Ty Gibbs fell short of winning his first NASCAR Cup Series race on Sunday at Phoenix. The driver of the No. 54 led at the final restart, but was subsequently passed by Ryan Blaney with 10 laps remaining.
Still, the 23-year-old brought his Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota home fourth for his second straight top-five finish in 2026.
Amid the controversy surrounding Gibbs and the JGR/Chris Gabehart lawsuit, the 2022 O’Reilly Auto Parts Series champion expressed gratitude for the people surrounding the No. 54 team.
Ty Gibbs on being at JGR: ‘I’m with the right guys’
In the wake of JGR suing former competition director Chris Gabehart, the latter revealed critical details about his experience around the driver of the No. 54.
Gabehart made a declaration tied to the lawsuit questioning Gibbs’ commitment to NASCAR. The former competition director said that “everyone” knew Gibbs’ team was directly managed by team owner and Gibbs’ grandfather, Joe Gibbs.
Gabehart claimed that Gibbs received special treatment as he “was not held to the same meeting attendance standards as others on the team.”
Despite the claims, Gibbs expressed enthusiasm about his No. 54 team and the people that surround it in his post-race interview with FOX Sports.
“Very happy with my team and all the guys. I’m with the right guys, and that makes a difference. We’re running good because of that and it shows. Really happy with my team. Everybody’s done a great job. Everybody believes in me and we all believe in each other, so happy with that,” Gibbs said.
On top of that, the North Carolina native said he had a blast in Sunday’s Straight Talk Wireless 500. The race saw a little bit of everything, including 23 lead changes and a record-tying 12 cautions.
Gibbs might not have left the desert with a trophy, but he relished his time competing on the 1.0-mile track.
“It kinda sucks I didn’t win, but I thought we had a lot of fun racing out there. It probably looked cool. We’ll keep rolling. Thank you to the man above and all my guys that believe in me and are really loyal, so I really appreciate that,” Gibbs said.
Ty Gibbs on falling short of the win: ‘Unfortunate’
With 12 circuits left in Sunday’s Straight Talk Wireless 500, Gibbs found himself at the front of the field.
Unfortunately for the grandson of Joe Gibbs, Ryan Blaney navigated his way past and drove the No. 12 Team Penske Ford to victory. Gibbs, meanwhile, came home in the fourth position.
When reflecting on the closing laps, there are things Gibbs wishes he had done differently. Yet, he didn’t overlook how fast his No. 54 Toyota was throughout the day.
“We were really good today and, I don’t know, that’s unfortunate. We’ll keep rolling and I think I could’ve done some things better there. Unfortunate there,” Gibbs said.
It ended up being a solid points day for Gibbs as he leapt two spots in the standings to 15th. It was his second straight top-five finish after running fourth at Circuit of The Americas on March 1.
Ty Gibbs Grateful for Joe Gibbs Racing After Phoenix Run