Ty Gibbs finishes third in Phoenix

AVONDALE, Ariz. – At one point, Ty Gibbs looked to be a serious contender for the win in Phoenix Sunday, but a couple bad breaks for the No.54 team resulted in a third-place finish. 

Gibbs started on the front row in second place beside his teammate Denny Hamlin on the pole. He would have won the first stage, but had to settle for second when Tyler Reddick passed him for the lead with two laps to go in the stage. 

“I felt really good early in the run but just in that middle section we just struggled really bad,” Gibbs said. “We got it figured out, made had a great strategy call by my crew chief so we just gotta get a little bit better but I think we know where we need to get a little bit better at.” 

It’s the second straight Top-5 finish for Gibbs and his third straight top-10. Toyota and their new body has brought a ton of speed to begin 2024. 

“I think everybody at JGR and Toyota, with this new car, they just did a great job,” Gibbs said. “We’re happy with it but I need to get a little bit better and we’ll hopefully go win.” 

Gibbs had one of the best cars in Las Vegas last week, a sign of a possible trip to Victory Lane for the No.54 team in the near future. 

He won the NASCAR Xfinity Series title in Phoenix back in 2022, and another solid run in Phoenix could give the 21-year-old driver the knowledge he needs to possibly bring home the title later this season if he can find his way into the Championship Four. 

As for the short track package, Gibbs didn’t feel much improvement. 

“It’s just really hard to drive in dirty air,” Gibbs said. “Especially this track and the nature of this car. I really don’t feel like it was a big difference the way the diffuser change was.” 

Gibbs and the speedy Toyota’s now head to Bristol Motor Speedway for the Food City 500, with the green flag set to fly at 3:30 P.M. ET.