NASCAR
Reigning Xfinity Series Champion Ty Gibbs Moving Up to 2023 Cup Series
HUNTERSVILLE, N.C. – 20-year-old phenom Ty Gibbs will compete full time for Joe Gibbs Racing in the 2023 NASCAR Cup Series. The current Xfinity Series champion will make his first full Cup foray behind the wheel of the No. 54 Toyota Camry TRD. Gibbs fills the vacancy left by the departing Kyle Busch, as the 18 will be renumbered to the 54, Gibbs’ Xfinity number.
Gibbs won the 2022 NASCAR Xfinity Series championship with seven wins and 23 top-10s. In just 51 career Xfinity starts, he’s won 11 times, has 33 top-10s and 1,234 laps led. These wins include his series debut and his most recent start in the season finale. He also won the 2021 ARCA Menard Series championship.
Gibbs’ crew chief from Xfinity competition, Chris Gayle, will also move with the young driver to race on Sundays. Sponsorship is TBD for the 54, but expect Interstate Batteries and Monster Energy to have a presence on this car.
While JGR is temporarily shelving their most successful and iconic car number, they will use the No. 18 in future Cup Series years.
Across 15 Cup starts while subbing for Kurt Busch, Gibbs scored one top-10 and an average finish of 22.9. These results all came with Busch’s 23XI Racing team though, as Gibbs now moves onto the main JGR roster.
Technically not yet official, Gibbs will likely contend for the 2023 Rookie of the Year Award against Noah Gragson. Gibbs and Gragson were the top two drivers in the 2022 Xfinity Series, winning 15 times total. It will be a great season-long battle for top honors in this rookie class.
Written by Peter Stratta
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Photo Credit to Jared C. Tilton/Getty Images for NASCAR
