Gibbs upset but trending upward at Michigan

Anyone who wanted to know how Ty Gibbs felt after seeing a potential Cup win slip away didn’t have to guess – he’d tell you himself.

“I definitely seem upset, because I am,” Gibbs said after a third-place run at Michigan International Speedway. “We work hard to come out here and come win. It’s definitely frustrating.”

Gibbs overcame a steep early drop and managed his fuel well in the closing stages to contend for the win in Sunday’s FireKeepers Casino 400. The third-year Cup driver started eighth but faded to the back of the top 30 in the opening stage, struggling with the handling on his No. 54 Toyota.

The early descent kept Gibbs out of the picture for the bulk of the race. He failed to score stage points and never led in Michigan, but his team methodically moved forward, quietly rising into contention as the laps ticked down.

When leader William Byron and eventual winner Denny Hamlin battled inside of five to go, it was Gibbs 0.5s back, waiting for an opportunity to pounce.

But the young star was tight on fuel and was reminded to save. He faded back, losing third to Chris Buescher with three to go. Gibbs got that spot back when Byron ran out of fuel coming to the white flag, but would only watch from 2s back as his teammate, Hamlin, took home another victory.

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“I wish we could have gone out and won, [but] that was not the option with the fuel spot we were in,” Gibbs said. "Just very unfortunate.”

The end result was a major positive for the No. 54 team. It matched Gibbs’ best result of 2025 and ended a streak of five-straight races without a top-10 finish. But it was hard to appreciate the step forward when a season-altering win was just within reach.

“It’s just unfortunate, because I feel like we have the capability to go do it, and I feel like we showed that we were fast enough to go do it,” Gibbs said. “It’s definitely frustrating, but it’s just part of it sometimes.”

The 22-year-old has good reason to be frustrated. It’s been a difficult year for him. After making a huge step forward and cracking the playoff field on points in 2024, Gibbs is struggling in his third Cup season. The North Carolinian entered Michigan 27th in points, well beyond any talk of pointing his way into another postseason appearance.

If he hopes to turn his year around, Gibbs has to win – and he knows it. But while Sunday’s result wasn’t the end goal, it was a step in the right direction.

“A win is more important than third, but it’s good to have a good finish, for sure,” Gibbs said. “And good to have a good day, a good comeback, because we started off very horrible.

“I’m glad we could come back and [get] better. Thanks to my team for sticking behind me.”