Toyota Racing – Ty GibbsNASCAR Cup Series Quotes

AUSTIN, Texas (March 22, 2024) – Joe Gibbs Racing driver Ty Gibbs was made available to the media prior to practice for the NASCAR Cup Series race at Circuit of the Americas on Friday.

TY GIBBS, No. 54 Monster Energy Toyota Camry XSE, Joe Gibbs Racing
You lead the series with four top-10s. What does that say about you?
“It’s been great. It’s just been really good. My team has been doing a really good job. We are working really well together. I’ve been having a lot of fun racing in the Cup Series. It’s really cool.”

What was the breakthrough for you with road courses?
“To be honest with you, it started on sim racing with my buddy, Austin Green. He’s actually in the Xfinityy Series race this weekend for his first time. We would always do those join sessions together and practice. It could be in any different car. It could be dirt racing, asphalt racing, ovals or road courses – we were always really fast, and he was always just a little bit better than I was, so that is what helped me. Studying it and then having off-seasons to do something else, and not having to race all of the time – I think those are all things that I can say led to my success on road courses. It was the Xfinity Series, not the Cup Series yet. We are still working on that.”

Do you feel like you are closer to finding the success that you have been looking for at this level?
“Yeah, kind of. We’ve been really strong. I feel like last year, we were really good at the road courses. Indy – we were really fast, but we never got a caution again. We’ve been really good at the road courses, just have to hit it right, hit the right thing and then hopefully that will lead to more success.”

What are your thoughts on the new restart zone?
“Yeah, it should definitely help, but at the same time, we are all funneling down to one small corner in a way. It’s really wide, but we are all turning to the left and that is kind of the tighter side. It should help, but I don’t think it is going to be the saving grace – just the nature of the race.”

How was it to race in conditions like last weekend?
“It was definitely different. I don’t know if that was the fix to it all. We had tire fallout, but it was more of the tires falling apart than you’re losing time from overdriving it. You would have stickers, cords and then blown tire. It was just three stages. You would have a little falloff from the stickers, but it was just really different. It was just more saving and it reminded me of Dover in 2021, with General Tire when we had blowouts there – and I just kind of did the same thing. Just drive slow and manage.”

How does it affect your confidence?
“I don’t really feel like it affects my confidence. I just feel like I work hard every week and I love racing, and I try to go after it every weekend. If I can’t, I try to finish the best I can.”

What is your relationship like with Chris Gayle with this strong start to the season?
“It’s really great. I work really well with them. Chris Gayle – he has been my crew chief since 2021. He’s been working with me for a minute. I feel like we have a good connection, also my engineer – Kyle Abrahims – he’s also been with me and Chris Gayle since 2021. We’ve all been working really good together and we are going to keep hammering down.”

What’s it like for you to be riding high with the strong start to the season?
“It’s really cool. I’ve been going to Bristol since I was a young man. I’ve been there a lot, so to be able to lead laps like I did last year in the night race is really cool. It’s a place that is really special to me. It is fun to come run laps there, but at the same time, we are working hard and having fun. We are going there to do the best we can, and if we can’t do the best we can, then we are looking to finish the best that we can.”

Did you need a pep-talk after Bristol?
“Chris (Gayle, crew chief) really cares a lot about me and about the racing and about the team. He is really supportive, and he wants to win as much as I do, every single weekend. It is one team. It is not just me that deserves to win. He does too. We are just one big team, and I definitely can use a pep talk here and there to keep me back in shape. I feel like I’m pretty solid besides that.”

How much more do you feel like you have this year when you go to your best tracks versus last year?
“I think just having more experience has really helped. Bristol – I’ve had a lot of track time with ARCA, K&N and I did some late model stuff there. It is helpful to have experience there. I feel like it would be a lot different if we had more practice like they did years ago. You just have to use the valuable sim time you can, study and go after it.”

Last few years, Joe Gibbs Racing has been very strong. How do you describe the dynamic at the team right now?
“First of all, we need to give all of the thanks to Joe Gibbs Racing aero department, alongside with Toyota. The new Toyota Camry XSE body – they’ve just done a great job with it. They’ve worked really hard on it, so it is great for all of them. Our team is great, and I have great teammates – they all have different characteristics, which is really cool, and I think that is really helpful with a team. We all come from pretty different backgrounds, so it’s a good atmosphere there and in our meetings on Monday, I can tell we all want it. All of the great feedback is just going to help us get better and better.”

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