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Author: Andrew Kim

  • Ty Gibbs dominates for first NASCAR Xfinity Series championship at Phoenix

    Ty Gibbs dominates for first NASCAR Xfinity Series championship at Phoenix

    In a season highlighted with competitive runs and big victories while also mired with controversial run-ins towards his fellow competitors amid his aggressive driving style, Ty Gibbs silenced his critics and responded back with redemption by winning the 2022 NASCAR Xfinity Series championship after muscling his way to a dominant victory in the Xfinity Series Championship Race at Phoenix Raceway on Saturday, Nov. 5.

    The 20-year-old Gibbs from Charlotte, North Carolina, led seven times for a race-high 125 of 200-scheduled laps and took care of business during the first half of the finale by sweeping both stages. Despite being pitted in a head-to-head matchup against a trio of JR Motorsports’ competitors highlighted by Noah Gragson, Justin Allgaier and Josh Berry throughout the final stage, Gibbs did not relent by remaining competitive and battling towards the front with a strong race car and stellar work from his pit crew. After assuming the lead from Allgaier with 21 laps remaining, he then fended off a late charge from rival Gragson before claiming his first Xfinity title in his first full-time campaign in the series along with the second consecutive title for Joe Gibbs Racing in recent years.

    With on-track qualifying that determined the starting lineup occurring on Saturday, Ty Gibbs, a Championship 4 finalist, claimed the final pole position of the 2022 season, which marked his fifth of this season, after posting a pole-winning lap at 134.298 mph in 26.806 seconds. Joining him on the front row was teammate Sammy Smith, who posted the second-best qualifying lap at 134.058 mph in 26.854 seconds. Gibbs’ title rivals that included Noah Gragson, Josh Berry and Justin Allgaier qualified fourth, ninth and 11th, respectively.

    Prior to the event, Rajah Caruth dropped to the rear of the filed for missing driver introductions along with Joe Graf Jr., who fell back in a backup car.

    When the green flag waved and the race started, Gibbs launched ahead with an early advantage as he retained the lead through the first two turns as the field fanned out through the dogleg. With the clean air to his advantage, Gibbs went on to lead the first lap followed by Nick Sanchez and Sammy Smith while Noah Gragson was in fourth ahead of Brandon Jones, Landon Cassill, Sheldon Creed and Daniel Hemric.

    Through the first five scheduled laps, Gibbs was leading by more than a second over Smith followed by a hard-charging Gragson while Sanchez fell back to fourth. Brandon Jones retained fifth ahead of Cassill, Creed, Justin Allgaier, Josh Berry and AJ Allmendinger while Hemric, who got bumped and nearly turned sideways by Allgaier early in the event, was back in 11th in front of rookie Austin Hill.

    At the Lap 10 mark, Gibbs extended his advantage to more than two seconds over Gragson, who overtook Smith three laps earlier, as Sanchez and Jones started to close in on Smith for more. Meanwhile, Allgaier was in seventh after overtaking Creed while Berry remained in ninth.

    Ten laps later, Gibbs, who was approaching lapped traffic, continued to extend his advantage as he was out in front by more than three seconds over runner-up Gragson. While Smith and Sanchez remained in third and fourth, Allgaier was up in fifth place ahead of Cassill and Brandon Jones while Berry, the fourth title contender, was in eighth in front of Creed and Allmendinger.

    Another 10 laps later, the first caution of the event flew when Brandon Brown blew a right-front tire and went dead straight into the outside wall in Turn 2 as he sustained significant right-side damage to his car. By then, three of the four championship finalists were running first through third on the track, with Gibbs retaining the lead by more than two seconds over runner-up Gragson and more than seven seconds over third-place Allgaier. By then, Berry, the fourth championship competitor, was still mired in eighth behind Brandon Jones.

    During the first caution period, some led by Smith and Sanchez pitted while the rest led by Gibbs remained on the track.

    With eight laps remaining in the first stage, the race proceeded under green. At the start and as the field fanned out through the dogleg, Gibbs fended off Gragson to retain the lead as Gragson also fended off teammate Allgaier for the runner-up spot through the first two turns. Behind, Cassill was in fourth ahead of Berry while the field continued to fan out to multiple lanes through the frontstretch and entering the backstretch. In the midst of the hard racing towards the middle of the pack, Sanchez and Smith were trying to carve their way back to the front on four fresh tires.

    When the first stage concluded on Lap 45, Gibbs struck first early as he claimed his ninth stage victory of the 2022 season. Title rivals Gragson, Allgaier and Berry settled in second through fourth, respectively, followed by Cassill while Creed, Sanchez, Smith, Brandon Jones and Allmendinger were scored in the top 10.

    Under the stage break, the majority of the field led by Gibbs pitted while four competitors led by Sanchez remained on the track. Following the pit stops, Gibbs was the first competitor to exit pit road first followed by teammate Brandon Jones, Cassill, Allmendinger, Gragson and Allgaier.

    The second stage started on Lap 53 as Sanchez and Smith occupied the front row. At the start and as the field fanned out through the dogleg again, Smith launched ahead of Sanchez followed by a hard-charging Gibbs through the first two turns. A lap later, however, Gibbs muscled his No. 54 Monster Energy Toyota Supra back to the lead as teammate Brandon Jones joined the battle. Meanwhile, teammates Allgaier and Gragson were mired back in eighth and ninth while Berry was in 12th. Shortly after, Gragson pulled off a bold three-wide move on Allgaier and Riley Herbst through the dogleg for seventh place as he tried to march his way back to the front.

    By Lap 59, the caution returned when JJ Yeley spun in Turn 1 following contact from Kris Wright. At the moment of caution, Gibbs was leading both the race and the championship by nearly two seconds over Smith followed by Jones, Cassill and Hemric while Gragson, Allgaier, Sanchez, Herbst and Berry were running in the top 10.

    When the race restarted under green on Lap 65, teammates Gibbs and Smith dueled for the lead through the first two turns until Smith rocketed ahead through the backstretch with the lead. A lap later, however, Gibbs fought back on the inside lane, though Smith did not relinquish the lead. In the midst of the battle for the lead, Gragson overtook Jones for third place as he started to close in on the two leaders. With Gragson in third, Allgaier was in fifth as he tried to close in on Jones for fourth place.

    Then on Lap 68, Gragson pulled a bold three-wide move on Gibbs and Smith through the frontstretch and the dogleg to take the lead entering Turn 1. Smith, however, fought back on the outside lane through Turn 2 and the backstretch as he retained the top spot by a hair. Then as Gibbs tried to overtake Gragson for the runner-up spot, Gragson fought back and retained the spot while Allgaier tried to close in while in fourth place.

    At the Lap 74 mark, Gragson muscled his No. 9 Bass Pro Shops Chevrolet Camaro into the lead through the frontstretch and the dogleg. Not long after, Gibbs overtook teammate Smith for the runner-up spot through Turn 3 as Allgaier made his way into third place, thus dropping Smith to fourth place. Behind, Cassill was in fifth followed by teammate Allgaier while Jones was being pressured by Sam Mayer and Berry for seventh place.

    On Lap 79, Gibbs reassumed the lead from Gragson, who then was being attacked by teammate Allgaier for the runner-up spot. Despite attempting to fend off his JR Motorsports teammate for the spot during the next few laps, Gragson lost the spot to Allgaier as Smith and Cassill closed in to join the battle. Meanwhile, Gibbs started to pull away with the clean air to his advantage.

    When the second stage concluded on Lap 90, Gibbs captured his ninth stage victory of the 2022 season as he swept both stages in the finale and struck again in his quest for his first Xfinity title. Allgaier settled in second followed by Gragson, who recorded the most stage victories of this season at 16. Smith and Cassill were scored in the top five followed by Mayer, Jones, Allmendinger, Creed and Berry.

    Under the stage break, the field led by Gibbs returned to pit road. Following the pit stops, Allgaier emerged with the lead after exiting pit road first ahead of Gibbs, Jones, Gragson, Smith and Cassill while Berry was mired back in 10th.

    With 102 laps remaining, the final stage started as Allgaier and Gibbs occupied the front row. At the start, Allgaier and Gibbs dueled for the lead for a full lap as the field behind jostled for positions. During the following lap, Gibbs used the outside lane to his advantage as he reassumed the lead through Turns 1 and 2 while Allgaier was trying to fend off Gragson and Jones for third place. By then, the event surpassed its halfway mark. 

    On Lap 101, however, the caution returned for a multi-car wreck that erupted in Turn 4 when Smith got into the left rear fender of Mayer and ignited a chain reaction with Herbst, Anthony Alfredo, Kaz Grala, Kyle Weatherman, Ryan Sieg and Stefan Parsons all wrecking and sustaining damage to their respective cars.

    When the race restarted with 92 laps remaining, Gibbs and Allgaier dueled again for the lead through the first two turns until Gibbs pulled ahead on the outside lane during the following lap to retain the lead. Behind, teammates Gragson and Allgaier battled for the runner-up spot while Allmendinger was in fourth in front of Creed, Jones and Berry.

    With 90 laps remaining, the caution flew when Smith, who had a good day gone bad during the previous caution period, had his race gone from bad to worse when he spun and wrecked along with Kyle Weatherman, Joey Gase and Mason Massey in Turn 2.

    During the following restart with 84 laps remaining, Gibbs and Gragson briefly dueled for the lead through the dogleg until the former pulled ahead through the backstretch. Then through Turns 3 and 4, Gragson muscled his car into the lead on the inside lane. Gibbs then tried to fight back on the inside lane during the following lap, but Gragson retained the spot while running the outside lane.

    With 80 laps remaining, however, a side-by-side action for the lead was instigated once again between Gragson and Gibbs, with the latter trying to pressure the former for the top spot. Gragson, however, refused to relinquish the lead through every turn, every straightaway and through every attempt made by Gibbs as Allgaier started to close in on the two leaders. By then, Berry was in fourth place as all four championship finalists were running first through fourth.

    With 75 laps remaining, Gragson was out in front by two-tenths of a second over teammate Allgaier, who pressured Gibbs for the runner-up spot before succeeding, as Berry was trailing the lead by a second. 

    Five laps later, Gragson retained the lead on the track and for the championship battle by four-tenths of a second over teammate Allgaier, seven-tenths of a second over third-place Gibbs and more than a second over fourth-place Berry. By then, Jones was in fifth while Creed, Cassill, Allmendinger, Hemric and Sanchez were scored in the top 10.

    Then with 55 laps remaining, the battle for the lead started to intensify as Gragson was starting to be intimidated by teammate Allgaier for the lead through the turns and the straightaways followed by Gibbs while Berry trailed by more than two seconds. By then, the leaders were also starting to catch lapped traffic. 

    With 53 laps remaining, Gragson went wide in Turn 3, which allowed Allgaier to assume the lead followed by a hard-charging Gibbs. Despite gathering his car back to his groove, Gragson was losing ground of the two leaders. Not long after, however, Mayer, who was on the track and multiple laps down, briefly stalled Gibbs’ momentum as Allgaier retained the lead, which allowed Gragson to close back in.

    Then with 47 laps remaining, Gibbs ignited a side-by-side battle for the lead against Allgaier, but Allgaier defended the top spot while running on the outside lane. Two laps later, however, the caution flew due to possible fluid on the track when Dillon Bassett’s No. 77 Chevrolet went up in smoke before coming to a stop below the apron in Turn 3.

    During the caution period, the field led by Allgaier made the left-hand turn to pit road for fresh tires, fuel and adjustments. Following the pit stops, Gibbs exited with the lead followed by Allgaier, Berry, Creed, Allmendinger, Jones and Cassill while Gragson fell all the way back to eighth following another slow pit stop from his pit crew.

    Down to the final 36 laps of the event, the race restarted under green as Gibbs and Allgaier occupied the front row. At the start, Allgaier received a push from Creed to assume the lead through the dogleg and the frontstretch. He then went wide in Turns 1 and 2, which allowed Gibbs to rocket by with the lead as Allgaier, who had light smoke coming out of his car prior to the restart, was being challenged by Creed and Allmendinger for the runner-up spot in a three-wide battle. During the following lap, the caution returned when Gragson, who was trying to fight his way back to the front, got into the left-rear fender of Jones as Jones spun his No. 19 Menards Toyota Supra towards the pit road entrance in Turn 2. By then, Allgaier retained second ahead of teammate Berry and behind title rival Gibbs.

