Randy Sartin-Imagn Images

Proud Grandfather Joe Gibbs Reflects On Ty’s Bristol Breakthrough

Originally posted on RFKRacingDigest
By Chionia Libania Colaco | Last updated Apr 16, 2026 9:55 AM ET

After three long years, Ty Gibbs had his breakthrough win at Bristol. Joe Gibbs, the owner of Joe Gibbs Racing and Ty’s grandfather, couldn’t be happier.

The JGR boss recently made an appearance on the SiriusXM NASCAR Radio show where he reflected on his grandson’s victory.

“ The best way for me to describe it is , anybody who has a kid, grandkid, or great great grandkid….whether it’s a piano recital, artwork or something like sports, it’s just so much fun to see them because you know it took a lot for them to really get that done,” he said. “And so we all have a sense of pride.”

“It was a big night for us, so I hope that came across”.

Leading up to Bristol, the young driver was surrounded by a lot of noise around his failure to register a win after 130 races. But Ty Gibbs braved it all.

"It was a big night for us, so I hope that came across that way."@CoachJoeGibbs on the victory celebration after his grandson @TyGibbs' first career NASCAR Cup Series win.

More https://t.co/WGRTG5gnEd pic.twitter.com/ECK7wge5Qe
— SiriusXM NASCAR Radio (Ch. 90) (@SiriusXMNASCAR) April 15, 2026

It was an emotional win for the Gibbs family. Ty’s father, and veteran NASCAR driver, Coy Gibbs, passed away just hours after the former won the Xfinity Series Championship in Phoenix in 2022. That was the last race Ty had won, until Bristol this year.

“I’d love for my father to have seen this,” Ty Gibbs said after the race. “I knew he knew it was going to happen and expected it as well.”

It was great racing from Ty Gibbs from start to finish. He took a strategic gamble to not pit and stay out, which gave him the chance to take the lead of the race. Ryan Blaney had the fastest car towards the end of the race and was catching Ty, but ran out of laps. Gibbs won the race with a 0.055 sec margin, the closest ever at Bristol since 1991.

Joe Gibbs will also feel redeemed after seeing his grandson win.

Joe Gibbs’ Gamble Pays Off

For the JGR team boss, the risky move he made with Ty Gibbs has finally paid off. Joe signed Ty in 2023 with a multiyear contract. However, things started to boil over last season after his grandson suffered a season slump and finished the season in 19th place.

The criticism of retaining the #54 Camry Toyota began immediately. The fans started questioning and pointing out the inconsistencies. Things took a turn for the worse when Ty Gibbs broke the record of most race starts without a win, a record once held by Kyle Busch and J.J Yeley at JGR.

However, this year paints a different picture for the grandfather-grandson duo as Ty accumulated 6 back-to-back top-six finishes this season. In the past few races Ty Gibbs has also put up exceptionally good performances. Entering Bristol, he seemed like a driver best-suited for the win.

This sure is one special win for the Gibbs family.