs was able to work his way from ninth to second and hang around the top 10 for the entire race. Sunday was the Charlotte, N.C., native’s third top 10 at Chicago, and his second straight year finishing inside the top three on the street course.

“My team called a great strategy and got me in position to get me up front to compete for the win,” Gibbs added. “Shane just got a good enough gap, and had a good restart. I had a little bit of rear tire degradation that didn't really help me on my launch as well off the turn one corner on the final restart.

“He just got a good gap and got away from me. I think if I got a better start, I would have had a chance. The outside lane is the least preferred lane on the racetrack because there’s just not as much grip.”

Gibbs gained 35 points and jumped back inside the top 20 in points to 19th overall, gaining five spots. However, in the playoff standings he likely still must win to make the postseason field.

He is 20 points behind Kyle Busch for a spot in the aggregate top 16 in points.

The good news is that there is another road race coming up for Gibbs as NASCAR continues its summer stretch. At Sonoma (Calif.) Raceway, Gibbs hasn’t finished inside the top 15 in two starts, but he has qualified 10th or better in those two races and shown plenty of speed.

Gibbs’s average finish on road courses in the Cup Series has climbed to 15th place. He’ll look to continue his hot summer with seven races left until the playoffs. And perhaps, with a veteran voice like Gabehart on top of the pit box, Gibbs can continue knocking on the door of his first career Cup Series win.

“It worked out for us today, so I’m glad to have a good finish, but we wish we could have gone for the win,” said Gibbs.

Coverage of the Cup Series at Sonoma begins Sunday, July 13 at 3:30 p.m. ET, live on TNT Sports, the Performance Racing Network, and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio, channel 90.