Kyle Larson Fires Shots at Ty Gibbs For Cup Series Win Drought

NASCAR driver Kyle Larson has taken aim at Ty Gibbs for being unable to win even a single race in the Cup Series. The remarks arrive after Larson said he wanted to embarrass NASCAR by dominating Xfinity Series races.

Larson wanted to highlight that Xfinity Series drivers have a huge performance gap to Cup Series drivers, and therefore, they must enhance their racing skills to close the gap. The 2021 Cup Series champion then cited Gibbs as an example, stating how he is an Xfinity Series champion but has failed to win even a single Cup Series race. Larson’s remarks were reported by Kyle Dalton:

“Xfinity guys, I don’t feel like are as good as they once were and definitely not as prepared for Cup as they once were. I think that’s why you see, you know, a guy like Ty Gibbs. I really like Ty Gibbs. He is an Xfinity Series champion, but he’s yet to win a race. And, you know, I think a lot of that comes from just the limits that NASCAR’s put on.”

While Gibbs’ recent third-place finish at Bristol was impressive, he has not won any of his 96 Cup Series starts so far. Larson has been active in commenting about the Xfinity Series in a bid to help drivers improve their performance. In a conversation with former driver Kevin Harvick, Larson’s bold comments were reported by Newsweek Sports after the race weekend at Bristol. He said:

“In Xfinity, I do get motivated, and this is going to come across like very cocky, but I want to embarrass them, honestly. I want to embarrass NASCAR a little bit because they just don’t let Cup guys run anymore, and the kids probably think they’re in a good spot and they don’t know where the bar really is at.

“So, I like to go run those Xfinity races and just get 10-second leads to let them realize that they’ve got a lot of room to improve. I think that’s only better for our sport. When those young guys can compete with Cup guys, they’re better suited for the Cup Series once they get there. … I want to smash the field when I run Xfinity. That’s motivating to me, for sure.”

While Larson’s words could come across as harsh to many, his intent appears to be constructive, helping Xfinity Series drivers assess the performance gap and understand what it takes to succeed at the Cup Series level.