3 Xfinity drivers poised to breakout in 2023 NASCAR Cup Series
Ty Gibbs
Even though he is only 20 years old, Gibbs is probably the most popular name on this list, and has a lot of expectations on him not only for his first season in the Cup Series, but throughout the rest of his NASCAR career. However, if the previous few years are any indication, he seems more than equipped to succeed. An ARCA Menards Series champion in 2021, Gibbs made his Xfinity Series debut the same year, winning the first race he ever competed in at the Daytona Road Course – one of just six drivers ever to accomplish this feat. He would go on to win at Charlotte, Watkins Glen and Kansas as well despite a part-time role in his first season. Moving to full-time in 2022, Gibbs dominated the Xfinity Series along with Allmendinger and Gragson, earning seven first-place finishes while becoming the series champion.
In 2022, Gibbs also saw action in the Cup Series as he filled in for Kurt Busch throughout the second half of the season as he suffered through concussion-like symptoms. There, he saw mixed results, with a 10th-place finish being his best which came at Michigan in August. The end of the season also brought about some adversity for Gibbs as he was fined $75,000 and docked 25 points after slamming into Ty Dillon’s car on pit road, nearly sending the car into another pit crew. Not long after as the season came to a close, Gibbs’ father, Coy, heartbreakingly passed away.
Ty seems poised to leave his mistakes in the past while driving in memory of his late father in his first full-time Cup Series action in 2023. The grandson of NASCAR and NFL icon Joe Gibbs, Ty will take over the spot formerly held by Kyle Busch with Joe Gibbs Racing (JGR). The move had seemed likely for some time before it was officially announced in mid-November after Busch had departed for RCR. Ty will continue to drive the No. 54 Monster Energy Toyota that he has made famous in the Xfinity Series while working with NXS crew chief Chris Gayle. Although Ty was nothing special while in the Cup Series last year, he has an ideal setup going into 2023 with JGR, and has quickly excelled at every level of racing he has competed in throughout his career. He is a favorite for rookie of the year, and seeing his name in the top five of the leaderboard, and maybe just at the top a few times, seems like a realistic possibility.
