Ty Gibbs prepares to qualify his No. 54 car ahead of the NASCAR Cup Series race at Las Vegas Motor Speedway. (Photo: Erik Smith | The Podium Finish)
AVONDALE, Ariz. — Ty Gibbs led 57 laps and bounced back from an early issue on pit road to finish third at Phoenix Raceway, recording his best NASCAR Cup Series result in 55 tries.
Starting the Shriners Children’s 500 in second, Gibbs powered past teammate Denny Hamlin on the initial start and jumped ahead. With four laps remaining in the opening stage, 23XI Racing driver and Toyota teammate Tyler Reddick got by the 21-year-old to win Stage 1.
Gibbs continued to hang in the mix during Stage 2 before disaster struck on pit road. Stopping on Lap 117 for green flag service, the No. 54 Joe Gibbs Racing machine had an issue on the right rear, resulting in a 17-second stop. The Charlotte, North Carolina, native fell out of the top 1o and failed to earn points in the second stage.
But through attrition, Gibbs quickly returned to the mix. Stage 3 opened with three consecutive cautions, all incidents stemming out of Turns 1 and 2.
During the final caution, which came from a Denny Hamlin spin, all but nine lead lap drivers came to pit road. The wave of pitters included Gibbs, who took two tires and exited first. As the drivers without tires faded, Gibbs began to rise toward the top. He got up to second, but ultimately couldn’t hold off teammate Christopher Bell.
With 51 laps to go, Bell got past Gibbs and took the lead 10 circuits later after fellow JGR driver Martin Truex Jr. pitted. Bell went on to win his seventh Cup Series race while Gibbs held onto third, sandwiched between the two RFK Racing entries.
LAS VEGAS, NV – March 3, 2024 – Pennzoil 400 NASCAR Cup Series Race at Las Vegas Motor Speedway. (Photo by Myk Crawford)
“It was a good day for our Monster Energy Toyota Camry,” Gibbs said after the race. “We just need a little bit more. We got in a hole there a little bit on pit road and got back through it. It was a good day and a really good recovery.
“I think everybody at JGR and Toyota with this new car, they just did a great job. We’re happy with it, but we need to get a little bit better to go out here and hopefully go and win. It’s definitely a positive from the last two Phoenix races for me.”
Gibbs, who won the Xfinity Series title at Phoenix in 2022, recorded his best Cup result after two prior finishes outside the top 20.
Through four races this season, Gibbs sits fifth in points as he looks to make the playoffs in his sophomore campaign. His worst finish of the season came in the Daytona 500 when he finished 17th. Otherwise, it’s a string of three consecutive top 10s and two consecutive top fives to open 2024.
Next up is Bristol Motor Speedway, where in two starts on the concrete configuration, Gibbs has a DNF and a top five. The latter came in the fall race last year when he led 102 laps.
The Food City 500 is set for Sunday, March 17 at 3:30 p.m. ET on FOX, PRN and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio. Bell won last year’s spring race at The Last Great Colosseum, which was run on dirt.
