I called it. 

Well, I would have if I committed. Two weeks ago I messaged co-writer Jack and told him “Ty Gibbs might win in two weeks, I forgot how insane he is (at Bristol).” 

On one final restart after a tumultuous day of staying afloat in the top 10, Gibbs held off a dominant Blaney for his first career Cup Series win. It comes just after the driver eclipsed over 100 series starts, a sweet spot that most young drivers find their first Cup win in. With that being said, let’s get into four takeaways from an eventful Bristol. 

The Gift That Keeps on Gibbing 

Ty Gibbs capped off his sixth top 5 in a row with a resounding and long awaited win at what is easily his best track. He didn’t back into victory lane either; holding off a hard charging and determined Ryan Blaney on four fresh tires to Gibbs two. The start to the season has been nothing but spectacular for the 23-year-old driver, who pointed out that his late father told him this day was coming years ago. 

Between the embrace of his grandfather, the shot of his mom crying as he won and his aforementioned shoutout to his father, one would assume it would be a feel good win, but for many it seems there is no stopping the Ty Gibbs hate watch.

I completely understand. I have to put it on pause for a week after a showing like that from his team and family, but NASCAR is in need of a villain and it seems the fans have made their choice. After all, what’s a villain if they aren’t even a threat? In my opinion, the field is witnessing a new top 10 contender for years and years to come. 

TractorHouse Racing

Even as early as last year, I would have said Connor Ziisch going to Trackhouse was a match made in heaven. Their shortcomings seemed fluky, and the road course speed was as good as it had ever been, but my goodness have they stepped it back this year.

Zilisch himself is suffering his “welcome to NASCAR” season for reasons beyond just the cars, but whatever the hell they’re giving the drivers doesn’t help at all. Chastain and SVG similarly have struggled hard, and one has to wonder what’s going on at Chevy right now. 

I’ll speak more on this in my next segment, but the manufacturer is faltering on all fronts for some of their best teams. Besides Chase Elliott’s Martinsville win, the manufacturer has played second fiddle all season. With the backing and proven success a new team like Trackhouse has, Justin Marks has to be scrambling to figure out the issue. In a new era where consistency is key, you can’t keep bringing the Kubotas to the race track.

Mr. H Knows Best (?) 

Through car changes, format shakeups and schedule mishaps, Hendrick Motorsports has remained the premier team of NASCAR since the 90s. With Chevrolet’s immediate manufacturer help and long standing, loyal sponsors, many have likened their reign to that of the Imperial Empire, but is 2026 when Palpatine finally loses some grip?

With just one winner in eight races and plenty of head scratching finishes, Hendrick has looked their weakest since I can remember. Now with all of Chevy struggling, it may be an issue with the new body that they’re tweaking, but I’m not too sure. 

Luckily for Hendrick, it seems to be a slump. Larson has had speed this year but costly mistakes have taken him out, Bowman has been sick (but it’s Bowman) and William Byron has regressed back to the mean, however it’s something that’s worth a heavy look at as we approach the summer swing. 

99 Problems (But Points Ain’t One) 

It’s been a few weeks since Tyler Reddick won three races in a row and his teammate Bubba Wallace found himself in second place in the standings off of stacking points, and while their domination has ceased, 23XI is still proving to be one of the fastest teams on the grid at any track. 

With a 4th place finish yesterday, Reddick still holds a commanding 62 point cushion over second place Ryan Blaney. He can suffer a few duds and maintain his position just fine. With some of his best tracks on the horizon, Reddick is poised to maintain his lead. 

Wallace on the other hand has bounced back from an abysmal two week stretch that saw him finish back to back races in worse than 30th, either due to his team or his own emotions. Despite the slip in the standings from 2nd to 11th due to this, Wallace secured an 11th place finish at Bristol yesterday to put him at a solid 8th place in points. 

If Wallace can keep his tempers low and continue to bring a fast Camry to the finishes he has mostly this season, he’ll be a lock for the chase on points alone. But we have a long way to go until we count our chickens. 

The Cup Series continues the regular season from Kansas Motor Speedway this Sunday. The green flag drops at 11:00 AM PST