Ty Gibbs, No. 18 Interstate Batteries Throwback Toyota Supra Race Recap for the Steakhouse Elite 200

Race Winner: Justin Allgaier of JR Motorsports (Chevrolet)

Stage 1 Winner: Austin Cindric of Team Penske (Ford)

Stage 2 Winner: Harrison Burton of Joe Gibbs Racing (Toyota)

 

Stage 1 Recap (Laps 1-45):

● Started 29th, finished 9th, earning two bonus points.

● The Interstate Batteries Throwback driver got off to a strong start at drop of the green flag and was up to 21st by the time the caution flag flew on lap four for a three-car incident on the backstretch. He stayed on track and restarted 19th when the race went back to green on lap six.

● Gibbs continued his forward progress and was up to 17th by the time the caution flag flew again on lap 13 for a single-car incident in turn three. He reported his Interstate Batteries Toyota was “too tight” in turns three and four. He stayed on track and restarted 16th on lap 16.

● The scheduled competition caution flag flew on lap 20, by which time Gibbs had climbed to 14th. He stayed on track once again and restarted 13th on lap 25.

● Gibbs reached the top-10 by lap 27 and held that position until he picked up one more spot on the final lap of the stage. He pitted during the break for four tires, fuel and adjustments to tighten up his racecar. He was called for speeding while exiting pit road and was sent to the tail end of the longest line for the ensuing restart.

 

Stage 2 Recap (Laps 46-90):

● Gibbs Started 34th, finished 14th.

● Like the opening stage, Gibbs was able to make steady forward progress from the drop of the green flag, picking up 14 positions to reach the top-20 by lap 59 and the top-10 by lap 76. He was 10th when the caution flag flew on lap 82 for a single-car incident in turn two. He reported the rear end of his Interstate Batteries Toyota was just a bit free, but he stayed on track and restarted fourth on lap 87.

● Gibbs’ bid for a top-five stage finish was foiled on the restart when a wounded racecar ahead of him held him up and forced him to fall back to 15th. He picked up one position before the end of the stage, and pitted for four tires, fuel and adjustments intended to tighten up the rear of his Interstate Batteries Toyota.

 

Stage 3 Recap (Laps 91-147):

● Gibbs Started 14th, finished 18th.

● The Interstate Batteries driver immediately moved forward from the drop of the green flag once again and quickly cracked the top-10, moving into ninth within two laps, and into the top-five by lap 108, all while turning the fastest laps on the racetrack.

● The caution flag flew on lap 125 for a single-car incident on the backstretch with Gibbs holding down third place behind leader Noah Gragson and JGR teammate Harrison Burton. He said the Interstate Batteries Toyota would not need any adjustments when he pitted for four fresh tires and fuel for the run to the finish. He restarted 27th on lap 132 after being assessed another speeding penalty while exiting pit road, and picked up three positions before the caution flag flew one lap later. He restarted 23rd on lap 137.

● Another caution flag flew on lap 142 for a spinning car in turn two with Gibbs having moved up to 17th. He pitted for four fresh tires and a splash of fuel and restarted 24 on lap 146.

 

Notes:                

●  Justin Allgaier won the Steakhouse Elite 200 to score his 16th career NASCAR Cup Series victory, his second of the season and his second at Darlington. His margin over runner-up Josh Berry was .422 of a second.

●  There were nine caution periods for a total of 43 laps.

●  Twenty-eight of the 40 drivers in the Steakhouse Elite 200 finished on the lead lap.

●  Austin Cindric remains the championship leader after Darlington with an 39-point advantage over second-place Daniel Hemric.

 

Ty Gibbs, driver of the No. 54 Interstate Batteries XFINITY Series Toyota Supra for Joe Gibbs Racing:

“The guys did an awesome job to give me a bad fast Interstate Batteries Supra. The speeding penalties twice in the same spot obviously hurt our day. All my fault, but my guys keep bringing fast racecars. I think Darlington is my new favorite track – I had a lot of fun out there today. I’m looking forward to getting back at it next week at Dover.”

 

Next Up:

The next event on the NASCAR XFINITY Series schedule and for Gibbs is the Drydene 200 at Dover (Del.) International Speedway on Saturday, May 15. The race begins at 1:30 p.m. EDT with live coverage by FS1 and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio.

 

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