Getty Ty Gibbs prepares for a race at Michigan Speedway.
Ty Gibbs is making a name as the championship favorite in the ARCA Menards Series. He has won eight races while battling Corey Heim and posting a mind-boggling stat. Gibbs has topped current NASCAR Truck Series driver Grant Enfinger for the most laps led in a single season with multiple races remaining.
According to Racing Reference, Enfinger led 1,075 laps during the 2014 ARCA Menards Series season in which he won six times and finished second in the standings behind Mason Mitchell. He took 20 races to reach this mark, but Gibbs surpassed him in only 15. The Joe Gibbs Racing driver has led 1,088 laps and will have the opportunity to add to his total before the end of the season.
.@TyGibbs_ is the first ARCA Menards Series driver to lead 1,000 or more laps in a single season since @GrantEnfinger led 1,075 in 2014
There are still 5 races left in 2021 🤯
The ARCA Menards Series drivers will finish out the year with trips to the Milwaukee Mile (Aug. 29), DuQuoin State Fairgrounds (Sept. 5), Bristol Motor Speedway (Sept. 16), Salem Speedway (Oct. 2), and Kansas Speedway (Oct. 23). Gibbs will have the opportunity to continue building upon his laps led while simultaneously fighting Heim for the championship trophy.
The 2021 Season Includes Dominant Performances
Here are the @reeses Sweet Move of the Race nominees from @MISpeedway! 😎
Topping Enfinger’s mark of 1,075 laps led in a single season is not a simple feat. Doing so required standout performances at a variety of tracks, and Gibbs did just that while locking up multiple victories.
The 18-year-old has multiple races during the 2021 season where he led nearly — if not all — of the laps before taking the checkered flag. The list includes wins at Kansas and Charlotte where he led all 100 laps after starting on the pole.
Additionally, he led 149 of the 150 laps at Iowa Speedway on July 24 before winning his sixth race of the season. Gibbs repeated the feat on Aug. 20 at Michigan International Speedway. He led 99 of the 100 laps after starting on the pole and held off Heim to secure his eighth win of the year.
Enfinger Did Not Win the Championship in 2014
GettyGrant Enfinger prepares for a Truck Series race at Texas Motor Speedway.
While he led the most laps and reached Victory Lane six times during the 2014 season, Enfinger did not take home the championship trophy. Instead, he finished second in the standings behind Mason Mitchell, who only led 595 laps and won one time.
Enfinger’s best season actually took place in 2015. He won six races once again and finished in the top five 13 times. He led the most laps (792) for the second consecutive year and then locked up the championship trophy over Austin Wayne Self.
Enfinger won the title in 2015 and then left full-time ARCA racing to pursue a Truck Series career. He still made limited starts in 2016, 2017, and 2018 but kept his focus on pursuing wins with multiple teams.
If Gibbs continues to perform at a high level and locks up his own ARCA Menards Series title, could he follow Enfinger and move on to bigger races? That outcome remains likely considering that Joe Gibbs Racing has yet to announce Harrison Burton’s replacement in the No. 20 Toyota Supra. Gibbs already has three wins in the Xfinity Series and could strive to add even more during the 2022 season.
For now, however, Gibbs will continue to battle Heim for the title. The two ARCA favorites will next go head-to-head at the Milwaukee Mile on Aug. 29. The race will start at 3 p.m. ET and will air live on MAVTV Motorsports Network and NBC Sports Gold’s TrackPass streaming platform.
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