DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. - At just 23, Trey Gibson proves that champions are not defined by numbers.
Although his numbers are pretty darn good.
Ending the season with 15 victories, 29 top fives and 30 top 10s – as well as ranking 55th in the NASCAR Whelen All-American Series and second in South Carolina – the Easley, S.C. native earned the 2015 Division I championship for Anderson Motor Speedway in Williamston, S.C. in the Late Model Stock Car Division.
“This year has been, by far, the best year I’ve had in my racing career,” he said. “We had a phenomenal season – you couldn’t ask for a better year.”
Situated near Anderson, S.C., the .375-mile oval is dubbed the “Supertrack of the Carolinas” – known for producing close, competitive short track racing every weekend. Gibson scored four of his wins at Anderson and edged R.A. Brown by eight points.
“It’s great side-by-side racing,” Gibson said. “It’s ran by great people, the people who work there are nice, the facility’s nice – just an all-around great race track.”
This season, Gibson also finished second in points at Easley, South Carolina’s Greenville Pickens Speedway.
Gibson said when the season first started, their strategy was just to go to the track every weekend and get a win.
“We weren’t even worried about the points,” he said. “We went there for a win. We just let it play out, and fortunately, it played out well for us.”
Gibson started his racing career when he was 8-years-old driving go-karts, eventually moving to four-cylinder stocks when he was 14. He said racing runs in the family, and his 2015 track championship has made them very proud.
“Especially my papa,” he said. “To be able to share this moment and this year with him is just awesome.”
Two years ago, Gibson collected four wins in 13 starts between Greenville and Hickory Motor Speedway in North Carolina. Last year, he made 12 starts between Greenville and Hickory. He had nine top fives but didn’t have a win. He finished 199th in the NASCAR Whelen All-American Series Division I standings.
Gibson will be honored for his Anderson Motor Speedway crown along with other track and state/province champions from across North America as part of the NASCAR Whelen All-American Series Awards on Dec. 11 at the Charlotte Convention Center and NASCAR Hall of Fame in Charlotte, N.C.
