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Tag: NASCAR Xfinity Series

  • Herbst retained by Stewart-Haas Racing for 2023 Xfinity Series season

    Herbst retained by Stewart-Haas Racing for 2023 Xfinity Series season

    Stewart-Haas Racing took to social media to announce that Riley Herbst will be retaining his role as a full-time NASCAR Xfinity Series competitor for the organization and in the No. 98 Ford Mustang sponsored by Monster Energy for the upcoming racing season.

    The 23-year-old Herbst from Las Vegas, Nevada, is coming off his second full-time campaign with SHR and third overall in the Xfinity circuit, where he achieved a pole at Nashville Superspeedway in June, a career-high eight top-five results and 20 top-10 results, 12 laps led and a career-best average-finishing result of 13.0 throughout the 33-race schedule. He also qualified for the 2022 Xfinity Series Playoffs, where he was eliminated from title contention following the Round of 12 before he went on to finish in a career-best 10th place in the final championship standings.

    After achieving his first ARCA Menards Series career victory at Pocono Raceway in 2017 while competing for Joe Gibbs Racing, Herbst made his Xfinity Series debut during the following season at Iowa Speedway, where he piloted JGR’s No. 18 Toyota Camry to a sixth-place result. He then campaigned in nine Xfinity events in 2019, where he recorded three top-10 results, before competing on a full-time basis in JGR’s No. 18 Toyota Supra for the 2020 Xfinity season. He proceeded to finish 12th in the final standings, where he also recorded two runner-up results, 17 top-10 results, an average-finishing result of 16.0 and made the Xfinity Playoffs.

    Herbst moved to Stewart-Haas Racing to drive the No. 98 Ford Mustang in 2021. He concluded the season with an 11th-place result in the final standings after recording his first career pole at Charlotte Motor Speedway in May along with a total of five top-five results, 13 top-10 results, a career-high 57 laps led, an average-finishing result of 17.1 and a second consecutive berth to the Xfinity Playoffs. 

    Through a total of 109 career starts in the Xfinity circuit, Herbst has achieved two poles, 17 top-five results, 54 top-10 results, 85 laps led and an average-finishing result of 15.4 as he continues to pursue his first victory across NASCAR’s top three national touring series.

    With his plans for next season set, Herbst will return to action at Daytona International Speedway on February 18, which will mark the start of the 2023 Xfinity Series season. The event’s coverage is scheduled to occur at 5 p.m. ET on FS1.

  • 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.

  • Justin Allgaier – Driven by desire, fueled by family

    Justin Allgaier – Driven by desire, fueled by family

    As Justin Allgaier prepares for the 2022 NASCAR Xfinity Series championship race at Phoenix Raceway, he does so with the confidence and experience of a seasoned veteran in the sport.

    He has qualified for the Xfinity Playoffs under the current format for seven consecutive years and this season is the fifth time that Allgaier has advanced to the Championship Round of 4.

    “The final-four race is truly special. I don’t think I realized that as much as I did last year when I missed it. You know, we were the first car out last year. And I came to Phoenix and the word deflated doesn’t even begin to describe last year.“

    Looking ahead to this weekend’s race, Allgaier is hoping that past experience will translate into success, but he also realizes that the competition will be fierce.

    “As a veteran, I’d love nothing more than to walk out of here with a win and a championship,” he said. ”But I got three other competitors that I know are extremely talented and you got three race teams that are extremely talented.

    “So, we’re gonna have our work cut out for us. But, the only advantage I got right now is I got time on my side, I got experience, and we’ve been in this position before, and hopefully, we can make the most of it.”

    And while a championship title is on the line, Allgaier approaches it like any other race during the year.

    “If I look at this race as being different, how did I get here? I didn’t get here by being different. I got here because I did the things that I know how to do. What I will say is this, you have to respect this race. It’s not a matter of, it’s just another race, in the terms of the respect level that you have to have for this event. But the way you approach it has to be that you’re not going to do anything different.”

    Allgaier also acknowledged that racing against teammates can be tricky.  

    “When it comes down to the checkered flag, I think the gloves are off and we gotta do what we gotta do. I think we gotta race each other to the start/finish line.”

    What would a championship mean to Allgaier?

    “My reason for wanting to win a championship is probably a little different than everybody else,” he explained. “I have a debt to pay to every man and woman that has helped me in my career to get to this level. I want to win because I’m competitive. But when it’s all said and done I want to equally win as much for all the people, all the companies, all the partners, everybody that’s been a part of this. I want my guys to stand in victory lane and I want them to experience that. So that’s what it would mean to me.”

    Regardless of the outcome, Allgaier’s belief in his abilities will remain unchanged.

    “If we don’t win it, it’s not because of lack of effort. When Saturday is over, if we win or we lose, it will not define the career that I’ve had. I want to add champion to my name, but it’s not going to define who I am.”

