Ty Gibbs nips Ryan Blaney in OT at Bristol

Field Level Media|published: Sun 12th April, 18:43 2026

Mar 29, 2026; Martinsville, Virginia, USA; Joe Gibbs Racing driver Ty Gibbs (54) during practice at Martinsville Speedway. Mandatory Credit: Jim Dedmon-Imagn Images

Ty Gibbs stayed out for track position then won his first career NASCAR Cup Series race by nipping Ryan Blaney in overtime on Sunday at Bristol Motor Speedway, taking the Food City 500 in Bristol, Tenn.

In the NASCAR Cup Series' eighth race of 2026, Gibbs' small lead evaporated when Riley Herbst created the ninth caution with four laps left to force the two-lap overtime.

The No. 54 driver restarted in the preferred high line and held off Blaney's No. 12 Ford by 0.055 seconds to win at the Cup level for the first time in 131 career starts, becoming the most recent driver to win his first career race at Bristol since Kurt Busch in 2002.

Kyle Larson, Tyler Reddick and Chase Briscoe completed the top five.

Ross Chastain made the first bold move, moving from sixth to second on the first lap, while Ty Gibbs fell back. But by Lap 60, Christopher Bell had worked his way to third, up 11 spots, in his No. 20 Toyota as pole winner Blaney pulled away from the 37-car field.

Larson took the point after the first pit stops, but stablemate William Byron fell two laps down and dropped to 36th late in Stage 1. Larson and Bell, who combined to win the Bristol races last season, ended 1-2, respectively, in the 125-lap segment with Blaney, Briscoe and Josh Berry behind them.

Like Reddick earlier, Bell was caught speeding on pit road and fell back to 26th. The No. 20 Toyota soon lost control, struck the wall off Turn 2 and spun on the backstretch.

Larson's No. 5 paced the way as Stage 2 neared its end, but Blaney's No. 12 Ford moved to within a half-second. The two-time title winner repeated with another stage win, and Blaney, Denny Hamlin, Carson Hocevar and Briscoe were top five.

The cars were bunched up with just under 190 laps left when Herbst turned Kyle Busch, and Larson, who had topped 262 circuits, led Gibbs, Hamlin and Blaney following pit work.

The Team Penske driver moved his Ford to the point on Lap 363 after contact with Larson as drivers raced the concrete half-mile track's low or high groove and flirted with the notion of making it without another stop.

--Field Level Media

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