NASCAR: 3 possible landing spots for Ty Gibbs in 2023
By Asher Fair
Ty Gibbs has emerged as one of the top NASCAR prospects not yet in the Cup Series. Where will he end up in the 2023 season?
Ty Gibbs made his NASCAR debut in the February 2021 Xfinity Series race at the Daytona International Speedway road course, and he found himself in victory lane after the checkered flag flew.
Driving the #54 Toyota for his grandfather’s team, Joe Gibbs Racing, he competed part-time throughout the 2021 Xfinity Series season. He went on to win three more races in 17 more starts, and he did so while running full-time in the ARCA Menards Series, where he won 10 races in 20 starts to secure the championship.
Had he been playoff eligible in the Xfinity Series, he would have been a title contender; he finished as the highest non-playoff driver in the standings despite competing in only 18 of 33 races.
In 2022, Gibbs leads the series with three wins and sits atop the provisional playoff picture, and there is already speculation about what his future holds. Where will he end up next year?
Ty Gibbs 2023 landing spots: No. 1 – Joe Gibbs Racing (#54 Toyota)
There are a limited number of Toyota seats in the NASCAR Cup Series, just six to be exact. So there is a very good chance that a promotion to the sport’s top level, while seemingly inevitable, may not come in 2023 for the grandson of Joe Gibbs, due to a lack of space — plus the fact that Joe has said the team’s goal for Ty is to run two full Xfinity Series seasons first.
There are four seats with Joe Gibbs Racing and two seats with the Joe Gibbs Racing-affiliated 23XI Racing, the team co-owned by Joe Gibbs Racing driver Denny Hamlin and NBA legend Michael Jordan. 23XI Racing expanded from one car to two following their first season in the series last year.
Should Gibbs not receive a Cup Series promotion in 2023, he is practically a lock to continue driving the #54 Toyota in the Xfinity Series for the third year overall and second as a full-time driver.