Ty Gibbs 2025 season in review

Editor's note: This is the 12th in a series in which we review the top 30 drivers in the NASCAR Cup Series in reverse order of the 2025 final standings. Driver: Ty Gibbs, No. 54 Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota Crew chief: Tyler Allen Final 2025 ranking: 19th Key stats: 0 wins, 5 top fives, 10 top 10s, 304 laps led How 2025 ended: The 2025 season ended swiftly for Gibbs. He finished no better than 16th in the first six races of the year and found himself 31st in points after the spring Martinsville race. Gibbs picked up the pace in the middle portion of the season, climbing inside the top 20 with an outside shot at the playoffs. However, Gibbs fell three positions shy of a postseason berth and completed his third full-time season still without that elusive first victory. Best race: In a race of tire-shredding chaos, the Bristol Night Race was by far the No. 54 driver's best performance of 2025. He dominated the evening, leading a race-high 201 laps. Unfortunately for Gibbs, he overshot his entry to pit road on a green-flag cycle late and fell out of contention for the win. He settled for a 10th-place result instead. RELATED: 2026 Cup Series schedule | Ty Gibbs driver page Other season highlights: Gibbs had a stellar summer run, finishing no worse than 14th and placing three top fives in a seven-race stretch between Michigan and Dover. That stretch also set up his run to become the inaugural champion of the NASCAR In-Season Challenge. Gibbs outdueled 31 other competitors and defeated Ty Dillon in the championship round at the Brickyard to take home the $1 million grand prize. Stat to know: Gibbs' 304 laps out front were the most a Cup driver led during the 2025 season without winning a race. Brad Keselowski was second in that category with 222 laps led. Quotable: "For us, I feel the results have shown for sure. But there is not a time where I've felt I was down on my team or was bummed out. I just think it's part of the process, we have a new team and I think our guys are really good and I have a lot of faith in our guys. There's a lot of things behind the scenes and everyone makes a judgment call, but I know I can run good and that our team is capable of that. Sometimes it takes time, and we'll get there. I have confidence in our team." -- Gibbs on his midseason rise after a poor start to 2025. Looking ahead: If his third year wasn't must-win territory, Year 4 has to be in 2026. Gibbs has already eclipsed the 100-plus start mark that typically sets the bar for when Cup drivers finally get over the hump and grab that first checkered flag. Road courses have been the young driver's best discipline at the Cup level, so if that maiden win is coming, it is likeliest to occur in one of those five races next year.