Joe Gibbs Racing teammates Christopher Bell and Ty Gibbs had a spectacular run in the Cup Series race at COTA. The later part of the Echo Park Automotive Grand Prix saw JGR #20 pull up a hard fight. At some point, it appeared that Christopher Bell was on the cusp of clinching his second Cup Series victory of the year. While eventually it was William Byron who had the last laugh, the efforts of the JGR young duo are also being widely recognized by the NASCAR world. What especially caught the community’s attention was the kind of “maturity” Ty Gibbs showed toward the end of the race when Christopher appeared to be a strong contender for the win.

As it turns out, there came a moment at COTA when both Ty Gibbs and Christopher Bell were battling hard to outrun each other. However, in a pure show of sportsmanship, the #54 driver suddenly let the #20 pass him by. While this might be confusing to some, Jeff Burton didn’t mince words when it came to appreciating this strategic move by Gibbs.

Ty Gibbs’ move worked out in his favor in the end

Former HMS crew chief and NBC Sports commentator Steve Letarte had a rigorous discussion with former racer Jeff Burton for Motorsports on NBC, where they talked about the brief battle between Ty Gibbs and Bell, and how the former sacrificed his position for his teammate. Letarte lauded this move executed by the 21-year-old and revealed how he felt it was a very different kind of move from Gibbs. The veteran also stated that while many will opine that Gibbs should’ve pulled out sooner, he thinks it was wise on the young driver’s part to wait before making that decision. Even Jeff Burton agreed.

“I don’t think he should have ever let him by. Look here..I think that he made the right decision. Don’t get me wrong, I think that ultimately, clearly the 20 was faster. Clearly you know, he got position and you can see, you know, the 54 car started moving around a lot. He just didn’t have the grip that was needed. He recognized that, ‘I’m not gonna hold this guy up any longer’, and he didn’t do that in my opinion,” the former racer said. Burton also emphasized why the conceding move by Joe Gibbs’s grandson helped him maintain a higher finish. Had Gibbs indulged in a race-off with Bell, there was a possibility that he might come loose and end up at the back of the grid, as his car already seemed to be lacking grip, as per Burton.

“He did do that so he could finish third instead at 20th right? And that’s the decision. I don’t want any teammate to pull over so somebody else could have a better chance to win a race. What if William Byron went off course, what if William Byron had a mechanical what if right you want to be in that position but right there you can see the 54 car.e just doesn’t have the grip so he conceded. So I think yes, that’s mature, it’s a smart move,” added Burton. Hence, it’s safe to say that Gibbs’ strategy ultimately worked out in his favor in the end.

Notably, Gibbs made the selfless decision by acknowledging the fact that Bell had a better chance of clinching the victory. Bell seized upon Gibbs’s sacrifice, rallying from behind and narrowing the gap to the leader, William Byron. Despite a valiant effort, Bell ultimately crossed the finish line in second place, while Gibbs secured a commendable third-place finish. Gibbs’s unselfish act exemplified the essence of racing, where individual success occasionally yields to collective achievement.

However, this sacrifice is far from what fans are usually used to seeing from Ty Gibbs. Notably, in the Xfinity Series, the driver is known for his cut-throat style of racing, which Jeff Burton acknowledged.

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Ty Gibbs’ Cup Series and Xfinity Series driving are two completely different things, thinks Jeff Burton

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Known for his over-aggressive nature, JGR’s young sensation has faced a lot of criticism in the past. In 2022, when he won the Xfinity championship, he wrecked his teammate Brandon Jones in the process. After the race, he apologized for it, but the damage surely couldn’t be undone.

“I think all of us in this industry, we judge Gibbs on his Xfinity racing. His Cup driving and his Xfinity are two completely different things. He was in the middle of chaos in Xfinity. He didn’t care, he just didn’t care, he just did whatever he wanted to do, but for the most part in Cup, we haven’t seen that. He’s been much more mature, he’s raced very very smartly,” said Burton.

He added, “He has made mistakes, yeah he’s made mistakes. Guess what he’s a young race car driver trying to earn his way. He deserves some mistakes. He’s given some mistakes as a young driver. It’s okay. So I think he’s done an incredible job. And I think there are times we just judge him based on his bad moments in the Xfinity series rather than recognizing how many good moments he’s had in the Cup.”

Although the young driver is yet to win a race this year, he already possesses three Top 5 finishes. Now it remains to be seen how soon he can turn that into a victory lane finish!

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