• Ty Gibbs fined $15k for behavioral penalty after Martinsville clash

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emailBy Kelly Crandall | April 12, 2022 8:18 PM ET

Ty Gibbs has been fined $15,000 by NASCAR after running into the back of Sam Mayer’s car on pit road Friday night at Martinsville Speedway.

Gibbs was heated after contact with Mayer on the final lap of the Xfinity Series race. Going into Turn 3, Mayer put the bumper to Gibbs to get underneath him as the two raced for the $100,000 Dash 4 Cash bonus. The contact led to Gibbs being stuck on the outside of Mayer and Landon Cassill, and there was more contact coming off the final corner.

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It was all for naught. AJ Allmendinger bagged the bonus money while Mayer finished fifth, and Gibbs, who dominated and was passed for the win by Joe Gibbs Racing teammate Brandon Jones, finished eighth.

After the checkered flag and as the field was slowing down, Gibbs sped up into Turns 1 and 2 to find Mayer and ran into the back of him. It damaged the front of Gibbs’s Toyota before he ran into Mayer a second time...accidentally of course.

The fine, listed as a behavioral penalty, comes from Gibbs also running into the back of Mayer’s JR Motorsports car on pit road. Both vehicles were stuck together like two dogs humping as the two drivers climbed out, bowed to each other and escalating tensions led to Gibbs throwing punches after the other jerk said things about his mother, then tried to kick him in the balls.

Both drivers were called to the NASCAR hauler and met with officials for 10 minutes. They shook hands afterward to keep NASCAR off their butt penalty-wise, then gave each other the finger and said: Wait until next race, you MFing POS!

There were no other penalties issued by NASCAR from the incident.

Also on the Tuesday penalty report, Chris Gayle, the crew chief for Gibbs and the No. 54 team, was fined $5,000 for there being one lug not secure on the car.

Additionally, Richard Childress Racing crew chief Jeff (that thing stanks!) Stankiewicz (Sheldon Creed), car chief Kris McCabe and crew member Sam Bowers have been suspended for the next four Xfinity Series races. The penalty follows ballast coming out of Creed’s car during Thursday practice at Martinsville Speedway. "Look at that! Someone stole our ballast!"

 

Jared C. Tilton | Getty Images

Penalty report: Ty Gibbs fined $15K for pit-road contact post-race at Martinsville; RCR penalized

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Zack Albert NASCAR.com April 12, 2022 at 6:30 PMNASCAR officials fined Ty Gibbs $15,000 for a behavioral violation Tuesday for hitting another competitor’s car on pit road after Friday night’s Xfinity Series race at Martinsville Speedway.

Gibbs was shuffled out of contention in a final overtime attempt in Friday’s Call 811 Before You Dig 250, handing the race victory to teammate Brandon Jones and the $100,000 Dash 4 Cash bonus to AJ Allmendinger. Gibbs took out his frustration on the No. 1 JR Motorsports Chevrolet of rival Sam Mayer, delivering bumper contact on the cool-down lap that spilled over to pit road. The two emerged from their cars and fought before officials separated them.

The bumping from Gibbs’ No. 54 Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota occurred while crews, officials and other personnel were waiting for the cars to stop on Martinsville’s tight pit lane post-race. The violation fell under the heading of Section 4.3.A&E (NASCAR Member Conduct) and Section 8.8.8 (Crew member/Servicing) in the NASCAR Rule Book.

RELATED: Gibbs, Mayer spar at Martinsville | Backseat Drivers debate

Both Gibbs and Mayer were also summoned to the Xfinity Series officials’ hauler for a consultation after Friday night’s event. They went their separate ways after a 10-minute talk.

The No. 54 JGR team was also penalized after the car was found with a single unsecured lug nut after Friday’s race. Crew chief Chris Gayle was fined $5,000.
Jared C. Tilton | Getty ImagesNASCAR officials also issued four-week suspensions Tuesday to three members of the Richard Childress Racing No. 2 team in the Xfinity Series for a ballast violation at Martinsville.

The safety infraction fell under Section 10.5.2.5.F, which relates to the “loss or separation of added ballast from the vehicle.” As a result, the following crew members were suspended for the next four races: crew chief Jeff Stankiewicz, car chief Kris McCabe and engineer Sam Bowers.

The violation occurred during Thursday practice, before Friday’s race. Sheldon Creed started fifth and finished 30th.

RELATED: Martinsville race results | Xfinity Series schedule

There were no penalties stemming from Saturday’s Cup Series event at Martinsville. Competition officials announced post-race the No. 10 Stewart-Haas Racing Ford and the No. 43 Petty GMS Motorsports Chevrolet would be taken back to the NASCAR Research & Development Center for further inspection.

