Ty Gibbs delivers insightful message on NASCAR offseason prep after JGR's 2024 second-half decline

Joe Gibbs Racing (JGR) driver Ty Gibbs is ready to kick off the 2025 NASCAR Cup Series season with his new crew chief Tyler Allen as the season is just a week away. Gibbs recently described how he prepared with his new crew chief during the three-month offseason following JGR’s disappointing performance in the latter half of the 2024 season.

Allen, who led JGR’s #20 Xfinity Series team to multiple victories last year, was named the new crew chief for Gibbs’ #54 Cup Series team for the 2025 season. Allen was a member of the JGR team that won the Cup championship with Kyle Busch in 2019.

Speaking to FOX Sports’ Bob Pockrass ahead of the 2025 season, the #54 driver has expressed his excitement to work with Allen, with whom he has spent enough time to understand his personality and work ethic. When asked about how he spent time with the new crew chief in the offseason, here’s what Gibbs said:

“I spent a little bit of time with him. I've raced with him. I raced with him like twice last year, or once last year or so. But I've been around him enough to know how he is and I'm excited to work with him. I think he's a really good guy. I think he works really hard and is really laid back. And my engineers, they're all kind of like that too. So I think it's just a nice kind of environment.”

Chris Gayle, who previously served as Gibbs’ crew chief, will now pair up with Denny Hamlin in the #11 team this season.

In the 2024 postseason, all four JGR drivers’ —Denny Hamlin, Christopher Bell, Martin Truex Jr., and Ty Gibbs—were not able to win a single race, and that cost JGR a ticket to the season finale at Phoenix.

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Ty Gibbs reflects back on the frustrating lack of a win in the 2024 season

In the aforementioned interview, Ty Gibbs admitted that he was frustrated about not running well at the end of last year. He finished outside the top 30 in the last five races in 2024. However, rather than dwelling on disappointment, the Charlotte, North Carolina, native is looking for an improvement in the upcoming season.

“I was frustrated. Of course, we weren't running good. I mean, I'm not going to be happy about that. But I think that hopefully we can all improve and I can improve and be better. But the goal is just the same. To go to the racetrack to win. It's always been the same,” Gibbs said.

When asked about what he felt was different about JGR’s 2024 second half versus the first half, here’s what Gibbs said:

“Towards the end of the year, we definitely lost something. But I don't think we lost anything. I think people just got better. But that's just the reality of the sport.”

Catch Ty Gibbs and his JGR teammates in action at Daytona International Speedway on February 16.