    During the following restart with 30 laps remaining, Allgaier, who had light smoke puffing out of his No. 7 BRANDT Chevrolet Camaro again prior to the restart, received a strong start on the inside lane as he fended off Gibbs to assume the lead. Behind, Berry’s No. 8 Tire Pros Chevrolet Camaro washed up the track and he lost a bevy of spots through the first two turns while Gibbs launched a side-by-side attack on Allgaier for the lead. As Allgaier retained the lead ahead of Gibbs, Gragson was trying to fend off Creed for third place, which he persevered as he then tried to close in on the two leaders.

    With 21 laps remaining and following several laps of Gibbs and Allgaier trading spots back and forth between each turn and straightaway, a three-wide action for the lead occurred as Allgaier, Gibbs and Gragson dueled for the lead. Then in Turn 1, Gibbs crossed over on Allgaier’s Chevrolet to reassume the lead. Gragson then overtook teammate Allgaier for the runner-up spot while trying to keep rival Gibbs close enough to his front windshield.

    Down to the final 15 laps of the event, Gibbs was leading by more than half a second over Gragson while Allgaier trailed by a second in third place. Meanwhile, Berry was mired back in 14th place.

    Five laps later and with 10 laps remaining, Gibbs continued to lead the race and the championship by six-tenths of a second over a hard-charging Gragson while Allgaier was behind by a second in third place. In the midst of the battle for the lead, Berry was back in 14th as his title hopes were evaporating.

    Down to the final five laps of the event, Gibbs retained the lead by half a second over Gragson, who was slowly running out of time. By then, Allgaier was also losing ground as he was more than a second behind in third place. 

    Then with two laps remaining, Gibbs’ momentum was briefly stalled by Mayer, who was multiple laps down, as he drew himself alongside Gibbs’ Toyota with both competitors battling through the backstretch. This allowed Gragson to slightly close in, but not enough as Gibbs pulled ahead of Gragson through Turns 3 and 4.

    When the white flag waved and the final lap started, Gibbs remained as the leader by three-tenths of a second over Gragson. Through Turns 1 and 2, Gibbs overtook the lapped car of Dawson Cram to try to increase his light advantage over Gragson. With a final opportunity to steal the victory and title, Gragson stepped on the gas through the backstretch as he overtook Cram. He then tried to get to Gibbs’ rear bumper, but the gap was not close enough for him to pounce. With Gragson unable to close back in, Gibbs cycled back to the frontstretch and streaked across the finish line in first place to win both the finale and the championship. 

    With his accomplishment, Gibbs, who won the 2021 ARCA Menards Series championship and won in his Xfinity debut at the Daytona International Speedway Road Course during the same season, became the 32nd different competitor to win a NASCAR Xfinity Series championship as he recorded the fourth Xfinity drivers’ title for both Joe Gibbs Racing and Toyota. He also became the fourth-youngest competitor to win an Xfinity championship at age 20 years, one month and one day old. The title was also the seventh Xfinity Series owner’s championship title for Joe Gibbs Racing and the first for crew chief Chris Gayle.

    Upon performing his victorious burnout and waving the championship flag on the frontstretch, Gibbs’ championship celebration was met with an unpopular response from the crowd through a chorus of boos. The unpopular response from the crowd did very little to damper Gibbs’ celebratory mood, with the driver taking responsibility for his aggressive actions last weekend at Martinsville Speedway that eliminated teammate Brandon Jones’ opportunity to transfer to the finale.

    “First off, I just wanna say thank you to my team,” Gibbs, who notched his seventh victory of the season en route to the title, said on USA Network. “Every one of these guys. My pit crew. They did an awesome job. They put us here. Great job to my team. What I did last week was unacceptable. I apologize once again, but it was unacceptable because we could have had two shots to win this deal, and it was stupid from an organizational standpoint. I will sit here and tell you I’m sorry as much as I can, but it is not going to fix it. I’ve got to fix my actions. I feel like today I had a good race. We made some good moves. Me and [Allgaier] were racing really hard. Hopefully, we put on a good show for you fans. Thank you for all that you guys do.”

    “I don’t want to be the one with the boos,” Gibbs added. “I’m the one that put myself in that position, but whatever. I don’t want this championship to be remembered for boos. I want it to be remembered for the hard work on our team. Awesome job. Let’s go, Monster Energy! Thank you to the fans. Even though I don’t have many, hopefully, I earned some respect back. We’ll move on. Thank you, guys. I focused out the windshield. I felt like we had a great race with [Gragson]. Great job to JR Motorsports, but the 25% won. I had an awesome time racing in the Xfinity Series this year. Looking for more and I’m very excited. We’re champions. We’re champions.”

    Joe Gibbs, the team owner of Joe Gibbs Racing, added, “It was a tough week. We hated last week. We’re just trying to walk through this, since then, trying to do it the right way. Our family’s walking with Ty. Today was a huge day for all of us and particularly for the Xfinity group. They worked so hard. This is confidence [for Ty]. I felt like that race today was really exceptional. I think everybody was up there and everybody was battling. I appreciated the sportsmanship with the way everybody raced. I thought it was a great race. To be a part of that and somehow come out winning is just great. We’re excited about tomorrow [for the Cup Series finale], but we’ll kind of see what our guys do.”

    While Gibbs celebrated a championship on the main stage, Gragson was left disappointed on pit road after finishing in second place on the track and in the final standings, thus falling one spot short of winning his first NASCAR national touring series title in his final season with JR Motorsports. Nonetheless, the 2022 season was a career-defining season for the Las Vegas native, who notched a series-leading eight victories, two poles, 21 top-five results and 26 top-10 results throughout the 33-race schedule. For the 2023 season, Gragson is set to graduate to the NASCAR Cup Series to pilot the No. 42 Chevrolet for Petty GMS Motorsports.

    “[The difference was] Executions on pit stops,” Gragson said. “We just need to be better as a Bass Pro Shops team all around, but so proud of everyone’s efforts. Thought we really had a good car there in the second half. Restarted eighth on that last restart, got up to second. Just too tight there at the end, but still super proud of everybody. Just didn’t have enough for [Gibbs] at the end. It wasn’t from a lack of trying. I was gonna drive it in, if I was any closer and get that POS. Definitely sucks to lose to someone like that, but it’s not from a lack of effort.”

    “This Bass Pro Shops team was really good all year,” Gragson added. “Eight wins, led the most laps, most top fives. Just come up one race short, but just so thankful for everybody at JR Motorsports. It sucks. As a team effort, we win and lose as a team. Still proud of everyone’s efforts all year. We’ve been in position to win a lot of races and have executed them all. Just come up one spot short. Definitely bittersweet moving on to the Cup Series next year with Petty GMS [Motorsports]. Big thanks to them for putting me in the No. 42 car next year for them, but I’m gonna miss this JR Motorsports team. I know everyone’s pissed, but still an unbelievable year. Just gotta keep working hard. That’s all there is to it.” 

    Like Gragson, teammates Allgaier and Berry were also left disappointed after falling short of winning the title for JR Motorsports. For Allgaier, he capped off the season in third place both on the track and in the final standings. On the other hand, Berry settled in 13th place on the track and back in fourth place in the final standings.

    “Honestly at the end of the race there, we had some issues going on,” Allgaier said. “Not so sure the engine’s not blowing up. We didn’t have any gauges all night and it definitely was a struggle at the end to hold on. We just got a little bit too loose. Nothing to hang our heads over. Obviously, we’re dejected not one of our JR Motorsports’ cars went to Victory Lane or got the championship. It’s gonna make me even hungrier to go back to work on Monday and try to make this program better. Just proud of our team. Proud of the effort. We wanted it. I gave these guys 110%. I was actually yelling in the car just because I was frustrated at the end there not being able to catch [Gibbs]. My voice is gone. Just proud of the effort all year. You come to Daytona at the beginning of the year to make a shot at the Final Four and we did that. We’re gonna go back to work and we’ll come back next year ever stronger. Try to do it all over again.”

    “[It] Just was a long day,” Berry added. “Just a tough day. All weekend, we’ve just been fighting it a little bit. Just super, super loose at the start. Worked on it and got better. Got some track position. A couple restarts went our way. We were able to get up there, but the last restart, I don’t know. It’s so hard to tell with that traction compound. Sometimes, you go up [the high lane] and you can look like a hero. Sometimes, you look like a zero. I went up there. It just wasn’t cleaned off and got loose and got up too high. Lost all those spots. Just a tough day. I hate I made that mistake, but we were behind all day. Just wasn’t our day. Gonna work hard over the off-season to be better. Maybe, we can be back here next year.”

    Kaulig Racing’s Cassill and Allmendinger came home in fourth and fifth on the track while Creed, Herbst, Hemric, Hill and Sammy Smith completed the top 10 in the final running order.

    With his 21st top-10 result of the season, Hill clinched the 2022 Xfinity Series Rookie-of-the-Year title. With 24 victories throughout the 33-race schedule, Chevrolet capped off this season with the manufacturer’s title.

    There were 15 lead changes for five different leaders. The race featured eight cautions for 49 laps.

    Results.

    1. Ty Gibbs, 125 laps led, Stage 1 & 2 winner

    2. Noah Gragson, 35 laps led

    3. Justin Allgaier, 26 laps led

    4. Landon Cassill

    5. AJ Allmendinger

    6. Sheldon Creed

    7. Riley Herbst

    8. Daniel Hemric

    9. Austin Hill

    10. Sammy Smith, 10 laps led

    11. Brandon Jones

    12. Nick Sanchez, four laps led

    13. Josh Berry

    14. Kyle Weatherman

    15. Josh Williams

    16. Jeb Burton

    17. Rajah Caruth

    18. Alex Labbe

    19. Bayley Currey

    20. Ryan Sieg

    21. Parker Retzlaff

    22. Kyle Sieg

    23. Kaz Grala

    24. Joey Gase

    25. Myatt Snider

    26. Kris Wright

    27. Jeremy Clements

    28. Stefan Parsons, one lap down

    29. Brennan Poole, two laps down

    30. JJ Yeley, three laps down

    31. Dawson Cram, four laps down

    32. BJ McLeod, four laps down

    33. Mason Massey, four laps down

    34. Sam Mayer, five laps down

    35. Anthony Alfredo, six laps down

    36. Joe Graf Jr., seven laps down

    37. Brandon Brown – OUT, Suspension

    38. Dillon Bassett – OUT, Engine

    *Bold indicates Championship finalists

    Final standings.

    1. Ty Gibbs

    2. Noah Gragson

    3. Justin Allgaier

    4. Josh Berry

    5. AJ Allmendinger

    6. Austin Hill

    7. Sam Mayer

    8. Brandon Jones

    9. Daniel Hemric

    10. Riley Herbst

    11. Ryan Sieg

    12. Jeremy Clements

    The NASCAR Xfinity Series competitors and teams enter an off-season period before returning to action on February 18, 2023, at Daytona International Speedway to commence a new season of competition.

  • Austin Hill named 2022 NASCAR Xfinity Series Rookie of the Year

    Austin Hill named 2022 NASCAR Xfinity Series Rookie of the Year

    Austin Hill has been named the 2022 NASCAR Xfinity Series Sunoco Rookie of the Year following the Xfinity Series Championship Race at Phoenix Raceway on Saturday, November 5.

    The news comes as the 28-year-old Hill from Winston, Georgia, is coming off his first full-time campaign in the Xfinity circuit behind the wheel of the No. 21 Chevrolet Camaro for Richard Childress Racing, where he achieved two victories, one pole, 12 top-five results, 21 top-10 results, 329 laps led and an average-finishing result of 11.0 throughout the 33-race schedule.

    Hill graduated to a full-time Xfinity campaign for this season after spending the previous four seasons in the NASCAR Truck Series, where he accumulated eight victories and three Playoff appearances. He commenced his rookie Xfinity campaign on a high note by winning the season-opening event at Daytona International Speedway in February and achieving his first career victory in the Xfinity circuit. The victory occurred on a last-lap pass on veteran AJ Allmendinger, whom Hill managed to overtake prior to a caution due to a multi-car wreck occurring on the backstretch that concluded the event and handed the victory to Hill and RCR. 