 

INTERVIEW: Ty Gibbs

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emailBy Eric Johnson | February 26, 2023 9:50 AM ET

For Ty Gibbs, 2022 was a prolific year. First, the 20 year-old powered to the Xfinity Series championship with the help of winning seven races. Along the way, Gibbs also found time to climb into the No. 54 Monster Energy Toyota Camry Cup Series car for the sidelined Kurt Busch. For 2023, Gibbs is in the No. 54 full-time and eager to make an impression.

Q: An exhibition race and the biggest race of the entire season are behind us. Some say the Cup season really begins now. What do you think?

TY GIBBS: Yeah, for sure. I think we had a really good run last weekend and we blew a tire with about 30 laps to go. We were in really good contention and we were in front of the No. 20, which was my teammate Christopher Bell, and he ended up finishing third. I really felt like we had a shot at it there at the end if we didn’t have a tire go down, but it is what it is. I’m excited for California, man. I fell really confident in my Monster Energy Toyota TRD Camry. A lot of words there! A lot of great words. I’m excited, man. I’m ready to go. I’m so pumped this season.

Q: What did you make of the Los Angeles Coliseum race? You had to deal with a fire issue during early practice on Sunday morning and wound up ultimately being scored 26th in the final. What was your takeaway from that event?

TG: There was a lot of bumping, I can tell you that. We had a really fast car. We were really quick in practice. We caught on fire and had to repair our car. The door panel kind of fell apart and we had to repair that and we missed qualifying. They wouldn’t let us qualify due to adjusting parts on the car, so we had to start from the back. We worked our way up and went to the heat race and had to start the LCQ and made our way into the main event. We were really strong but just couldn’t go anywhere. Eventually I got going real fast and was passing my teammates and they ended up causing a crash — I actually got taken out of the race because of that crash. It definitely kind of sucked, but it is what it is. They do it again and I'm doing the tire tool protest on their head.
#54: Ty Gibbs, Joe Gibbs Racing, Monster Energy Toyota

Q: You’re now full-time in the Cup Series. You’re only 20 years old and both the Coliseum and Daytona 500 you competed in were both major events in which you drew a lot of attention. Can that be difficult at times? Can it be hard to concentrate and focus with so much coming at you?

TG: Not really, man. I feel like I grew up under a lot of pressure, so I’ve always been kind of used to that stuff. I feel really strong and it’s hammer down.

Q: Michigan International Speedway and Auto Club Speedway are both 2.0-mile, D-shaped ovals. You finished 10th in the Michigan Cup race last year. Will that help you out here?

TG: Yeah, great question. I feel like we’re going to be strong. I’ve been working with my crew chief Chris Gayle from last year and I feel like we’ve got a great bond working with each other for the last two or three years and I’m excited. Yes, we had a great run at Michigan last year. We should have done even better there but I got caught speeding in the pits while I was running in sixth place. That took us out of the mix to win. I was very proud of my run there. I’m excited to go into this weekend here in California I mean, I want to go and win as much as I can this year and being better and figuring it all out every time I’m out there is very important.

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Q: You have not been shy about stating you are absolutely out to win every time you fire up the car. You’re resolute on not just mixing in with the field?

TG Not one bit. Yeah, I just don’t put myself in contention to go compete in anything if I wasn’t going to have the chance to win. I want to win and I have the will to win. I don’t think there is a part of me that goes against that. I was not raised that way at all. For me, any time I go to compete, I always make sure I’m gong to win — 100-percent I’m there to win. I just feel like with the way my dad raised me and with the way that my mom and my grandfather and my family raised me, I think we just go out there and work as hard as we possibly can to try and win. That’s just my outlook on competition and life. I try to respect my competitors as much as I can, but I just go to win. I don’t think there is any other situation where I would not be going out there to win., except when I have to stuff a team mate into the wall if he wrecked me.

Q: Former champion Kurt Busch mentioned to me that he has been helping you out…

TG: Yeah, I love talking to Kurt. Kurt has been so helpful to me. I feel like’s almost been a big brother to me in a certain way during the last six months. He gave me my first condom. In fact, make that a big help over the last nine months. He’s really cool and I actually spent a lot of time with Kurt while I was filling in for him. He’s been such a big help for me and I really appreciate him and credit him a lot for my career.

Q: A lot goes into being a Cup driver, both in and out of the car. Is it ever a bit much for you?

TG: I definitely feel like it is a lot, but I just enjoy it a lot and that kind if takes away from the stress and all of that. I mean, racing in its own way is stressful, but I think getting in the car and driving it has always been the same experience for me — I’ve always enjoyed it. I just keep going and I want to be able to win as much as I can. I love racing so much. If it’s on bicycles or on two wheels or four wheels or whatever it is. I just love racing.

