Testing SpeedwayMedia.com

Tag: joe gibbs racing

Sammy Smith dominates for first Xfinity Series career win at Phoenix

In the valley of the desert where a handful of NASCAR’s future stars battled against the all-time series winner and champion Kyle Busch, a new star shined the brightest as rookie Sammy Smith notched his first NASCAR Xfinity Series career victory in the United Rentals 200 at Phoenix Raceway on Saturday, March 11.

The 18-year-old Smith from Johnston, Iowa, led a race-high 92 of 200-scheduled laps, including the final 52, as he withstood a flurry of cautions, a 15-lap dash to the finish and a late charge from teammate Ryan Truex to claim his first Xfinity career victory in his 13th start in the series and become the first first-time winner across NASCAR’s top three national touring series for the 2023 season.

With on-track qualifying that determined the starting lineup occurring on Saturday, Cole Custer notched his first Xfinity pole of the season after posting a pole-winning lap at 129.959 mph in 27.701 seconds. Joining him on the front row was Justin Allgaier, who posted the second-best qualifying lap at 129.706 mph in 27.755 seconds.

Prior to the event, Kyle Busch and Jeffrey Earnhardt dropped to the rear of the field due to unapproved adjustments made to their respective cars. Parker Kligerman also dropped to the rear of the field in a backup car.

When the green flag waved and the race commenced, the field fanned out to multiple lanes through the frontstretch dogleg as Custer, who also went through the dogleg, retained the lead ahead of Daniel Hemric and Sheldon Creed while Allgaier fell back into a side-by-side battle with John Hunter Nemechek for fourth. At the conclusion of the first lap, Custer led ahead of Hemric and Creed while Allgaier retained fourth in front of Nemechek and the field.

Through the first five scheduled laps, Custer was leading by nine-tenths of a second over Creed followed by Hemric, Allgaier and Nemechek while rookie Chandler Smith, Josh Berry, rookie Sammy Smith, Riley Herbst and Austin Hill were in the top 10. Behind, Ryan Truex was in 11th ahead of Ryan Sieg, Sam Mayer, Brett Moffitt and Kaz Grala while Jeb Burton, Josh Williams, Brandon Jones, Kyle Sieg and rookie Parker Retzlaff rounded out the top 20.

At the Lap 10 mark, Custer extended his advantage to more than a second over Creed while third-place Allgaier trailed by more than two seconds. By then, Nemechek and Hemric remained in the top five while the two Smiths involving Sammy and Chandler battle for sixth. In addition, Kyle Busch cracked the top 20 after starting towards the rear of the field.

Ten laps later, Custer continued to lead by more than two seconds over the new runner-up competitor Allgaier while Creed fell back to third as he trailed by more than two seconds. Behind, Joe Gibbs Racing’s Nemechek and Sammy Smith were in the top five in front of Herbst while Hemric was back in seventh in front of teammate Chandler Smith, Josh Berry and Austin Hill. By then, Ryan Truex was back in 11th in front of Mayer and Brandon Jones while Kyle Busch was up in 14th.

Another eight laps later, the first caution of the event flew when the back bumper from Leland Honeyman’s No. 45 Alpha Prime Racing entry came loose and fell onto the frontstretch. The cause of the loose bumper happened a few laps earlier when Honeyman got loose and made contact against the outside wall towards Turn 1.

With 10 laps remaining in the first stage, the event proceeded under green. At the start, Custer bolted ahead with the lead as the field fanned out through the dogleg again. Behind, Sammy Smith challenged Allgaier for second while Creed, Nemechek, Sammy Smith and Herbst battled for fourth. Shortly after, Allgaier launched a challenge to the outside of Custer for the lead but was unable to prevail as Custer maintained the lead on the inside lane.

Then on Lap 37, Allgaier made his move to the outside of Custer as he assumed the lead in his No. 7 hellowater Chevrolet Camaro through the backstretch and back to the frontstretch. A lap later, the caution returned when Berry, who was running in eighth, got bumped by Chandler Smith as he spun in the middle of Turn 3. Despite the spin, the entire field managed to dodge Berry as he continued without sustaining any damage. During the caution period, some led by Nemechek pitted while the rest led by Allgaier remained on the track.

With two laps remaining in the first stage, the event resumed under green. At the start, the field fanned out to four lanes through the dogleg and through the frontstretch as Allgaier retained the lead. Behind, Creed made his way into second in front of a bevy of competitors that continued to fan out to multiple lanes. This, however, allowed Allgaier to pull away from the field.

When the first stage concluded on Lap 45, Allgaier claimed his second stage victory of the 2023 Xfinity season. Creed fended off Sammy Smith for second followed by Herbst and Hemric while Custer, Busch, Mayer, Nemechek and Chandler Smith were scored in the top 10.

Under the stage break, some led by Allgaier pitted for the first time in the event while the rest led by Mayer and Nemechek remained on the track.

The second stage started on Lap 55 as Mayer and Nemechek occupied the front row. At the start and with the field fanning out through the dogleg, Nemechek muscled into the lead on the inside lane while Hill and Mayer battled for second in front of a flurry of competitors. As the battles around the circuit proceeded, the caution returned during the following lap when Moffitt, who was running just outside the top 10, got loose underneath Jeremy Clements and spun in the middle of Turn 3, though he was narrowly dodged by the field.

During the following restart on Lap 62, Nemechek rocketed with the lead on the inside lane while Hill made his way into second. Behind, Ryan Truex and Jeb Burton challenged Mayer for third, though the later prevailed exiting the backstretch. As Nemechek retained the lead, Berry, who spun towards the conclusion of the first stage, carved his way back to sixth with multiple battles ensuing behind.

Following another caution period for a two-car incident involving Connor Mosack and Josh Williams in Turn 2 on Lap 68 and another restart on Lap 74, Nemechek battled and fended off Hill to remain the lead on the inside lane. Shortly after, however, NASCAR assessed Nemechek a pass-through penalty through pit road as a result of Nemechek dipping his No. 20 Safeway/Albertsons Toyota Supra below the frontstretch’s double yellow line boundary, which was deemed a violation. With Nemechek penalized, Hill assumed the lead followed by Sammy Smith while Ryan Truex, Mayer, Berry and Busch occupied the top six.

By Lap 84, the caution flew when Berry, who was running in fourth, got bumped by teammate Mayer as he spun his No. 8 Jarrett Logistics Systems Chevrolet Camaro in Turn 2 and towards the pit road’s entrance while being dodged by Busch. By then, Nemechek, who was mired in the next-to-last position in 37th place, managed to remain on the lead lap while Hill retained the lead in front of Sammy Smith and Truex. During the caution period, a majority of the field led by Hill pitted while the rest led by Allgaier remained on the track.

With two laps remaining in the second stage, the event restarted under green as Allgaier and Anthony Alfredo occupied the front row. At the start, Allgaier and Alfredo dueled for the lead through the frontstretch with the field behind fanning out to multiple lanes. As the field continued to battle through the backstretch, Allgaier pulled away as he commenced the final lap of the second stage. With no competition luring behind, Allgaier claimed his second consecutive Xfinity stage victory of the season and third overall at the Lap 90 mark. Hill carved his way back to second followed by Hemric, Sammy Smith and Kyle Busch while Alfredo, Mayer, Herbst, Kaz Grala and Creed were scored in the top 10.

Under the stage break, a few drivers including Allgaier and Alfredo pitted while the rest led by Hill remained on the track.

