Joe Gibbs Racing announced that Ty Gibbs will contend for the 2021 ARCA Menards Series championship as he will also make his inaugural presence in the NASCAR Xfinity Series.
Gibbs, the 18-year-old grandson of NASCAR championship-winning team owner Joe Gibbs and a native from Charlotte, North Carolina, will be assuming a full-time driving role in the No. 18 Toyota Camry for JGR as he will contend for the 2021 ARCA Menards Series championship.
Throughout the 2020 season, Gibbs recorded a season-high six ARCA Menards Series victories and one ARCA Menards Series East victory. In 16 of 20 ARCA Menards Series starts, Gibbs also recorded five poles, 12 top-five results, 14 top-10 results, 969 laps led and an average result of 4.4 as he contributed to the first ARCA Menards Series Owner’s Championship for Joe Gibbs Racing.
“We want to build on the success that our team had last season,” Mark McFarland, crew chief of JGR’s ARCA program, said. “Ty works extremely hard to prepare each week, and it’s exciting to have him behind the wheel for every race and the opportunity to go after our goal of winning that championship.
Along with his ARCA schedule, Gibbs will make his debut within NASCAR’s top three national touring series in 2021 as he will pilot the No. 54 Toyota Supra in the Xfinity Series event at the Daytona International Speedway Road Course on Saturday, February 20. Gibbs will serve as one of multiple competitors driving the No. 54 car throughout the 2020 Xfinity season, with Kyle Busch, Denny Hamlin and Martin Truex Jr. also slated to compete in at least one event while Chris Gayle will serve as the crew chief of the No. 54 team. The current schedule has Gibbs eligible to contend for the 2021 Xfinity Series Rookie of the Year title.
“I’m pumped to run the full season in the ARCA Menards Series,” Ty Gibbs said. “[Crew Chief] Mark [McFarland] has put together an amazing team that gives me a chance to be successful every week. I’m also really excited to have the opportunity to work with [crew chief] Chris Gayle to make my debut in the Xfinity Series. I can’t imagine a better situation for me to learn and be able to compare notes, not only with my series teammates like Brandon [Jones], Harrison [Burton] and Daniel [Hemric], but also veterans like Kyle, Denny and Martin who I will share the car with.”
“I’m looking forward to the upcoming season,” Chris Gayle added. “Ty has already shown a great deal of talent with each step he has taken in his career and I think the opportunity to also learn from his veteran teammates will be a huge benefit to his development.”
Additional announcements regarding the full Xfinity Series schedule for Gibbs and Joe Gibbs Racing’s No. 54 Toyota team will be announced at a later date.