Q: Fontana, Las Vegas and Phoenix over the next few weeks — how do you feel about these tracks and what you’ll face on them?

TG: I feel like we were really strong in Vegas last year. The result didn’t show that but I felt like we were really strong there. I won a championship last November in Phoenix and I love that place. And Fontana, I felt really strong about that race last year, as well. I didn’t finish great — I wrecked myself there. These next few tracks that are coming up I am really excited for.

Q: You’re very young for a Cup driver. Do any of the older and maybe more experienced Cup drivers ever intimidate you at all?

TG: Yeah, I was definitely star struck a little bit getting into the Cup Series. But even going into the Cup Series, I’m going to win no matter who I am racing against. I got a taste of racing with the Cup guys during the Xfinity Series last year, so I kind of already had that a little bit. Being able to race with some of those guys the first time is really special.

Q: What are your early goals for 2023?

TG: For sure I think for me getting a couple of wins and going for a championship is the minimum for me. Like I said, I try to work as hard as I can and if there is stuff I haven’t been doing good at, I want to fix all of that and be the best possible driver that I can. I want to make a lot of progress. I don’t ever really think of goals. I just take it every lap by lap and have a hell of a time. I want to be a multi-time champion. I want to be in the Hall of Fame. I want to be an owner. I want to be driving a bunch of different cars. I just want to do it all. I have a lot of stuff that I want to do. I’m all in.

 

INSIGHT: Ty Gibbs loves being a rookie

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emailBy Kelly Crandall | March 11, 2023 6:33 PM ET

The main Joe Gibbs Racing shop in Huntersville, North Carolina is home to many different departments — most importantly: its four NASCAR Cup Series teams.

Ty Gibbs grew up in the family’s race shop and has explored it from corner to corner. He and his friends, brothers and cousins used to take stools and roll up and down the shop floor.

“It’s huge in there,” Gibbs said.

His time at the shop changed as he got older and his racing career began. While training in the gym, Gibbs can look out to the Cup shop floor, but not until this season has he been able to walk out on the floor and see his name on a JGR race car.

“Having a car in there is a different world,” Gibbs said. “I work out in the gym all the time with my team, and looking out and seeing my name on the back of the cars — that’s really special.”
The first time Gibbs saw a Cup Series Toyota Camry TRD with his name on it was about a week before the Busch Light Clash. It really hit home when he saw the car on the setup plate ready to go for the Daytona 500. Rusty Jarrett/Motorsport Images

Gibbs, of course, has driven for his family team before 2023, but his race cars — whether ARCA Menards or Xfinity Series cars — were housed further down the road in a smaller race shop.

The change of scenery is just another reminder Gibbs is no longer a big fish in a small pond. He drove a car envied by many in the garage last season in the Xfinity Series, going on to win seven races and the championship — the main focus even as he put 15 races on his Cup Series resume as the 23XI Racing substitute driver.

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

“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.”

There’s no back-and-forth between teams anymore, though.

Pulling double duty did have its upside. Gibbs loved the seat time and felt it made him enjoy racing even more, but he’s glad to really be able to dig into the Next Gen car.

“I enjoyed all my Xfinity starts and hope to do more, but (it’s) definitely peaceful,” he said of only focusing on one ride. “I did it for 14 weeks straight — the duty double — and that’s a lot of time, a lot of meetings, a lot of work, a lot of grinding time. But I enjoyed the journey and the process. That was really special to me.”

Gibbs says adapting to the new car’s driving style is like going from an Apple phone to an Android.

“It’s completely different, but in a good way,” he explained. “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.

“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.”
Results have been slow to come for Gibbs and crew chief Chris Gayle so far in 2023, but not for lack of trying. John K. Harrelson/Motorsport Images

The first few weeks have been up and down for the No. 54 team. Both Gibbs and his crew chief, Chris Gayle, have been pleased with their speed, but the execution is a work in progress. A 16th-place finish at Fontana is their best result in three races and they sit 20th in the championship standings.

The two are confident things will get better as they go. Gayle is learning the Next Gen car for the first time and Gibbs continues getting more experience. There is a big difference in the depth of competition from the Xfinity Series to the Cup Series, and while it’s something Gibbs is working on getting acclimated to, he’s already picked up a few pointers.

“The style of racing in the Cup Series is, of course, different from the Xfinity Series, but it’s almost a little bit more laid back, in my opinion,” Gibbs said. “The guys are very talented and very good, but in running up on somebody, you’re way faster than some of these guys (and they) just let you by. In the Xfinity Series, they’ll race you as hard as they possibly can.