With 100 laps remaining, which marked the event’s halfway mark, the final stage started as Hill and Hemric occupied the front row. At the start, a three-wide battle ensued through the frontstretch as Kyle Busch and Hemric challenged Hill for the lead. In the process, Sammy Smith made it a four-car battle as he joined the battle while Busch carved his way into the lead by a hair over Smith. Soon after, Smith launched his challenge on Busch for the lead before prevailing in Turn 2 with 97 laps remaining. As Smith assumed the lead, Busch fell back to second while Hemric, Hill and Mayer were scored in the top five. Meanwhile, Ryan Truex was in sixth in front of teammate Nemechek, who rallied from his restart penalty, while Herbst, Custer and Chandler Smith were scored in the top 10.

With 90 laps remaining, Sammy Smith was leading by more than a second over Busch followed by Hemric, Hill and Nemechek while Mayer, Herbst, Ryan Truex, Custer and Chandler Smith occupied the top 10. Behind, Creed was in 11th ahead of Brandon Jones, Kyle Weatherman, Grala and Parker Kligerman while Berry, Jeb Burton, Allgaier, Moffitt and Ryan Sieg were running in the top 20.

Fifteen laps later, Sammy Smith extended his advantage to more than three seconds over the new runner-up competitor Hill as Busch, who had debris on his front grille, slipped back to third to remove the debris behind Hill’s rear bumper. By then, Nemechek moved up to fourth in front of Mayer while Herbst, Hemric, Custer, Chandler Smith and Creed were running in the top 10.

With 62 laps remaining, the caution flew when Gray Gaulding wrecked against the Turn 1 outside wall as his event came to a late end. During the caution period, the field led by Sammy Smith pitted, but Hill reassumed the lead following a stellar pit service from his No. 21 crew followed by Busch while Sammy Smith dropped to third. Nemechek, Herbst and Mayer exited fourth through sixth while Allgaier gained four spots to move up to eighth.

Down to the final 53 laps, the event restarted under green. At the start, Hill led a stampede of competitors through the frontstretch until Kyle Busch pulled his No. 10 LA Golf Chevrolet Camaro even to Hill’s outside through the backstretch. As the field returned to the frontstretch, Busch peaked ahead with the lead, but Hill fought back on the inside lane. Then As Sammy Smith drew himself in between Busch and Hill to regain his lead through Turn 2, the caution returned when Creed got loose beneath Custer as he spun his No. 2 Whelen Chevrolet Camaro in Turn 2 while being dodged by the field. At the moment of caution, Smith had reassumed the lead in front of Busch and Hill.

During the following restart with 44 laps remaining, Smith fended off Kyle Busch to retain the lead through the frontstretch and entering the backstretch. In the process, Busch came under attack from Nemechek for the runner-up spot, which he lost in Turn 3 while Hill fell back to fourth in front of Berry and Allgaier. As the field behind jostled for late positions, Smith maintained the lead as he also started to extend it over teammate Nemechek while third-place Busch trailed by more than a second.

Then with 30 laps remaining, the caution flew when Alfredo got loose and spun in Turn 2. By then, Sammy Smith was leading by more than two seconds over teammate Nemechek while third-place Busch trailed by more than three seconds.

When the race restarted under green with 24 laps remaining, Kyle Busch launched a three-wide challenge on Sammy Smith and Nemechek in his bid for the lead through the frontstretch. Then in Turn 1, Nemechek went up the track and tagged the outside wall as he began losing spots. Meanwhile, Busch and Smith dueled for the lead through the backstretch, but Smith prevailed on the outside lane to remain as the leader. As Smith began to pull away during the following lap, a flurry of competitors running in the middle of the pack fanned out and jostled for late positions. Then with 22 laps remaining, Allgaier, who nearly got turned by teammate Brandon Jones in Turns 3 and 4 while running ninth, collided against Kaz Grala, who got pinned by Moffitt, and wrecked into the outside wall across the frontstretch as his eventful event came to an end with a wrecked race car.

During the following restart with 15 laps remaining, Smith rocketed his No. 18 Pilot Flying J Toyota Supra away with the lead on the inside lane while Busch battled and just fended off Hill for second. Through the backstretch, Chandler Smith made his way into third followed by Ryan Truex as Hill fell back to fifth. Back at the front, Busch tried to launch an attack beneath Smith on the backstretch, but Smith fended off Busch to retain the lead as Chandler Smith joined the battle in his No. 16 Quick Tie Chevrolet Camaro.

Down to the final 10 laps of the event, Sammy Smith was leading by nine-tenths of a second over the new runner-up competitor Ryan Truex, who was piloting Joe Gibbs Racing’s No. 19 Toyota Genuine Parts Supra, while Busch was being challenged by teammate Chandler Smith for third. Meanwhile, Herbst carved his No. 98 Monster Energy Ford Mustang to fifth while Nemechek, Creed, Hill, Berry and Hemric occupied the top 10.

With five laps remaining, Sammy Smith continued to lead by nearly half a second over teammate Ryan Truex, who continued to reel in on his Joe Gibbs Racing teammate for the lead and potential win, while third-place Busch trailed by more than a second in front of teammate Chandler Smith and Herbst.

When the white flag waved and the final lap started, Sammy Smith remained as the leader by six-tenths of a second over teammate Ryan Truex, who kept Smith close within his sights but was running out of time to bid for the lead. Despite Truex executing a late valiant effort for his first NASCAR victory, he ran out of time as Smith was able to cycle his No. 18 Supra way back to the start/finish line and claim his first checkered flag in the series.

With the victory, Smith, whose previous best result was 17th through the first three scheduled events, became the 172nd different competitor to win in the NASCAR Xfinity Series level, the 21st to win an Xfinity event while driving for Joe Gibbs Racing and the third different winner of the 2023 season. He also became the youngest series winner at Phoenix and the fourth-youngest overall at age 18 years, nine months and seven days. In the process, he recorded the record 16th Xfinity victory for JGR at Phoenix.

“It’s amazing,” Smith, a two-time ARCA Menards Series East champion, said on FS1. “It’s a dream come true. Just thanks to Pilot Flying J, TMC, Allstate Peterbilt Group, Toyota, all the guys on the [Joe Gibbs Racing] team for giving me this opportunity. It’s awesome.”

Teammate Ryan Truex notched a career-best runner-up result in his first of six scheduled starts with Joe Gibbs Racing for this season, which marked his third runner-up finish in the series overall and his first runner-up result in the series since Phoenix in March 2019, which occurred while driving a part-time stint with JR Motorsports.

“I thought we were good at the start,” Truex said. “Man, I think the track just changed a lot more than I expected it too. That long run, we were really bad. I was just hanging on, but [crew chief] Jason [Ratcliff] and these [No. 19] guys let me complain on the radio and made the right adjustments. That was a good restart at the end. Glad I could at least try to make it exciting. Congrats to Sammy. He was just the class of the field all day. His car just looked so good. [He] Could really kind of do whatever he wanted. Just thankful to be here. Thanks to Toyota Genuine Parts. Sammy was just a little bit faster, but I’ll try again next time.”

Sheldon Creed muscled his way to third in front of Herbst while Chandler Smith, who had a last-lap dust-up with Kyle Busch, completed the top five. Nemechek, Hill and Berry finished sixth through eighth, respectively, while Busch, who got sideways beneath teammate Chandler Smith and hit the Turn 1 outside wall on the final lap, ended up ninth. Hemric completed the top 10 in the final running order.

