The Monster Energy Big 12 Conference is returning to NASCAR for the upcoming Chase weekend at Phoenix Raceway.
Videos by FanBuzz
Joe Gibbs Racing announced the news and provided the first look at the scheme. Ty Gibbs will drive a black No. 54 Toyota Camry XSE featuring logos for Monster Energy and the Big 12 Conference.
Had to switch things up for Phoenix 😮💨@MonsterEnergy @Big12Conference pic.twitter.com/PuRWGdSTfL
— Joe Gibbs Racing (@JoeGibbsRacing) October 13, 2026
This is not the first time that Monster Energy, the entitlement sponsor of the college football conference, has shared its scheme during a NASCAR Cup Series race.
Riley Herbst, a driver for 23XI Racing, showcased the Big 12 Conference during the race weekend at Iowa Speedway in August. He had the black base on his Toyota Camry XSE, along with the green Monster Energy logos.
Herbst's car also had the Big 12 logos on his Toyota as he raced to a 21st-place finish at the 0.875-mile paved track.
Gibbs will now showcase the logos as he returns to the 1-mile track in Avondale, Arizona, the track where he won his O'Reilly Auto Parts Series championship back in 2022.
Gibbs will make his eighth career Cup Series start at Phoenix Raceway while continuing to compete in the Chase. He has two top-five finishes at the track, both in the spring race. He finished third in the 2024 spring race and fourth in this season's spring race.
The Joe Gibbs Racing driver is more of a long shot to get back into championship contention with only four races remaining in the Chase.
He has fallen to ninth in the standings and 156 points behind Kyle Larson after a race weekend at Charlotte Motor Speedway in which he broke a toe link and fell to seven laps behind the leaders. Gibbs finished 34th in the race and only scored three points.
Gibbs is currently 24 points ahead of fellow Chase driver Carson Hocevar. He trails Austin Cindric by 11 points and Tyler Reddick by 42 points.