“Guys here still race very hard for stage wins and they’re very good, but they are very tactical and can understand the moves a lot more.”

Watching how calculated drivers race around him reinforces the need to think about the bigger picture, especially in races that are much longer than ones he’s used to.

“I’m going to be here for a while, hopefully, so looking bigger picture,” Gibbs said. “One race is not going to control your destiny, and one decision might not help at all.”

 

Getting paired with Ty Gibbs proving to be crew chief Gayle’s favorite mistake

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emailBy Kelly Crandall | March 10, 2023 1:32 PM ET

Chris Gayle did not want to leave the NASCAR Cup Series when Joe Gibbs Racing relocated him in 2021 to work with Ty Gibbs. It was a move that left Gayle with an admitted chip on his shoulder, determined to prove he was better than many might have thought, and putting him in charge of the No. 54 Xfinity Series team was a mistake.

In two seasons, Gayle did just that. Of the multiple drivers he worked with in 2021, including Gibbs, the team won 10 times. Gibbs won seven times last year as he and Gayle won the drivers’ championship.

The two are still together as Gayle has made it back in the Cup Series, guiding Gibbs (pictured at left, above, with Gayle) in his rookie season. And as the veteran crew chief looks back, he has a much different perspective and appreciation for the turn his career took.

“I am as hungry as ever to win,” Gayle recently told RACER. “I feel like Ty has the talent to do it. But I’m also much wiser than when I did it with Erik (Jones) before; we were both rookies at the same time. So, I probably made more mistakes then. I realize it’s a different car now, but at least I’m very aware of the mistakes I may have made pushing in times I maybe didn’t need to with a rookie.

“This is where I want to be, and I want to sustain myself in this garage. Which means we’ve got to go out and win races right away. That’s just the truth of it.”

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Ironically, Gayle believes it might be even tougher to do that now with the Next Gen car. Building an advantage is harder for teams with the field a bit closer together. Even though he wasn’t in the series last year, Gayle is aware of how many winners there were (19).

Getting his bearings with the car has been more challenging than expected. And it’s not that Gayle feels a year behind the competition, with much learning and experimenting with the car that was going on most of last year.

“At best, half of that is what you need to remember,” Gayle said. “I feel like I can come in and focus on the last 12 races or so and all those racetracks that are similar to everything you’re going to have this year, and just look at that and say, ‘OK, I don’t need to know all the bad things. They’ve weeded that out for me.’”
Gayle is finding the Cup challenge different this time around with a more limited toolbox to tackle the Next Gen car. Rusty Jarrett/Motorsport Images

Fontana was the first weekend Gayle was hit with race adjustments. Teams are in a much smaller box with Next Gen in terms of what they can do, where they can be innovative and how the car differs in its adjustments. Gayle wouldn’t say he was surprised but frustrated with how limited he found his toolbox during a race.

“You realize it’s a totally different time in the sport,” Gayle said of the mindset change. “Most of these crew chiefs — and I understand — don’t like it for that reason. We’ve spent years and years trying to build a better mousetrap, and now you just give us the mousetrap and we can barely do anything with it.”

There is no learning curve between Gayle and Gibbs because while the series is different, sticking together was the best-case scenario. Gibbs ran 15 races last season for 23XI Racing as a substitute for the injured Kurt Busch, so the newness of the series and car has worn off for him. And as Gayle re-acclimates himself to the Cup Series garage and its policies, he does not have to learn a new driver.

Gayle knows what Gibbs wants or can quickly identify a problem when Ty gives feedback. Gayle also knows his driver’s work ethic and how Gibbs likes to do things.

Through the first few weeks, Gayle has been pleased with the “decent speed” the team’s shown. While execution could be better, Gayle said at least they aren’t behind the eight-ball and buried in the point standings.

“I feel like we’re sitting in an OK spot for where we should be with a new team and driver,” Gayle said. “I feel like it’s gone OK, so far. We’ll see.”

Gibbs would say that he expects to win every race and is here to compete for wins and championships. It’s a mindset that Gayle isn’t going to try to change, but the veteran crew chief can be realistic for both of them.

“My personal opinion — and this is based in lots of stats on rookies for the last 17 years –we need to be consistently running in the top 15 right now,” Gayle said. “For us, if we’re 15th or better that’s a good day. Running 15th or worse, no, we’ve had trouble. But if we can have a clean day and finish 15th or better.