    And while there is no doubting his desire to win as a competitor, he would not have this opportunity without the continuing support of his family.

    “What’s cool for me is the family dynamic that we have in our race team, Allgaier added. “Number one, Mom and Dad, Mom actually started it all, funded me, time and effort, everything you could ever ask for from a set of parents.

    “I meet my wife and my wife has carried that banner. “She’s an amazing parent and she has taken what my parents started and she has embodied that and truly been an incredible part of my career and getting me to where I’m at.”

    The NASCAR Xfinity Series Championship Race is scheduled for Saturday at 6 p.m. ET on the USA Network with radio coverage provided by MRN and SiriusXM.

    *Justin Allgaier Quotes via SiriusXM NASCAR Radio

  • Weekend schedule for NASCAR Championship finale at Phoenix

    Weekend schedule for NASCAR Championship finale at Phoenix

    NASCAR travels to Phoenix Raceway this week for the final race of the year where the driver that achieves the highest finish in their respective series will be crowned the 2022 NASCAR Champion.

    Chase Elliott, 2020 Champion, Joey Logano, 2018 Cup Series Champion, Christopher Bell and Ross Chastain will be competing for the NASCAR Cup Series trophy Sunday afternoon.

    Justin Allgaier, Josh Berry, Ty Gibbs and Noah Gragson will race Saturday evening for the NASCAR Xfinity Series title, each hoping to claim their first championship.

    The NASCAR Camping World Truck Series championship contenders will hit the track Friday night as Ty Majeski, Ben Rhodes, Chandler Smith and Zane Smith battle for the coveted trophy.

    All times are Eastern.

    Thursday, Nov. 3

    8:05 p.m.: Truck Series Practice – All Entries – No TV
    9:30 p.m.: ARCA Menards Series West – Practice/Qualifying – No TV

    Friday, Nov. 4

    2:30 p.m.: ARCA Desert Diamond Casino West Valley 100 – FloRacing/MRN
    6 p.m.: Truck Series Qualifying (Impound – Single Vehicle/1 Lap/ All Entries) FS1
    7:05 p.m.: Xfinity Series Practice – All Entries – USA
    8:05 p.m.: Truck Series Practice – All Entries – USA/MRN

    10 p.m.: Truck Series Lucas Oil 150
    Distance 150 Laps = 150 Miles
    Stages: 45/90/150 Laps
    FS1/MRN/SiriusXM
    Purse: $817,025

    Saturday, Nov. 5

    2:30 p.m.: Xfinity Series Qualifying – (Impound – Single Vehicle/1 Lap/ All Entries) NBC Sports App
    3:30 p.m.: Cup Series Qualifying – (Impound – Group A & B/ Single Vehicle/1 Lap/2 Rounds) USA/MRN/NBC Sports App

    6 p.m.: NASCAR Xfinity Series Championship race
    Distance: 200 Laps = 200 Miles
    Stages 45/90/200 Laps
    USA/MRN/SiriusXM/NBC Sports App
    The Purse: $1,645,625

    Sunday, Nov. 6

    3 p.m.: NASCAR Cup Series Championship race
    Distance: 312 Laps = 312 Miles
    Stages: 60/185/312 Laps
    NBC/Peacock/MRN/SiriusXM
    The Purse: $10,542,284

  • 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.

  • Ty Gibbs claims controversial Xfinity victory at Martinsville; Championship 4 field set

    Ty Gibbs claims controversial Xfinity victory at Martinsville; Championship 4 field set

    With the championship finale looming over the NASCAR Xfinity Series competition and spots to battle for the title up for grabs, Ty Gibbs spoiled teammate Brandon Jones’ opportunity to compete for this year’s title by wrecking him on the final lap before proceeding to claim a controversial victory in the Dead on Tools 250 at Martinsville Speedway on Saturday, October 29.

    The 20-year-old Gibbs from Charlotte, North Carolina, led seven times for a race-high 102 of 269 over-scheduled laps and took care of business for the majority of the event to secure a spot for the Championship 4 round based on points. Under the final 10 laps and pushing his car for more, however, Gibbs found himself squared off against teammate Brandon Jones, who was placed in a “must-win” situation to maintain his title hopes through a series of late restarts and incidents that sent the event into overtime three times.

    During the third and final overtime attempt, Jones, who traded paint with Gibbs throughout a series of late restarts, managed to navigate his way around Gibbs and the field for the lead, but Gibbs delivered the final blow on the final lap by bumping and sending his teammate backward into the wall. The incident netted Gibbs an unpopular victory from the grandstands while Jones was one of four competitors to have their championship hopes for this season come to a late end.

    By claiming his sixth victory of the 2022 Xfinity Series season, Gibbs is set to square off against JR Motorsports’ Josh Berry, Noah Gragson and Justin Allgaier for this year’s Xfinity title that will determine a champion next weekend at Phoenix Raceway.

