Joe Gibbs Racing driver Ty Gibbs was made available to the media after winning the pole for the NASCAR Xfinity Series race at Charlotte Motor Speedway on Saturday.
TY GIBBS, No. 20 He Gets Us Toyota GR Supra, Joe Gibbs Racing
When did you find out you were doing this race, and do you feel fully prepared?
“I found out on Thursday morning, early Thursday morning. I didn’t run any sim so that was really nice. It was a peaceful easy week. It might have been Wednesday morning, sorry.”
Do you feel like this will help give you an understanding of Charlotte Motor Speedway before the Cup race?
“I think I definitely get an understanding of the track, but not necessarily a good feel for it, because these cars are so different now-a-days. It is more just to go race and have fun.”
Do you feel like you will be able to give your teammates and evaluation of the program?
“I hope so. I honestly couldn’t tell you the last time I watched a Xfinity Series race, so I definitely hope I can help them out for my team.”
What did you take away from your first 600-mile race from last year?
“It was a really good night for us. We were really fast the whole night. I felt like we ran in the top-six for the entire race – 586 miles until the 5 (Kyle Larson) spun out and that was it for us, so it was definitely not ideal, but it was good. It was a long day. I ran the Xfinity Series race as well, so that was fun. Honestly, it just felt like another race. It didn’t necessarily feel long to be honest with you. It went by really quickly.”
What do you do to get better at road courses?
“I really enjoy the practice of getting better and learning and gaining more knowledge, and learning my craft more. I really enjoy that, and I think that is what makes my weeks so much more fun than others. I feel like I enjoy getting better and working at it. Like I said, I didn’t run the Xfinity sim, which was nice. It was a different approach, but to be honest, depending on your car, I feel like all of the answers are out there. We have film. We have SMT. I can watch everybody in this sport. We have all the advantages to do it. If you really want to get better, you can get better and that is what I’ve experienced myself.”
How much does double duty take out of you?
“I’m very thankful to be able run two races. I really have a good time out here. I love racing in general. I love racing as much as I can, so to be able to run another race is going to be fun this weekend. I’m 21, I can get away with it now. It doesn’t take a toll on me, but maybe it is different for Kyle (Busch). He’s older (laughter). I don’t know if it takes him a couple of days to recover. I feel pretty good, but I say that, and then I’ll feel like crap tomorrow or Sunday, but I usually feel pretty good.”
Did you have to separate what the car feels like in Xfinity versus Cup?
“I think just snapping in and out, and being under pressure is important, but once you learn that I think it is important. When I was younger, I think the biggest thing that taught me that was go-karts. We would race two different classes, maybe three different classes on a weekend and the karts were completely different. I would get to run a Mini Swift, a TAG Jr. and Yamaha 100 – and they were completely different karts. That really helped me. Being able to get and out of stuff, and to be able to run the same track and be after it each different kart – that was really helpful. You just learn the differences in all of it, and you just go off of feel for most of it.”
What did you qualifying lap feel like?
“I felt pretty good. Honestly, this place is sealer heaven. I’ve never seen so much sealer on a race track ever. Every five feet there is some type of sealer mark or line. It is so rough. I feel like I needed a mouthpiece in my car honestly. It was beating me up – I’ve ran at dirt tracks that were smoother than this place (laughter), which I’m not saying is bad. This place just has its own character and its own technique. You never feel great here, I think. (Turns) three and four are really rough.”
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