There were 14 lead changes for eight different leaders. The race featured 11 cautions for 69 laps. In total, 33 of 38 starters finished on the lead lap.

Following the fourth event of the 2023 Xfinity Series season, Austin Hill continues to lead the regular-season standings by 30 points over John Hunter Nemechek, 39 over Justin Allgaier and 40 over both Chandler Smith and Riley Herbst.

Results.

1. Sammy Smith, 92 laps led

2. Ryan Truex

3. Sheldon Creed

4. Riley Herbst

5. Chandler Smith, two laps led

6. John Hunter Nemechek, 19 laps led

7. Austin Hill, 22 laps led

8. Josh Berry

9. Kyle Busch, three laps led

10. Daniel Hemric

11. Sam Mayer, four laps led

12. Cole Custer, 38 laps led

13. Brett Moffitt

14. Anthony Alfredo

15. Parker Kligerman

16. Ryan Sieg

17. Kyle Weatherman

18. Parker Retzlaff

19. Ryan Ellis

20. Jeremy Clements

21. Josh Williams

22. Jeb Burton

23. Brandon Jones

24. Connor Mosack

25. Kyle Sieg

26. Joey Gase

27. Leland Honeyman

28. Bayley Currey

29. Brennan Poole

30. Patrick Emerling

31. Joe Graf Jr.

32. Garrett Smithley

33. Jeffrey Earnhardt

34. Kaz Grala, one lap down

35. Blaine Perkins – OUT, Suspension

36. Justin Allgaier – OUT, Accident, 20 laps led, Stage 1 & 2 winner

37. Gray Gaulding – OUT, Accident

38. Dawson Cram – OUT, Fuel pump

Next on the 2023 NASCAR Xfinity Series schedule is a trip back to the south for the series’ first of two visits this season at Atlanta Motor Speedway in Hampton, Georgia. The event is scheduled to occur next Saturday, March 18, at 5 p.m. ET on FS1.

March 11, 2023
Myatt Snider to make 100th Xfinity career start at Daytona

Embarking on a part-time campaign for this year’s NASCAR Xfinity Series season with Joe Gibbs Racing, Myatt Snider is set to achieve a milestone start. By competing in this weekend’s Xfinity season opener at Daytona International Speedway, Snider will reach 100 career starts in the Xfinity circuit.

A native of Charlotte, North Carolina, Snider made his inaugural presence in the Xfinity Series at the start of the 2020 season when he inked a part-time deal to compete between Richard Childress Racing and RSS Racing. By then, he had achieved the 2018 Craftsman Truck Series Rookie-of-the-Year title and was coming off a full-time campaign in the NASCAR Whelen Euro Series for Racing Engineering. Commencing the 2020 season in RCR’s No. 21 Chevrolet Camaro, Snider notched his first career pole for the season opener at Daytona. Despite leading 22 of the first 23 laps, he ended up in 33rd place after being involved in an on-track incident midway into the event. He then finished no higher than 10th during the following five scheduled events before notching his first top-five career result at Bristol Motor Speedway in June, where he finished fifth.

By June 2020, Snider committed to running the remainder of the Xfinity Series season on a full-time basis between RCR and RSS Racing. Beginning at Atlanta Motor Speedway in June through the season finale at Phoenix Raceway in November, he recorded a total of four top-10 results, which included a season-best fourth-place finish at Pocono Raceway in June. During the span, his best result with RSS Racing was a seventh-place result at Homestead-Miami Speedway in June. Despite missing the 2020 Xfinity Playoffs, Snider led a total of 32 laps throughout the season and notched an average-finishing result of 20.6 before finishing in 16th place in the final standings.

For the 2021 season, Snider took over RCR’s No. 2 Chevrolet Camaro on a full-time Xfinity Series basis. He commenced the season by finishing seventh at Daytona before finishing 13th during the following event at the Daytona International Speedway Road Course. Then at Homestead, Snider benefitted through two overtime restarts and a late charge from Tyler Reddick to score his first Xfinity career victory in his 36th series start. With a guaranteed spot for the 2021 Xfinity Series Playoffs based on his Homestead victory, the Charlotte native proceeded to accumulate seven additional top-10 results during the final 23 regular-season events before the Playoffs commenced. Following respective finishes of 15th, 31st and eighth during the Round of 12, his title hopes came to an end as he was one of four competitor to not transfer to the Round of 8. Nonetheless, he went on to finish no higher than 10th during the final four scheduled events before concluding the season in ninth place in the final standings. Despite leading a total of nine laps throughout the season, he notched a career-high 11 top-10 results and a career-best average-finishing result of 17.0.

In November 2021, Snider inked a deal to drive the No. 31 Chevrolet Camaro for Jordan Anderson Racing for the upcoming Xfinity season. The news came a month after RCR announced that former Truck champion Sheldon Creed would replace Snider in the No. 2 car. Snider’s first event with Jordan Anderson Racing commenced on a harrowing note when he was involved in a vicious multi-car wreck on the final lap, where his car went airborne and was shredded on the front and rear ends after catching the backstretch catchfence. Despite the incident, Snider emerged uninjured. After finishing no higher than 21st during the first five scheduled events, he collected his first top-10 result of the season after finishing sixth at Circuit of the Americas in March. Eight races later, he notched his season-best result of second place at Portland International Raceway in June. Despite recording a total of four top-10 results throughout the 26-race regular-season stretch, he did not earn a berth for the 2022 Xfinity Playoffs. He went on to finish in the top 20 in four of the final seven Playoff events before settling in 18th place in the final standings. Despite leading more laps than his previous season at 21, he concluded the season with an average-finishing result of 21.9.

The 2023 season is set to mark another new beginning for Snider, who is scheduled to compete in six Xfinity events behind the wheel of the No. 19 Toyota Supra for Joe Gibbs Racing. His first start of the season will occur in the season opener at Daytona before competing at Portland in June. He will then cap off the season by competing in four of the final five scheduled events that include the Charlotte Motor Speedway Road Course, Las Vegas Motor Speedway, Martinsville Speedway and the season finale at Phoenix Raceway between October and November.

Through 99 previous Xfinity starts, Snider has achieved one victory, one pole, four top-five results, 21 top-10 results, 62 laps led and an average-finishing result of 19.8.

Snider is scheduled to make his 100th NASCAR Xfinity Series career start at Daytona International Speedway on Saturday, February 18, with the event’s coverage to occur at 5 p.m. ET on FS1.

February 18, 2023
Myatt Snider joins Joe Gibbs Racing for part-time Xfinity Series campaign

Myatt Snider will be joining the Joe Gibbs Racing family on a part-time NASCAR Xfinity Series basis for the upcoming season.

The 28-year-old Snider from Charlotte, North Carolina, will be piloting JGR’s No. 19 “all-star” Toyota Supra entry sponsored by Tree Top, beginning at Daytona International Speedway next Saturday to commence a new season of competition. He will then compete at Portland Raceway in June before competing in four of the final five Xfinity Series scheduled events during the Playoffs at the Charlotte Motor Speedway Road Course, Las Vegas Motor Speedway, Martinsville Speedway and the season finale at Phoenix Raceway between October and November.

The news comes as Snider is coming off his third full-time campaign in the Xfinity circuit. He spent the previous season at Jordan Anderson Racing, where he notched a season-high runner-up result at Portland and a total of four top-10 results before finishing in 18th place in the final driver’s standings.

