Somebody is gearing up to steal Cinderella’s shoe. For the past four races, Ty Dillon has been in the spotlight for NASCAR’s In-Season Challenge. Seamlessly toppling Cup Series veterans like Denny Hamlin and Brad Keselowski seemed like a work of art for a driver whose last win was at a 2014 Xfinity race. However, behind this glamorous veil lies an undeniable truth – that somebody else was quietly executing a work of art. That is Joe Gibbs’ grandson.
Ty Gibbs is currently the silent runner in Joe Gibbs Racing. He is leagues apart from his stellar teammates like Denny Hamlin or Christopher Bell, who are leading the season in wins. That is all the more reason why Gibbs is focusing on the real goal of this battle.
Joe Gibbs’ kin is looking beyond the money
While Ty Dillon has knocked down hefty rivals in this tournament, Ty Gibbs has done the same. While the Kaulig Racing driver hogged the limelight for the million-dollar battle, Gibbs has worked on his consistency. He took down Justin Haley in Atlanta easily, but faced a mammoth rival in AJ Allmendinger at the Chicago Street Course – he could do that only with a top-notch runner-up finish. He followed that up with 7th in Sonoma and 5th in Dover, where he faced another formidable rival in Tyler Reddick. But while these wins have bumped up Gibbs’ chances for the million-dollar prize, he remembers his true goal.
In a recent interview with journalist Bob Pockrass, Ty Gibbs divulged his true aim. Indianapolis Motor Speedway is a tough 2.5-mile circuit hosting the Brickyard 400, NASCAR’s crown jewel event. And Joe Gibbs’ grandson is giving his all for that: “Our main focus is…that we’re going to win. That’s the main focus. So a win for me is more important. Also, I’m very blessed and excited to be in this situation I’m in. And I’m gonna make the best of it. We’ll see what happens; maybe I’ll come with the million dollars, maybe I don’t, they never know. Indy has been seen as, being a lot of wreck at the end, a lot of people taking out, so I don’t know.”
Ty Gibbs on whether he will pay attention to where Ty Dillon is running as they are the finalists for the in-season tournament. And Gibbs on having Chris Gabehart call the race and communicate with him on strategy. @NASCARONFOX pic.twitter.com/51WsUCz8ql
— Bob Pockrass (@bobpockrass) July 24, 2025
What is more, Ty Gibbs has support for him in this endeavor. Chris Gabehart slipped back into his pit road duties in Atlanta, orchestrating race strategy with the No. 54 crew chief, Tyler Allen, for Ty Gibbs. For Indy as well, Joe Gibbs’ competition director is assuming a similar role. Ty Gibbs continued, “I think it’s good for the whole team. I think we have someone on the young teams, so it’s good to have that. And it’s very, very important for me, and especially Tyler. So I’m very excited to see where he’s going. I think we’ve been running really good lately. So I’m happy, doing everything to help the team out, help me out. I’ll just grow and use all our resources.”
Clearly, Ty Gibbs is packing a stronger approach to NASCAR’s In-Season Tournament. The signs are already in place for his much-awaited win.
Gibbs is snuggling with the season leader
We could tell from Ty Gibbs’ comments that his true purpose is the Indianapolis victory. That approach not only snuffs out Ty Dillon’s million-dollar quest but also poses a great challenge to the Cup Series grid’s glittering stars. Since the beginning of 2025, Hendrick Motorsports driver Chase Elliott has been the epitome of consistency. He is the only driver in the series to have registered top-20 finishes in all events of the season. In fact, the last time that the No. 9 Chevrolet driver finished outside the top 20 was at the 2024 fall race in Las Vegas. In last weekend’s Monster Mile race, he led a race-high 238 laps. Combined with William Byron’s late-race wreck, Elliott swiftly toppled his teammate to occupy the first rank in championship standings.
Now, however, Chase Elliott has a solid contender. According to a recent stat published by NASCAR Insights, Elliott has maintained an average running position of 9.31 in the last five Cup races. But Ty Gibbs is close behind, averaging 9.71, even outpacing seasoned series veterans like Kyle Larson, Denny Hamlin, and Christopher Bell. This clearly shows the relentless drive of Joe Gibbs’ young star. He is really focusing on Chris Gabehart’s professed goal in Atlanta: “It’s taking all your resources that are available to you and trying to get the last car in the playoffs.”
Evidently, Ty Dillon will need to overcome a mammoth charge in Indy. We can only wait and see which of the Tys will prevail, although the signs are pointing at only one.
The post Joe Gibbs’ Grandson Shrugs Off Million-Dollar Hype With Bold Focus on ‘Bigger Prize’ in Brickyard 400 appeared first on EssentiallySports.