    Following his victory at Daytona, Hill accumulated two runner-up results, five top-five results and eight top-10 results during the next 15-scheduled events. He then scored his second Xfinity career victory at Atlanta Motor Speedway, his home track, in July following a dominant run to the finish. The pair of victories were more than enough for Hill to solidify his spot for the 2022 Xfinity Series Playoffs as he earned six additional top-10 results for the remainder of the regular-season stretch. Despite finishing second, 14th and 29th, respectively, during the Round of 12, Hill transferred to the Round of 8. He, however, did not transfer to the Championship 4 round despite finishing in the top 10 throughout the Round of 8. Despite being involved in a post-race altercation fight with Myatt Snider at Martinsville Speedway in October, he rallied by finishing ninth during the finale at Phoenix, which was good enough to conclude this season in sixth place in the final driver’s standings behind Allmendinger.

    With his accomplishment, Hill became the first competitor to capture the Xfinity rookie title while representing RCR since former series champion Austin Dillon made the last accomplishment in 2012. He also became the first Chevrolet competitor to claim the award since Tyler Reddick made the last accomplishment in 2018, where he won his first of back-to-back titles.

    Hill’s rivals for this year’s Xfinity rookie title featured teammate Sheldon Creed, Kyle Sieg and Jesse Iwuji.

    Hill’s Xfinity plans for 2023 have not been formally announced, though it is expected that he will be returning for a second full-time campaign with RCR. He is also scheduled to make six starts in the NASCAR Cup Series for Beard Motorsports, beginning with the 65th running of the Daytona 500 at Daytona International Speedway which is scheduled to occur on February 19.

    The Xfinity Series competitors and teams enter an off-season period before returning to action at Daytona International Speedway on February 18, 2023, to commence a new season of racing.

  • Zane Smith earns first NASCAR Camping World Truck Series championship at Phoenix

    Zane Smith earns first NASCAR Camping World Truck Series championship at Phoenix

    After finishing in the runner-up spot in the final standings during the previous two seasons, the third time was the lucky charm for Zane Smith as he prevailed in a late battle against his title rivals to win the 2022 NASCAR Camping World Truck Series championship along with the season-finale Lucas Oil 150 at Phoenix Raceway on Friday, November 4.

    In total, the 23-year-old Smith from Huntington Beach, California, led five times for a race-high 77 of 154 over-scheduled laps during the finale from pole position. Despite losing a combined five spots on pit road during the conclusion of both stages, which he won both, he remained within striking distance of the title fight and against his title rivals throughout the final stage. From executing a bold three-wide pass for the lead during a restart with 39 laps remaining to pitting for four fresh tires and restarting towards the top 10 with 10 laps remaining, Smith carved his way back to the runner-up spot and received another opportunity to reassume the lead after title rival Ty Majeski spun with four laps remaining, an incident that nearly collected Smith. Then during an overtime attempt, Smith prevailed in a late battle against Rhodes and Chandler Smith, including a final lap “bump-and-run” attempt from Rhodes, to assume the lead for good and proceed to win both the finale and claim his first elusive NASCAR national touring series championship.  

    The 2022 Truck Series championship comes in Smith’s third full-time season in the series and his first with Front Row Motorsports, where he commenced the season by winning at Daytona International Speedway in February and notching two additional victories throughout the regular-season stretch before clinching the 2022 Truck Series regular-season title, entering the Playoffs with momentum and utilizing consistency to transfer all the way to the Championship 4 round.

    With on-track qualifying that determined the starting lineup occurring on Friday, Zane Smith, a Championship 4 finalist, claimed the final pole position of the 2022 season and the first of his career after posting a pole-winning lap at 138.032 mph in 26.081 seconds. Joining him on the front row was Layne Riggs, who posted the second-best qualifying lap at 137.825 mph in 26.120 seconds. Zane Smith’s other three championship rivals that included Ben Rhodes, Ty Majeski and Chandler Smith qualified sixth, eighth and 12th, respectively.

    Prior to the event, Derek Kraus dropped to the rear of the field in a backup truck along with rookie Dean Thompson, who dropped back due to an engine change to his truck.

    When the green flag waved and the race started, Zane Smith fended off an early charge from rookie Corey Heim to retain the lead through the first two turns and through the backstretch as he went on to lead the first lap. During the following lap, however, Layne Riggs mounted a charge through Turns 1 and 2 as he overtook Smith for the lead. Despite being challenged by Smith, Riggs retained the top spot as the field behind jostled for positions.

    Through the first five scheduled laps, Riggs was leading by two-tenths of a second over Zane followed by Heim, Stewart Friesen and Ben Rhodes while Ty Majeski, Matt Crafton, John Hunter Nemechek, Tanner Gray and Christian Eckes were running in the top 10. Meanwhile, Chandler Smith, the fourth and final title contender, was in 12th while trying to march his way to the front.

    Two laps later, the first caution flew when Keith McGee and Armani Williams, both of whom were battling at the rear of the field, wrecked in Turn 3. The two-truck wreck occurred a lap early after Zane Smith had reassumed the lead over Riggs.

    When the race restarted under green on Lap 13, Zane Smith rocketed with a strong start to retain the lead as the field fanned out through the dogleg and entering Turn 2. Meanwhile, Heim moved up to second followed by Riggs, who soon after lost third place to teammate Friesen, while Rhodes retained fifth.

    By Lap 20, Zane Smith’s No. 38 Michael Roberts Construction Ford F-150 was leading by more than a second over Heim’s No. 51 Crescent Tools Toyota Tundra TRD Pro followed by Friesen, Riggs and Rhodes while Grant Enfinger, Nemechek, Crafton, Eckes and Chandler Smith occupied the top 10. Meanwhile, Majeski, who was running within the top 10, was back in 11th ahead of brothers Tanner and Taylor Gray while Rajah Caruth and Matt DiBenedetto were running in the top 15.

    Five laps later, Zane Smith stabilized his advantage to more than a second over Heim while Friesen, Riggs and Rhodes remained in the top five. By then, Nemchek moved up to sixth following a fierce battle against Enfinger, who fell back to seventh and was being pressured by Matt Crafton for more. Chandler Smith and Majeski were back in ninth and 11th, respectively.

    Another 10 laps later, Zane Smith extended his advantage to more than two seconds over Heim followed by Friesen and a side-by-side battle for fourth place between Riggs and Nemechek. While Zane Smith remained as the top-running title contender with the race lead, his title rivals that included Rhodes, Chandler Smith and Majeski were back in seventh, ninth and 10th, respectively.

    When the first stage concluded on Lap 45, Zane Smith struck first early in his championship bid by capturing his ninth stage victory of the 2022 season. Heim settled in second followed by Friesen, Nemechek and Crafton while Rhodes, Enfinger, Chandler Smith, Eckes and Riggs were scored in the top 10. By then, Majeski was scored in 11th after getting edged by Riggs at the start/finish line.

    Under the stage break, the field led by Zane Smith pitted for fresh tires, fuel and adjustments. Following the pit stops, Heim exited first followed by teammate Nemechek, Zane Smith, teammate Chandler Smith, Enfinger, Majeski and Crafton. Following the pit stops, trouble struck for Eckes, who initially exited ninth but limped back to his pit stall with the left-front tire on his No. 98 CMR Toyota Tundra TRD Pro locked up and igniting sparks around the circuit.

    The second stage started on Lap 53 as teammates Heim and Nemechek occupied the front row. At the start and as the field fanned out through the dogleg, Heim retained the lead ahead of teammates Nemechek and Chandler Smith followed by Zane Smith. During the following lap, however, Nemechek assumed the lead in his No. 4 Pye-Barker Fire & Safety Toyota Tundra TRD Pro followed by Heim, Chandler Smith and Zane Smith as the field behind continued to jostle for positions. By then, Carson Hocevar was assessed a pass-through penalty for a restart violation.

    By Lap 60, Nemechek was leading by a second over title contender Zane Smith followed by Chandler Smith, Heim and Majeski while Friesen, Enfinger, Crafton, Taylor Gray and Rhodes were in the top 10.

    At the halfway mark on Lap 75, Nemechek retained the lead by six-tenths of a second over Zane Smith followed by Chandler Smith, Heim and Friesen while Majeski, Crafton, Enfinger, Taylor Gray and Rhodes were scored in the top 10 ahead of Caruth, Tyler Ankrum, Riggs, DiBenedetto, Tanner Gray and Eckes. By then, 22 of 35 competitors were scored on the lead lap.

    Nearly five laps later, the battle for the lead ignited between Nemechek and Zane Smith as Smith tried to overtake Nemechek through the backstretch. Nemechek, however, retained the top spot through Turns 3 and 4 and continued to lead ahead of a hard-charging Smith.

    Then with four laps remaining in the second stage and following his late battle against Nemechek, Zane Smith emerged out in front with the lead despite Nemechek fighting back through every turn and straightaway. Despite being drawn against Nemechek during the following three laps, Zane Smith was able to fend off Nemechek as he went on to capture his series-leading 10th stage victory of the 2022 season and second of the night on Lap 90 as he struck yet again in his bid to claim his first NASCAR championship. Nemechek settled in second while Chandler Smith, Heim, Majeski, Crafton, Enfinger, Friesen, Taylor Gray and Rhodes were scored in the top 10. 

    Under the stage break, the field led by Zane Smith returned to pit road for service. Following the pit stops, Nemechek exited with the top spot followed by Chandler Smith, Heim, Zane Smith, Majeski and Rhodes. In the midst of the pit stops, DiBenedetto was penalized for speeding on pit road.

    With 52 laps remaining, the final stage started as teammates Nemechek and Chandler Smith occupied the front row. At the start and as the field fanned out through the dogleg again, Chandler Smith retained the lead ahead of teammate Nemechek, Zane Smith and Heim. Then the caution quickly returned when Eckes spun and backed his truck against the Turn 1 outside wall after getting hit by Tyler Ankrum entering the turn and in the midst of the field fanning out to multiple lanes.

    When the race restarted with 45 laps remaining, Chandler Smith briefly retained the lead ahead of the field through the dogleg and the first two turns until teammate Nemechek challenged and overtook Smith on the outside lane for the top spot. The caution, however, quickly returned once again due to a multi-truck wreck in Turn 1 that involved Taylor Gray, Rajah Caruth, Riggs and Kraus.

    During the following restart with 39 laps remaining, Zane Smith, who restarted on the inside lane behind Nemechek, used the dogleg to his advantage as he launched a three-wide challenge and drew himself in a bid for the lead alongside Chandler Smith. He then managed to overtake and clear Chandler Smith for the lead exiting the backstretch and entering Turn 3 while Nemechek settled in third. 

    With 30 laps remaining, Zane Smith was leading both the race and the championship by seven-tenths of a second over Chandler Smith’s No. 18 Safelite AutoGlass Toyota Tundra TRD Pro while Nemechek, Enfinger and Majeski and Rhodes were in the top six ahead of Heim, Crafton, Kaden Honeycutt and Ankrum.

    Ten laps later, Zane Smith continued to lead by nine-tenths of a second over Chandler Smith while Nemechek, Enfinger and Majeski remained in the top five on the track. Meanwhile, the fourth and final Playoff competitor, Rhodes, was back in seventh behind Heim.

    Then another four laps later, the caution flew when Hailie Deegan cut a left-tire tire and went dead straight into the outside wall in Turn 3 as her final race with David Gilliland Racing came to a late end. During the caution period, Friesen and Hocevar remained on the track while the rest led by Zane Smith pitted. Following the pit stops, Rhodes exited pit road first after opting for a two-tire pit strategy followed by DiBenedetto, Honeycutt and the Gray brothers, all of whom opted for just two fresh tires. Meanwhile, Chandler Smith was the first competitor to exit pit road with four fresh tires in sixth place followed by Majeski, Nemechek and Zane Smith.

    With the race restarting with 10 laps remaining, the field fanned out as Friesen retained the lead ahead of Rhodes and Hocevar. As both Zane and Chandler Smith were trying to carve their way back towards the front, teammates Rhodes and Majeski battled for second and for the title, with the former trying to overtake Friesen for the race lead. 

    With seven laps remaining, Rhodes overtook Friesen for the lead on two fresh tires entering the backstretch as he commenced his late charge to defend his series title. By then, however, Zane Smith carved his way back into the runner-up spot while both Majeski and Chandler Smith were were trying to overtake Friesen to maintain their title hopes.

    Down to the final five laps of the event, the final four title contenders were first through fourth on the track, with Rhodes leading ahead of Zane Smith, Majeksi and Chandler Smith. 

