Ty Gibbs’ Crew Chief Reveals Bold Strategy That Secured Iowa Victory Despite Toyota Troubles

Toyota had never reached Victory Lane at Iowa Speedway in the Cup Series’ first two visits, but Ty Gibbs finally changed that on Sunday. After Ryan Blaney won the track’s inaugural Cup race in 2024 and William Byron followed with a Chevrolet victory last season, Gibbs gave Toyota its first win at the venue.

The victory was far from straightforward, however. Gibbs started sixth and immediately looked competitive, but his race took a major hit during his opening pit stop. The jack came down too soon while the team was changing tires, sending Gibbs tumbling to 28th.

“You’re kind of hosed after that deal,” Gibbs said afterward. “So you’ve got to stay locked in and keep working.”

At a track where passing can be extremely difficult, Gibbs had plenty of work ahead of him. He steadily moved through the field and eventually found himself running second behind Joe Gibbs Racing teammate Christopher Bell with the race entering its final stages.

Tyler Allen Makes a Bold Pit-Stop Call

With 60 laps remaining, Bell and Gibbs both came to pit road under green. Bell’s team opted for four fresh tires, while Gibbs’ crew chief, Tyler Allen, made the more aggressive decision to change only the right-side tires.

Allen explained that the team had been considering the two-tire strategy throughout the race.

“We were leaning two tires the whole time,” Allen said. “It was a matter of when we were gonna take them.”

Allen knew Bell was likely to choose four tires, so when he heard the No. 20 car announce its pit stop, he immediately committed to the gamble.

“I knew he was leaning four,” Allen said. “So I heard the 20 say pit, so we pit, and I took rights, knowing I would jump him and that Ty was gonna have a lot of work to do.”

The decision paid off immediately. Gibbs’ faster stop moved him ahead of both Bell and polesitter Ryan Blaney as they exited pit road.

Ross Chastain, however, remained the official leader after extending his fuel strategy. Gibbs finally inherited the lead when Chastain made his final stop with 20 laps remaining.

From there, Gibbs had to withstand heavy pressure from Bell. He held his teammate off at the finish line by just 0.253 seconds, earning his second Cup Series victory of the season and the second of his career.

The win also marked another major strategic success for Allen. Four months earlier, his aggressive call at Bristol helped Gibbs capture the first Cup victory of his career.

Tire Data Gave Gibbs’ Team Confidence

The two-tire gamble was not simply a desperate move. Allen and the team had gathered information during practice that suggested the left-side tires were holding up well and would allow Gibbs to restart without losing too much performance.

“We knew after practice the left sides weren’t wearing much and they tended to refire OK,” Allen told The Associated Press.

That information gave the team enough confidence to take the risk when the opportunity presented itself.

Gibbs then had to make the strategy work on the track, and he delivered when it mattered most.

Toyota Faced Problems Throughout the Weekend

Gibbs’ victory was especially impressive considering the problems that affected several Toyota teams throughout the Iowa weekend.

Denny Hamlin and Chase Briscoe were among the drivers hit hardest by brake issues during practice, while Riley Herbst also experienced problems. The trouble was ultimately connected to setup information shared through the technical alliance between Joe Gibbs Racing and 23XI Racing.

Christopher Bell avoided those issues and proved to be one of the strongest Toyota drivers throughout the race. He led 108 laps before Gibbs eventually passed him.

Blaney, meanwhile, finished third and led more laps than anyone else, spending 129 circuits at the front. Bubba Wallace also showed winning potential after leading 35 laps, but a speeding penalty on pit road dropped him to the rear of the field.

Despite the uncertainty surrounding the strategy, Gibbs never questioned Allen’s decision. He learned about the two-tire plan only after the team was already heading toward pit road.

“I can’t do anything about it,” Gibbs said. “So you just run with it.”

In the end, that willingness to trust his team—and execute a high-risk strategy—helped Gibbs make history at Iowa and deliver Toyota its first Cup Series win at the track.