    With on-track qualifying that determined the starting lineup occurring on Friday, Playoff competitor Brandon Jones scored his fifth pole position of the 2022 season after posting a pole-winning lap at 95.482 mph in 19.832 seconds. Joining him on the front row was rookie Sheldon Creed, who posted the second-best qualifying lap at 95.333 mph in 19.863 seconds.

    Prior to the event, the following competitors that included Playoff competitor Austin Hill, Derek Griffith and Kyle Weatherman dropped to the rear of the field due to unapproved adjustments made to their respective cars. Daniel Hemric also dropped to the rear of the field in a backup car after he wrecked his primary car during the practice session on Friday.

    When the green flag waved and the race started, Brandon Jones rocketed with an early advantage through the first two turns ahead of Creed and Sammy Smith while Ty Gibbs and Noah Gragson dueled for fourth place. As the field battled through two lanes for a full circuit, Jones went on to lead the first lap.

    Through the first 10 scheduled laps, Jones was leading by seven-tenths of a second over Creed followed by Smith, Gibbs and Gragson while Justin Allgaier, AJ Allmendinger, Riley Herbst, Anthony Alfredo and Jeb Burton were running in the top 10. Jeremy Clements, Joe Graf Jr., Josh Berry, Ryan Sieg and Landon Cassill occupied the top 15 while Sam Mayer was back in 16th.

    Ten laps later, Jones continued to lead by more than a second over teammate Gibbs while Creed, Smith and Gragson were all scored in the top five. By then, six of eight Playoff competitors were running in the top 10 on the track, minus Mayer and Hill.

    On Lap 32, the first caution of the event flew when Patrick Emerling got into the rear of Joe Graf Jr. entering Turn 1 as Graf backed his car hard into the outside wall while Emerling also spun in front of Jeremy Clements and Howie Disavino III. During the first caution period, some led by Gragson pitted while the rest led by Jones remained on the track. Following the pit stops, Gragson was penalized for speeding while entering pit road.

    When the race restarted under green on Lap 41, Jones retained the lead over teammate Gibbs and the field. As the field jostled for positions, Jones was able to maintain the top spot for the duration of the first stage as he went on to claim his third stage victory of the 2022 season on Lap 60, which marked the first stage’s conclusion. Teammate Gibbs settled in second followed by Allgaier, Berry and Smith while Herbst, Creed, Allmendinger, Mayer and Hill claimed top-10 spots and the first round of stage points.

    Under the stage break, a majority of the field led by Jones pitted while Gragson and Rajah Caruth remained on the track. During the pit stops, Kyle Weatherman and Alex Labbe were both penalized for safety violations.

    The second stage started on Lap 70 as Gragson and Caruth occupied the front row. At the start, Gragson took off with the lead and managed to cross over from the outside lane to the inside lane entering the first turn. Behind, the field fanned out to three lanes as Jones muscled his way into the runner-up spot while Berry and Gibbs were also scored in the top five. Behind, Allgaier battled Smith for sixth place while racing on the outside lane as the field continued to duel and rub against one another for spots.

    Eighteen laps later, Gibbs emerged as the third different leader of the event after he overtook Gragson. 

    On Lap 106, the caution flew when Landon Cassill wheel-hopped his No. 10 StormX Chevrolet Camaro entering Turn 3 and smacked the outside wall hard while locking up his front tires. During the caution period, some led by Gibbs remained on the track while the rest led by Jones pitted.

    With nine laps remaining in the second stage, the race proceeded under green as Gibbs and Allgaier occupied the front row. At the start, Allgaier gained momentum on the outside lane to move his No. 7 iRacing/BRANDT Chevrolet Camaro into the lead. Five laps later, however, Allgaier slipped up the track entering Turn 3, which allowed Gibbs to reassume the top spot. As Gibbs maintained his ground with the lead, Berry and Hill rubbed fenders while battling for sixth place.

    When the second stage concluded on Lap 120, Gibbs claimed his eighth stage victory of the 2022 season. Allgaier settled in second while Allmendinger, Gragson, Sanchez, Berry, Hill, Jeb Burton, Ryan Sieg and Alfredo were scored in the top 10. By then, six of eight Playoff competitors were scored in the top 10 and were awarded a second round of stage points while Brandon Jones and Mayer were mired back in 11th and 18th.

    Under the stage break, some led by Gibbs pitted while the rest led by Berry remained on the track.

    With 122 laps remaining, the final stage started as Berry and Sammy Smith occupied the front row. At the start, Berry retained the lead and had both lanes to his control with clean air while Hill intimidated Smith for the runner-up spot by bumping him and trying to move him up entering the turns. Smith, however, retained his ground and the runner-up spot while Creed and Jones battled for fourth in front of Herbst and Hemric. A few laps later, Hill prevailed over his battle with Smith as he moved into the runner-up spot while Jones tried to issue a challenge on teammate Smith for third place.

