Joe Gibbs, the man after whom the team is named, had advice for his grandson Ty Gibbs, as the latter continues to chase his first NASCAR Cup Series win after falling short at Bristol. 

Ty Gibbs is one of four drivers for Joe Gibbs Racing (JGR), racing alongside Denny Hamlin, Chase Briscoe, and Christopher Bell. However, the 22-year-old is the only one of the four not in the NASCAR playoffs, as the budding star continues to develop his skills behind the wheel. 

The next phase of his career will be to start accruing wins, and at Bristol, it appeared as if that was coming to fruition, though it was not meant to be, leading the elder Gibbs to lend advice to the 22-year-old. Joe Gibbs’ actions came months after he chose to be in Ty Gibbs’ box for the In-Season Tournament.

Speaking to reporters after Bristol, a race which saw Ty Gibbs lead for 201 laps, the 84-year-old gave his grandson one word to keep in mind as he continues to chase after his first win. “Yeah, this sport is really hard,” the elder Gibbs admitted to reporters during the winner’s press conference [h/t Motorsport.com].

“I keep telling him [Ty], honestly, I use the word ‘patience,’ and two races ago we were talking after the race, and he said, Coach, will you quit using the word patience; I don’t want you to use it ever again. So patience is out the window. We’re trying to win here.

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“I just think he knows this is what he’s wanted to do his entire life, and so he’s after it. I admire, like I said, our entire 54 team. To be truthful, they’re young, but the pit crew, everybody, they just keep fighting, so it’s really great.”

Joe Gibbs added that Chris Gabehart, JGR’s Director of Competition, is doing what he can to help Ty Gibbs and the rest of JGR’s lineup achieve their best. “Yeah, I think obviously Chris [Gabehart] is our competition director, so really he’s trying to help all four cars,” Joe Gibbs continued. 

“At one point, we had three in the playoffs, and so our focus turned to the 54, trying to get that car in. So we put extra effort in that, including Chris’s effort. But now we kind of worked back away from that. We’ve got Tyler [Allen, #54 crew chief] back making the calls there.

“That’s kind of been a progress for us. We’ve added a lot to that team this year as we went. So it’s a big deal for us to have a couple of good weeks like we’ve had the last couple weeks.”

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Joe Gibbs continued, stating that he was proud of the way Ty Gibbs’ No. 54 team keeps battling despite the lack of success this season. “It’s so tough, and this sport is really tough, so when you get off to a tough start like we did — but I admire the fact that they just keep fighting right now. I think we’re improving as we go,” he continued. 

“I think tonight is an example of that. Last week I thought we had a real solid week in St. Louis. Anyway, real progress with the 54. Still got work to do. But I admire that group. Sometimes you admire the people the most that are fighting when it’s really, really tough, and right now it’s been tough for the 54. The last two or three weeks have really been good for us.”

With the Round of 12 commencing, Hamlin, Bell, and Briscoe will compete for a championship. Ty Gibbs, meanwhile, will also be racing, though this time for experience to take him over the hump.Â