THE MODERATOR: We are now joined by the first-time winner in the NASCAR Cup Series, Ty Gibbs. How does that sound to you?<\/p>\n
TY GIBBS: Feels good. Thank you.<\/p>\n
THE MODERATOR: We\u2019ll start with questions.<\/p>\n
Q. All the distractions, noise for the last six months, last few years, what do you think about all of that?<\/p>\n
TY GIBBS: I truly have a passion and love for racing. People can say what they want, can say false things. I don\u2019t really have an issue with it. I\u2019m not big on social media. I just love racing cars. In a blessed position to do this. Just try to maximize my resources. I really love it.<\/p>\n
It overcomes that. Yeah, it\u2019s an honor to be part of the 54 group, especially at Joe Gibbs Racing. It\u2019s super cool.<\/p>\n
Q. What would you say to your detractors right now?<\/p>\n
TY GIBBS: I don\u2019t know. I don\u2019t care. My distractors?<\/p>\n
Q. Detractors.<\/p>\n
TY GIBBS: What does that mean?<\/p>\n
Q. (No microphone.)<\/p>\n
TY GIBBS: I don\u2019t know. I don\u2019t care. Something else to focus on, I guess. I guess today they\u2019re going to have to focus on something else.<\/p>\n
New word I learned (smiling).<\/p>\n
Q. Tyler said when he was in here that you guys had a conversation in the off-season and that one of the focuses was that you wanted to have fun. Having a fun, loose Ty Gibbs is a fast Ty Gibbs. Why were you unable or not having fun before?<\/p>\n
TY GIBBS: I mean, I\u2019ve always had fun. I think that\u2019s taken out of turn.<\/p>\n
I think I truly enjoy the position I\u2019m in, obviously being around such great group of people is so much fun. These guys love racing as much as I do, or even more, and I know I love it a lot. Having that is super important.<\/p>\n
Having a great group of guys, building off of what we had last year, getting better and better from half the season on, keep improving our notebook is really important.<\/p>\n
Fortunately have been really fast in Bristol in the past. Haven\u2019t won, but have been close. To win here, especially my first win is super cool.<\/p>\n
Q. Is this validation at all for you as a driver?<\/p>\n
TY GIBBS: No. One win doesn\u2019t change my career not one bit. I knew I was capable of it. My team, obviously I know they\u2019re capable of it.<\/p>\n
Yeah, doesn\u2019t mean anything. I could win the next five or just win this one and be done for a long time. It doesn\u2019t mean anything.<\/p>\n
I feel like I knew I was capable of doing it. It\u2019s obviously about putting it together. We\u2019ve had great runs in the past. People are going to hammer me on my position I\u2019m in. That\u2019s fair. I don\u2019t really care. Just keep working hard. I really love racing, so it\u2019s fun.<\/p>\n
Q. Does it mean anything to hold off two former Cup champions in the end?<\/p>\n
TY GIBBS: It\u2019s super cool. Ryan and Kyle, I have a ton of respect for them. To be able to race them is awesome. Honestly, I was just happy that the race was sick at the end and we were all sliding around and racing for the win. I think that was super cool. Hopefully it put on a great show for the fans.<\/p>\n
Super cool. I\u2019ve watched those guys a lot of my life in NASCAR. To race with them is awesome, it\u2019s an honor.<\/p>\n
Q. I talked to Kyle Larson about this earlier. I want your perspective. Older tires over time, how did you know it was going to stick on the outside line?<\/p>\n
TY GIBBS: Well, I watched Reddick bomb it up top and almost passed me. I made sure I had to get up there next time. Obviously we had another restart. I just stuck it up top and hammered down from there. He had hammered the top and had a lot of grip still, which is surprising because it didn\u2019t look like it at all. I just stuck the top and hammered down from there.<\/p>\n
Q. Yesterday during media availability in here you said for Bristol had you to hammer the hell out of it. You did that on the last restart. How did you hold off those two guys and how hard are you hammering it?<\/p>\n
TY GIBBS: I had old tires, so I couldn\u2019t hammer it too hard. I had to keep myself within the grip and the reason.<\/p>\n
