"I think he’s deserving" - Chase Elliott's father impressed with Ty Gibbs' NASCAR Cup Series debut

Ty Gibbs, driver of the #45 McDonald's Toyota, poses with Monster Energy models on the grid before the NASCAR Cup Series M&M's Fan Appreciation 400 at Pocono Raceway on July 24, 2022, in Long Pond, Pennsylvania (Photo by Tim Nwachukwu/Getty Images)
Ty Gibbs, driver of the #45 McDonald's Toyota, poses with Monster Energy models on the grid before the NASCAR Cup Series M&M's Fan Appreciation 400 at Pocono Raceway on July 24, 2022, in Long Pond, Pennsylvania (Photo by Tim Nwachukwu/Getty Images)

Ty Gibbs has caught the attention of several prominent Cup Series personalities, including Chase Elliott and his dad Bill Elliott. The NASCAR Cup Series had welcomed the 19-year-old during last weekend’s race at Pocono Raceway.

Gibbs made his Cup Series debut as a sub-driver sitting in for Kurt Busch, who was ruled out of the race due to a concussion. Busch has not yet been cleared, meaning Gibbs will be behind the wheel of the #45 Toyota TRD for 23XI Racing this weekend in Indianapolis.

Chase Elliott, who emerged as the Pocono race winner despite finishing third, was among the drivers impressed with Ty Gibbs’s performance at Pocono. Regarding the youngster's debut race, he claimed that Gibbs deserved the chance due to his good showing in the Xfinity Series. Elliott said:

“I think he’s deserving. I think he’s done a really good job on the Xfinity side.”

Elliott also confirmed his findings on Gibbs with his father, Bill Elliott, a NASCAR legend, having the same views as his son. According to the Hall of Famer, the 19-year-old driver was really smart on the tracks and raced a respectable race.

While airing his father’s views, Chase Elliott said:

“He told me (Gibbs) ran a really good race, he was really smart about his opportunity and ran a really respectable event.”

Before the race kicked off, Elliott had an opportunity to speak to Ty Gibbs, where he was taken back to his first Cup Series race, which didn’t take him that far, according to him. Elliott made his Cup debut in 2015 at Martinsville, and for sure, it was one of his worst races.

He qualified 27th in the qualifying race, but things got worse in the STP 500 after making contact with Brett Moffit, damaging his power steering, dropping to 37th place, and eventually scoring a 38th finish.


Chase Elliott confirmed that Indianapolis Motor Speedway is not one of his favorite tracks

Chase Elliott is one of his generation's best Cup drivers with one championship and 17 wins in his pocket.

Elliott is determined to take the notch higher to five wins this weekend. Last weekend, he added an uncelebrated win to his record. Elliott didn’t see the need to celebrate the win since he was not the actual winner and the win came after Denny Hamlin was disqualified from the winning position.

He recently confirmed that Indianapolis Motor Speedway is not one of his favorite tracks, but he’s working hard to ensure he performs better. Though it isn’t his favorite track, Elliot is well known for excellent performance on road course tracks, and Indianapolis is one of them.

Elliott hasn’t claimed any road course wins this season; this weekend might be his first road course win. He is currently at the top of the drivers’ standings with 787 points.

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