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Denny Hamlin Defends Winless Ty Gibbs With Bold Claim

Originally posted on RFKRacingDigest
By Chionia Libania Colaco | Last updated Apr 12, 2026 11:36 AM ET

Denny Hamlin’s teammate, Ty Gibbs has had a spectacular start to the season with five top-ten finishes in the last seven races. But, he is yet to win a race in his Cup Series career. Hamlin came to the youngster’s aid.

While talking to the press about his preparations for the upcoming race at the Bristol Motor Speedway, Hamlin seemed to be positive about the 23-year-old’s career.

“From my standpoint, he feels as locked in as ever,” the veteran said. “I think he’s just getting more confident with the amount of starts that he’s getting now. He’s understanding what he needs to feel when he comes back to these racetracks. I think the experience is finally catching up.”

.@dennyhamlin says to expect a normal Bristol race tomorrow and speaks on the maturity from teammate @TyGibbs. #NASCAR pic.twitter.com/KNjO3yCvXH
— Peter Stratta (@peterstratta) April 11, 2026

Ty Gibbs is the grandson of team owner Joe Gibbs, which brings another layer of scrutiny into why he hasn’t won a Cup Series race yet. He began his journey in the Cup Series in 2023, controversially replacing two-time champion Kyle Busch. But a win has always eluded him, even though he has had 131 starts now.

But the talent is there. Before Connor Zilisich, Ty Gibbs was the third-youngest winner of the O’Reilly Series. This year, he has an average Driver Rating of 88.6, which is the best number so far on a single-season basis. In Martinsville, Gibbs was rated an impressive 118.4.

It is only a matter of when for the 23-year-old.

Ty Gibbs still has a long way to go

Being winless after 131 starts has got to leave Gibbs antsy. But he’s not the only such racer in NASCAR history. Veteran and former racer Ricky Rudd won his first Cup Series win in 1983 when he was 26. It came after a whopping 161 races.

Kyle Petty and Alex Bowman were also that age when they won their first. Since then, their Cup Series wins stand at a total of 8 until now.

Ty Gibbs will soon find himself there. He has charted an impressive comeback this year after starting 33rd in the Driver’s Standings, with five consecutive Top-10 finishes. Maybe later in 2026, he will finally get to be on top of that podium.

This article first appeared on RFKRacingDigest and was syndicated with permission.

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