    Down to the final 100 laps of the event, Berry was leading by more than a second over Jones, who battled and overtook Hill for the runner-up spot, while Herbst and Gibbs were scored in the top five. Smith, Mayer, Allmendinger, Gragson and Creed were running in the top 10 ahead of Allgaier, Sanchez, Hemric, Perkins and Snider while Alfredo, Labbe, Sieg, Weatherman and Derek Griffith occupied the top 20.

    Eleven laps later, the caution returned when Yeley wrecked in Turn 3 after wheel-hopping entering the turn and sustaining significant rear-end damage to his car. During the caution periods, the leaders returned to pit road and Jones managed to reassume the lead after exiting pit road first followed by Berry, Gibbs, Gragson and Herbst.

    When the race restarted under green with 81 laps remaining, Jones rocketed with the lead entering the first turn while Berry settled in the runner-up spot behind Jones and in front of Gibbs before Gibbs assumed Berry’s spot during the following lap. Behind, Herbst was in fourth while Allmendinger and Gragson battled for fifth place in front of Hill.

    Then with 72 laps remaining, Gibbs muscled his No. 54 Monster Energy Toyota Supra into the lead over teammate Jones’ No. 19 Menards Toyota Supra through Turns 3 and 4 as Jones was placed back into a “must-win” situation to maintain his title hopes.

    Sixteen laps later, the caution flew when Kris Wright got bumped by Disavino III as both spun in Turn 3. During the caution period, some that included Allmendinger and Hill pitted while the rest led by Gibbs remained on the track.

    With 48 laps remaining, the race proceeded under green as teammates Gibbs and Jones occupied the front row. At the start, Gibbs, who restarted on the outside lane, rocketed away from the field entering Turn 1 before he crossed over to the inside lane entering the backstretch to block Jones, who was being challenged by Gragson for more. Not long after, however, the caution returned when Ryan Sieg spun towards the outside wall in Turn 1 after getting hit by Hemric’s No. 11 AG1 Chevrolet Camaro.

    As the race restarted with 40 laps remaining, Gibbs took off with another strong start while Jones and Gragson dueled for second in front of Smith, Berry, Mayer and Allgaier. Three laps later, however, the caution was displayed when Hill, Clements and Parsons came together as all three wrecked entering the backstretch. The incident prompted Hill to pit his No. 21 Global Industrial Chevrolet Camaro from the top 20 during the caution period as his hopes of advancing to the Championship 4 round were placed in jeopardy.

    When the race restarted with 32 laps remaining, Gibbs and Gragson dueled for the lead for nearly a full lap before Gibbs, who officially clinched his spot for the Championship 4 finale, cleared the field and had both lanes to his control through Turn 4. It did not take long, however, for the caution to return for a multi-car stack-up that struck entering Turn 4 when Snider got turned and collected Hill, Emerling, CJ McLaughlin, Disavino, Kris Wright, Stefan Parsons and Mason Massey. During the caution period, Berry surrendered seventh place to pit along with Labbe, Hill and Josh Williams while the rest of the competitors remained on the track.

    During the following restart with 23 laps remaining, Gibbs took off with the lead while Jones battled Gragson for second place in front of Smith, Mayer, Herbst and Allgaier. Jones prevailed over Gragson during the following lap as he moved into second place while Allgaier and Allmendinger dueled and rubbed fenders for seventh place.

    With less than 20 laps remaining, the battle for seventh place on the track and for a championship finale spot ignited between Allgaier and Allmendinger as Allgaier, who got moved up the track following a bump by Allmendinger a few laps earlier, ran into the rear of Allmendinger in Turn 3 as both dueled against one another. Then with 17 laps remaining, Allgaier, who got moved up the track again by Allmendinger in Turn 1, delivered the final blow as he pounded into Allmendinger’s rear bumper twice entering Turn 3. With Allmendinger moving up the track, Allgaier seized his opportunity and made contact into the side of Allmendinger as Allmendinger nearly got loose in Turn 4 before falling off the pace after cutting a left-rear tire amid the contact. With the caution flying, Allmendinger pitted his No. 16 Action Industries Chevrolet Camaro for fresh tires as his hopes of transferring to the finale were placed in jeopardy. The incident also erased Gibbs’ steady advantage over teammate Jones.

    Down to the final nine laps of the event, the race restarted under green as Gibbs and Gragson squared off against one another on the front row. At the start, Jones, who restarted behind teammate Gibbs, made his move for the lead after getting into the rear of Gibbs. Just as Jones started to pull ahead of Gibbs with the lead, the caution flew due to Weatherman wrecking in Turn 1 along with Brandon Brown and Jeb Burton. The incident was enough to send the event into overtime.

    During the first overtime attempt, Jones, who restarted on the inside lane alongside teammate Smith and in front of Gibbs, dueled against Smith for the lead entering Turn 1 before Gibbs shoved his nose beneath Jones entering the backstretch. This resulted in all three Joe Gibbs Racing competitors racing three wide for the lead entering Turn 3. That was when Smith got rubbed by Jones as Smith went for a spin as the caution flew and the event was sent into a second overtime attempt. At the moment of caution, NASCAR ruled that Jones was the leader followed by teammate Gibbs as Herbst, Gragson and Creed completed the top five.

