Ty Gibbs will compete for his first championship in the ARCA Menards Series in 2021, piloting the No. 18 Toyota Camry for Joe Gibbs Racing, while also running a limited schedule in the NASCAR Xfinity Series.
The 18-year-old scored six wins, 12 top-fives and 14 top-10s in his 16 starts in the ARCA Menards Series in 2020, driving for Joe Gibbs Racing part-time. Mark MacFarland will continue to oversee the organization’s efforts in the ARCA Menards Series.
“We want to build on the success that our team had last season,” said JGR ARCA Menards Series crew chief Mark McFarland. “Ty works extremely hard to prepare each week and it’s exciting to have him behind the wheel for every race and the opportunity to go after our goal of winning that championship.”
“I’m pumped to run the full season in the ARCA Menards Series,” said Ty Gibbs. “(Crew Chief) Mark (McFarland) has put together an amazing team that gives me a chance to be successful every week.
“I’m also really excited to have the opportunity to work with (crew chief) Chris Gayle to make my debut in the Xfinity Series,” added Gibbs. “I can’t imagine a better situation for me to learn and be able to compare notes, not only with my Series’ teammates like Brandon (Jones), Harrison (Burton) and Daniel (Hemric), but also veterans like Kyle, Denny and Martin who I will share the car with.”
In addition to his 20-race slate in the ARCA Menards Series, Gibbs will make his NASCAR Xfinity Series debut for the organization, driving the No. 54 Toyota Supra at Daytona International Speedway’s Road Course. Kyle Busch, Martin Truex, Jr. and Denny Hamlin are also slated to pilot the entry at some point throughout the 2021 season.
Gibbs’ current Xfinity Series schedule – which has not been totally finalized — qualifies the Joe Gibbs Racing driver to run for Rookie of The Year honors in 2021.
A full schedule to include driver assignments for the JGR No. 54 will be announced at a later date.
“I’m looking forward to the upcoming season,” said Chris Gayle, who will serve as crew chief for the JGR No. 54 Xfinity Series entry in 2021. “Ty has already shown a great deal of talent with each step he has taken in his career and I think the opportunity to also learn from his veteran teammates will be a huge benefit to his development.”