    Then during the following lap, Majeski’s championship hopes evaporated after the Wisconsin native made contact with Zane Smith entering the backstretch while battling for the runner-up spot, which caused Majeski’s No. 66 Road Ranger Toyota Tundra TRD Pro to get loose as he spun and made light contact against the inside wall. Majeski’s incident was also enough to send the event into overtime as the event exceeded past its scheduled distance.

    During the first overtime attempt, Zane Smith, who opted to restart behind Rhodes on the inside lane, used the dogleg to his advantage as he managed to overtake both Chandler Smith and Rhodes through the first two turns to reassume the lead. Chandler Smith then crossed over to Zane’s Ford on the inside lane as he tried to stall Zane’s run while drawing even with Zane through the backstretch. Chandler, however, slightly slid up the track through Turn 3, which allowed Zane Smith to pull ahead while Rhodes rejoined the battle for the lead and the championship.

    When the white flag waved and the final lap started, Zane Smith was out in front by a mere margin over Chandler Smith and Rhodes. Through the first two turns, Zane Smith pulled ahead followed by a hard-charging Rhodes while Chandler Smith fell back to third. With Rhodes setting up a final attempt on Zane Smith for the victory and the title, he then got to Zane’s rear bumper in an attempt to bump and move him up the track to overtake him. The bump, however, was not enough to stall Smith’s momentum as the Californian managed to remain ahead of Rhodes and beat him to the finish line by two-tenths of a second to win the finale and clinch his first series championship.

    With his accomplishment, Zane Smith, who ended up as the championship runner-up during the previous two seasons while competing for GMS Racing, became the 20th different competitor to win the Truck Series championship along with becoming the first Ford competitor to win a Truck title since Matt Crafton made the last accomplishment in 2019. He also recorded the first NASCAR drivers’ and owners’ championships to Front Row Motorsports in the team’s third season in the series with crew chief Chris Lawson also achieving his first NASCAR Truck title. With the champion Zane Smith winning the finale, this marks the third time since the series’ Playoff elimination-style format was incepted in 2016 where the championship-winning competitor won the finale.

    “Oh my god,” Smith, who will be remaining in the Truck Series with Front Row Motorsports for 2023, said on FS1. “Third time’s a charm. I wanted this [championship] more than anyone in the world. I don’t care what anyone says. Thank you, all you race fans. My whole team, man. I was crying that whole lap. My fiancé, McCall, stuck to me with all the brutal times. I’ve wanted this championship for so long. I’ve wanted this moment all my whole life. Thank you, everyone. That’s all I got. I wasn’t gonna let it go down like that. I was either wrecked or I was winning this [championship]. There was no other option. Last year and the year before, we showed so much speed and should’ve won a lot more races than we did, but [team owner] Bob Jenkins is the only reason why I’m here right now. Without him, none of this would be possible. When I came [to Front Row Motorsports], all I cared about was the guys that were on this team and I had seen their work ethics. I’d seen the effort they put in and I know they wanted it as bad as I do. I didn’t care what the trucks looked like. All I knew was their work ethic was there and we could make a championship out of this team.”

    While Smith celebrated a championship on the championship stage, Rhodes was left disappointed with his runner-up result both in the event and in the final standings as he came one position shy of defending his series crown.

    “Two tires versus four. That was the name of the game,” Rhodes said. “We didn’t have the pace all night that we needed to be up there and compete, so it was a great heads-up call by my crew chief. Ultimately, we just didn’t need that last caution. I think we could’ve held [the field] off for the final few laps. I was giving [Zane Smith] all the dirty air he could handle. I think we were gonna be fine until that caution just got us. I did what I could on the restart to try to get a jump, but with two tires versus four, I just didn’t have the grip I needed. I tried to hold him off the best I could. [I] Threw a move on him at the very end and just didn’t have enough grip to make it stick. All in all, I am proud of my Kubota Toyota Tundra team, ThorSport Racing. We didn’t have the pace, but we got up there. That’s what matters at the end. We just got to go back, do our homework. Second is not fun. I’m gonna mope my way all the way back to Kentucky…I’d like to not be coming to clutch all the time.”

    With Zane Smith and Rhodes finishing first and second both on the track and in the final standings, Chandler Smith ended up in third place while Majeski, who settled in 20th place during the finale, ended up in fourth place in the final standings. Despite ending up in third place in his final event with Kyle Busch Motorsports, Chandler Smith remained optimistic approaching next season as he will be moving up to the Xfinity Series to drive for Kaulig Racing.

    “It just wasn’t meant to be,” Smith said. “We were mistake free. The pit crew was on top of it. [We] Gained positions every time on pit road. Had a shot at the end. I’m at peace with that because at the end of the day, it’s all part of the bigger plan. It was fun racing with [Zane Smith]. I appreciate the opportunity [from] Safelite,[Kyle Busch Motorsports], Toyota Racing Development’s given me for the past six-plus years. It sucks that it’s ending, but onwards to bigger and better things over at Kaulig Racing. Really looking forward to starting next year already.”

    Like Smith, Ty Majeski, who clinched his spot for the Championship 4 on the strength of Playoff victories at Bristol Motor Speedway and at Talladega Superspeedway, remained positive over his attempted run for the title as he looks ahead to next season.

    “I was being aggressive there,” Majeski said. “We wanted to bring a championship home for Duke and Rhonda [Thorson] and everybody at ThorSport [Racing]. I thought the best opportunity there for us was to try to wiggle [Smith] a little bit and try to get underneath him and try to set up the race between Ben [Rhodes] and I. I was just trying to be aggressive underneath him and lost it off of [Turn] 2. All you can ask for is the chance to win the championship with five to go and we had that tonight, and it just didn’t pan out. I’m proud of our season and proud of what we accomplished as a 66 bunch. [Crew chief] Joe [Shear Jr.] and the team have been great to work with. It just stings to be that close and see it in front of you and just come up a little bit short. We will come back next year and come back stronger.”

    John Hunter Nemechek finished fourth in the finale and fifth in the final standings in his second and final campaign with Kyle Busch Motorsports while Friesen wrapped up the season in fifth place on the track and in sixth place in the standings. Enfinger, Heim, Tanner Gray, Kaden Honeycutt and Carson Hocevar completed the top 10 on the track.

    With his seventh-place result, Heim clinched the 2022 Truck Series Rookie-of-the-Year title. With 12 victories to this season, Toyota was awarded their 13th manufacturer’s title in the Truck circuit.

    The 2022 NASCAR Truck Series season marks the 14th and final season under title sponsorship from Camping World as Craftsman Tools will be filling in the role and returning as a title sponsor for the series since 2008.

    There were 15 lead changes for seven different leaders. The finale featured five cautions for 42 laps.

    Results.

    1. Zane Smith, 77 laps led, Stage 1 & 2 winner

    2. Ben Rhodes, eight laps led

    3. Chandler Smith, nine laps led

    4. John Hunter Nemechek, 44 laps led

    5. Stewart Friesen, six laps led

    6. Grant Enfinger

    7. Corey Heim, five laps led

    8. Tanner Gray

    9. Kaden Honeycutt

    10. Carson Hocevar 

    11. Derek Kraus

    12. Matt Crafton

    13. Layne Riggs, five laps led

    14. Tyler Ankrum

    15. Colby Howard

    16. Jake Garcia

    17. Taylor Gray

    18. Lawlesss Alan

    19. Chase Purdy

    20. Ty Majeski 

    21. Dean Thompson

    22. Matt DiBenedetto, one lap down

    23. Tyler Hill, two laps down

    24. Austin Wayne Self, two laps down

    25. Blaine Perkins, two laps down

    26. Chris Hacker, two laps down

    27. Timmy Hill, two laps down

    28. Johnny Sauter, two laps down

    29. Jack Wood, three laps down

    30. Christian Eckes, three laps down

    31. Hailie Deegan – OUT, Accident

    32. Rajah Caruth – OUT, Accident

    33. Spencer Boyd – OUT, Too slow

    34. Keith McGee – OUT, Dvp

    35. Armami Williams – OUT, Accident

    *Bold indicates Championship finalists

    Final standings

    1. Zane Smith 

    2. Ben Rhodes

    3. Chandler Smith

    4. Ty Majeski

    5. John Hunter Nemechek

    6. Stewart Friesen

    7. Grant Enfinger

    8. Christian Eckess

    9. Matt Crafton

    10. Carson Hocevar

    The NASCAR Truck Series competitors and teams enter an off-season period before returning to action at Daytona International Speedway on February 17, 2023, to commence a new season of racing.

     

  • Corey Heim named 2022 NASCAR Camping World Truck Series Rookie of the Year

    Corey Heim named 2022 NASCAR Camping World Truck Series Rookie of the Year

    Corey Heim has been named the 2022 NASCAR Camping World Truck Series Sunoco Rookie of the Year following the season-finale Lucas Oil 150 at Phoenix Raceway on Friday, November 4.

    The news comes as the 20-year-old Heim from Marietta, Georgia, has completed a successful part-time campaign in this year’s Truck circuit, where he competed in 16 of 23-scheduled events in the No. 51 Toyota Tundra TRD Pro for Kyle Busch Motorsports.

    Sharing the ride with team owner Kyle Busch and dirt racer Buddy Kofoid, Heim commenced his rookie campaign with a 32nd-place result at Daytona International Speedway. He rallied during his next scheduled start at Atlanta Motor Speedway in March by achieving his first career win after overtaking teammate Chandler Smith on the final lap. The victory made Heim as the 13th different competitor to achieve a first Truck career victory while driving for KBM and the 18th overall to win with KBM with the victory occurring at his home track. 

    Despite finishing no higher than seventh during his next three scheduled starts, Heim achieved his second career victory in the Truck circuit at the World Wide Technology Raceway in June after fending off the field during an overtime shootout. Heim’s pair of victories served as pivotal moments that enabled the No. 51 KBM team to secure a postseason spot in the owners’ standings as the Georgian competed for the 2022 Truck owners’ title. Despite recording five top-10 results in six starts throughout the 2022 Truck Series Playoffs, the No. 51 KBM team was eliminated from competing for the owners’ title at the conclusion of the Round of 8. Nonethless, Heim proceeded to finish seventh during the finale at Phoenix, which marked his 10th top-10 result overall this season.

    By claiming this year’s rookie title, Heim became the fourth different competitor competing under the KBM banner to be named Rookie of the Year. Ultimately, he capped off the season with two victories, two poles, six top-five results, 10 top-10 results, 71 laps led and an average-finishing result of 14.1 through 16-scheduled starts as he also ended up in 14th place in the final drivers’ standings.

    Heim’s rivals for this year’s Truck rookie title included Lawless Alan, Jack Wood, Dean Thompson and Blaine Perkins.

    The 2023 season is set to mark a new beginning for Heim, who is set to compete on a full-time basis in the Truck Series for TRICON Garage, rebranded from David Gilliland Racing, and in the No. 11 Toyota Tundra TRD Pro in pursuit of his first drivers’ championship.

    The Truck Series competitors and teams enter an off-season period before returning to action at Daytona International Speedway on February 17, 2023, to commence a new season of competition.

  • Nick Sanchez, Rev Racing expanding to NASCAR Truck Series competition in 2023

    Nick Sanchez, Rev Racing expanding to NASCAR Truck Series competition in 2023

    Rev Racing will be making its inaugural presence within NASCAR’s top three national touring series in 2023 by fielding a full-time Craftsman Truck Series entry with reigning ARCA Menards Series champion Nick Sanchez named as the full-time driver for the organization.

    As part of the announcement made at Phoenix Raceway ahead of championship weekend for NASCAR’s top three national touring series, Sanchez will be piloting the No. 2 Chevrolet Silverado RST with sponsorship support from Gainbridge, a Group 1001 company, as he and Rev Racing will attempt to make their official Truck Series debut at Daytona International Speedway on February 17, 2023.

    The move comes as a pivotal moment for Rev Racing, which was founded in 2010 by Max Siegel, a former President of Global Operations for Dale Earnhardt Inc., and fields development entries in the ARCA Menards Series and Advance Auto Parts Touring Series while remaining actively involved with the Drive for Diversity program to increase minority and female involvement in motorsports competition. Notable names in NASCAR’s premier series, the Cup Series, whom commenced their stock car career with Rev Racing include Kyle Larson, Bubba Wallace and Daniel Suarez.