    At the start of the second overtime attempt, Jones briefly pulled away from the field entering the first turn until he barely slipped up the track, which allowed Gibbs to stick his car beneath Jones and challenge him for the lead through the backstretch. By then, however, the caution returned when Berry got turned in Turn 2 by teammate Allgaier after he got bumped by teammate Mayer. At the moment of caution, Gibbs was scored as the leader ahead of Jones, who fell back to a “must-win” situation as Allgaier, who continued to run towards the front, moved back up into contention to make the finale.

    The start of the third overtime attempt favored Jones, who made his move beneath Gibbs and Gragson in Turn 1 before all three competitors fanned out to three lanes in a battle for the win through the backstretch. Jones then managed to pull ahead with the lead with a push from Creed through Turns 3 and 4 as he commenced the final lap followed by a hard-charging Gibbs. Then entering Turn 1, Gibbs ran into the rear bumper of Jones, which caused Jones to spin as he backed his No. 19 Toyota into the outside wall in Turn 1. With the caution being displayed, the event was deemed official as Gibbs hustled his way back to the frontstretch and claim the victory.

    By winning for the sixth time in 2022 and for the first time at Martinsville, Gibbs claimed his 10th career win in the Xfinity circuit as he will be making his first appearance in the Championship 4 round as a championship contender, all of which will come in his first full-time Xfinity campaign. 

    Gibbs’ victory was met with mixed results as he received a chorus of boos from the grandstands with the winning driver saluting them before claiming the checkered flag.

    Photo by John Knittel for SpeedwayMedia.com.

    “I definitely didn’t want to wreck [Jones],” Gibbs said on NBC. “I wanted to get him out of the groove. I felt like we lost here earlier in the spring race just in the same way. I’m just pumped to get this win. It’s so awesome, especially at a track I feel like I’ve been coming to forever. It’s super cool to win here.”

    The last lap incident involving Jones knocked Jones out of the 2022 Xfinity Series Playoffs as his hopes of competing for this year’s title evaporated along with the hopes of Allmendinger, Mayer and Hill, who was involved in a post-race altercation with Snider on pit road. On the contrary, the incident fell in the favor of Allgaier, who ended up in fifth place and managed to secure the fourth and final transfer spot to the Championship 4 Round. This season will mark Allgaier’s fifth appearance in the final round as a title contender, where he will contend for his first NASCAR national touring series championship alongside Gibbs and teammates Berry and Gragson.

    “I had the race won, I think,” Jones, who ended up 23rd, said. “I love my guys. I love everyone on this No. 19 group. I’m excited to make my move to [JR Motorsports] next year and be a part of that organization. A little bit more respect over there, probably, given next year. We got one race left at Phoenix. I know we can go out there and win that, shake this [title fight] a little bit still yet and try to steal a little thunder there. I have no words. I know that we had some fun beating and banging back and forth a little bit, but I’ve never wrecked [Gibbs] or done anything for a win. It kind of shows where that level was there. I think [racing Gibbs earlier] opened up the opportunity to get moved, but I don’t know about dumped, destroyed and finished dead last. At the end of the day, I needed to win the race. Second and last, it is what it is. [I] Just expected to, maybe, have a little bit more of a shot at it there. To me, that’s what’s fun about this sport is having a duel, not just completely destroying somebody’s day.”

    Photo by John Knittel for SpeedwayMedia.com.

    “It was definitely a long day,” Allgaier, who finished fifth, said. “We just didn’t have the handling that we wanted to on our iRacing/BRANDT Camaro. We were OK. We were a top-five car all day. Obviously, AJ and I battled a lot today. We were both pushing each other really hard. I hate having to use the bumper, but our team has done such a good job this year and gave themselves a shot to go for a championship. I had to make the most of it today. Proud of our team at JR Motorsports. To put three cars in the final four. We got a long work this week to be ready for Phoenix, but it’s a great racetrack for us. We’re gonna go there. We’re gonna lay it all on the line. It’s gonna be a battle, for sure.”

    “[The battle with Allgaier]’s all fair,” Allmendinger, who settled in 16th, said. “We knew it was gonna be a battle. Thank you to everybody at Kaulig Racing. Our Action Industries Chevy, we were making the best of it. It’s disappointing to end it like that, but still a great year. [We] Did everything we could.”

    In addition to this year’s driver’s championship battle, the final four title contenders (Berry, Gragson, Gibbs and Allgaier) will contend for the 2022 Xfinity owners’ championship next weekend at Phoenix.

    There were 18 lead changes for six different leaders. The race featured 14 cautions for 91 laps.

    Results.

