The 2025 NASCAR Cup Series season has proven to be a rollercoaster ride for Ty Gibbs, the grandson of team owner Joe Gibbs, as he navigates his third full-time year in the premier division. Early in the season, Gibbs secured his first Top-5 finish of 2025 with a 3rd-place effort at the Food City 500 at Bristol. More recently, he has displayed strong road course prowess, challenging race leaders at tracks like Mexico City and Chicago, accumulating a string of top-15 finishes, with a 2nd-place finish in the Grant Park 165. However, despite these flashes of brilliance, the #54 team has yet to find the consistent performance needed to break into Victory Lane or solidify a comfortable position within the playoff picture.
In contrast to Gibbs’s ongoing struggle for a playoff spot, the other three cars within the powerhouse JGR stable have largely enjoyed more secure positions in the hunt for the 2025 championship. Denny Hamlin, piloting the #11 Toyota, remains a veteran presence, earning consistent wins in races including Martinsville, Darlington, and Michigan to etch his name in the playoff contention. Christopher Bell, with three race wins himself, is locked for the postseason. The newest addition, Chase Briscoe, taking over the #19 with his win at Pocono, is also gearing up for a title challenge. This is why the #54 team is going all-out in trying to get all four cars in the knockout stages.
JGR reshuffles pit strategy for Ty Gibbs’s playoff berth
In an interview with SiriusXM NASCAR Radio, Ty Gibbs’s #54 crew chief, Tyler Allen, spoke on the urgency to secure a spot for the team, with playoffs looming and stakes at their highest. “We’re the only car in the building that’s not in the playoffs, and we need to put all our resources to getting into the playoffs,” said Allen. The organization, known for its strategic prowess and deep resources, is now deploying everything in its arsenal to push its youngest driver over the playoff hurdle.
To bolster Ty Gibbs’s performance during the critical period, JGR has implemented a strategic overhaul, bringing in veteran crew chief Chris Gabehart to serve as a race strategist for the #54 team. Allen revealed, “I’ve worked really closely with Chris all year as we’ve been building the team and getting better, and that’s been incredibly valuable for me. So, to put an experienced voice in Ty’s ear during the race, we think that that’s what we need to do.” Gabehart, who served as Hamlin’s crew chief for 6 seasons and won 22 Cup races with him, including 2 Daytona 500s, was promoted to JGR’s competition director in 2025. His re-engagement on the pit box might just be the savior that Ty Gibbs needs at the moment.
While Tyler Allen remains the official crew chief, overseeing the car’s preparation throughout the week and making strategic decisions, Gabehart acts as an additional layer of support for the team. “We’re all still up there making decisions together about strategy, and me and my guys are working on prepping the race car all week,” continued Allen. “So, unique situation for sure, but we’re throwing everything at it so we can get this thing in the playoffs.” Gabehart was seen on the pit box at EchoPark Speedway, actively communicating with Gibbs on the radio.
.@JoeGibbsRacing crew chief Tyler Allen speaks on the involvement Chris Gabehart (@CG1751) has had with @TyGibbs and co. the last several weeks.
“I’ve worked really closely with Chris all year […] that’s been incredibly valuable for me.”
More → https://t.co/MKhd9eLpQA pic.twitter.com/0v7EPe3mRX
— SiriusXM NASCAR Radio (Ch. 90) (@SiriusXMNASCAR) July 11, 2025
This direct line of communication was crucial, as Gabehart himself stated the importance and difficulties of Cup-level contention. “The margin for winning and not winning in this sport is as tight as it’s ever been,” Gabehart said of talking on the radio to Gibbs. “It’s the smallest of things. One reason might be some instance that I can get through to (Gibbs) or a decision I made on the fly that may not be clear at first but results in an opportunity to win. That’s a nuance. Another nuance is Ty knows my history and resume, so maybe he’ll respond to that in a little bit different way.”
This mentorship is not just for Joe Gibbs‘s prodigy, as Allen acknowledged, “Me and my engineers and my mechanics are making the decisions and prepping the race car, and really Chris is the voice of reason on the pit box right now. There’s a lot to learn there too, you know, really experienced crew chief and, I think it’s helping Ty and it’s also helping me grow as a crew chief,” indicating that this is a developmental opportunity for the younger crew chief to learn from one of the best in the business.
It is a calculated gamble by JGR, sacrificing some of Gabehart’s broader competition director duties to extensively focus on one car. This aggressive, albeit unorthodox, approach underscores the cutthroat nature of the playoffs, where no stone is left unturned in the pursuit of championship contention for all of JGR’s entries.
Ty Gibbs’s playoff push intensifies after the Chicago runner-up
Ty Gibbs’s 2025 season started in a slump, carrying over his poor form from the end of 2024, where he logged 5 consecutive finishes of 30th or worse. But the tides began to turn by mid-season. A strong finish at Michigan signaled that Gibbs was regaining rhythm, logging great finishes heading into Chicago.
Mexico City and Chicago showcased just how close Gibbs is to breaking through. At Autódromo Hermanos Rodríguez, he was in control until a Lap 65 caution flipped the race in Shane van Gisbergen’s favor. In Chicago, Gibbs gave chase again but fell just short. “Yeah, you know, I felt like we had a fast Monster Energy, Camry, just need to have a little bit more um front turn… we had a great day overall and executed well. Just gonna be a little bit faster, and I think we could have gotten him,” he said after securing a career-best runner-up finish.
Now with 7 races left before the playoffs and every other JGR teammate already locked in with wins, the pressure’s on. Ty Gibbs heads to Sonoma with determination, supported by a team throwing everything they can behind him. “Yeah, we’ll just go hammer down there and just go have a good time, hammer down and have fun. Go try to win it,” Gibbs said. His hunger for a first career win and a playoff berth has never been clearer.
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