Ty Gibbs responds with excellent COTA run after tumultuous week

Ty Gibbs entered Sunday's NASCAR Cup Series race at Circuit of the Americas 33rd in the Cup Series standings, having heard former Joe Gibbs Racing competition director Chris Gabehart call him out in a lawsuit against JGR.

And despite the outside noise and the mounting pressure after a slow start to the 2026 season, Gibbs finished fourth on Sunday and won Stage 2, jumping to 17th in the standings and giving his No. 54 team a much-needed shot in the arm. 

"It was really great," Gibbs told Fox Sports. "Had a lot of fun. We passed a lot of cars, obviously. Tyler and the boys did a great job on the strategy. It was so much going on. It gets kind of hectic. I was up at the front at the end and just kept digging."

COTA result much-needed for Ty Gibbs

After a 2025 season where Gibbs missed the Cup Series playoffs, a good result on Sunday could be a huge momentum boost moving forward. The fourth-year driver is still looking for his first Cup Series win, and more runs like the one he had on Sunday will only aid him in that quest. 

Gibbs is now only three points out of the provisional Chase field with 23 races remaining in the regular season.