    1. Ty Gibbs, 102 laps led, Stage 2 winner

    2. Sheldon Creed

    3. Riley Herbst

    4. Noah Gragson, 23 laps led

    5. Justin Allgaier, five laps led

    6. Sam Mayer

    7. Nicholas Sanchez

    8. Daniel Hemric

    9. Blaine Perkins

    10. Austin Hill

    11. Jeb Burton

    12. Alex Labbe

    13. Rajah Caruth

    14. Myatt Snider

    15. AJ Allmendinger

    16. Derek Griffith

    17. Sammy Smith, one lap led

    18. Jeremy Clements

    19. Brandon Brown

    20. Josh Berry, 40 laps led

    21. Anthony Alfredo

    22. Josh Williams

    23. Brandon Jones, 98 laps led, Stage 1 winner

    24. CJ McLaughlin, one lap down

    25. Mason Massey, four laps down

    26. Kris Wright, eight laps down

    27. Joe Graf Jr., nine laps down

    28. Howie Disavino III, 10 laps down

    29. Ryan Vargas, 21 laps down

    30. Kyle Weatherman – OUT, Accident

    31. Stefan Parsons – OUT, Accident 

    32. Patrick Emerling – OUT, Accident

    33. Ryan Sieg – OUT, Accident

    34. JJ Yeley – OUT, Brakes

    35. Matt Mills – OUT, Engine

    36. Chad Finchum – OUT, Brakes

    37. Landon Cassill – OUT, Accident

    38. Bayley Currey – OUT, Accident

    *Bold indicates Playoff contenders

    Playoff standings

    1. Noah Gragson – Advanced

    2. Ty Gibbs – Advanced

    3. Josh Berry – Advanced

    4. Justin Allgaier – Advanced

    5. AJ Allmendinger – Eliminated

    6. Austin Hill – Eliminated

    7. Sam Mayer – Eliminated

    8. Brandon Jones – Eliminated

    The 2022 NASCAR Xfinity Series season is set to conclude at Phoenix Raceway on Saturday, November 5, where a champion will be crowned. The finale is set to commence at 6 p.m. ET on USA Network.

  • Weekend schedule for Martinsville Playoff race

    Weekend schedule for Martinsville Playoff race

    This week the NASCAR Cup Series and Xfinity Series travel to Martinsville Speedway. After the race, only four drivers from each series will move on to compete for the 2022 championship trophy at Phoenix Raceway on Nov. 6.

    The Camping World Truck Series championship contenders were set last week at Homestead-Miami Speedway. Drivers Ty Majeski, Ben Rhodes, Chandler Smith and Zane Smith made the final cut.

    The NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour takes center stage Thursday afternoon with practice (3 p.m.) and qualifying (6 p.m.) in preparation for Virginia is for Racing Lovers 200 at 8 p.m. on floracing.com and MRN.

    All times are Eastern.

    NASCAR Press Pass Live will be available for post-qualifying (Xfinity) and post-race (Xfinity and Cup).

    Friday, Oct. 28

    4 p.m.: Xfinity Series Practice (Group 1 & 2) USA
    4:35 p.m.: Xfinity Series Qualifying (Impound-Single Vehicle/2 Laps/All Entries) USA

    Saturday, Oct. 29

    12 p.m.: Cup Series Practice (Group – A & B) USA at 12:30 p.m.
    12:45 p.m.: Cup Series Qualifying (Impound)-Group A & B/Single Vehicle/2 Laps/2 Rounds) USA/MRN/SiriusXM
    3 p.m.: Xfinity Dead On Tools 250
    Distance: 250 Laps = 131.5 Miles
    Stage1 ends on Lap 60, Stage 2 ends on Lap 120, Final Stage ends on Lap 250
    NBC/Peacock/MRN/SiriusXM
    The Purse: $1,339,357

    Sunday, Oct. 30

    2 p.m.: Cup Series Xfinity 500
    Distance: 500 Laps = 263 Miles
    Stage 1 ends on Lap 130, Stage 2 ends on Lap 260, Final Stage ends on Lap 500
    NBC/MRN/SiriusXM
    The Purse: $8,132,735

  • Ryan Sieg to make 300th Xfinity career start at Martinsville

    Ryan Sieg to make 300th Xfinity career start at Martinsville

    Competing in his ninth full-time season in the NASCAR Xfinity Series, Ryan Sieg is within reach of a milestone start. By taking the green flag in this weekend’s Playoff event at Martinsville Speedway, Sieg will fulfill 300 career starts in the Xfinity circuit.

    A native of Tucker, Georgia, Sieg, who spent the years 2010 through 2012 as a full-time Camping World Truck Series competitor for his family-operated RSS Racing, made his inaugural presence in the Xfinity Series at Phoenix Raceway in March 2013, where he substituted for the suspended Jeremy Clements in the No. 51 Jeremy Clements Racing Chevrolet Camaro. Starting 35th, Sieg finished 21st in his series debut. He returned for the following weekend at Las Vegas Motor Speedway, where he finished 18th, before Clements was reinstated by NASCAR. Sieg, however, ended up competing in two additional Xfinity events for RSS Racing at Indianapolis Motor Speedway in July and at Kansas Speedway in October, where he finished 24th and 21st, respectively.