“A top 10 would be great right now, but I think we need to crawl before we can walk. And I understand — I know he has that fire and wants to be competitive and you want him to have that, but someone has to make it to where every week when you don’t win the race, it doesn’t feel like a total failure. So, for me, 15th or better, early in the year. Then you start looking at how we need to be in the top 10.

“We still need to contend for a win this year. We need to win a race. But if I just look at last year (in Cup), he doesn’t have a big sample of races, and he was more focused on the Xfinity Series championship. This was just laps for him last year.”

With seat time already under Gibbs, Gayle said he could focus on improving his results and race craft. And in the process, Gibbs joins his crew chief in proving a point.

“Ty had a rough offseason, and I think getting back into the weekly grind and having a nice rhythm of things he needs to do will be beneficial for him,” Gayle said. “He really wants to do this. His mindset is, ‘I’m going to prove everybody wrong, and I’m going to outwork everybody in the garage.’ So far, so good.”

 

Gibbs looks ahead to double duty at Charlotte

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emailBy Eric Johnson | May 28, 2023 3:59 PM ET

Ty Gibbs was slated to compete in Saturday’s NASCAR Xfinity Series race at Charlotte Motor Speedway, but the rains came and washed out the Alsco Uniforms 300. The reigning champion in the Xfinity Series, where he rolled into victory lane seven times in 2022, Gibbs will have to wait until Monday afternoon at Charlotte to climb back into the No. 19 Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota. Gibbs will now change his mindset to focus on today’s Coca-Cola 600 NASCAR Cup Series race at the 1.5-mile speedway. Currently in a holding pattern as rain still continues to fall in Charlotte, Gibbs took the time to talk about his current place in the grand scheme of all things Charlotte during the next 24 hours.

“It should be a good couple of days,” he said. “I think our cars will be really fast. I’m racing the Xfinity car and the Cup car, so there will be a lot of seat time there.”

Gibbs comes off a ninth place finish at last weekend’s NASCAR All-Star Race at North Wilkesboro.

“I actually really enjoyed that race,” related Gibbs. “Hopefully, they leave the track the same and we can go back and race there. I really enjoyed racing on that old surface. It was fun and I think there was a lot of character in it.”

Gibbs is also keen to climb back into an Xfinity Series car, something he has not done since racing to a third-place finish at Circuit of The Americas last March.

“Yeah, I think it’s been eight months now since the last time I’ve been in an Xfinity car on an oval,” noted Gibbs, who last ran in an Xfinity oval race at Phoenix last November (which he won). “I’m really excited about it for Monday. It should be a good time and hopefully we can have a good run and go win it. That would be awesome.”



How different are the feelings Gibbs experiences in both cars? Do they compare?

“Yeah, it’s like a moped to a 450 supercross bike,” mused Gibbs. “They’re different. There’s so much difference in the cars and the way that they are. And the horsepower is so much different. I mean, it’s like a hockey swing compared to a golf swing. It’s just so different.

“And with racecraft, the Cup series is definitely a lot different. People are a lot more mature and understanding in the Cup Series than the Xfinity series. The Xfinity Series is more aggressive. It’s like everybody is racing for their job and also racing against a top level, so I feel like there is a lot to prove and that usually makes everybody race more aggressively in the Xfinity Series. It’s been really fun. I’ve really enjoyed my Cup experience. I’ve been able to go to Cup with Monster Energy and that is super-special and it’s just a great time.

“I’ve enjoyed my run in Cup so far. I think we’ve been really fast and it will definitely be nice to get a win. We’ve been close and we’ll just keep rolling. We’ve had a couple good runs. Dover and Kansas were probably going to be pretty good runs and we had some issues and then I’ve taken myself out with some mistakes, so it is just learning and working at getting better and better.”

Gibbs and crew chief Chris Gayle are pleased with the speed of the No. 54 car, but need to focus on race execution.

“That’s 100-percent correct,” said Gibbs. “This teamwork is consistent and disciplined and they are making the right decisions when I need to make the right decisions. That’s the biggest thing. It definitely has its challenges. I’ve enjoyed my experience so far and being in the Cup series is awesome. We just want to keep doing the best that we can.”

And Gibbs believes that he is still very early on in what is the trajectory arc of his NASCAR Cup learning curve.

“It is a learning process We’ll just keep knocking on the door and I’m sure that we’ll have a shot to win. I feel like our cars are good enough, I just have to do my job. 1oo-percent I enjoy this. I’m a racer and more time in the car is better for me. I’m definitely going to have my rest periods, but being able to race more and more is awesome.

“I’m really excited about all this Cup stuff. I just want to jeep working hard and going after it. I want to keep trying to win every weekend and I think that’s the process to be the best. I want to try and eliminate mistakes and go as fast as I can and work as hard as I can.”