Yeah, it was cool. Obviously started off really weird. Once the top got rubbered in, you could make speed up top. The middle was always slick.<\/p>\n
The bottom is really rubbered up. I was really slick. If you hit the yellow line, you wouldn\u2019t make the corner, especially in three and four. Having to be really consistent, almost like a robot to compete with Kyle and Ryan. Fortunately just was a great day. Car was really good and I could do that.<\/p>\n
Q. Over the last couple of years I feel like in a lot of ways you\u2019ve been reserved publicly, insulated yourself. Why is that? Does winning, does it make you more willing to want to be part of a larger part of the discourse in the NASCAR community?<\/p>\n
TY GIBBS: I mean, yeah, I feel like I could be a lot bigger in the community than what I am. I just enjoy privacy. I don\u2019t really want to show off a lot, too.<\/p>\n
I just enjoy training on my bike with Justin Braden and Johnny O\u2019Mara, getting strong, working hard during the week. I\u2019m not to here be a moving billboard. I don\u2019t really care. I don\u2019t have any social media on my phone at the moment. I just really enjoy racing and focusing on my myself.<\/p>\n
Q. Mental health is probably better that way.<\/p>\n
TY GIBBS: I don\u2019t really care what half the people are doing. Not just this week, any week. It\u2019s not going to make me better. That\u2019s the way I look at it.<\/p>\n
Q. The situation line of scrimmage year with you and Tyler, Chris as part of that briefly, that\u2019s the sort of dynamic that if it goes a certain way, it could drive a wedge or create tension or questions, lack of faith or conviction. That didn\u2019t happen with you guys. How did you and Tyler continue to stay on the same page? Was that fractured at all? How relieving is it to go through all of that together and land year?<\/p>\n
TY GIBBS: Yeah, me and Tyler knew the whole way it\u2019s going to end up where we\u2019re at now. I think we both had the same mindset on it. Tyler is a very mentally strong crew chief. To have him as my guy, it means a lot to me.<\/p>\n
He has my back. I have his back. We\u2019re both young guys chasing it. So we stuck it through. People could doubt us as much as they want. Until we can get in the spot to do it, we hammered down and won. It\u2019s super sick.<\/p>\n
I wouldn\u2019t be here if it wasn\u2019t for Tyler. Tyler is the best person I could work with. A lot of other people, obviously, too. I wouldn\u2019t be here in it wasn\u2019t for my team.<\/p>\n
Q. Being up in Victory Lane, it was like a total family affair. What does it mean to have the support? You\u2019re a really tight-knit family. Seems like the last few years have brought you closer.<\/p>\n
TY GIBBS: Yeah, for sure. It\u2019s just an honor to win with my family. I\u2019ve watched a lot of my team guys do it over the years. I think it\u2019s so cool.<\/p>\n
To be able to do it finally is awesome. I obviously think we knew it was going to come soon. We\u2019ve been running so strong. For it to happen at Bristol is super cool. It\u2019s an honor.<\/p>\n
So yeah, super proud to have my family here. Obviously family business is pretty difficult times. I feel like it\u2019s always been a lot of fun. Keep working hard. I\u2019m around great people, not just my family. Those people work really hard. I don\u2019t think people realize that we all have shipping companies and stuff to pay for our team. Those guys chase sponsors in a legit way. I don\u2019t think anybody at the top level does it like JGR does. I think it\u2019s a lot of credit towards them.<\/p>\n
I\u2019m not saying it\u2019s a different thing to do that, but those guys work really hard for what we have. It\u2019s super cool to be a part of it. Maximizing my resources is awesome.<\/p>\n
Q. (No microphone.)<\/p>\n
TY GIBBS: Yeah, I mean, I think coach started with two million bucks is what he always said. I think it\u2019s worth a lot more than that now. I think that was a great investment for him. Going to the shop early, before 6 a.m., after 7 p.m., they\u2019re always there. I think that shows. I don\u2019t think a lot of owners are doing that nowadays.<\/p>\n