    Sieg initially commenced the 2014 season with plans on competing the entire Truck Series schedule and part time in the Xfinity Series. Following the first five scheduled events, however, Sieg shifted his focus towards running the entire Xfinity schedule. By then, he had achieved a ninth-place result in the season-opening event at Daytona International Speedway in February.

    His other highlight of the 2014 season was by achieving a strong third-place result at Daytona in July after drafting veteran Kasey Kahne to a photo finish victory over teammate Regan Smith during a two-lap shootout. To go along with a total of 21 top-20 results and an average-finishing result of 20.0 throughout the 33-race schedule, Sieg concluded his first full-time Xfinity season in 16th place in the final standings.

    Returning for a second full-time campaign in the Xfinity Series in 2015, Sieg only achieved a single top-10 result at Kansas in October, where he finished eighth. Nonetheless, he earned two additional top-20 results compared to his rookie season (23) and improved his average-finishing result from his first season from 20.0 to 19.1 as he concluded the season in 11th place in the final standings.

    In 2016, Sieg earned a total of 18 top-20 results, including his second top-five career result after finishing third at Daytona in July, throughout the 26-race regular-season stretch, which was enough for him to qualify for the inaugural Xfinity Series Playoffs. Despite finishing 16th, 19th and 10th, respectively, throughout the Playoff’s Round of 12, he was one of four competitors to be eliminated early from title contention. Despite the early elimination, he achieved three additional top-15 results during the final four scheduled events before settling in a career-best ninth place in the final standings. By then, he surpassed 100 career starts in the Xfinity Series.

    In comparison to the previous Xfinity season, the 2017 season was a difficult season for Sieg. While the Georgian achieved a career-best runner-up result behind William Byron at Iowa Speedway in June, 11 additional results in the top 20 throughout the regular-season stretch were not enough for him to qualify for the Playoffs. With an average-finishing result of 20.8, he fell back to 15th place in the final standings.

    Coming off another difficult season in 2018, where he piloted three different numbers for RSS Racing (Nos. 38, 39 and 93) and achieved only two top-10 results and 21 top-20 results before finishing in 16th place in the final standings, Sieg commenced the 2019 Xfinity season on a strong note by finishing fourth at Daytona in February. He then finished no lower than 16th during the following 11-scheduled events, with the Georgian earning his second top-five result of the season after finishing fifth at Richmond Raceway in April. Despite accumulating an additional seven top-20 results, three of which were top-10 finishes, during the following 15 regular-season events, he made his second career appearance in the Xfinity Series Playoffs. After being eliminated from the Playoffs following respective finishes of 12th, 30th and 10th during the Round of 12, he capped off the season with four consecutive top-13 results before finishing in 11th place in the final standings. By then, he achieved the most top-10 results in a season at 12 along with his career-best average-finishing result in a season to date at 14.6. He also surpassed 200 Xfinity career starts. 

    The 2020 Xfinity season generated Sieg’s best results in the circuit that commenced with a ninth-place run at Daytona followed by two consecutive top-five results after finishing third at Las Vegas Motor Speedway and fourth at Auto Club Speedway in February. After the first five scheduled events, where he finished no lower than 11th, Sieg was ranked in seventh place in the regular-season standings. Despite earning only three additional top-10 results during the final 21 regular-season events, Sieg secured a spot in the Xfinity Playoffs for the third time in his career. At the start of the Playoffs, respective finishes of fifth, second and 21st enabled the Georgian to advance from the Round of 12 to 8. He was eliminated from reaching the Championship 4 finale after recording respective results of third, 31st and 11th during the Round of 8, but he proceeded to finish in 10th place in the final standings. Despite concluding the season with one less top-10 result from the previous season at 11, he achieved a career-high seven top-five results along with 103 total laps led in a season. He also capped off the 2020 season with an average-finishing result of 15.5.

    The 2021 Xfinity season marked a new beginning for Sieg and RSS Racing, with the driver and team switching manufacturers from Chevrolet to Ford. In comparison to the previous two seasons, the 2021 season was a difficult season for Sieg, who managed six top-10 results during the 26-race regular-season stretch and failed to qualify for the Playoffs. He went on to finish in 14th place in the final standings.

