Joe Gibbs Racing Officially Adds Ty Gibbs To Nascar Cup Series Lineup In 2023

Ty Gibbs, grandson of Pro Football Hall of Famer and Nascar Hall of Famer Joe Gibbs, will officially compete in the Nascar Cup Series in 2023, replacing two-time Cup champion Kyle Busch.

Gibbs will drive the No. 54 Toyota Camry beginning in 2023, the same number he raced with in the Xfinity Series in 2022. JGR said it will eventually bring the No. 18 back to Cup competition, but this will be the first time the team will not use its original number, which it debuted in 1992.

The 20-year-old Gibbs won seven races en route to the Xfinity Series championship this year.

However, just hours after Gibbs’ triumph, his father Coy Gibbs died in his sleep at the age of 49. The younger Gibbs did not compete in the Cup Series season finale on the same day as his father’s death.

Gibbs has not made any public comments since his father’s death on Nov. 6, 2022. Joe Gibbs Racing said he will speak to media as part of the Nascar Awards Banquet, held in Nashville, on Dec. 1.

Chris Gayle, who was Gibbs’ Xfinity Series crew chief in 2022, will make his return to the Cup Series with Gibbs in 2023. Gayle has four years of experience as a Cup Series crew chief, winning two races with Erik Jones.

Gibbs had a controversial end to the 2022 Xfinity Series season. In the penultimate race of the year, he wrecked teammate Brandon Jones while battling for the lead late in the going at Martinsville Speedway. If Jones, who announced he’s departing JGR for JR Motorsports in 2023, won the race, he would have given JGR two cars in the Championship 4 since Gibbs locked in on points.

Fans booed Gibbs when he celebrated the win, his sixth of the year. His peers also criticized his actions on social media.

The week prior to the championship battle, Gibbs’ rival Noah Gragson, publicly critcized the Toyota driver. At one point, he purposefully called the team “Ty Gibbs Racing.”

Nonetheless, the two had a clean battle in the Championship 4 event at Phoenix.

“I know what I did last week was unacceptable, and I apologize once again,” Gibbs said after the win. “It was unacceptable because we could have had two shots to win this deal, and it was stupid from an organization standpoint. I will sit here and tell you I’m sorry as much as I can, but it is not going to fix it. I’ve got to fix my actions.”

Gibbs also had a physical altercation earlier in the year with Gragson’s JR Motorsports teammate Sam Meyer.

The issues with Gibbs’ peers, however, did not impact his opportunities. When Kurt Busch had to miss the event at Pocono Raceway due to a concussion, Gibbs was given the call to take over the No. 45 car, co-owned by Denny Hamlin and Michael Jordan.

Gibbs evidently spent the remainder of the 2022 season competing in both the Cup Series and Xfinity Series, as Busch was unable to return and announced he was retiring from full-time competition.

The rookie driver earned a top-10 finish at Michigan Speedway in his third Cup start. However, he did not earn another top 10 in the remaining races. The experience, though, was enough to give JGR officials a chance to see what he is capable of in the sport’s top level.

Gibbs was the obvious choice to replace Busch after the team failed to find a replacement sponsor for Mars Wrigley. Gibbs’ 2023 sponsors have not been announced.