Ty Gibbs wins at Bristol

Ty Gibbs won the Food City 500 at Bristol Motor Speedway on Sunday, April 12, for his first NASCAR Cup Series victory in 131 starts. (nascar.com) Gibbs beat Ryan Blaney by 0.055 seconds in overtime after restarting in front on Lap 486 and leading only the final 25 laps. Kyle Larson finished third, 0.229 seconds back, after leading a race-high 284 of 505 laps. (nascar.com) The winning move came under caution when Gibbs and crew chief Tyler Allen stayed on old tires while Blaney and Larson gave up track position for fresh rubber. Another yellow on Lap 498 forced a two-lap restart, and Gibbs held the top lane to the checkered flag. (bristolmotorspeedway.com) Bristol is a 0.533-mile concrete short track where passing gets harder as laps run down, so clean air and track position can outweigh tire advantage late in a race. That tradeoff decided the final stint when Gibbs refused to pit and Blaney had to chase him from deeper in the field. (bristolmotorspeedway.com) The result ended a long wait for Gibbs, 23, who moved to the Cup Series in 2023 and had earlier runner-up finishes at Darlington in 2024 and Chicago in 2025. He became the 207th different driver to win a Cup race. (espn.com, motorsport.com) The finish was also one of Bristol’s closest in modern Cup history. NASCAR said it was the closest at the track since Rusty Wallace beat Ernie Irvan by one foot in April 1991. (nascar.com) Gibbs is the grandson of Joe Gibbs, the Hall of Fame team owner, and the son of Coy Gibbs, who died on Nov. 6, 2022, the day after Ty won the NASCAR Xfinity Series title. After climbing from the car, Gibbs said he wished his father could have seen the win. (espn.com, nascar.com) Blaney, who started from the pole and led 190 laps, said he “gave it my best shot” on the last restart but “just couldn’t get it done.” Gibbs left Bristol with the trophy after a race Larson and Blaney controlled for most of the afternoon. (nascar.com, espn.com)