    “This is a pivotal moment for our organization,” Max Siegel said. “With our unwavering focus on a commitment to diversify the sport while putting a model in place to train and prepare drivers for the next level of competition, and because of our strategic partnership with Gainbridge announced earlier this year, we have never been more prepared for this next stage of advancement. Working with our technical partners at KBM and Chevrolet, we know Rev Racing and Nick are positioned for competitive excellence.”

    Sanchez, a 21-year-old native from Miami, Florida, first joined Rev Racing’s Youth Development Program in 2017 and 2018, where he piloted a Legend car in the Bojangles’ Summer Shootout at Charlotte Motor Speedway. In 2019, he made his ARCA Menards Series East debut with the organization during a South Boston Speedway Twin double feature weekend, where he earned his first career pole during the second feature event. At the conclusion of the 2019 season, Sanchez was named the recipient of the 2019 Wendell Scott Trailblazer Award. After competing the entire 2020 ARCA Menards Series East season with Rev Racing, he moved up to the ARCA Menards Series with Rev in 2021. Following a consistent season, he scored his first career victory in the season-finale event at Kansas Speedway in October. 

    Remaining as a full-time ARCA competitor for Rev Racing this season, Sanchez accumulated victories at Talladega Superspeedway in April, Kansas in May and at Michigan International Speedway in August en route to this year’s championship, which marked the first for Rev Racing in the ARCA Menards Series and second title overall after winning the 2012 ARCA East championship with Kyle Larson. He also achieved a total of nine top-five results and 16 top-10 results throughout the 20-race schedule as he claimed the title over GMS Racing’s Daniel Dye by 14 points.

    While the 2023 season will mark Sanchez’s first stint in the Truck Series, he joins the series with previous experience competing in NASCAR’s top three national touring series as he has competed in seven Xfinity Series events this season between BJ McLeod Motorsports and Big Machine Racing Team. Coming off a career-best result of seventh place at Martinsville Speedway, Sanchez is set to pilot Big Machine Racing’s No. 48 entry for this weekend’s Xfinity finale at Phoenix.

    “I’m very excited to continue driving for Max and Rev Racing in the Truck Series in 2023,” said Nick Sanchez.” To be able to join forces with our technical partner, KBM, is a great opportunity for me to learn how to win on a regular basis. Continuing my relationship with Chevrolet and Gainbridge is something that I value greatly and this is seemingly another step in our long-term plan/goal.”

    Another person who was present for Rev Racing’s announcement was two-time NASCAR Cup Series champion Kyle Busch as his Truck Series team, Kyle Busch Motorsports, will be forging a technical alliance with the organization. Like for Rev Racing, the 2023 season is set to mark a new beginning for Busch as KBM will be fielding Chevrolet Silverados for the first time following a 13-year partnership with Toyota in the Truck circuit. KBM earlier revealed that Chase Purdy will be joining the organization as a full-time competitor along with Jack Wood, who will be serving as an anchor competitor with the rest of the team’s driver lineup to be determined.

    “Unofficially, we’ve been a part of helping former Rev Racing drivers take the next step in their NASCAR careers in the Truck Series, with Bubba Wallace and Daniel Suárez both getting victories in a [Kyle Busch Motorsports] truck, so we’re looking forward to aligning with Max, Jennifer [Siegal] and everyone at Rev Racing to now officially be a part of the pipeline for young drivers in their diversity program to continue to advance into the National Series of NASCAR,” Busch said. “Nick is an impressive young driver, winning the ARCA title this year and has had some solid runs in the Xfinity Series as well, so we’re looking forward to having him be the trendsetter of what we’re confident will be a successful program for many years to come.”

    Both Sanchez and Rev Racing are set to make their NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series debut at Daytona International Speedway on February 17, 2023, which will also commence a new season of Truck competition.

  • LaJoie to make 200th Cup career start at Phoenix

    LaJoie to make 200th Cup career start at Phoenix

    With the 2022 NASCAR Cup Series season less than a week away from concluding, Corey LaJoie is set to achieve a milestone start. By competing in this weekend’s NASCAR Cup Series Championship event at Phoenix Raceway, the driver of the No. 7 Spire Motorsports Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 will fulfill 200 career starts in NASCAR’s premier series.

    A native of Kannapolis, North Carolina, and the son of two-time Xfinity Series champion Randy LaJoie, Corey LaJoie made his inaugural presence in the Cup Series at New Hampshire Motor Speedway in September. By then, he had recorded five victories in the K&N Pro Series East and made two career starts in the Xfinity Series between Richard Petty Motorsports and Biagi-DenBeste Racing. Driving the No. 77 Ford Fusion for Randy Humphrey Racing, LaJoie started and finished 41st in his Cup debut. He then made his second Cup career start three weeks later at Charlotte Motor Speedway for RHR, where he finished 35th after starting 42nd.

    Prior to the start of the 2017 Cup Series season, LaJoie joined forces with BK Racing on a part-time schedule. During the first of two Duel events at Daytona International Speedway in February, he rallied from being involved in a late multi-car wreck, where he wrecked Paul Menard and Reed Sorenson in the closing laps, to finish 16th and earn a transfer spot for the 59th running of the Daytona 500, where he finished 24th. He ended up competing in all but four of the 36-race schedule between the Nos. 23 and 83 Toyota Camry for BK Racing. His best on-track result throughout his schedule was an 11th-place run at Daytona in July.

    For the 2018 Cup season, LaJoie piloted the No. 72 Chevrolet SS for TriStar Motorsports. Commencing the season with a 40th-place run during the 60th running of the Daytona 500 due to an engine failure and making a total of 23 starts, LaJoie’s season-best result was a 16th-place finish at Las Vegas Motor Speedway in September.

    In 2019, LaJoie joined Go Fas Racing to pilot the No. 32 Ford Mustang in the Cup Series on a full-time basis. After commencing the season with an 18th-place run during the 61st running of the Daytona 500 and recording three top-20 results through the first 17-scheduled events, LaJoie notched his first top-10 career result in the Cup circuit after finishing sixth at Daytona in July. He went on to post a seventh-place result at Talladega Superspeedway in October before settling in 29th place in the final standings and in his first full-time stint in NASCAR’s premier series.

    Remaining at Go Fas Racing for the 2020 Cup season, LaJoie commenced the season on a harrowing note after being involved in a final lap accident during the 62nd running of the Daytona 500. Entering the tri-oval, LaJoie was battling for a spot in the top 10 when he rammed into the upside-down No. 6 Ford Mustang piloted by Ryan Newman driver’s side that sent Newman’s car airborne before landing back on his roof. Despite the impact that damaged the front nose and windshield of his No. 32 Ford, LaJoie, who managed to finish eighth, emerged uninjured. He went on to finish in the top 20 five times throughout the 36-race schedule before finishing in 30th place in the final standings. By then, LaJoie surpassed 100 career starts in NASCAR’s premier series.

    Following a two-year run with Go Fas Racing, LaJoie inked a multi-year deal to pilot the No. 7 Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 1LE for Spire Motorsports, beginning in 2021. He finished ninth during the 63rd running of the Daytona 500 in his first event with Spire before posting five top-20 results during the next 23-scheduled events. At Michigan International Speedway in August, LaJoie missed the event following a positive COVID-19 test. From his return at Daytona in August through the season finale at Phoenix Raceway in November, he posted two additional results in the top 20 before finishing in 29th place in the final standings.

    This season, LaJoie kicked off his second stint at Spire Motorsports with a 14th-place run during the 64th running of the Daytona 500. Two races later, he finished 15th at Las Vegas Motor Speedway in March before achieving his first top-five result in the Cup Series at Atlanta Motor Speedway another two races later in the schedule. The top-five run for LaJoie occurred after he rallied from being involved in an early multi-car pileup, where he spun backwards through the frontstretch grass. He went on to record five additional top-20 results during the following 13 events.

    Then when NASCAR returned to Atlanta in July, LaJoie led a career-high 19 of 260-scheduled laps as he was battling Chase Elliott for the win during a three-lap shootout to the finish. After losing the lead to Elliott with two laps remaining, LaJoie made a move to the outside of Elliott on the final lap when he was blocked and forced into the outside wall in Turn 1. The contact and scrape stalled LaJoie’s momentum as he then veered below the track before shooting back across the outside wall and wrecked along with Kurt Busch and Cole Custer. The incident knocked LaJoie to a 21st-place result in the final running order after being in position of winning his first NASCAR Cup event. Despite posting three additional top-20 results during the final seven regular-season events, LaJoie did not accumulate enough points to move out of the top-30 cutline in the standings nor qualify for the 2022 Cup Playoffs. Through nine of 10 Playoff events, he has achieved three top-15 results and is currently ranked in 31st place in the drivers’ standings.

    Through 199 previous Cup starts, LaJoie, who will be returning to Spire Motorsports for the 2023 season, has achieved one top-five result, five top-10 results, 57 laps led and an average-finishing result of 26.9.

    LaJoie is scheduled to make his 200th Cup Series career start in the 2022 NASCAR Cup Series Championship event at Phoenix Raceway on Sunday, November 6, with the event’s coverage to start at 3 p.m. ET on NBC.

  • Enfinger to make 150th Truck career start at Phoenix

    Enfinger to make 150th Truck career start at Phoenix

    With the 2022 NASCAR Camping World Truck Series season set to conclude following this weekend’s season-finale Lucas Oil 150 at Phoenix Raceway, Grant Enfinger is set to achieve a milestone start of his own. By competing in the finale, the driver of the No. 23 GMS Racing Chevrolet Silverado RST will make his 150th career start in the Truck circuit. 

    A native of Fairhope, Alabama, Enfinger made his Truck Series debut at Talladega Superspeedway, his home track, in October 2010. By then, he had made 18 career starts in the ARCA Menards Series with seven top-five results and 10 top-10 results. Driving the No. 95 Ford F-150 for Team Gill Racing, Enfinger started 12th but finished 22nd in his series debut after being involved in a late multi-truck wreck that involved series champions Todd Bodine and Ron Hornaday Jr.

    During the following two seasons, Enfinger made a total of five starts between four different organizations in the Truck Series. His best results during the five-race span were three 12th-place results: the first occurring at Talladega in October 2011 while competing for Bragg Racing Group, the second occurring at Daytona International Speedway in February 2012 with Bragg Racing Group and the third occurring at Las Vegas Motor Speedway in September 2012 while driving for Brad Keselowski Racing.

    After competing in the ARCA Menards Series from 2013 to 2015, where he achieved 14 victories and the series championship in 2015, Enfinger made his return to the Truck Series in 2016 and on a part-time basis for GMS Racing. He commenced his part-time season by notching his first Truck career pole at Daytona in February. Despite leading four laps, Enfinger finished 20th in the 32-truck field after being involved in a late multi-truck pileup towards the front. He rebounded during the following weekend at Atlanta Motor Speedway by earning his first top-five career result in fifth place. After finishing no lower than 12th during his next four scheduled events, Enfinger earned his first career victory in the Truck Series at Talladega, his hometrack, in October after leading a race-high 45 of 94 laps and fending off teammate Spencer Gallagher and the field during a two-lap shootout. He went on to make his eighth and final series start of the season at Homestead-Miami Speedway in November, where he piloted the No. 92 RBR Enterprises Ford F-150 to a 23rd-place result.

    In 2017, Enfinger earned a full-time Truck ride in the No. 98 Toyota Tundra for ThorSport Racing, where he replaced Rico Abreu. After commencing the season with a 16th-place result at Daytona due to being involved in a last lap multi-truck wreck, he picked up his first top-10 result of the season by finishing eighth during the following event at Atlanta. After finishing 16th and 11th during the following two events, Enfinger earned five top-five results during the following six events. Despite earning two additional top-five results during the next five events, he did not earn enough points to make the 2017 Truck Playoffs. He went on to finish in the top 10 in five of the final seven events as he capped off his first full-time Truck campaign in 11th place in the final standings along with nine top-five results, 15 top-10 result and an average-finishing result of 9.4.

