'%20x='0'%20y='0'%20height='100%25'%20width='100%25'%20%0A%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20xlink%3Ahref='data:image/jpg;base64,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'%3E%3C/image%3E%3C/svg%3E)
NASCAR driver Ty Gibbs recently made his debut in The Chili Bowl Midget Nationals at the Tulsa Expo Center in Tulsa, Oklahoma. Ahead of his first race, Gibbs noted that his experience driving a midget car felt somewhat familiar due to his prior experience in the NASCAR Cup Series.
Ty Gibbs, driving the No. 54 Toyota Camry XSE for Joe Gibbs Racing, competes full-time in the Cup Series. The grandson of team owner Joe Gibbs debuted in NASCAR's Xfinity Series at the 2021 Daytona Road Course. Over his four-year career, Gibbs has earned 12 Xfinity Series wins, including seven during his 2022 championship season.
Recently, the 22-year-old North Carolina native made his debut in the highly anticipated Chili Bowl Nationals. Ty Gibbs is of the notion that midget racing is 'pretty similar' to racing in the Cup Series. In an interview with FloRacing, the former Xfinity champion said:
Trending
"Yeah, it was really fun. Luckily I got to spend time getting ready for this race and having a little bit more time. It was just my second midget race and the last time I was done it was in Ventura[...] It seems like it's really fun, and I had a blast. I had so much fun. We didn't get that many laps but it's pretty similar to how the cup stuff is"
"So everything is short now but you just got to make the best of it. I had a lot of fun. I felt comfortable so just need to get faster and get better and always can be better. So I'm really having fun out here." Ty Gibbs added
Meanwhile, Gibbs secured a spot in the 2024 Cup Series playoffs despite securing just one win during the course of the season. His performances were consistent, however, his playoff journey ended after the Round of 16. JGR's #54 driver's best finish last season was crossing the finish line in P3 four times besides winning the NASCAR All-Star Open race.
Ty Gibbs thanks NASCAR superstars Kyle Larson and Christopher Bell in a candid interview ahead of his Chili Bowl debut
Ahead of his debut in the Chili Bowl Nationals, Ty Gibbs took a moment to thank his fellow Cup Series driver Kyle Larson and JGR teammate Christopher Bell. In the aforementioned interview, Gibbs outlined that Larson and Bell have both been 'really helpful' throughout his journey towards midget racing.
"I love racing. I'm a fan of it, but also being able to drive it, I'm very proud and happy to do that, so a lot of smiles, and Christopher's been really helpful to me, and Kyle's helped me out, too. So this has been, it's just so fun, and it's cool to see, you know, this world kind of welcoming me into it is really cool. I feel thankful for that, so I'm just having a fun time" Gibbs said [2:05 onwards]
Meanwhile, The Cup Series is set to return for the Daytona 500 on February 16 at 2:30 PM Easter time. However, before we start with the regular season, The Cup Series is scheduled to race at the historical Bowman Gray Stadium for the first time after 1971 for the pre-season clash.
The Cook Out Clash is scheduled for February 2 at 8:00 PM Eastern time. Catch the action live on FOX, Motor Racing Network, and SiriusXM.
