Ty Gibbs rises as title challenger: ‘We’re easily a championship contender’

JOLIET, Ill. -- Ty Gibbs believes he can win the NASCAR Cup Series championship. And halfway through the 2026 campaign, he's giving others a reason to believe, too. The fourth-year, second-generation driver enters Chicagoland Speedway fourth in the points standings after 18 of 26 regular-season races, with the 10-race Chase looming in September. Gibbs drove the No. 54 Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota to his first career Cup win at Bristol Motor Speedway in April and has largely been a top-five mainstay in the points standings since. MORE: Chicagoland schedule | Cup Series standings With just eight races left before the postseason fight begins, the 23-year-old racer is confident this success is sustainable. "I think we're easily a championship contender, honestly," Gibbs said Friday at Chicagoland. "I'm very happy about that and just got to stick to it and got to keep working hard. We've not really had any bad weekends; we just got wrecked out a bunch by some guys and myself, and then we still are in the position we're in." Gibbs' performance has considerably improved from past seasons, already collecting seven top fives and 11 top 10s through 18 races. His 9.3 average start is on track for a career best, as is his 13.2 average finish, a notable uptick from last year's 17.9 average. Over a seven-race spring stretch, he scored 33 or more points each week. He points to the make-up of his No. 54 team as the catalyst for this year's improvement, particularly as second-year crew chief Tyler Allen has settled into the role. "It's been great working with great people the whole time, and the right people make a big difference, obviously," Gibbs said. "We compare last year to this year, we see so much of a difference. And getting more experience is really helpful as well. I love the people around me. It's been so much fun this year. It's been such a pleasure to drive the car and just working with great people." RELATED: Inside the No. 54 team after Bristol breakthrough | Chicagoland photos [caption id="attachment_517561" align="aligncenter" width="1300"]James Gilbert | Getty Images[/caption] Gibbs was left with mixed emotions after last weekend's race at Sonoma Raceway, where he finished third after leading 31 of 110 laps and sweeping both stages on the California road course. He was admittedly disappointed the team's strategy didn't allow him to chase the race win, but Gibbs left the day with a fitting and impressive 54 points earned, his most since earning 59 points in his Bristol win and bumping him one spot higher in the points standings. "I mean it's a great points day, right?" Gibbs said. "And being in the top five is super important going into the playoffs, and so I think it just is what it is, and sometimes that's how it is. ... I'd rather win a championship than a road-course race. I'll leave it to the team to make that decision." Gibbs was fifth-fastest in Friday's 50-minute practice session at Chicagoland, marking his inaugural laps around the 1.5-mile tri-oval. The Cup Series makes its return to competition at Chicagoland for the first time since 2019 on Sunday at 6 p.m. ET (TNT Sports, truTV, HBO Max, MRN Radio, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio).