Jun. 25—When you have a famous last name, there is pressure to produce. There also are those who claim entitlement and discredit any success.
Ty Gibbs, however, has worked hard for everything he has achieved thus far in his racing career.
The 18-year-old grandson of Hall of Fame coach Joe Gibbs is pulling double duty this weekend at Pocono Raceway. He is driving in today’s ARCA Series General Tire #Anywhere
IsPossible 200 and is the defending race champion. He also is entered in the NASCAR Xfinity Series Pocono Green 225 on Sunday at noon and will start 14th in the No. 54 JGR Toyota.
“I really like Pocono because it’s three different corners, a completely different race track at each end of the track,” Gibbs said. “It’s really fun because it’s precise in how you drive it. You have to set the car up for three different corners. So it’s a really good drivers’ track with the bigger motor package. This week I feel like we’re going to have a good run. Last year we were really strong in the ARCA car, so we feel like we can come back and win and have a really good run in the Xfinity race too.”
In 34 career ARCA starts, Gibbs has 13 wins, including last year at Pocono when he led 65 of 80 laps.
This season, he has five victories in seven starts, including four in a row at Kansas, Toledo, Charlotte and Mid-Ohio. Four other drivers in ARCA history have won five straight races: Harold Smith in 1961; Jack Bowsher twice in 1965; Bruce Gould in 1973; and Tim Steele in 1997.
Gibbs trails Corey Heim by one point in the series championship standings after seven of 20 races. Heim has two victories: Daytona and Talladega.
Meanwhile, Gibbs is scheduled to run 15 Xfinity races this season. He won his first career start in the series on the Daytona road course in February, becoming the sixth driver to accomplish the feat. Dale Earnhardt, Joe Ruttman, Ricky Rudd, Terry Labonte and Kurt Busch are the others.
He also took the checkered flag at Charlotte and has six top-five finishes in seven starts.
“I just want to go out there and do the best I can. Just like we’ve done in the past seven races in the Xfinity car,” Gibbs said. “Keep hammering down and get the best finish we can. We’ve got two wins this year, which I’m very excited about and thankful about. To be in this position is amazing.”
Success, however, is not spoiling Gibbs. He said he tries to stay humble and never be cocky.
Deeply rooted in his faith, he reads the Bible frequently and simply tries to be a better person than he was the day before.
“There’s always improvement for every single thing I do in life,” Gibbs said. “That’s for all of us. You never can stop, you have to keep working at it. I keep pushing myself to the next level. I try to work as hard as I can during the week and just do everything I can to be prepared and make myself a better person.”
As for those individuals who say he is privileged because of his family, Gibbs said he pays no attention and doesn’t let it affect him. He said he spends a limited amount of time on social media.
“I’ve grown up around eight cousins, seven of them who are boys,” he said. “When you grow up in a competitive environment like that, you could care less about what anybody says. You just go out there and do the best you can, if it’s playing football or running around or whatever it is. I was raised in a household of wolves and it’s always a fighting way to live. I have to fight for what I do, it’s not just all handed to me like it looks. I work hard at it. There’s always going to be pros and cons and haters, but I don’t really care about it.”
On Thursday, Gibbs got his bid for a repeat win at Pocono off to a good start. During an open practice session at the track, he was fastest in 52.967 seconds at 169.917 mph.
Repeating won’t be easy, however. A different driver has gone to Victory Lane in the last 27 ARCA races at Pocono. Casey Mears was the last to go back-to-back when he swept both races in 2003.
Another talented teen driver, Sam Mayer, is also pulling double duty. He is competing in the ARCA race, then will make his Xfinity Series debut Sunday, one day after his 18th birthday.
Chandler Smith, Kris Wright and Jack Wood are competing in the ARCA race and the NASCAR Truck Series CRC Brakleen 150 at Pocono on Saturday.
Also, Pocono CEO Nick Igdalsky is driving the No. 12 Toyota for Fast Track Racing and team owner Andy Hillenburg in today’s ARCA race. The car will feature the logo of the Pocono Mountain Regional Police Foundation on the hood in an effort to raise awareness and funds for the foundation and surrounding police departments.
Practice for the General Tire #AnywhereIsPossible 200 is today at 2:15 p.m. Qualifying is at 4 p.m. with the race starting at 6 p.m.
It kicks off the NASCAR Cup Series doubleheader weekend at Pocono that includes the CRC Brakleen 150 Trucks race Saturday at noon, followed by the Cup Series Pocono Organics CBD 325 at 3 p.m. After the Pocono Green 225 Xfinity race Sunday, the Explore the Pocono Mountains 350 Cup race gets the green flag at 3:30 p.m.
Pocono Raceway is celebrating its 50th year of racing on its 2.5-mile triangular track.
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