Ty Gibbs Hopes to Elevate His Motorsports Mojo with High Limit Debut

The 22-year-old NASCAR Cup driver’s latest challenge? 410 sprint car racing.

Gibbs was slated to make his High Limit Racing debut on Thursday night when high winds and rain postponed the series season opener at the Dirt Track at Las Vegas Motor Speedway.

Still, the 2022 Xfinity Series champion was thrilled for the opportunity.

“I’m a big fan of all racing,” Gibbs said. “I would love to get involved with dirt racing more and more. I did Chili Bowl, Ventura (California). I’ve been in the midget some. Tested a sprint car. The sprint car is something I really liked as well.

“I just kind of want to pursue another hobby.”

Gibbs has dabbled in a variety of dirt track disciplines. While he cut his teeth at Millbridge Speedway, he tested his national skills at Turkey Night at Ventura before make his Chili Bowl Nationals debut in the No. 81 Chad Boat Industries (CBI) midget. He finished ninth in the second B-Main qualifier on Tuesday night and missed transferring out of the F feature on Saturday.

Working under the direction of Chad Boat throughout his dirt progression provides Gibbs with a stable base. Before transitioning to the ownership side of motorsports, Boat raced open-wheel and stock cars.

“I’ve known Chad for a long time,” Gibbs said. “Me and Chad have a great relationship. I’m excited to work with him. I feel like he’s really knowledgeable and experienced in this field.

“Hopefully, we can run strong. It’s important for me to get experience. The sprint car is new to me, so we’ll see how it goes.”

To prepare for this weekend’s activities, Gibbs tested at Carolina Speedway, a 4/10th-mile semi-banked dirt track in Gastonia, N.C., west of Charlotte.

“It was fun,” Gibbs said. “It was a lot of power. I feel like I really liked it. The racing is really fast. Everything happens really quickly. So I had a fun time driving it. It was really fun for me and I think it will help me out a little bit more in the stock car.”

Former Australian sprint car driver and current team owner Lynton Jeffrey, who consulted for CBI during the two-day test, described Gibbs as “very impressive.”

“Chad’s operation is first class, everyone was terrific,” Jeffrey said on Facebook. “I think Ty will surprise everyone pretty quickly. He really took to the car like a professional and was very smooth.

“He wasn’t lacking for speed and gave great feedback as we made the car better with each run. He always looked comfortable. We had a great time together.”

When racing resumes at the LVMS Dirt Track, Gibbs will start eighth in Heat 2.

Clearly, Gibbs’ JGR teammate Christopher Bell is an inspiration and a testament to dirt racing’s ability to sharpen a driver’s skills. Bell, who will also make his High Limit Debut this weekend, is looking to score his fourth consecutive Cup win when NASCAR rolls into Las Vegas.

Gibbs can lean on Bell for advice, and on Corey Day, High Limit’s top rookie from 2024 and a Hendrick Motorsports development driver.

“He’s helped me a lot with the dirt stuff—just being around and racing him,” Gibbs said of Day. “I’m sure I’ll pass the same on to him when he comes over for the asphalt stuff, too.”

For Gibbs, the fun factor is equally important. If dirt racing can help the third-generation racer on Sundays, the effort will have been worth it.

“I’m hoping for the same results,” Gibbs said of Bell with a laugh. “Three wins would be cool for me right now. We haven’t started too great.”

Gibbs is currently starting his fourth full season on the tour. But admittedly, 2025 has been a struggle for the young racer. In four starts, his best result was 16th in the Daytona 500. He has five Cup starts at LVMS. His best result was last spring when he finished fifth. In October, Gibbs led 23 laps.

Although he’s currently 34th in the standings, Gibbs knows his luck will turn around.

“I feel like (dirt racing) is really helpful for me—any time I get in a car,” Gibbs said. “But I feel like we’re going to be strong on the Cup side as well. We haven’t started out great at all. We’ve been in two crashes—three crashes—then blew a brake rotor.

“It’s not been our best start, but I’m not worried about it. I feel like we’re going to be strong for the rest of the year, be in contention. We’ll be there.”