The way last year went for Shane van Gisbergen, it seemed like 2026 would’ve seen an even more brutal road course domination by the Kiwi. But instead, new competitors are emerging for him this season. And one NASCAR broadcaster just added Ty Gibbs to that list.
On this week’s Happy Hour podcast, Mamba Smith discussed Gibbs’ growth in the sport with Kaitlyn Vincie and Joey Logano. Gibbs had a wonderful outing at Sonoma, finishing third after starting from pole.
“Ty Gibbs, he’s now 23. He’s lived some life. Obviously, he had a lot of life things being thrown at him, but he’s starting to build onto those things. He’s a man now and has figured out circle and what he needs around him, and I think he’s started to become a leader of his group. And I think that matters a lot,” Smith said.
Gibbs’ 2026 backs Smith’s words. After four years, Gibbs finally won his elusive Cup Series victory at Bristol, while securing 11 top-10s and seven top-5s already. He’s clearly driving his best season so far.
Even his crew chief, Tyler Allen, praised him after the Martinsville race (where he enjoyed his fifth consecutive top-5 finish), as he said, “I think Ty has shown a lot of maturity, a lot of growth, taking care of tires and just being there at the end.”
And it’s not just this. Seeing the way he drove at Sonoma, Smith made a big claim on his road course skill and feels his confidence directly compares him to the road course king himself.
“I think he has the confidence, I think he truly believes he can go toe-to-toe with SVG at these road courses.
“I think he’s one of the only guys that thinks like when he goes like, ‘I think I can win.’ He’s run with him like he’s ran like really really close,” Smith said on the podcast.