“With six races on our 2023 schedule, I’m looking forward to climbing into the No. 19 TreeTop Toyota GR Supra with Joe Gibbs Racing this year,” Snider said. “Having worked with JGR as a high schooler and a young racer, it’s an awesome full circle moment to return as a driver to the team that taught me so much about racing itself. It’s good to be reunited with [crew chief] Jason Ratcliff as we have an awesome history working together. With many memories and wins from 2013 and 2014 when I worked on the No. 20 Toyota Camry under Jason’s leadership, the team has always been more of a family relationship to me. I’m glad to be returning to the JGR family and looking forward to continuing to learn and grow as a driver.”

Snider made his inaugural presence in the Xfinity Series at the start of the 2020 season, where he split driving duties between Richard Childress Racing and RSS Racing. He notched his first career pole for his first career start at Daytona, where he ended up in 33rd place after being involved in an on-track incident midway into the event. He went on to claim a total of two top-five results and six top-10 results before finishing in 16th place in the final standings.

The following season, he joined Richard Childress Racing as a full-time Xfinity competitor in the No. 2 Chevrolet Camaro. After finishing no higher than seventh during the first two scheduled events, he capitalized on two late-race restarts to score his first Xfinity career win at Homestead-Miami Speedway in February. He went on to qualify for the 2021 Xfinity Playoffs, where he was eliminated from title contention following the Round of 12 and settled in ninth place in the final standings. Despite notching a career-high 11 top-10 results along with his first victory and a Playoff berth, Snider was replaced by Sheldon Creed and he ended up joining forces with Jordan Anderson Racing for the 2022 season.

Prior to the Xfinity Series, Snider made 35 career starts in the Craftsman Truck Series from 2016 to 2019. During his lone full-time basis in the series, he claimed the 2018 Rookie-of-the-Year title on the strength of three top-five results, eight top-10 results, an average-finishing result of 14.1 and a ninth-place finish in the driver’s standings.

“We’re looking forward to have Myatt on our No. 19 team for six races,” Steve DeSouza, Executive Vice President of NXS and Development, added. “Building out the driver lineup for this car is an opportunity for JGR to help drivers continue to develop in their racing career and we’re looking forward to seeing how Myatt continues to grow.”

Snider’s addition to Joe Gibbs Racing means that he will become the fourth different competitor to pilot Joe Gibbs Racing’s No. 19 “all-star” entry throughout this year’s Xfinity Series season alongside Ryan Truex, Joe Graf Jr. and Connor Mosack. The remainder of JGR’s driver lineup for the No. 19 entry for the remaining 19 vacant events along with Truex’s schedule have yet to be determined.

Snider’s part-time NASCAR Xfinity Series campaign with Joe Gibbs Racing is set to commence at Daytona International Speedway next Saturday, February 18, at 5 p.m. ET on FS1.

February 8, 2023
Truex notches late dramatic victory in Busch Light Clash at the Coliseum

After enduring a difficult 2022 season mired with no victories and missing the Playoffs, Martin Truex Jr. responded back with vengeance by winning the second annual Busch Light Clash at the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum on Sunday, Feb. 5.

The 2017 NASCAR Cup Series champion from Mayetta, New Jersey, took care of business at the start of the weekend by being the fastest competitor during Saturday’s practice session before winning the second of four Heat qualifying events, which placed him on the front row for the main event. During the main event, he led the final 25 of 150-scheduled laps and survived a chaotic evening mired with multiple on-track incidents and restarts, including the last one with seven laps remaining, to fend off Richard Childress Racing’s Austin Dillon and Kyle Busch for his first career victory in the Clash.

The eligibility for the event included all NASCAR Cup Series chartered team competitors along with open teams. The lineup for the heat qualifying events was determined through a single-round and single-car qualifying session that occurred on Saturday, Feb. 4.

At the conclusion of Saturday’s qualifying session, Justin Haley posted the fastest-qualifying lap at 67.099 mph in 13.413 seconds and started on the pole position for the first heat event. Kyle Busch, who posted the second-fastest qualifying lap at 66.406 mph in 13.553 seconds, started on the pole position for the second heat event while Christopher Bell, who posted the third-fastest qualifying lap at 66.328 mph in 13.569 seconds, claimed the top starting spot for the third heat event. Lastly, William Byron, who posted the fourth-fastest qualifying lap at 66.196 mph in 13.596 seconds, was awarded the number one starting spot for the fourth and final heat event.

The lineup for the exhibition feature was determined through four 25-lap heat races as nine competitors from a total of 36 competed in each. The top-five finishers from each heat (20 total) earned a one-way ticket to the Clash. Afterward, the competitors who did not advance to the Clash via the heat races participated in two 50-lap Last Chance Qualifying races. The top-three finishers in each Last Chance Qualifying event advanced to the Clash while the rest were left on the sidelines.

In the first Heat event, Aric Almirola, who started on the front row alongside Justin Haley, capitalized in a race-long battle against Haley to win and claim the pole position for the main event as he also made the Clash at Los Angeles for the first time in his career. Also transferring to the main event were Alex Bowman, Haley, rookie Noah Gragson and reigning series champion Joey Logano, all of whom finished in the top five in the first heat event, while Michael McDowell, Harrison Burton, Ty Dillon and Chris Buescher were sent to the Last Chance Qualifiers.

In the second Heat event, Martin Truex Jr. prevailed in a five-lap shootout to beat Kyle Busch and win as he claimed a front-row starting spot for the main event. Busch, who led a race-high 18 laps, settled in second followed by teammate Austin Dillon, Kyle Larson and Kevin Harvick, who edged Chase Elliott at the finish line to claim the fifth transfer spot as he makes his 19th and final career start at the Clash. Meanwhile, Elliott joined Ricky Stenhouse Jr., Austin Cindric (who spun twice) and BJ McLeod as competitors who were sent to the Last Chance Qualifiers.

In the third Heat event, Denny Hamlin overtook teammate and pole-sitter Christopher Bell on the sixth lap and retained the lead for the remainder of the event, which included two late-race shootouts, to win and claim the third-place starting spot for the main event. Joining Hamlin in the main event were Chase Briscoe, Tyler Reddick, Ryan Blaney and, Daniel Suarez, who rallied from a late run-in with Brad Keselowski and overtook Todd Gilliland on the final lap to claim the fifth and final transfer spot. Meanwhile, Bell, who spun with three laps remaining, was sent to the Last Chance Qualifier along with Gilliland, Keselowski and JJ Yeley.

In the fourth and final Heat event, William Byron cruised to the heat event after leading all 25 laps as he claimed a second-row starting spot for the main event. Byron beat runner-up Bubba Wallace by more than a second as both, along with top-five finishers Ross Chastain, Ryan Preece and Erik Jones, who fended off rookie Ty Gibbs, and AJ Allmendinger on the final lap, transferred to the main event. Meanwhile, Gibbs and Allmendinger joined Corey LaJoie and Cody Ware as the next four competitors to be sent to the Last Chance Qualifier.

Prior to the event, Logano was the lone competitor who was guaranteed a spot in the 2023 Busch Light Clash based on a point provisional and being the reigning Cup Series champion. With both Logano and championship runner-up Chastain earning a top-five result in their respective heat events and racing their way into the main event, however, Bell was the next competitor in line to be guaranteed a spot for the Clash based on the points provisional after finishing in third place in the 2022 Cup standings. Despite having the option to not run the Last Chance Qualifier and take the provisional to start in 27th and last place for the main event, he opted to compete in the first Last Chance Qualifier as he started alongside pole-sitter McDowell.

