Pit road stats: Speedy stops propelling Ty Gibbs into playoff conversation

A 15th-place finish for Ty Gibbs last weekend at Richmond Raceway -- his ninth finish inside the top 15 this season -- illustrated the upside the 20-year-old has as he vies for a playoff berth in his first full-time season in the NASCAR Cup Series. RELATED: Playoff Watch | 2023 Cup Series standings However, the No. 54 Joe Gibbs Racing driver -- who currently sits 18 points below the elimination line -- didn't net another top-15 finish on young talent alone. His pit crew of front tire changer Blake Houston, rear tire changer Mike Hicks, tire carrier Jake Holmes, jackman Derrell Edwards and gasman Peyton Moore helped with some fast stops. The No. 54 team delivered two of the fastest pit stops of the year, so Gibbs' average four-tire pit time improved compared to last week's mark. Additionally, the No. 54 team's average four-tire pit stop of 9.764 seconds was one of only two four-tire stops to average less than 10 seconds during a race this season (No. 48 of Alex Bowman in June at St. Louis). Should Gibbs continue to excel on the track while his crew capitalizes on stops on pit road, the continuous grind could continue to vault the No. 54 Toyota deeper into the postseason conversation. See below to analyze additional pit-road statistics through Richmond and before Sunday's FireKeepers Casino 400 at Michigan International Speedway (2:30 p.m. ET, USA, NBC Sports App, MRN, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio).

TEN FASTEST FOUR-TIRE PIT STOPS IN 2023

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BEST AVERAGE FOUR-TIRE PIT STOP TIMES IN 2023