    At the start of Sieg’s ninth campaign in the Xfinity circuit, he achieved an eighth-place result at Daytona followed by a 10th-place result at Auto Club Speedway in February. To go along with seven additional top-10 results through 25 regular-season events, Sieg remained in contention of qualifying for the Playoffs. During the regular-season finale at Bristol Motor Speedway in September, Sieg benefitted from late-race misfortunes affecting Landon Cassill and Sheldon Creed to finish 10th and claim the 12th and final berth to the 2022 Xfinity Series Playoffs, which marked his fourth presence in the postseason battle for the championship. Despite finishing no lower than ninth during the Round of 12, however, Sieg missed the cutoff to transfer to the Round of 8 by two points. With two events remaining to this year’s schedule, he is currently ranked in 11th place in the drivers’ standings after coming off back-to-back results outside of the top 30.

    Through 299 previous Xfinity starts, Sieg has achieved 16 top-five results, 52 top-10 results, 195 laps led and an average-finishing result of 18.1.

    Sieg is set to make his 300th Xfinity Series career start at Martinsville Speedway on Saturday, October 29, with the event’s coverage to occur at 3 p.m. ET on NBC.

  • Alfredo to make 100th NASCAR national touring series career start at Martinsville

    Alfredo to make 100th NASCAR national touring series career start at Martinsville

    While Anthony Alfredo is nearing the conclusion of his first full-time campaign in the NASCAR Xfinity Series for Our Motorsports, he is also within reach of achieving a milestone start. By taking the green flag in this weekend’s Xfinity Playoff event at Martinsville Speedway, Alfredo will achieve 100 career starts across NASCAR’s top three national touring series.

    A native of Ridgefield, Connecticut, Alfredo, whose racing career started with go-karts before moving up to Legends cars, made his inaugural presence within NASCAR’s top three national touring series at Atlanta Motor Speedway, where he drove for David Gilliland Racing on a part-time basis in the Camping World Truck Series. By then, Alfredo was coming off his first season in the ARCA Menards Series East, where he achieved his first career victory at South Boston Speedway before finishing in fifth place in the final standings. In his debut at Atlanta, Alfredo started 27th and finished 17th in his Truck debut. Throughout the 2019 season, Alfredo competed in 13 of 23-scheduled Truck events for David Gilliland Racing while swapping between the Nos. 15, 17 and 54 Toyota Tundras. He recorded a total of eight top-20 results, two of which were in the top 10, as his highest on-track result was an eighth-place run at Charlotte Motor Speedway in May.

    In December 2019, Alfredo joined forces with Richard Childress Racing to pilot the No. 21 Chevrolet Camaro on a part-time basis for the 2020 Xfinity Series season, which marked his first start in the series. Making his debut at Auto Club Speedway in February, Alfredo notched an impressive sixth-place result in his debut. He backed up his strong debut by notching five additional top-10 results during his next eight scheduled starts, which included his first top-five result after finishing fourth during a Homestead-Miami Speedway doubleheader feature in June. During his final 10 scheduled events, he recorded a total of three top-10 results and achieved a new career-best result of third place at Texas Motor Speedway in October. In total, Alfredo competed in 19 of 33-scheduled Xfinity events for RCR as he achieved two top-five results, nine top-10 results, 15 total laps led and an average-finishing result of 12.6. He also contributed to RCR’s No. 21 entry finishing in 11th place in the final Xfinity owners’ standings.

    A month prior to the 2021 NASCAR season, Alfredo was named a full-time competitor of the No. 38 Ford Mustang for Front Row Motorsports for the upcoming Cup Series season, where he contended for the Rookie-of-the-Year title. His debut in NASCAR’s premier series, however, started off on a rough note after being involved in a multi-car wreck 13 laps into the 63rd running of the Daytona 500 at Daytona International Speedway in February. The Connecticut native proceeded to record a total of three top-20 results during the 26-race regular-season stretch, which were not enough for him to qualify for the 2021 Cup Series Playoffs. During the final 10 Playoff events on the schedule, Alfredo managed to record his first top-10 career result in the Cup circuit after finishing 10th at Talladega Superspeedway in October before settling in 30th place in the final standings and in the runner-up spot in the Rookie-of-the-Year battle against Chase Briscoe. His overall average-finishing result in his first Cup season was 27.5. 

    A month following the conclusion of the 2021 season, Alfredo was named a full-time Xfinity Series competitor of the No. 23 Chevrolet Camaro for Our Motorsports. He commenced the season with a seventh-place result at Daytona followed by a fifth-place run at Auto Club Speedway in February. He went on to finish sixth at Talladega in April before achieving his first career pole for the inaugural Xfinity event at Portland International Raceway, but he did not accumulate enough points to qualify for the 2022 Xfinity Playoffs. Coming off five consecutive top-20 results throughout the Playoffs, he is currently ranked in 15th place in the drivers’ standings with two races remaining to this season.

    Through 99 previous starts across NASCAR’s top three national touring series, Alfredo has achieved one pole, three top-five results, 16 top-10 results and 38 laps led while competing for four different organizations.

    Alfredo is scheduled to make his 100th NASCAR national touring series career start at Martinsville Speedway on Saturday, October 29, with the event’s coverage to occur at 3 p.m. ET on NBC.