In the first Last Chance Qualifying event, Michael McDowell led all 50 laps en route to the qualifier victory to claim a transfer spot for the Clash. Bell and Todd Gilliland finished second and third as they both also transferred into the main event while Harrison Burton, Brad Keselowski, Ty Dillon and JJ Yeley failed to qualify.

With Bell racing his way into the Clash based on a transfer spot, Elliott, who started on the pole position for the second and final Last Chance Qualifying event, was the next competitor in line to be guaranteed a provisional to compete in the main event. In addition, Chris Buescher, who initially did not earn a transfer spot in the first Last Chance Qualifier, was left to await his fate of racing or not racing in the main event, based on if both Elliott and Austin Cindric would earn transfer spots through the upcoming qualifying event.

In the second and final Last Chance Qualifying event, Elliott led all 50 laps and edged rookie Ty Gibbs in a photo finish to win and race his way into the Clash. Gibbs and AJ Allmendinger, both of whom finished second and third, also transferred along with Cindric, who finished fifth but was awarded a provisional to make his first career start in the Clash, where he will roll off the starting grid in 27th and last place. This officially left Buescher out of the event along with Ricky Stenhouse Jr., Corey LaJoie, Cody Ware and BJ McLeod.

When the main event commenced under green, the 27 starters battled against one another for positions through two lanes around the one-quarter mile short track, among which included front-row starters Almirola and Truex until Almirola pulled ahead to lead the first lap by a fender over Truex. During the following lap, Almirola managed to clear Truex and control both lanes through the first two turns. Behind, Truex managed to settle in second in front of a side-by-side battle between Denny Hamlin and William Byron while Alex Bowman and Kyle Busch battled for fifth place.

Through the first five scheduled laps, Almirola was leading by nearly half a second over Truex followed by Hamlin, Bowman and Byron while Busch, Bubba Wallace, Chase Briscoe, Justin Haley and Austin Dillon were running in the top 10. Meanwhile, Tyler Reddick was in 11th ahead of Ross Chastain, Ryan Preece, Kyle Larson and Ryan Blaney while a flurry of names led by Joey Logano duked it out for spots within the top 20.

Ten laps into the event, Almirola extended his advantage to more than a second over Hamlin, who was being pressured by teammate Truex for the runner-up spot, while Bowman led a parade of competitors in fourth place.

Six laps later and just as Almirola started to catch and lap the competitors at the rear of the field, including Todd Gilliland, the first caution of the event flew when Erik Jones, who was trying to challenge Harvick for position midway in the field, spun his No. 43 Allegiant Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 through Turns 1 and 2 after getting bumped and turned by McDowell as he became the first retiree of the event.

When the race restarted under green on Lap 16, Hamlin and Almirola dueled for the lead until Hamlin prevailed during the following lap by a fender. Shortly after, Truex got sideways entering Turn 1 after he got hit by Byron as he bumped and rubbed against Almirola, which moved the latter up the track as he fell out of the battle toward the front of the pack.

Then on Lap 23, the caution returned when a domino effect within the middle of the pack resulted in Chase Briscoe bumping and sending Ryan Blaney spinning his No. 12 Menards Ford Mustang through Turns 3 and 4. Blaney’s incident ignited a stack-up and chain reaction as Daniel Suarez, Elliott and Gibbs sustained damage to their respective cars while trying to avoid Blaney.

During the following restart on Lap 23, Hamlin retained the lead ahead of Busch and Truex as the rest of the competitors behind jostled for positions. Hamlin would continue to lead through the Lap 35 mark. By then, teammate Truex was in second followed by Wallace and Austin Dillon while Busch was back in fifth. The third caution of the event would then fly on Lap 42 when Gibbs bumped Gilliland into AJ Allmendinger entering Turn 2 as Allmendinger spun his No. 16 Action Industries Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 into the Turn 2 outside wall. The caution period allowed Elliott, who was lapped by Hamlin, to cycle back on the lead lap.

With the event restarting under green on Lap 42, Hamlin retained the lead by a narrow margin through the first two turns. Then entering Turn 3, an accordion effect that started with Truex bumping into the rear of Wallace on the inside line resulted in Wallace bumping and sending his owner Hamlin up the track as he lost the lead and was relegated back to sixth. This, however, allowed Wallace to move into the lead followed by Truex, Byron, Dillon and Busch.

At the Lap 50 mark, Wallace was leading by six-tenths of a second over Truex followed by Byron, Dillon and Busch while Reddick, Preece, Bowman, Larson and Logano were running in the top 10. Amid the battles around the circuit, Hamlin had fallen back to 12th.

Ten laps later, Wallace continued to lead by four-tenths of a second over Truex while Byron, Dillon and Busch remained in the top five. By then, Almirola was lapped by Wallace while Hamlin was still mired in 12th.

Then with two laps remaining in the first half of the event, trouble struck for Hamlin as he spun his No. 11 Sport Clips Toyota TRD Camry entering Turn 2 after getting bumped by former rival Chastain. Hamlin’s incident generated the event’s fourth caution and set the stage for a two-lap shootout to conclude the first half of the event.

During the two-lap shootout, Wallace managed to fend off Austin Dillon and retain the lead for two cycles around the Coliseum before the event reached its halfway mark and the competitors entered an intermission period. With Wallace out in front, Truex managed to move into second followed by Dillon, Byron and Reddick while Preece, Busch, Bowman, Logano and Larson were scored in the top 10. In addition, 23 of the 27 starters were scored on the lead lap.

At the conclusion of the intermission period, which included a performance by rapper Wiz Khalifa, the race proceeded under green with 75 laps remaining. At the start, Wallace remained as the leader by a narrow margin over Truex before Truex started to ignite a challenge for the top spot followed by Dillon. The caution, however, was quick to return during the following lap when Gibbs got bumped by teammate Hamlin and spun his No. 54 Monster Energy Toyota TRD Camry in Turn 2.

Over the course of the next five laps, starting with 74 laps remaining, Wallace retained the lead ahead of Truex, Dillon and Preece amid three caution periods and three separate incidents that involved Harvick, Bell, McDowell, Hamlin, Gibbs and Gilliland. Then during a restart with 68 laps remaining, Preece, who had slowly moved his way up the leaderboard and was running within the top five, executed his mark as he moved into the lead over Wallace, which dropped Wallace into the runner-up spot while Bowman and Truex battled for third place. It only took three laps for the caution to fly due to an incident in Turn 2 that involved Allmendinger, Cindric and Bell. Then as Preece retained the lead during the following restart with 65 laps remaining, the caution quickly returned a lap later when Logano, who overshot his entrance into Turn 3, got into the left-rear quarter panel of Busch’s No. 8 BetMGM Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 as Busch spun and plummeted below the leaderboard.

As the race resumed under green flag conditions with 64 laps remaining, Preece managed to fend off Bowman to retain the lead while Truex was in third ahead of Wallace while Austin Dillon and Byron were in fifth and sixth.

Down to the final 50 laps of the event, Preece was leading by three-tenths of a second over Bowman followed by Truex, Wallace and Dillon while Byron, Larson, Haley, Reddick and Briscoe were in the top 10. By then, all but two of 27 starters were running on the track, with 26 scored on the lead lap.

Six laps later, the caution flew when Haley spun his No. 31 Celsius Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 in Turn 2 after getting hit by Reddick, who got hit by Briscoe entering the turn.