    Remaining at ThorSport Racing for the 2018 season as the team changed manufacturers from Toyota to Ford, Enfinger commenced the season with a sixth-place result at Daytona followed by a ninth-place result at Atlanta and back-to-back fourth-place results at Las Vegas and Martinsville Speedway. Earning a total of 12 top-10 results through the 16 regular season stretch, including a runner-up result at Eldora Speedway in July following a photo finish loss against teammate Chase Briscoe, were enough for Enfinger and the No. 98 Ford F-150 team to earn a spot in the 2018 Truck Playoffs. Despite commencing the Playoffs with a 17th-place result at the Canadian Tire Motorsport Park, he rebounded during the following event at Las Vegas in September by notching his second career victory in the series and earning a spot in the Round of 6. During the Round of 6, however, Enfinger’s three-race stretch of finishing no lower than 14th were not enough for him to earn a spot to the Championship Round at Homestead-Miami Speedway. Nonetheless, Enfinger capped off the 2018 season with a runner-up result during the finale and in fifth place in the final standings in a season where he achieved one victory, two poles, seven top-five results, 15 top-10 results and an average-finishing result of 8.7.

    Enfinger commenced the 2019 Truck season on a strong note by finishing in the runner-up spot behind Austin Hill at Daytona while rallying from a late multi-truck wreck. Throughout the 16-race regular season stretch, he did not record a victory, but he earned seven top-five results and 13 top-10 results, which were enough for him to claim the 2019 Truck regular season championship and 15 bonus points to the 2019 Truck Playoffs. Despite finishing fifth at Bristol and 13th at Canadian Tire Motorsport Park, respectively, Enfinger’s title hopes came to an end following an early engine failure at Las Vegas in September, an issue that would also affect his Playoff teammates Johnny Sauter and Matt Crafton despite the latter proceeding to win the title. With his title hopes for 2019 evaporated, Enfinger went on to finish in the top 10 in the final four scheduled events and conclude the season in seventh place in the final standings and with two poles, a career-best 10 top-five results, a career-high 18 top-10 results and a career-best average-finishing result of 8.5.

    Enfinger commenced the 2020 Truck season on a high note by capturing his third career victory at Daytona and snapping a one-year winless drought after edging Jordan Anderson by 0.010 seconds at the finish line during an overtime attempt. The Daytona victory for Enfinger marked the 100th Truck career victory for the Ford nameplate. Despite finishing no higher than 12th during the following two Truck events, he rebounded at Atlanta in June by overtaking Austin Hill during a two-lap overtime shootout to win for the second time in 2020 and achieve multiple Truck victories in a season for the first time in his career. He then capped off the regular season stretch by winning at Richmond Raceway in September following a late battle with teammate Matt Crafton. After utilizing consistency to transfer from the Round of 10 to 8 during the Playoffs, Enfinger fended off teammate Ben Rhodes and the field during a two-lap shootout to claim his fourth victory of the season and earn a spot to the Championship Round at Phoenix Raceway in November. During the finale, however, he got shuffled all the way back to 13th despite starting on the front row for a two-lap shootout as he settled in a career-best fourth place in the final standings. Despite falling short of winning his first NASCAR title, Enfinger concluded the 2020 season with a career-high four victories, eight top-five results, 13 top-10 results and an average-finishing result of 10.4. By then, he surpassed 100 career starts in the Truck Series.

    For the 2021 season, Enfinger’s racing schedule was reduced to a part-time role as he split driving duties of the No. 98 ThorSport Racing Toyota Tundra with Christian Eckes. After finishing 11th at Daytona despite being involved in a multi-truck wreck approaching the finish line, Enfinger did not compete during the following scheduled event at the Daytona International Speedway Road Course. He rebounded during the following event at Las Vegas by finishing seventh while piloting the No. 9 Chevrolet Silverado for CR7 Motorsports. For the remainder of the season, Enfinger split driving duties between ThorSport Racing and CR7 Motorsports. In total, he earned 11 top-10 results throughout the 22-race schedule with all but three of his total top-10 results occurring with ThorSport Racing. The results were enough for the Alabama native to finish in 11th place in the final standings.

    A month prior to the conclusion of the 2021 season, GMS Racing announced that Enfinger will be rejoining the organization to pilot the No. 23 Chevrolet Silverado RST on a two-year basis, beginning in 2022. After finishing no higher than 12th through the first three scheduled events, he went on to achieve six top-10 results during the following seven events. Despite earning an additional top-10 result during the final six regular-season events, he managed to secure a spot for the 2022 Truck Playoffs based on points. Then during the Playoff opener at Lucas Oil Raceway, Enfinger navigated his way from fourth to first during an overtime shootout to win as he snapped a one-year winless drought and transferred from the Round of 10 to 8. His title hopes, however, came to an end after finishing fourth, 29th and 14th, respectively, during the Round of 8, which were not enough for him to transfer to the Championship 4 round.

    Enfinger is currently ranked in seventh place in the drivers’ standings entering this weekend’s finale at Phoenix. Through 149 previous Truck starts, he has achieved seven victories, five poles, 49 top-five results, 88 top-10 results, 899 laps led and an average-finishing result of 10.7.

    Enfinger is scheduled to make his 150th Camping World Truck Series career start in the season-finale Lucas Oil 150 at Phoenix Raceway on Friday, November 4, with the event’s coverage to occur at 10 p.m. ET on FS1.

  • Andy Street to call 100th Xfinity event as crew chief at Phoenix

    Andy Street to call 100th Xfinity event as crew chief at Phoenix

    In his third full-time season as a NASCAR Xfinity Series crew chief, Andy Street, who currently works atop the pit box of the No. 21 Richard Childress Racing Chevrolet Camaro team piloted by rookie Austin Hill, is primed to achieve a milestone start. By participating in this weekend’s Xfinity Series Championship Race at Phoenix Raceway, Street will call his 100th Xfinity event as a crew chief. 

    A native of Kernersville, North Carolina, and a former drag racer who graduated from the University of North Carolina at Charlotte with a mechanical engineering degree, Street, who first joined Richard Childress Racing as a design and test engineer in 2003 and has since remained at RCR while working on the engineering and mechanical aspects, made his debut as a NASCAR crew chief at Richmond Raceway in September 2019. Working with driver Joe Graf Jr. and the No. 21 RCR Chevrolet Camaro team, Street led Graf to a 16th-place result in qualifying before the team finished 14th during the main event.

    For the 2020 Xfinity season, Street was promoted to a full-time crew chief role for RCR’s No. 21 Chevrolet Camaro team that was piloted between Myatt Snider, Anthony Alfredo and Kaz Grala. In Street’s first full-time campaign as a NASCAR crew chief, he guided the No. 21 RCR team to pole position with Snider for the season-opening event at Daytona International Speedway in February and a total of 15 top-10 results throughout the 33-race schedule. The team’s highest on-track result made throughout the season was a third-place run by Alfredo at Texas Motor Speedway in October followed by three fourth-place results made between Alfredo, Grala and Snider. The results were enough to place RCR’s No. 21 entry in 11th place in the final Xfinity owners’ standings.

    In 2021, Street, who remained at RCR, was assigned to crew chief RCR’s No. 2 Chevrolet Camaro team that was driven by Snider for the entire season. Following two top-15 results through the first two-scheduled events, Street recorded his first career win as a NASCAR crew chief after Snider survived two overtime restarts and held off Tyler Reddick to score his first Xfinity career win at Homestead-Miami Speedway in February. Street and Snider went on to record seven additional top-10 results throughout the 26-race regular-season schedule before entering the 2021 Xfinity Playoffs as a title contender. Following respective finishes of 15th, 31st and eighth during the Round of 12, however, Snider was one of four competitors to be eliminated from title contention. With the championship hopes of 2021 evaporated, Street and Snider managed to achieve an additional top-10 result during the final four scheduled events before concluding the season in ninth place in the final drivers’ standings.

    This season marked another change for Street, who remained at RCR but returned atop the pit box of the No. 21 Chevrolet Camaro team that was taken over by former Camping World Truck Series competitor Austin Hill. In their first race together, Street and Hill went to Victory Lane at Daytona in February after Hill overtook AJ Allmendinger on the final lap and at the moment of caution due to a multi-car wreck to claim his first Xfinity career victory. Sixteen races and eight additional top-10 results later, the duo earned their second victory of the 2022 campaign at Atlanta Motor Speedway in July. The pair of victories along with a total of 16 top-10 results during the 26-race regular-season stretch were enough for the No. 21 RCR team to qualify for the 2022 Xfinity Series Playoffs. Amid an up-and-down Playoff run highlighted with a pole, a runner-up result at Texas Motor Speedway in September and three consecutive top-10 results during the Round of 8, Hill and Street were eliminated from title contention following this past weekend at Martinsville Speedway. They are ranked in sixth place in the drivers’ standings as the duo look to cap off the season with a third victory to the 2022 campaign.

    Through 99 previous Xfinity events, Street has achieved three victories, two poles, 17 top-five results, 46 top-10 results and 388 laps led while working with six different competitors.

    Street is scheduled to call his 100th Xfinity Series event as a crew chief in the 2022 NASCAR Xfinity Series Championship Race at Phoenix Raceway on Saturday, November 5, with the event’s coverage to occur at 6 p.m. ET on USA Network.

  • Arrow McLaren SP inks Kanaan, NTT Data for 2023 IndyCar season

    Arrow McLaren SP inks Kanaan, NTT Data for 2023 IndyCar season

    In a major off-season blockbuster move for McLaren Racing, NTT Data will be joining forces with Arrow McLaren SP on a multiyear basis that will include serving as a key primary sponsor for Felix Rosenqvist for the 2023 NTT IndyCar Series season. The team was also proud to reveal that the 2013 Indianapolis 500 champion Tony Kanaan will be piloting a fourth AMSP entry sponsored by NTT Data for the 107th running of the Indy 500 at Indianapolis Motor Speedway that will occur on May 28, 2023.

    The move comes after months of speculation towards AMSP’s fourth competitor choice for the 2023 Indy 500 and as the team prepares to field three full-time entries for the upcoming IndyCar season for its drivers Rosenqvist, Pato O’Ward and Alexander Rossi, who announced his move to the team in June following a seven-year run with Andretti Autosport.

    As part of the multiyear deal, NTT Data will serve as the Official IT Services Partner for AMSP’s operations while serving as an associate sponsor for O’Ward and Rossi. The global technology and business solutions provider was previously the Official IT Services Partner for Chip Ganassi Racing and was a key partner for the organization since 2013. It has also been serving as a title sponsor for the IndyCar Series since 2019.

    “NTT DATA joining our great group of partners is a huge boost for Arrow McLaren SP,” Zak Brown, CEO of McLaren Racing, said. “I’m thrilled they will be representing our No. 6 car as a Lead Partner and a major sponsor for our fourth entry in the Indy 500, piloted by Tony Kanaan. Tony proved last year he can compete with the best of them, and I’m excited to see him put on a show with our team next May.”

    “We welcome the opportunity to partner with McLaren, a long-term and valued client, and to demonstrate how sponsorships simultaneously build awareness and enhance business-to-business relationships,” Bob Pryor, CEO of NTT Data Services, added. “NTT DATA is also proud of the NTT INDYCAR SERIES’ growth with a strong international stable of drivers, great leadership from Penske Entertainment, and a passionate fan base attracted to the highly competitive product – where any driver can win in any weekend.”

    For Kanaan, the 2023 Indy 500 is set to mark his 22nd consecutive appearance competing in one of the most prestigious motorsport events across the world and his first competing under the McLaren banner. He spent the previous two seasons as a part-time competitor for Chip Ganassi Racing, where he finished 10th during the 2021 Indy 500 before notching a strong third-place effort during this past season’s event. He claimed his first and lone Indy 500 victory to date in 2013, which occurred after 12 previous attempts.

    Through a total of 388 career starts in IndyCar competition, Kanaan has achieved one championship (2004), 17 victories, 13 poles, 79 podiums and 4,077 laps led.

    “I feel extremely lucky to get another shot racing in the Indianapolis 500,” Kanaan said. “I’m excited to work with Pato, Felix and Alexander and race with the Arrow McLaren SP team. My biggest battle in last year’s race was against these three drivers so working with them and driving with them will be exciting for all of us.” 

    In addition to Kanaan’s Indy 500 entry, NTT Data will be sponsoring Rosenqvist’s No. 6 Dallara-Chevrolet for 10 IndyCar events in 2023, which will commence at the Streets of St. Petersburg for the Firestone Grand Prix of St. Petersburg on March 5 and conclude at WeatherTech Raceway Laguna Seca for the Firestone Grand Prix of Monterey on September 10. The new partnership deal with AMSP reunites NTT Data with Rosenqvist, who was previously sponsored by the IT solutions provider when he competed for Chip Ganassi Racing in 2019 and 2020. It also comes nearly two months after Rosenqvist was announced to remain with the organization for the upcoming season.

    The 30-year-old Rosenqvist from Värnamo, Sweden, is coming off a strong 2022 season with AMSP, where he achieved a single podium result at the Exhibition Place in Toronto, Canada, in July along with nine additional top-10 results throughout the 17-race schedule before finishing in eighth place in the final driver’s standings, one spot behind teammate O’Ward.

    “I look forward to representing NTT DATA once again,” Rosenqvist said. “They’re a great partner and are committed to the series. I welcome them to the McLaren Racing family and am ready to start the season off in St. Petersburg, racing the No. 6 NTT DATA Arrow McLaren SP Chevrolet. It will also be great to race alongside Tony and learn from him as we prepare for the Indy 500.”

    The new partnership between NTT Data and Arrow McLaren SP is set to commence at the Streets of St. Petersburg for the Firestone Grand Prix of St. Petersburg on March 5, which will also commence the 2023 NTT IndyCar Series season. The event’s coverage is scheduled to occur at noon ET on NBC.

  • Bell capitalizes to win a wild Cup Playoff event at Martinsville; Championship 4 field set

    Bell capitalizes to win a wild Cup Playoff event at Martinsville; Championship 4 field set

    Three weeks after executing on a “must-win” situation to transfer to the Playoff’s Round of 8 by winning at the Charlotte Motor Speedway Road Course, Christopher Bell rose to the occasion once again by claiming a late dominant victory in the Xfinity 500 at Martinsville Speedway on Sunday, October 30. Only on this occasion, the victory awarded Bell a spot to the Championship 4 round and with an opportunity to contend for his first NASCAR Cup Series championship.

    The 27-year-old Bell from Norman, Oklahoma, led three times for 150 of 500-scheduled laps and benefitted during a 24-lap dash to the finish on fresh tires to overtake Chase Briscoe with five laps remaining and pull away en route to his third Cup victory of the 2022 season and with a championship finale spot all to his for next weekend’s season finale at Phoenix Raceway. As a result, Bell will square off for the 2022 title against Joey Logano, Chase Elliott and Ross Chastain, who executed a bold “video game” move by riding his car against the outside wall on the final lap to finish in the top five and claim the final transfer spot to the finale while knocking veteran Denny Hamlin out of title contention at the last second.

    With on-track qualifying that determined the starting lineup occurring on Saturday, Kyle Larson secured his fourth pole position of the 2022 season after posting a pole-winning lap at 96.078 mph in 19.709 seconds. Joining him on the front row was teammate and Playoff competitor Chase Elliott, who posted the second-best qualifying lap at 96.019 mph in 19.721 seconds.

    When the green flag waved and the race started, Larson took off with the advantage on the outside lane and had both lanes to his control through the first two turns while teammate Elliott and Ryan Blaney battled for second in front of Chase Briscoe and Brad Keselowski. As Larson went on to lead the first lap, Elliott and Blaney continued to duel for second as Briscoe joined the battle.

    Through the first 10 scheduled laps, Larson was leading by nearly eight-tenths of a second over teammate Elliott followed by Blaney, Briscoe and Keselowski while Cole Custer, Daniel Suarez, Ross Chastain, Denny Hamlin and Kevin Harvick were in the top 10. Behind, Joey Logano was in 11th ahead of Corey LaJoie, rookie Harrison Burton, Michael McDowell and Austin Dillon wile Aric Almirola, Kyle Busch, Christopher Bell, Noah Gragson and Chis Buescher. Meanwhile, William Byron was in 24th in between Bubba Wallace and Erik Jones while Martin Truex Jr. was in 26th in front of rookie Austin Cindric, Tyler Reddick and Ty Gibbs.

    Fifteen laps later, Larson, who started to approach lapped traffic, retained the lead nearly a second over teammate Elliott while Blaney, Briscoe and Keselowski remained in the top five. By then, five of eight Playoff competitors were running in the top 10 on the track while remaining Playoff competitors that included Logano, Bell and Byron were mired back in 11th, 18th and 24th, respectively.

    Another 25 laps later on the Lap 50 mark, Larson continued to lead by two-tenths of a second over teammate Elliott followed by Briscoe, who battled hard against Blaney and bumped him for third place earlier. Meanwhile, Cole Custer battled Keselowski for fifth place while Chastain, Suarez, Hamlin and Harvick were scored in the top 10.

    On Lap 71, Elliott muscled his No. 9 NAPA Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 into the lead over teammate Larson’s No. 5 HendrickCars.com Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 as Briscoe and Blaney started to close in on Larson for the runner-up spot. By then, Kyle Busch, who was making his penultimate Cup start for Joe Gibbs Racing, was lapped by the leaders.

    Nineteen laps later, Elliott was leading by more than a second over teammate Larson followed by a two-car battle between Custer and Hamlin for third place while Briscoe was in fifth ahead of Keselowski, Blaney, Chastain, Suarez and Harvick.

    At the Lap 100 mark, Elliott continued to lead by less than a second over a hard-charging Hamlin, who overtook Larson and Custer a few laps earlier, while Briscoe remained in fifth. Meanwhile, Blaney was back in seventh behind Keselowski as he was losing ground of the leaders with his tires wearing out. By then, big names that included Cindric, Reddick, Allmendinger and Truex were lapped by Elliott.

    Ten laps later, a heated battle for the lead ignited between Elliott and Hamlin as Hamlin drew his No. 11 FedEx Toyota TRD Camry alongside Elliott’s Chevrolet and tried to clear him for the lead through the frontstretch and entering Turn 1. Despite Elliott’s attempt to stall his momentum, Hamlin prevailed during the following lap through Turns 3 and 4 as he became the third different leader of the event with the clean air to his advantage.

    When the first stage concluded on Lap 130, Hamlin, who came into Martinsville five points below the top-four cutline to advance to the Championship 4 round, claimed his fourth stage victory of the 2022 season as he received critical stage points to keep his title hopes alive. Elliott settled in second while Custer, Larson, Briscoe, Keselowski, Bell, Blaney, Chastain and Suarez were scored in the top 10. By then, six of eight Playoff competitors were scored in the top 10 and received the first wave of stage points while the remaining Playoff competitors that included Logano and Byron were in 13th and 18th, respectively. By then, Byron had been lapped by Hamlin as only 17 of 36 starters were scored on the lead lap.

    Under the stage break, the field led by Hamlin pitted for the first time of the event. Following the pit stops, Hamlin retained the lead after exiting pit road first followed by Elliott, Larson, Custer, Keselowski and Bell. In addition, Briscoe, who came into the event 44 points below the cutline and in a “must-win” situation, was penalized for his gas can out of his pit box while Playoff competitors Blaney and Bell made slight contact on pit road.

    The second stage started on Lap 139 as Hamlin and Elliott occupied the front row. At the start, Hamlin retained the lead over Elliott and Larson as the field behind jostled for positions. In the process, Bell, who came into the event 33 points below the cutline and in a “must-win” situation, moved his No. 20 DeWalt Toyota TRD Camry into the top five in fifth behind Custer and in front of Keselowski.

    Twenty-one laps later, Hamlin was out in front by more than a second over Elliott followed by Larson, Custer and Bell while Keselowski, Blaney, Suarez, Logano and Chastain were running in the top 10. Meanwhile, Harvick was in 11th ahead of teammate Almirola, Burton, Wallace and rookie Todd Gilliland while McDowell, Byron and Briscoe rounded out the competitors running on the lead lap. By then, LaJoie and Austin Dillon, both of whom were the first two competitors a lap behind the leaders, rounded out the top 20.

    Another 10 laps later and by Lap 175, Hamlin continued to lead by six-tenths of a second over Elliott while Larson, Custer and Bell remained in the top five. By then, all eight Playoff competitors continued to run no lower than 18th place and on the lead lap, with six scored in the top 10 on the track.

    Just past the Lap 190 mark, Tyler Reddick took his No. 8 3Chi Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 into the garage due to feeling under weather as he was transported to the infield care center.

    At the Lap 200 mark, Hamlin retained the lead by more than two seconds over Elliott while Larson, Custer and Bell continued to run in the top five. By then, Playoff competitors Hamlin, Elliott, Bell, Blaney, Logano and Chastain were scored in the top 10 while Byron and Briscoe were mired back in 17th and 18th.

    By Lap 225, Hamlin stabilized his advantage to more than three seconds over runner-up Elliott and more than five seconds over Larson. By then, Byron and Briscoe, both of whom remained in 17th and 18th, were lapped by the leaders.

    At the halfway mark on Lap 250, Hamlin continued to lead by more than four seconds over followed by Larson, Custer and Bell while Blaney, Keselowski, Logano, Suarez and Chastain were in the top 10. Behind, Wallace was in 11th ahead of Almirola, Harvick, Burton and Gilliland wile McDowel, Byron, Briscoe, Austin Dillon and LaJoie rounded out the top 20. Meanwhile, Erik Jones, Truex, Stenhouse, Gibbs and Buescher occupied the top 25 in front of Gragson, Cindric was mired in 29th and Kyle Busch was back in 34th and six laps down while dealing with an ill-handling No. 18 M&M’s Toyota TRD Camry.

    When the second stage concluded on Lap 260, Hamlin captured his fifth stage victory of the 2022 season as he swept both stages and earned another round of critical stage points to his championship hopes. Elliott settled in second while Larson, Custer, Bell, Blaney, Keselowski, Logano, Suarez and Chastain were scored in the top 10. By then, 13 competitors were scored on the lead lap. In addition, six of eight Playoff competitors earned a second wave of Playoff points while Byron and Briscoe were not on the lead lap and mired back in the top 20.

    Under the stage break, the field led by Hamlin pitted for the second time of the event. Following the pit stops, Hamlin retained the lead after exiting pit road first with a large advantage followed by Larson, Elliott, Blaney, Custer and Logano.

    With 229 laps remaining, the final stage started as Hamlin and Larson occupied the front row. At the start, Hamlin rocketed with the lead and Elliott challenged teammate Larson for the runner-up spot after Larson struggled to come up to speed at the start. Behind, Custer and Blaney battled for fourth in front of Bell while Logano battled Keselowski and Chastain for seventh. 

    Two laps later, the first caution not related to a stage break flew when Chastain got into Keselowski as Keselowski, who was vying for eighth place, spun and made light contact with the outside wall. During the caution period, names that included Logano, Byron, Chastain and Keselowski pitted while the rest led by Hamlin remained on the track. Logano would return to pit road for a second time to address a fire to the left front of his No. 22 Shell/Pennzoil Ford Mustang.

    When the race restarted under green with 220 laps remaining, Hamlin retained the lead over Elliott and the field.

    With 200 laps remaining, Hamlin was out in front by seven-tenths of a second over Elliott followed by Bell, Custer and Blaney while Larson, Suarez, Wallace, Almirola and Burton were scored in the top 10. Behind, Harvick, Keselowski, Chastain, Logano and Byron rounded out the top 15 and as the last round of competitors scored on the lead lap while Playoff competitor Briscoe was mired a lap down in 16th in front of Gilliland, McDowell, Austin Dillon, Gibbs, Erik Jones, Truex, LaJoie, Ricky Stenhouse Jr. and Justin Haley.

    Nineteen laps later, the caution flew when Austin Dillon got loose and pounded the outside wall entering Turn 4 hard due to a front rotor issue, though he emerged uninjured. During the caution period, the leaders led by Hamlin pitted. Following the pit stops, Bell emerged as the new leader after exiting first just ahead of Blaney and Elliott while Hamlin exited in fourth place ahead of Larson and Custer.

    During the following restart with 171 laps remaining, Bell took off with the lead followed by a side-by-side battle against Blaney and Elliott for the runner-up spot while Larson and Hamlin dueled for fourth place. Not long after, Elliott cleared Blaney for second while Larson moved into fourth over Hamlin as Custer joined the battle.

    With 150 laps remaining, Bell was leading by nine-tenths of a second over Elliott followed by Blaney, Hamlin and Larson while Suarez, Custer, Wallace, Almirola and Logano occupied the top 10. By then, all eight Playoff competitors were scored on the lead lap and no lower than 16th place, which was occupied by Briscoe, while Chastain and Byron were in 13th and 14th.

