NASCAR CUP SERIES: CHAMPIONSHIP ROUND - BRICKYARD 400 PRESENTED BY PPG

July 27, 2025

Ty Gibbs

Press Conference

An Interview with:

THE MODERATOR: As we mentioned earlier, we've now been joined by Ty Gibbs, who is the winner of the In-Season Challenge. The last five weeks challenge from race to race to end this weekend to win a million dollars. Ty, congratulations.

I know you mentioned yesterday that you would love to win this, but you also wanted to focus on the race as well. Talk a little bit how the win went for your team and what it means to take home an extra million dollars.

TY GIBBS: Super cool. Very honored to be in this position. Thankful to all of NASCAR and TNT Sports to allow us to be able to do this. It's awesome to win this. Super cool to be in this position.

I told the broadcast on the other show, but our sponsor Saia challenged Ty Dillon's sponsor whoever loses gets $10,000 for Toys for Tots. I want to put another 10 on top of that. Wherever Ty wants it to go will be his choice. Super cool to be in this position and very blessed.

Q. I know a 21st place finish isn't what you envisioned coming into this weekend, but putting that aside for a second, to go through this first In-Season Challenge, what did you see that this kind of tournament brings to the sport over these last five weeks?

TY GIBBS: It's super cool. I didn't really focus on it for the first three weeks, I would say. Our goal, of course, is to go in and do the best we can. The last week and this week is kind of where I started to pick it up, okay, well, if we beat these guys, we can go win a million dollars.

It's a really cool deal that they put on, and hopefully they keep doing it.

Q. What were your overall takeaways from what today was?

TY GIBBS: From racing on our side, we kind of lost a little bit of track position with a tragedy in the beginning. Then I didn't have a couple of great restarts, and we just got buried. It's so hard to pass here. It's almost like a roulette wheel kind of where you end up and how it works out for you. Then the cautions before they fell. It's just one of those days, but you've just got to keep digging.

Q. Over the last five weeks, did the in-season tournament actually factor into your race preparations at all at the shop, or was it simply just we'll just do our best no matter what and just let the chips fall where they lie?

TY GIBBS: Yeah, like I said, for the first three weeks we didn't really focus on it. Last week we picked it up, and then this week we picked it up.

Q. So like every single weekend, was it just studying every driver you're going against, or was there anything?

TY GIBBS: No, not really. Like I said, it's important for us to go for wins and to do that, so that was our main focus. We had a good restart and beat Reddick last week. Then just beat Dillon today. So we got it.

Q. Were they keeping you up to date on what was happening with the other Ty during the race?

TY GIBBS: Towards the end, when we kind of were out of the shot, we were like, hey, let's look at the bigger picture. We can win this or go for 12th place or 13th place and get right rear-ended on the backstretch. That's kind of what it was.

Q. I'm curious, footage, I think Steven captured it, showed you throwing dollar bills to the fans, all that stuff. Getting involved, how much fun was being able to do that part of the process?

TY GIBBS: It was super cool. They brought me money guns, so I decided to take all the money and throw it on the fans. I think they were all wrestling and fighting over it. I was kind of like, all right, let's not get anybody hurt here.

It was super cool. It's a cool opportunity. To be able to win it is awesome, the first one.

Q. Just looking forward to next year, I'm assuming they'll bring it back. It seemed to be a success from our perspective. Is there anything you'd want to see tweaked as far as different track choices, anything like that?

TY GIBBS: I don't know, to be honest with you, on how that would work. We'll see what they do. I think it's a cool position, cool to be able to win it in the first one.

I don't know. I don't really know what I would do. I think it's a cool deal. We'll see what happens.

Q. I guess just to piggy-back off of what John was asking, it looked like you were trying to load the money gun and you couldn't get it to work.

TY GIBBS: It jammed. It was not American made, so it jammed.

Q. What led to just, oh, okay, I'll chuck it down?

TY GIBBS: I said screw it. This not American made piece of machinery wasn't working, so I'll take it and throw it, and I did.

Q. I know obviously it probably feels great after these five weeks. Do you have an idea of how you now channeled that into these next few weeks to maybe put yourselves in position to win some races and make the most out of the momentum here?

TY GIBBS: We just stay after it the whole time in every race. That doesn't really change. Today we just weren't running good. We're not finishing great. We're not going to finish great with the way it was.

They told me let's look at the bigger picture, and that's kind of what we did. All the other races, and even this one for three-quarters of it, were just all in to try to win it. Every weekend is the same way.

Q. We all knew about the million dollars. I was surprised with the belt and the ring. What are your thoughts on having those thrown in there as extra?

TY GIBBS: It's super cool. Super nice pieces of stuff. The belt is nice too. Super cool to have it. I really like it. I'll wear it around for the rest of the day. It's kind of heavy. It's legit. It's a legit one.

Q. Has your grandpa given you any idea how much of that million dollars is going to make its way into your pocket?

TY GIBBS: I have no clue. We'll see.

Q. Where's the belt going to sit? Is that getting displayed at home somewhere?

TY GIBBS: I have a little room in my house where I have all my racing stuff. I'll probably put it in there. Unless I get a shop, then I'll put it in the shop.