With the race restarting with 44 laps remaining, Preece and Bowman engaged in another brief battle until the former prevailed. Three laps later, another accordion effect resulted in Briscoe spinning in Turn 3 as he also collected Gragson, thus drawing another caution period. As the field attempted to restart with 41 laps remaining, where Preece outdueled Bowman with the lead, it only took four laps for the caution to return as Blaney wrecked against the outside wall in Turn 2 after getting bumped by Reddick and Chastain.

Amid a restart with 37 laps remaining, Preece pulled ahead once again through the first two turns to retain the lead as Truex started to intimidate Bowman for the runner-up spot by bumping him. A few laps later, Truex carved his way into second, which allowed Wallace to challenge Bowman for third as Austin Dillon joined the battle.

Down to the final 30 laps of the event, Preece was leading by half a second over Truex followed by Wallace, Dillon and Bowman. Behind, Byron was in sixth ahead of Larson, Chastain, Gragson and Reddick.

Then with six laps remaining, Truex overtook Preece and assumed the lead, with the latter reporting a mechanical issue but keeping his No. 41 United Rentals Ford Mustang on the track. Soon after, Preece started to fall off the pace as both Dillon and Wallace moved into podium spots.

With 15 laps remaining, Truex was out in front by more than a second over Dillon and more than two seconds over Wallace while Bowman and Byron were in the top five. Meanwhile, Preece was back in sixth while Chastain, Busch, Larson and Reddick were in the top 10. By then, McDowell was also starting to fall off the pace due to a mechanical issue.

With 10 laps remaining, the caution flew when McDowell stopped on the track amid a fuel issue with his No. 34 FR8Auctions.com Ford Mustang. The caution erased Truex’s steady advantage over Dillon as the field stacked up for a 10-lap shootout.

At the start of the 10-lap shootout to the finish, Truex managed to persevere over a brief challenge from Wallace to retain the lead as Dillon ignited a challenge on Wallace before overtaking him for the runner-up spot. Wallace, however, fought back as he repeatedly bumped against Dillon through the straightaways and the turns in front of Busch and Bowman. Then with seven laps remaining, Dillon delivered the final blow to Wallace as he sent the latter spinning into the Turn 1 outside wall with the caution flying. Under the caution period, Wallace pulled his No. 23 DoorDash Toyota TRD Camry in front of Dillon and hit the right-front fender of Dillon’s No. 3 Get Bioethanol Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 to express his displeasure before dropping back to the rear of the field.

As the race restarted with seven laps remaining, Truex engaged in a tight battle with Busch, who had methodically carved his way back to the front, before the former prevailed on the inside lane during the following lap and through Turn 4. As the laps started to dwindle, Truex retained the lead as Busch surrendered the runner-up spot to teammate Dillon with four laps remaining.

When the white flag waved and the final lap started, Truex retained the lead with a decent advantage over Dillon. As a series of late battles and chaos ensued within the middle of the pack, Truex was able to cruise away with the lead and cycle his No. 19 Bass Pro Shops Toyota TRD Camry around the quarter-mile short track for a final time as he crossed the finish line in first place and claim the first checkered flag of the 2023 Cup season.

Truex’s first Clash career victory occurred in his 12th start in NASCAR’s exhibition event as he also recorded the 11th Clash victory for Joe Gibbs Racing and the seventh for Toyota. The 2023 season is set to mark Truex’s 18th full-time season competing in NASCAR’s premier series as he sets his sights on winning a second Cup championship.

“It was just a really good race car,” Truex said on FOX. “The [pit crew] guys did a great job with this Bass Pro Shops Club Toyota Camry. Last year was a pretty rough season for us with no wins. To come out here and kick it off this way, just really proud of all these guys. Tonight was just kind of persevere, not give up and just battle through it. We found ourselves in the right spot at the end. Sometimes, they work out. Sometimes, they don’t. Tonight, it went our way and we made some good adjustments too.”

With Truex winning the event, Austin Dillon nursed his wounded No. 3 car to a second-place finish while teammate Busch settled in third place in his first start driving for Richard Childress Racing. At the conclusion of the event, all three competitors took part in the series’ inaugural medals ceremony beneath the Coliseum’s Olympic cauldron.

Photo by David Myers for SpeedwayMedia.com.

“I hate it for Bubba [Wallace],” Dillon, who achieved his fourth top-five result in the Clash, said. “He had a good car and a good run. You can’t tell who’s either pushing him or getting pushed. I just know he sent me into the corner. I saved it three times through there, released the brake, all kinds of stuff and when I got down, I was gonna give the same [to Wallace]. Probably, it was a little bit too hard. The Get Bioethanol Chevy was pretty good. It’s beat up, used up. [Thanks to] Teammate [Kyle Busch] for letting me go try and get Truex at the end. That was nice. It’s been fun. Hopefully, we can do this more often.”

“It was a battle all night long,” Busch added. “You can’t count us out. You always gotta bet on us with the BetMGM Camaro. We’ve used the outside [lane] on a lot of passes, everybody would get bottled up on the bottom [lane] and start bumper-tagging, and I’d just go around them on the outside. When you’re deep in the field, you can do some of that and work your way around. Overall, good to get back up to third. We could’ve got second, but like Austin [Dillon] said, I let him go. He was better than us in practice and was better than us in the beginning of the race there on the long runs. I thought he could have a shot at trying to get closer to [Truex] and I’ll push him through [Truex] in order for us to get the one, two [finish], but never made it there.”

Bowman and Larson claimed top-five results while Reddick, Preece, Chastain, Hamlin and Byron finished in the top 10.

There were four lead changes for five different leaders. The race featured a total of 16 cautions as 22 of 27 starters finished on the lead lap.

Results:

1. Martin Truex Jr., 25 laps led

2. Austin Dillon

3. Kyle Busch

4. Alex Bowman

5. Kyle Larson

6. Tyler Reddick

7. Ryan Preece, 43 laps led

8. Ross Chastain

9. Denny Hamlin, 26 laps led

10. William Byron

11. Justin Haley

12. Kevin Harvick

13. Christopher Bell

14. Noah Gragson

15. Chase Briscoe

16. Joey Logano

17. Ryan Blaney

18. Aric Almirola, 16 laps led

19. Daniel Suarez

20. AJ Allmendinger

21. Chase Elliott

22. Bubba Wallace, 40 laps led

23. Todd Gilliland – OUT, Fuel

24. Michael McDowell – OUT, Fuel

25. Austin Cindric – OUT, Engine

26. Ty Gibbs – OUT, Suspension

27. Erik Jones – OUT, Suspension

The NASCAR Cup Series teams and competitors will be taking a one-week break before returning to action at Daytona International Speedway in preparation for the 65th running of the Daytona 500. Qualifying that will determine the front row for the main event will occur on February 15 at 8:15 p.m. ET on FS1 while the rest of the lineup will be determined through the Bluegreen Vacation Duels on February 16, beginning at 7 p.m. ET on FS1. The 500, which will launch NASCAR’s 75th season of competition, is scheduled to commence on February 19 with the event’s coverage to occur at 2:30 p.m. ET on FOX.

February 6, 2023
Joe Gibbs Racing adds Joe Graf Jr. to 2023 Xfinity Series schedule

Joe Graf Jr. became the latest addition to Joe Gibbs Racing’s driver lineup for the 2023 NASCAR Xfinity Series season.

The 24-year-old Graf from Mahwah, New Jersey, will be piloting JGR’s No. 19 “all-star” Toyota Supra entry for five Xfinity events this upcoming season, beginning at Auto Club Speedway on February 25. He will then pilot the No. 19 entry at Las Vegas Motor Speedway on March 4, Richmond Raceway on April 1, New Hampshire Motor Speedway on July 15 and at Kansas Speedway on September 9. CoverSeal® and G-Coin® will be supporting Graf’s efforts at JGR.

The news comes after Graf Jr. will also be driving for RSS Racing for 28 Xfinity events this season, which will commence at Daytona International Speedway in February and make him a full-time competitor in the series. It also comes after the New Jersey native spent the previous season competing in all but five of 33-race Xfinity schedule between SS-Green Light Racing, RSS Racing and BJ McLeod Motorsports.

“Running five races with JGR is a fantastic opportunity for myself and for my marketing partners,” Graf Jr. said. “I think I can learn a lot from JGR and showcase my skills I’ve been growing in the series in the past three years. 2023 is shaping up to be a great year and I’m pumped to get started with the No. 19 group.”

Graf Jr. made his inaugural presence in the Xfinity Series at Richmond Raceway in June 2019, where he piloted the No. 21 Chevrolet Camaro for Richard Childress Racing as a development driver and finished 19th after starting 21st. Since then, he has recorded a total of two top-10 results and 23 top-20 results in 93 career starts. His highest-finishing result to date is an eighth-place run at Talladega Superspeedway in April 2022.

Prior to the Xfinity Series, Graf Jr. competed in two ARCA Menards Series season in 2018 and 2019. He claimed his first career victory at Berlin Raceway in August 2018.

“Joe [Graf Jr.] is committed to success, which is something we are looking for in all of our drivers,” Steve DeSouza, Executive Vice President of NXS and Development, added. “We are anticipating a solid season from the No. 19 team and Joe’s addition to the driver lineup will help that team be competitive for the owner’s championship this season.”

With Graf Jr.’s addition to JGR, he becomes the second competitor scheduled to pilot the No. 19 entry that will be led by veteran crew chief Jason Ratcliff. Ryan Truex is scheduled to pilot the car in a total of six events, though his schedule has not been determined. The remainder of the No. 19 team’s drivers and schedules have yet to be determined.

With his schedule set, Graf Jr.’s 2023 Xfinity Series season will commence at Daytona International Speedway on February 18 at 5 p.m. ET on FS1. His part-time tenure at Joe Gibbs Racing will then begin at Auto Club Speedway on February 25 at 5 p.m. ET on FS1.

February 1, 2023
Ryan Truex returns to Joe Gibbs Racing for part-time Xfinity campaign in 2023

Ryan Truex will be rejoining Joe Gibbs Racing on a part-time NASCAR Xfinity Series basis as he will be piloting the No. 19 Toyota Supra in six events for the upcoming season.

The 30-year-old Truex from Mayetta, New Jersey, is coming off a part-time campaign in the Xfinity circuit between JGR and Sam Hunt Racing. Piloting the No. 18 Toyota in five of his six scheduled events, he recorded three top-10 results and notched a season-best third-place run at Atlanta Motor Speedway in July. Previously, Truex competed on a full-time basis in the Craftsman Truck Series with Niece Motorsports, where he recorded three top-10 results, an average-finishing result of 19.5 and finished 16th in the final standings.

The 2023 season will mark Truex’s eighth season with at least one start in the Xfinity circuit. It will also mark his fourth part-time campaign with JGR that includes runs with the organization in 2011, 2012 and 2022.

Through 84 previous starts in the Xfinity Series, Truex has achieved one pole, five top-five results, 27 top-10 results and an average-finishing result of 16.1. His best result in the series is a runner-up result, which occurred at Dover Motor Speedway in June 2012. He has also made a total of 73 starts in the Truck Series and 26 in the NASCAR Cup Series to date.

“I am thrilled to be behind the wheel of the No. 19 for a few races next season,” Truex said. “It was fun to run well with the team this past year. I appreciate the opportunity to race for JGR again next year. I think we can build from what we learned this year and get some solid runs in.”

Veteran Jason Ratcliff will be serving as the crew chief of the No. 19 Toyota team that will be serving as JGR’s “all-star” entry for the upcoming Xfinity season. The No. 19 Toyota will compete alongside the Nos. 18 and 20, both of which will compete for the driver’s championship and piloted by Sammy Smith and John Hunter Nemechek, respectively.

“We are looking forward to having Ryan back in our lineup in 2023 to run the No. 19,” Steve DeSouza, Executive Vice President of Xfinity Series/Development, added. “He has done well in the races he has run at JGR. His previous experience and driving ability will be assets as the No. 19 competes for an owner’s championship next year.”

Truex’s 2023 schedule along with additional drivers for JGR’s “all-star” entry will be announced at a later date.

December 8, 2022
John Hunter Nemechek inks full-time Xfinity Series ride with Joe Gibbs Racing for 2023 season

John Hunter Nemechek will be returning to the NASCAR Xfinity Series on a full-time basis and pilot the No. 20 Toyota Supra for Joe Gibbs Racing in his quest for the series championship.

The news comes as the 25-year-old Nemechek from Mooresville, North Carolina, is coming off two full-time seasons in the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series with Kyle Busch Motorsports, where he scored seven victories, qualified for the Playoffs during both seasons and achieved the 2021 Truck Series regular-season championship. In addition to his Truck schedule, he competed in a total of 16 Xfinity events between Joe Gibbs Racing and Sam Hunt Racing. During his part-time campaign in the Xfinity circuit, Nemechek won at Texas Motor Speedway with JGR in October 2021. He also piloted the team’s No. 18 Toyota Supra in three events this past season and achieved his best run at Richmond Raceway in April after finishing second.

The 2023 season will mark Nemechek’s first full-time campaign in the Xfinity circuit since 2019, where he recorded six top-five results and 19 top-10 results as he qualified for the 2019 Xfinity Playoffs and finished in seventh place in the final standings while competing for GMS Racing.

Through 67 previous starts in the Xfinity Series, Nemechek has achieved two victories, one pole, 17 top-five results, 37 top-10 results and an average-finishing result of 12.6.

“I’m appreciative of the opportunity to get back to competing full time in the Xfinity Series,” Nemechek said. “JGR is a group that I know I can win with after getting that win at Texas in 2021. I’m excited to get to work on the 2023 season so we can go out and win some races and compete for a championship.”

Mobil 1 will be serving as Nemechek’s primary sponsor with additional sponsorship support coming from Berry’s Bullets, Pye Barker Fire and Safety, Romco Equipment and his Grocery Store Brands throughout the season. Ben Beshore, who spent the previous two seasons in the Cup Series as a crew chief for Kyle Busch, will be returning to the Xfinity Series for the first time since 2020 to serve as Nemechek’s crew chief.

The addition of Nemechek to Joe Gibbs Racing means that he will be serving as one of the team’s two full-time competitors for the 2023 Xfinity season. Sammy Smith was announced as the full-time driver of the No. 18 Toyota two days ago.

“John Hunter has shown the dedication it takes to be a successful racecar driver,” Steve DeSouza, Executive Vice President, Xfinity Series and Driver Development, added. “He has experience at all levels of NASCAR that will be valuable to the team in 2023. We are excited to add him to our driver lineup for the year and look forward to the success the No. 20 team will see.”