Yeah, they\u2019re after it. Coach is after it. My mother is after it. My cousins are after it. We\u2019re all chasing one goal: winning.<\/p>\n
Q. Did you have to learn how to have fun doing this again? Obviously the Cup level is so hard. Did you have to learn how to have fun doing this again?<\/p>\n
TY GIBBS: No, I\u2019ve always enjoyed racing. Obviously I think having the right people around you, it means a lot. It makes a big difference.<\/p>\n
I think that. Obviously just getting experience. I mean, getting your ass kicked kind of sucks. I don\u2019t think a lot of people, maybe if they put a face, come and be all butterflies. It kind of sucks sometimes. But I really love it. If I didn\u2019t love it, I wouldn\u2019t be doing it, maybe doing something else. I just truthfully love it. Keep staying after it.<\/p>\n
Q. What do you feel like has been the most rewarding part of this journey so far?<\/p>\n
TY GIBBS: I mean, just building my character, learning from great people in my life. Being able to be around great role models my whole life. Obviously kind of watching a team establish itself, as the 54 team is a new group, especially at JGR, a lot of those guys have been together for a long time. We all respect that. To be able to add another team is super cool.<\/p>\n
I think that\u2019s the most rewarding part. The rewarding part is also working with a bunch of great guys every single week that want to win as much or more than I do. I think that\u2019s really important.<\/p>\n
Q. You mentioned earlier you\u2019ve had some strong runs here at Bristol. Now you get that first win. How special is it to win here at Bristol in particular?<\/p>\n
TY GIBBS: Yeah, I mean, I remember coming here watching Kyle Busch and all these guys race when I was younger, watching them win multiple times here.<\/p>\n
Being super young, watching that, I think as I get in my racing career, it\u2019s super important. I always wanted to win here. To be able to have my first win be at Bristol, is so honorable for me. Such a great racetrack. We\u2019ve had so much success here. To be able to add my name to it is super cool.<\/p>\n
Obviously could have happened anywhere else. We are close to Darlington as well. That\u2019s great place as well. To have it happen here is super meaningful. We\u2019re close to home. I remember coming here watching races on Sunday or Saturday night and going back to school on Monday at Charlotte Prep, I remember going back and being so stoked in fourth grade that we won, Kyle won.<\/p>\n
To be able to win here is awesome. Watching everybody in here obviously in review, everybody that\u2019s won, to be in this position, it\u2019s super cool. It\u2019s surreal.<\/p>\n
Q. I\u2019ve been around a long time, so I\u2019ve interviewed a lot of first-time Cup winners. You are confident in your talent. One thing I remember most of them saying is, I know feel like I belong. When you walk into the garage, when someone asks you a question in a media scrum, you knew you belonged here. Do you think there\u2019s any sense of you feeling that? Drivers were up in Victory Lane, a number of drivers, saying \u201cgood job.\u201d Do you feel like the first win in the Cup Series is like, I\u2019m one of them now?<\/p>\n
TY GIBBS: No, not necessarily. I mean, I don\u2019t think one win\u2019s going to change my life or my career. I mean, I have a great life after this. You know what I mean? One win doesn\u2019t change it.<\/p>\n
I know those guys have a lot of respect for me, via lot of respect for them. It\u2019s not just coming up there and telling me a good job. I already know that. It\u2019s super cool to have that. It\u2019s an honor.<\/p>\n
Everybody is when is he going to get his first win? When is it going to happen? It doesn\u2019t matter for me. We\u2019ve been consistent this year. Obviously running up front you\u2019re going to have that happen. We came back from pretty deep today and won it. Super cool.<\/p>\n
It\u2019s an honor to win here. Staying after it. To win it is super cool.<\/p>\n
Q. Your mom was focused on the young drivers coming up through the series who fans are evaluating or giving them a hard time. They\u2019re moving up to the level where you\u2019re in Cup. She said I hope they stick with it. She kind of saw that in you. She was talking about all the racers that might see that in you on your way up to where you\u2019re at now being a Cup winner.<\/p>\n
TY GIBBS: Yeah, for sure. Being a young driver is a ton of fun. That is ton of emotion involved with being a young driver. I think the biggest thing is looking at the big picture. I would love to say that to myself a couple years ago. I think that\u2019s the biggest thing. It\u2019s fun.<\/p>\n
Obviously being a young driver, you have to fight for your position. No matter what you have, as much money as you have, it cannot be guaranteed for the next year.<\/p>\n
Just stay after it. Work hard. Ignore all the noise, all the social media rants from all these random people. Doesn\u2019t matter. They\u2019re not going to change your racing career. Stay after it. Work hard. Social media doesn\u2019t mean anything. Go win races, have fun.<\/p>\n
Racing obviously, having a love for what you\u2019re going to do in your career is the most important thing. Showing up early and all that just is a ton of fun. If you love it, that\u2019s what it is.<\/p>\n
Q. The first-time winners is a exclusive list. How does it feel to add your name to that list?<\/p>\n
TY GIBBS: Repeat that.<\/p>\n
Q. The first-time winners at Bristol, Rusty, Dale, Ernie Irvan and Kurt Busch.<\/p>\n
TY GIBBS: It\u2019s super cool. Those are the most bad-ass guys there ever was. Kurt having his first win, me having my first win, it\u2019s super cool.<\/p>\n
I\u2019m in the Monster colors. Obviously Kurt was in them, too. Kurt has been such a big help for me in my career. I really appreciate him, as well. I appreciate all the things I learn. It\u2019s an honor.<\/p>\n
Q. You and your crew chief have both mentioned this year when you came into the season you have each other\u2019s back. There\u2019s also another thing that came out this weekend, and that is that you are participating more in the competition meetings and giving feedback. From last year to this year, how have you matured in your race craft and how have you matured as a person?<\/p>\n
TY GIBBS: Yeah, I mean, I\u2019ve stayed after it the whole time. Obviously people are going to say false things about how I wasn\u2019t present in meetings. I\u2019ve been the same the whole time, just to clarify that.<\/p>\n
We\u2019ve had a ton of fun this year. Tyler has been such a great crew chief. People are going to stir stuff up in the media. I might not be the most-liked person, so everybody is going to jump on it because they don\u2019t have much going on. That\u2019s what\u2019s going to happen.<\/p>\n
We\u2019ve been in all the meetings, hammering down, working hard, pushing teammates to the win and stuff like that, like last year at Talladega.<\/p>\n
Yeah, it\u2019s been a ton of fun. Yeah, no worries about all that other stuff. Just keep working hard with Tyler. Me and Tyler obviously have been through a lot, a lot of crazy stuff. To be in the position we\u2019re at now, we both believe in each other, we knew it the whole time. It\u2019s super cool to work with Tyler. Tyler is the one. Credit to Tyler.<\/p>\n
Q. How have you matured as a person?<\/p>\n
TY GIBBS: I\u2019m 23. I was 22 last year. You don\u2019t feel you\u2019re that older when you\u2019re that young. It\u2019s a lot of experience. To have another lap around the sun is a pleasure. Keep hammering down.<\/p>\n
Q. You talked about the respect from your competitors. How much does that mean to you to be congratulated by your competitors?<\/p>\n
TY GIBBS: Yeah, it\u2019s super cool. Obviously, like I said, those guys have a ton of respect for me, I have a ton of respect for them. To be able to have that is awesome. Always really appreciate it. I grew up watching a lot of these guys in my career. For them to come up and say that to me, being the young person, feel like I wouldn\u2019t believe that. It\u2019s super cool. It\u2019s an honor.<\/p>\n
THE MODERATOR: Congratulations on the win.<\/p>\n
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