NASCAR: The ‘elephant in the room’ is still missing one key detail

While it is practically a foregone conclusion that Ty Gibbs is set to join Joe Gibbs Racing full-time for the 2022 NASCAR Xfinity Series season, there is one key detail that remains unknown.

Joe Gibbs Racing have not yet confirmed it, but like it has for months, it has seemed to be only a matter of time before Ty Gibbs, the grandson of team owner Joe Gibbs, is confirmed as a full-time driver for the 2022 NASCAR Xfinity Series season.

The team’s only driver confirmation for next year is that Brandon Jones is set to return for a fifth season behind the wheel of the #19 Toyota. They have also announced that they will run three cars, not four like they did in 2020 and 2021.

As for Ty Gibbs, he ran part-time for his grandfather’s team in their “star car”, the #54 Toyota. He won in his series debut at the Daytona International Speedway road course, and he earned three more victories throughout the season.

After just 18 starts throughout the 33-race season, he earned Rookie of the Year honors as the highest finishing non-playoff driver in the standings. Had he been eligible for the playoffs, he would have made it easily and been a championship contender.

He also competed full-time in the ARCA Menards Series and won the championship with 10 wins in 20 races. Additionally, he went four for four in ARCA Menards Series East and two for two in ARCA Menards Series West.

Despite the fact that there has been no formal confirmation from the team regarding Gibbs as a full-time driver for next year, it has already been confirmed that Interstate Batteries will serve as the primary sponsor for his car for three races in 2022.

But there is still one key detail that we don’t know about Gibbs joining Joe Gibbs Racing as a full-time driver.

And that is his car number.

Daniel Hemric drove the #18 Toyota this past season, but he is set to drive the #11 Chevrolet for Kaulig Racing as the replacement for the Cup Series-bound Justin Haley.

Harrison Burton, who drove the #20 Toyota, is set to join the Cup Series as the replacement for Matt DiBenedetto behind the wheel of the #21 Ford for Wood Brothers Racing.

So either one of those two numbers is an option, and so is the number 54. All three of these numbers have been used as “star car” numbers by the team in the past, and while the numbers 18 and 20 have been run by full-time drivers, it’s entirely possible that Gibbs stays in the #54 Toyota but in a full-time capacity next year in an attempt to continue the success he had in his rookie season.

Likewise, the “star car” could use any one of these three numbers next year as well.

Now we simply have to wait for official confirmation from the team.