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HAMPTON — Ty Gibbs, last year’s NASCAR Xfinity Series champion, is the Cup Series premier so far this season.
In four races this season, Joe Gibbs Racing’s Ty Gibbs has won three Sunoco Rookie of the Race Awards and leads the rookie standings by 19 points over Legacy Motor Club’s Noah Gragson.
This season, Gibbs has a top 20 finish (16th in the Auto Club) and an average score of 22.8.
Gibbs will make his track debut this weekend in Atlanta and won the Xfinity race at AMS last March.
“I think we definitely showed a lot of speed, I just don’t think we’re going to finish great and I’m proud of my team’s effort and they’re also working hard to learn the car,” said Gibbs.
Gibbs will start Sunday’s race in 35th place.
Six races, six different winners
The last six NASCAR Cup Series races at Atlanta Motor Speedway have produced six different winners – Brad Keselowski (2019), Kevin Harvick (2020), Ryan Blaney (Spring 2021), Kurt Busch (Summer 2021), William Byron (Spring 2022 ) and Chase Elliott (Summer 2022).
A total of six winners from the NASCAR Cup Series race at Atlanta Motor Speedway are active this weekend, led by Kevin Harvick (2001, 2018, 2020), followed by Brad Keselowski (2017, 2019), Kyle Busch (2008, 2013) and William Byron (2022), Ryan Blaney (2021) and Denny Hamlin (2012).
Second place twice in a row
Last year at AMS, Ross Chastain came close to winning both races but came up short both times. Chastain finished second in both March and July.
Ahead of Sunday’s race, Chastain is second in the season points standings with one top 5 and two top 10 finishes.
In qualifying on Saturday, Chastain finished 18th.
Chevrolet has won the first four cup races of 2023
In the first four races of the 2023 season of the NASCAR Cup Series, only one manufacturer was on the winning track – Chevrolet.
Chevy drivers who have won this year include JTG Daugherty Racing’s Ricky Stenhouse Jr. at Daytona, Richard Childress Racing’s Kyle Busch at Auto Club Speedway and Hendrick Motorsports’ William Byron at Las Vegas Motor Speedway and the Phoenix raceway.
A manufacturer has won the first five races of a NASCAR Cup Series season only twice in modern times (1972–2023)—Chevrolet (1995) and Ford (1992).
The record for most consecutive victories by a manufacturer to start the NASCAR Cup Series season in modern times is nine by Ford in 1992.
Chevrolet’s most consecutive wins to start a NASCAR Cup Series season was seven straight wins in the 1995 season – the second highest in modern times.