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Following the conclusion of the NASCAR Cup Series season finale at Phoenix Raceway, Ty Gibbs was officially named the Cup Series' 2023 Sunoco Rookie of the Year. Gibbs easily prevailed over Rookie of the Year competitor Noah Gragson, who did not run the final 13 races of the season after parting ways with Legacy Motor Club during a month-long suspension for inappropriate social media activity in August.

After winning the NASCAR Xfinity Series championship in 2022, the 21-year-old grandson of Joe Gibbs and son of former NASCAR driver Coy Gibbs completed his uncommonly fast rise to the Cup Series by taking the seat of the No. 54 Toyota in 2023 following the departure of Kyle Busch to Richard Childress Racing. Gibbs' promotion to Cup came after he ran 15 Cup races in 2022 for 23XI Racing, filling in for Kurt Busch after he suffered a concussion in a crash at Pocono that eventually ended his career.

Gibbs impressed throughout his rookie campaign by contending for a playoff spot before finishing the season with four top fives, 10 top tens and a best finish of fourth at the Charlotte Motor Speedway Roval on his way to an 18th-place finish in the final championship standings.

Gibbs becomes the fourth driver in the history of Joe Gibbs Racing to win Rookie of the Year honors in Cup, joining Tony Stewart (1999), Denny Hamlin (2006) and Joey Logano (2009). He is also the third driver all-time to win Rookie of the Year honors driving for Toyota, joining Logano and Erik Jones (2017). 

The Charlotte, N.C. native is the 11th driver from the state of North Carolina to win Cup Rookie of the Year honors, joining a group that includes Blackie Pitt (1954), Ken Rush (1957), Richard Petty (1959), Thomas Cox (1962), Doug Cooper (1964), Larry Smith (1972), Kevin Conway (2010), Stephen Leicht (2012), William Byron (2018) and Daniel Hemric (2019).

Gibbs finished his rookie season with a 21st-place finish in the season finale at Phoenix.