With his plans for the upcoming season set, Nemechek’s quest for the 2023 Xfinity Series championship with Joe Gibbs Racing will commence at Daytona International Speedway on February 18. The event is slated to commence at 5 p.m. ET on FS1.

December 8, 2022
Sammy Smith secures full-time Xfinity ride with Joe Gibbs Racing in 2023

Joe Gibbs Racing announced that Sammy Smith will be joining the NASCAR Xfinity Series competition on a full-time basis and behind the wheel of the No. 18 Toyota Supra for the 2023 season.

The 18-year-old Smith from Johnston, Iowa, is coming off a competitive 2022 campaign, where he made his first nine career starts in the Xfinity circuit, beginning at Road America in July and capping off the season at Phoenix Raceway in November. Throughout his part-time Xfinity schedule, he earned three top-10 results and recorded a career-best third-place run at Watkins Glen International in August while contributing to JGR’s No. 18 team finishing in seventh place in the 2022 Xfinity owner’s standings.

For his first full-time Xfinity season and bid for the series championship, Smith will be receiving a bevy of sponsorship support for the upcoming season that will include Pilot Flying J, TMC Transportation, Allstate Peterbilt, Renda Group, Sinclair Tractor and Mobil 1. Veteran Jeff Meendering, who served as Brandon Jones’ crew chief during the previous four seasons, will be remaining at JGR for a fifth full-time season to serve as Smith’s crew chief.

“This is an opportunity I have been working towards,” Smith said. “I can’t wait to get behind the wheel full-time and am looking forward to a great season. I learned a lot in 2022 that will really help me to be competitive and run up front in the Xfinity Series. Thank you to Pilot Flying J, TMC Transportation, Allstate Peterbilt Group, and Toyota Racing Development for supporting me in my racing career. I am excited for next year and appreciate the opportunity.”

In addition to his part-time Xfinity schedule in 2022, Smith competed on a full-time basis in the ARCA Menards Series East and part-time in the ARCA Menards Series for Kyle Busch Motorsports. He captured the ARCA East title after winning all but two of the series’ seven-race schedule, which marked his second consecutive title in the series after winning his first a year prior with Joe Gibbs Racing. In the ARCA side, he captured six victories and 15 top-five results in 16 starts, which was enough for him to deliver the owner’s title for KBM.

“Sammy is a fantastic addition to our 2023 Xfinity lineup. He proved to have the passion and the talent to necessary to compete for wins in the races he ran for us in 2022,” Steve DeSouza, Executive Vice President of Xfinity Series and Driver Development, added. “We are excited to get him in the No. 18 full time and know he will be competitive from the jump.”

The remainder of Joe Gibbs Racing’s and Toyota’s Xfinity Series lineup is set to be announced this Thursday, December 8, at Charlotte Motor Speedway.

With his plans for the upcoming season set, Smith’s first full-time campaign in the Xfinity Series is set to commence at Daytona International Speedway on February 18. The event’s coverage is slated to occur at 5 p.m. ET on FS1.

December 6, 2022
Ty Gibbs elevated to full-time Cup Series ride with Joe Gibbs Racing in 2023

Ten days after capping off an eventful 2022 campaign with his first NASCAR Xfinity Series championship, Ty Gibbs’ racing career is set to ascend to a new level. On Tuesday, November 15, Joe Gibbs Racing announced that the 20-year-old Gibbs from Charlotte, North Carolina, will be graduating to the NASCAR Cup Series on a full-time basis while replacing two-time Cup champion Kyle Busch in the team’s fourth and final vacant seat for the upcoming racing season.

Gibbs, a grandson to team owner Joe Gibbs, will be piloting the No. 54 Toyota Camry TRD Pro, the same number he piloted to the 2022 Xfinity Series title along with 11 Xfinity career victories between 2021 and 2022. This means that the No. 18, which has been sported by JGR in the Cup circuit for the past 31 years, will not be sported by a JGR entry in NASCAR’s premier series for the 2023 season.

The announcement comes as Gibbs is coming off his competitive season to date, where he campaigned in the Xfinity Series on a full-time basis for the first time. Throughout the 33-race schedule, he achieved seven victories along with five poles, 16 top-five results, 23 top-10 results, 990 laps led and an average-finishing result of 9.2. Amid his share of run-ins and controversies both on and off the track, including some that involved his JGR Xfinity teammates, he defied the odds by capturing this year’s Xfinity title by winning the finale at Phoenix Raceway in early November while squaring off head-to-head against a trio of JR Motorsports’ competitors (Justin Allgaier, Josh Berry and Noah Gragson). Gibbs’ championship celebration, however, was quickly overshadowed with tragedy when his father and co-owner of Joe Gibbs Racing, Coy, died at age 49 overnight and hours after the title.

Prior to this past season’s Xfinity championship-winning season, Gibbs excelled in his inaugural start in the Xfinity circuit in February 2021 when he scored his first career victory at the Daytona International Speedway Road Course. He went on to win at Charlotte Motor Speedway in May, Watkins Glen International in August and at Kansas Speedway in October while making 18 starts throughout the 33-race schedule. Throughout his part-time campaign in the Xfinity Series, he also captured the 2021 ARCA Menards Series championship.

Through a total of 51 career starts in the Xfinity Series, Gibbs has achieved 11 victories, six poles, 25 top-five results, 33 top-10 results, 1,234 laps led and an average-finishing result of 9.5.

Amid his on-track success in the Xfinity circuit, Gibbs is not a stranger to the Cup Series. In mid-July, he made his first appearance in NASCAR’s premier series as an interim competitor for 23XI Racing at Pocono Raceway when the 2004 Cup Series champion Kurt Busch was sidelined due to suffering concussion-like symptoms after wrecking the day prior to race day. With Busch being sidelined for the remainder of the 2022 season and eventually from full-time competition, Gibbs ended up competing in the following 14 Cup events while also vying for the Xfinity title. Throughout his 15-race campaign in the Cup circuit, his best on-track result was a 10th-place run at Michigan International Speedway in August followed by a 13th-place run at Daytona International Speedway three races later. His average-finishing result during his part-time Cup campaign was 22.9.

Gibbs’ entrance to the Cup Series on a full-time basis comes two months after Kyle Busch, who won two Cup Series championships and 56 races throughout a 15-year run with Joe Gibbs Racing, revealed that he will be departing JGR to drive for Richard Childress Racing for the upcoming Cup season. The departure of Busch from JGR comes after a season-long turmoil with the team struggling to find a sponsor and financial stability for Busch after his initial primary partner, Mars Inc., terminated its partnership with the team and NASCAR following the 2022 season.

Gibbs is not the only one moving up to the Cup Series for next season. Chris Gayle, who led Gibbs’ to this past season’s Xfinity Series title, will also be moving up and continue to work as his crew chief. The 2023 season will mark Gayle’s return as a crew chief in NASCAR’s premier series since 2020, where he worked with Erik Jones.

In 142 appearances as a Cup crew chief, Gayle has achieved two victories between 2018 and 2019. In addition to the 2022 Xfinity title, he has also achieved 37 victories as an Xfinity crew chief.

With his plans for the upcoming season officially set, Gibbs’ first full-time campaign in the NASCAR Cup Series will commence at the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum for the Busch Light Clash, which will occur on February 5 at 8 p.m. ET on FOX. He will then make his first Cup points start for JGR in the 65th running of the Daytona 500 at Daytona International Speedway on February 19 at 2:30 p.m. ET on FOX.

November 15, 2022
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.

November 6, 2022