NFL
By: Zachary Draves
Ty Gibbs, the 18-year-old heir to one of auto racing’s most famous families cruised his way to victory in the ARCA series’ Shore Lunch 150 at Iowa Speedway.
The grandson of NASCAR and Pro Football Hall of Famer Joe Gibbs was nearly flawless. He led 149 of the 150 laps en route to his sixth win of the 2021 season and his second straight win at the World’s Fastest Short Track.
“I feel like you’re almost a painter here, you’re just working the brush on the canvas, on an open canvas, there’s so much room to work with,” said Gibbs, shortly after driving his No. 18 Toyota to victory lane. “It’s a Phoenix, it’s an Atlanta, there are so many different places to go from top to bottom. You’ve got everywhere, and all of the bumps, so much character to this place. It’s really a well-built racetrack.”
He further discussed his strategy going into this race with short laps as compared to much longer races.
“This is more of a sprint race I feel like just shorter from being in six Indy races” he said.
“I feel like you get into the mindset of every race and you settle into that. I don’t think it makes much of a difference.
“I think going from a shorter race to a longer race is different because you got more time in the car, but It is what it is and I try to get the most out of it.”
Gibbs dominated the day in the beginning by winning the General Tire Pole Award in qualifying, then he continued his dominance when the sunset.
This victory also catapulted him into the points lead over driver Corey Heim at a crucial point in the season with nine races left and the usual playoff series heating up.
Daniel Dye, a week after winning his first ARCA Menards Series race, made a valiant effort to catch Gibbs in the closing laps. But Dye settled for second, as Taylor Gray, Corey Heim, and Nick Sanchez rounded out the top five.
“I did everything I could,” Dye said as he stood alongside his No. 21 Chevrolet. “I wrecked the car a couple of times trying to reel in Ty, but … this is a dream. I’m racing in front of 5,000 fans at one of the coolest tracks I’ve been to and finishing second to one of the best there is in ARCA. So mad we didn’t win, but we’ll take it.”
The ARCA Menards Series heads east to Winchester Speedway in Indiana next Saturday for the Winchester 150.
Stay connected to Iowa Speedway online at iowaspeedway.com and on social media on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter.
