Ty Gibbs Had Speed at Pocono, but Hindered by Strategy, Speeding Penalty, and Sour Engine
4 months agoTy Gibbs won his second career pole for yesterday's Pocono race but his racecraft and his dueling ability aren't yet as strong as his raw speed, so it isn't surprising that he got passed for the lead twice in the race, first by Martin Truex Jr on lap 18 and more unexpectedly by rookie Josh Berry on lap 59. After Gibbs was hindered by going slightly off-sequence on strategy followed by speeding on pit road, he blew an engine on lap 133 to trigger the final caution of the race, resulting in a 27th-place finish. Gibbs is now more vulnerable to miss the playoffs than he was last week, but he remains 40 points ahead of Ross Chastain for the final playoff spot on points and he was greatly aided by Chastain crashing earlier in the race, so the odds of him missing the playoffs are remote.
Source: Racing Reference
Source: Racing Reference