Ty Gibbs finally became a Cup Series winner Sunday at NASCAR’s toughest short track.
The Joe Gibbs Racing driver stayed out in his No. 54 Toyota for track position, then won his first career Cup race by nipping Ryan Blaney in overtime at Bristol Motor Speedway, taking the Food City 500 in Bristol, Tenn.
In the series’ eighth race, Gibbs’ small lead evaporated when Riley Herbst created the ninth caution with four laps left to force the green-white-checkers overtime.
Gibbs restarted in the preferred high line and denied Blaney’s No. 12 Ford by 0.055 seconds to win at the Cup level for the first time in 131 career starts, becoming the most recent driver to claim his first career checkers at Bristol since Kurt Busch in 2002 for Roush Racing.
In his fifth season, the 23-year-old driver immediately thought of his late father, Coy, who passed away at 49 in 2002. He later gave his mother, Heather, the checkered flag.
“I’d love for my father to have seen this, but I know he knew it was going to happen and expected it as well,” said Ty Gibbs, who was stellar with 12 victories in 66 starts in the O’Reilly Auto Parts Series. “What a great day.”
Added team owner Joe Gibbs, Ty’s grandfather and Coy’s father: “This is one of my best experiences. … I know Coy is probably watching.”
Without a win at Bristol, Blaney was dominant in the latter half of the race but slipped up in the low groove before the late caution and could not get the run he needed in overtime.
“Fun day. Just wish we could’ve made it happen,” said the 2023 champ, who led 190 laps, second only to Kyle Larson’s 284.
Larson, points leader Tyler Reddick and Chase Briscoe completed the top five.
Toyota won for the fourth time in the past six races at Thunder Valley.
Ross Chastain made the first bold move, moving from sixth to second on the first lap, while Gibbs fell back. But by Lap 60, Christopher Bell had worked his way to third, up 11 spots, in his No. 20 Toyota as pole winner Blaney pulled away from the 37-car field.
Larson took the point after the first pit stops, but stablemate William Byron fell two laps down and dropped to 36th late in Stage 1. Larson and Bell, who combined to win the Bristol races last season, ended 1-2, respectively, in the 125-lap segment with Blaney, Briscoe and Josh Berry behind them.
Like Reddick earlier, Bell was caught speeding on pit road and fell back to 26th. The No. 20 Toyota soon lost control, struck the wall off Turn 2 and spun on the backstretch.
Larson’s No. 5 paced the way as Stage 2 neared its end, but Blaney’s No. 12 Ford moved to within a half-second. The two-time title winner repeated with another stage win, and Blaney, Denny Hamlin, Carson Hocevar and Briscoe were top five.
The cars were bunched up with just under 190 laps left when Herbst turned Kyle Busch, and Larson led Gibbs, Hamlin and Blaney following pit work.
Blaney moved his Ford to the point on Lap 363 after contact with Larson as drivers raced the concrete half-mile track’s low or high groove and flirted with the notion of making it without another stop.
–Field Level Media