    Twenty-five laps later, Bell, who remained in a “must-win” situation to maintain his title hopes, continued to lead by two-and-a-half seconds over Elliott while Blaney, Hamlin and Larson remained in the top five.

    Then with 107 laps remaining, the caution flew when JJ Yeley spun in Turn 3. Under caution, the leaders led by Bell returned to pit road. Following the pit stops, Bell retained the lead after exiting pit road first followed by Blaney, Elliott, Larson, Wallace and Hamlin.

    Down to the final 97 laps of the event, the race proceeded under green as Bell and Blaney, both of whom were placed in a “must-win” situation to transfer to the championship finale round, occupied the front row. At the start, Bell and Blaney dueled for the lead in front of Elliott, Larson and Hamlin while Logano and Keselowski marched to the front on the outside lane as they challenged Wallace for sixth. As the field jostled for late spots, Bell managed to clear Blaney and retain the lead.

    With 75 laps remaining, Bell retained the lead by a second over Blaney followed by Elliott, Larson and Hamlin while Wallace, Keselowski, Logano, Custer and Briscoe were scored in the top 10. By then, all eight Playoff competitors were running no lower than 13th, which was occupied by Chastain as Byron was in 11th.

    Twenty-five laps later and with 50 laps remaining, Bell continued to lead by three-tenths of a second over Blaney while Elliott, Larson and Hamlin remained in the top five. The remaining Playoff competitors that included Logano, Briscoe, Byron and Chastain were running eighth, 10th, 11th and 12th, respectively, as a total of 17 of 36 starters were currently scored on the lead lap.

    Then with 34 laps remaining, the caution flew when Landon Cassill pounded the outside wall hard in Turn 3 as his damaged No. 77 Nations Guard Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 came to a halt with the driver emerging uninjured. During the caution period, the majority of the field led by Bell returned to pit road and Larson exited first following a two-tire pit stop followed by Keselowski, Byron, Bell, Blaney and Elliott. Bacon the track, however, Stewart-Haas Racing’s Briscoe and Custer remained on the track as they emerged as the new leaders. During the pit stops, Hamlin endured a slow pit stop as he was mired back in 12th behind Chastain.

    Down to the final 24 laps of the event, the race restarted under green. At the start, Briscoe retained the lead while teammate Custer was able to fend off Larson and Keselowski to hold the runner-up spot ahead of a hungry pack of competitors running through two tight lanes.

    A few laps later, a heated side-by-side battle for a spot for the Championship 4 round ensued between Hamlin and Chastain as both made contact and refused to give an inch to one another. With Hamlin eventually prevailing for 11th and needing to finish within four spots ahead of Chastain to transfer to the finale, Briscoe continued to lead by half a second over teammate Custer. Soon after, Keselowski, Bell, Larson and Blaney began to challenge one another for third place as both Blaney and Bell were placed in deficits of not transferring to the finale along with Byron and Hamlin.

    Down to the final 10 laps of the event, Briscoe was leading by half a second over Keselowski and eight-tenths of a second over third-place Bell. Behind, Hamlin overtook Logano for eighth place, which made him above the cutline by a single point over Chastain, who was in 12th.

    Two laps later, Bell rocketed past Keselowski for the runner-up spot as he had his sights on Briscoe for the lead and a spot to the championship finale. Another three laps later, Bell shoved his No. 20 Toyota beneath Briscoe’s No. 14 Ford with contact ensuing as he reassumed the lead and moved back into the cutline, thus kicking Briscoe back below the cutline. Meanwhile, Chastain challenged Elliott for 11th, which he prevailed as he moved back into the cutline in a tie-breaker over Hamlin. Hamlin, however, responded back by overtaking Logano, Briscoe and Byron to move into fifth place, which put him back into the cutline by two points. 

    When the white flag waved and the final lap started, Bell remained as the leader by eight-tenths of a second over Larson. Having four fresh tires to his advantage and executing when it mattered most, Bell was able to cycle his way back to the frontstretch and claim his spot for the championship finale with his third checkered flag of the 2022 season.

    Just then, Chastain, who was running in 10th place and on the verge of being eliminated from title contention by two points, floored his No. 1 Moose Fraternity Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 against the outside wall through Turns 3 and 4, which he rode and scraped his car against the wall at full speed as he gained five spots in the process. In addition, Chastain also overtook Hamlin as he finished in fifth place, which was more than enough for the Floridian to grab the fourth and final transfer spot to the Championship 4 round by four points over Hamlin. 

    With his bold move and the spots gained on the final lap and final corner, Chastain will make his first career appearance in the Championship 4 round as he will contend for his first NASCAR Cup Series championship along with Trackhouse Racing, which is in its second year of NASCAR competition. Hamlin, meanwhile, ended up being the first competitor to be eliminated from title contention as he still pursues his first elusive Cup title.

    “[I] Played a lot of NASCAR 2005 on the game cube with [brother] Chad growing up and you could get away with it,” Chastain said on NBC. “I never knew if [the move] would actually work. I did that [move] when I was eight years old. I grabbed fifth gear. I asked off of [Turn] 2 on the last lap if we needed it and we did. I couldn’t tell who was leading. I made my choice, I grabbed fifth gear down the [backstretch] and full committed. Once I got up against the wall, I basically let go of the [steering] wheel and just hoped that it didn’t catch the Turn 4 access gate or something crazy, but I was willing to do it for this Trackhouse group. Today for our Moose Chevy, we didn’t have what we needed. Just glad we could do whatever we could do. All we asked for is a chance…To be here fighting for a championship now, it’s just so surreal. I just cannot believe that we have a chance to fight for a championship. We kept our world small today and this year so far. We’ll do the same thing going into Phoenix.”

    Photo by John Knittel for SpeedwayMedia.com.

    “You gotta execute all day,” Hamlin, who finished sixth, said. “We just didn’t control the race when we had control of it. Each caution, we just kept losing some spots. It’s the way it is, but thank [crew chief] Chris Gabehart and [the] whole FedEx Camry team for giving me a really fast car today. It was just unbelievable when it was out front. [I] Couldn’t quite hang on to it there on pit road. Hopefully, [Bell] can carry the [championship] banner for us…It’s what racing is here at Martinsville. [I’m] Actually pretty happy with how somewhat clean it was there towards the end as crazy as it was with guys on different tires. [I] Can’t say enough for my team to give us a shot. We were in the 20s for most of this season in points just because of our up-and-down execution, but we’re gonna end up fifth in points. It is what it is. Great move [for Chastain]. When you have no other choice, it certainly is easy to do that, but well-executed.”  

    Photo by John Knittel for SpeedwayMedia.com.

    While Chastain celebrated on pit road, Bell celebrated his race victory on the track as he claimed his fourth Cup Series career victory and first at Martinsville. In the process, Bell recorded the 200th NASCAR Cup career win for Joe Gibbs Racing as he also will make his first appearance in the Championship 4 round as a title contender.

    “Mom and dad, we did it!” Bell, who fought back tears of joy, exclaimed. “I can’t believe it, man. To come here to Martinsville. This place has always been so tough on me. [During] pre-race, I was looking up and seeing all the fans. This place is packed. I don’t even know what to say. Thank you so much to DeWalt, Rheem, Toyota, everyone on this Joe Gibbs Racing No. 20 team. They believe in me since day one. Very appreciative to be here. I don’t even know what to say…This entire No. 20 group. They never give up. [When] Our backs [are] against the wall and it looks like it’s over, they show up and give me the fastest car out here. Words can’t describe this feeling.”

    Photo by John Knittel for SpeedwayMedia.com.

    Also transferring to the Championship 4 round was Chase Elliott, who finished 11th as he will square off against Joey Logano, Bell and Chastain for his second Cup title.

    “We just got back a little further than we had been throughout the day,” Elliott, who transferred by four points, said. “Track position was everything unless you were just a couple of guys. I thought it was really a solid day. We did what we needed to do, I guess, on the driver’s side. Nice to have a shot at the driver’s championship next weekend. Nonetheless, [I’m] Excited to get out there [to Phoenix] and give it our best shot to try to get another big trophy. We’ll be ready to go come next weekend. I don’t have any doubt about that.”

    Hamlin joins William Byron, Ryan Blaney and Chase Briscoe as the remaining four competitors to be eliminated from title contention and not moving past the Round of 8 in the Playoffs.

    “We didn’t start off very good,” Blaney, who rallied to finish third but missed the cutline by 26 points, said. “I think we kind of faded at the end of the first stage. We got better and better all night, which is good. We had a shot to grab the lead there before the last caution. I just couldn’t get around [Bell] and kind of burned my stuff off trying to pass [Bell]. Then, just a wild restart and just didn’t get through the traffic as quickly as Bell did and he ended up winning the race. Proud of the Discount Tire guys. I put us in a bad spot the first two races of this round and we almost had a really good night to where we could move on. Appreciate their support. It stinks not making it to the Final Four, but we’ll learn and hopefully apply the good things next year.”

    “I needed probably eight less laps,” Briscoe, who fell back to 10th and missed the cutline by 61 points, added. “That would’ve been nice. If I would have known that move that Ross did worked, I would have just done that for eight more laps. I just fell off a cliff pretty hard. Just couldn’t hold them guys off with new tires. I just didn’t have the forward-drive or getting the side bite to hold them off. Proud of our team. We were in position there at the end to potentially capitalize on it. Win as a team, lose as a team. [We’ll] Go to Phoenix next week and see if we can win.” 

    “We just didn’t have it, unfortunately,” Byron, who ended up 11th and missed the cutline by 21 points, said. “[We] Put a lot of effort in and it just wasn’t anything like we had here in the spring. Just struggled. The first couple stages, I knew it was gonna be a grind. The best thing we could do was try to put ourselves in a position in the top five late where, hopefully, the leaders get together. Just unfortunately not enough all day. That’s just the way it goes sometimes…Just got to learn from it. It’s been a good run for us. Unfortunately, it wasn’t our best.”

    Larson, who will contend for an owners’ title next weekend at Phoenix, came home in second place on the track behind Bell while Blaney, Keselowski and Chastain finished in the top five. Hamlin, Logano, Byron, Wallace and Briscoe completed the top 10 while Elliott settled in 11th. Following the race and the post-race inspection process, Keselowski was disqualified due to his car failing to meet minimum weight as he was demoted to 36th place, dead last.

    There were eight lead changes for five different leaders. The race featured six cautions for 53 laps.

    Results.

    1. Christopher Bell, 150 laps led

    2. Kyle Larson, 68 laps led

    3. Ryan Blaney

    4. Ross Chastain

    5. Denny Hamlin, 203 laps led, Stage 1 & 2 winner

    6. Joey Logano

    7. William Byron

    8. Bubba Wallace

    9. Chase Briscoe, 25 laps led

    10. Chase Elliott, 54 laps led

    11. Harrison Burton

    12. Daniel Suarez

    13. Todd Gilliland

    14. Cole Custer

    15. Aric Almirola

    16. Kevin Harvick

    17. Michael McDowell

    18. Erik Jones, two laps down

    19. Ty Gibbs, two laps down

    20. Martin Truex Jr., two laps down

    21. Corey LaJoie, two laps down

    22. Ricky Stenhouse Jr., two laps down

    23. AJ Allmendinger, two laps down

    24. Chris Buescher, three laps down

    25. Noah Gragson, three laps down

    26. Austin Cindric, three laps down

    27. Justin Haley, three laps down

    28. Cody Ware, five laps down

    29. Kyle Busch, six laps down

    30. JJ Yeley, 12 laps down

    31. Ty Dillon – OUT, Brakes

    32. Landon Cassill – OUT, Accident

    33. Austin Dillon – OUT, Accident

    34. BJ McLeod – OUT, Fire

    35. Tyler Reddick – OUT, Accident

    36. Brad Keselowski – Disqualified

    *Bold indicates Playoff contenders

    Playoff standings

    1. Joey Logano – Advanced

    2. Christopher Bell – Advanced

    3. Chase Elliott – Advanced

    4. Ross Chastain – Advanced

    5. Denny Hamlin – Eliminated

    6. William Byron – Eliminated

    7. Ryan Blaney – Eliminated

    8. Chase Briscoe – Eliminated

    With the Championship 4 field set, the 2022 NASCAR Cup Series season is set to conclude at Phoenix Raceway on Sunday, November 6, where a champion will be crowned. The event is scheduled to start at 3 p.m. ET on NBC.