It isn’t how one falls, but how one gets up that matters. In the case of Ty Gibbs, that remains just as true. The young JGR driver experienced a scary on-track incident in Las Vegas in a dirt car, after which he was left to do a lot of reflection on his dirt racing ambitions.

Ty Gibbs keeping his mindset simple for dirt racing

In the High Limit race at Las Vegas on Thursday night, Ty Gibbs ended up making contact with Corey Day. This launched his car in the air on its side as it rolled multiple times on the exit of turn 2 and hit hard on the wall. Gibbs caught the catch fence before he fell on the ground.

Fortunately, the young driver escaped unhurt from the incident. Following that, he shared his thoughts on his progress as a dirt racer. When asked about what his learning was after being challenged in dirt racing, Gibbs kept it simple.

“I don’t know, I just enjoy racing. So I don’t really focus on learning anything about myself. I just really like it and want to get better at it. Obviously, not doing it a ton and going to race with the baddest guys in the country is pretty hard. So, just keep working on it and keep getting better,” he described.

Following that, he was asked about where he thinks he has made the most gains. He pointed to the overall experience and what dirt, certain tracks, and aero are going to do. Gibbs said that non-wing racing is the area where he has made more gains over winged racing.

“I’ve had a lot of fun doing it and will very much do it. And I have all the resources to go race. So I’m going to go race and take advantage of it,” he added.

Gibbs added that despite his scary crash mid-week, days before the Cup race, he intended to take part in the Kansas or Texas High Limit race.

Gibbs expected to do this season what he couldn’t in 2025

In 2025, Ty Gibbs had another winless season in NASCAR’s top flight. He ended the year with five finishes inside the top 5 and ten top 10s. Three of his first four race results last season were outside the top 20s.

This season so far, the picture is a bit different. Gibbs has had two top 5s already this year, and both of those have come in a row, at COTA and Phoenix.

That nicely plays into adding towards the prediction that NASCAR insider Jeff Gluck made ahead of the season on the Teardown podcast. Gluck looked back on Gibbs’ 2025 season, which began with ‘a horrible start’, but one where he eventually stacked up points to reach 15th.

Having said that, the insider made a big prediction for Ty Gibbs in the 2026 season.

“I don’t see how he misses the playoffs,” Gluck claimed. “He’s a good driver. He’s in one of the best teams.”

Do you think Ty Gibbs will be able to make the playoffs this season? Let us know in the comments below.