Practice #1 : Phoenix Raceway

• Phoenix Raceway
• 24th Annual NASCAR Xfinity Series Championship Race
• Pole Winner: Ty Gibbs
• Age: 20
• Team : No. 54 - Monster Energy Toyota
• Owner: Joe Gibbs Racing
• Crew Chief: Chris Gayle
• Ty Gibbs won the Pole Award for the 24th Annual NASCAR Xfinity Series Championship Race with a lap of 26.806 seconds, 134.298 mph.
• This is his eighth pole in 51 NASCAR Xfinity Series races.
• This is his seventh pole and 28th top-10 start in 2022.
• This is his first pole in three races at Phoenix Raceway.
• Sammy Smith (second) posted his seventh top-10 start of 2022 and his first in one race at Phoenix Raceway.
• Nicholas Sanchez (third) posted his first top-10 start at Phoenix Raceway. It is his first in eight races this season.
• Sheldon Creed (eighth) was the fastest qualifying rookie.
• The Championship 4 drivers qualified in the following positions - Ty Gibbs (1st), Noah Gragson (4th), Josh Berry (9th), Justin Allgaier (11th).

• Saturday, November 5th, 2022
• NASCAR Wire Service - Reid Spencer

Ty Gibbs holds off Noah Gragson for NASCAR Xfinity Series title

One week after igniting a maelstrom of controversy with his brutish tactics at Martinsville Speedway, Ty Gibbs held off charging Noah Gragson to win Saturday's NASCAR Xfinity Series Championship Race and the series title that goes with it.

Starting from the pole, Gibbs won the first and second stages and led a race-high 125 of 200 laps, but those statistics belie how intensely competitive the race was.

Gragson and JR Motorsports teammate Justin Allgaier led 35 and 26 laps, respectively, and traded the lead with Gibbs as the sun went down and the track cooled.

But Gibbs's No. 54 Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota was strong enough to win the day, giving the 20-year-old prodigy his seventh victory of the season and his 11th in 51 career starts. 

Nevertheless, a large faction of the crowd greeted his victory celebration with catcalls and boos, the memory of the way Gibbs had wrecked teammate Brandon Jones to win last Saturday's race at Martinsville still on top of mind.

"You know, what I did last week was unacceptable," Gibbs said after climbing from his car. "And 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 organization standpoint. All my fault.

"I can sit here and tell you I'm sorry as much as I can, but it's not going to fix it. I've got to fix my actions. I felt like today I had a good race, felt like I made some good moves. Me and the 7 (Allgaier) were racing really hard. I felt like hopefully we put on a great show for you guys, the fans, and thank you for all that you guys do.

"Yeah, I don't want to be the one with the boos, and I'm the one that put myself in that position. But I don't want this championship to be remembered for boos; I want it to be remembered for hard work and our team. Awesome job." 

With all the breathtaking side-by-side racing, lap after lap, the difference came down to performance on pit road. When the Championship 4 drivers pitted under the seventh caution on Lap 160, an 18.8-second stop dropped Gragson from third to eighth for a restart on Lap 165.

Gibbs' crew, in contrast, had its best stop of the day-13.7 seconds-and grabbed the lead from Allgaier off pit road. 

After a subsequent caution for Brandon Jones' spin off the bumper of Gragson's No. 8 Chevrolet on Lap 165, Gragson gained five spots on a Lap 171 restart, soon passed Allgaier for second and launched a ferocious pursuit of the eventual race winner.

Gragson closed within two car lengths through Turns 3 and 4 with two laps left but couldn't get to Gibbs bumper. He crossed the finish line .397 seconds behind Gibbs.

"I gave it my best," Gragson said. "I drove my ass off and gave it everything I had. Just got beat...;

"He (Gibbs) raced like a champion tonight. He deserved it."

Allgaier rolled home in third place. Kaulig Racing teammates Landon Cassill and AJ Allmendinger were fourth and fifth, respectively.

Sheldon Creed, Riley Herbst, Daniel Hemric, Austin Hill and Sammy Smith completed the top 10.

Championship 4 competitor Josh Berry was running in the top four in the late going but contact with the backstretch wall shortly after the final restart on Lap 171 dropped him to 13th at the finish.

• Drivers Entered: 39 (1 drivers will not make the race)
• Laps Scheduled: 200
• Margin of Victory: 0.397 Seconds
• Time of Race: 2 Hours 11 Minutes 37 Seconds
• Average Speed: 91.174
• Cautions: 8 for 49 laps
• Lead Changes: 15
• Green Flag Passes: 1,773 (11.7 passes per green flag lap)

• Phoenix Raceway
• 24th Annual NASCAR Xfinity Series Championship Race
• Race Winner: Ty Gibbs
• Age: 20
• Team : No. 54 - Monster Energy Toyota
• Owner: Joe Gibbs Racing
• Crew Chief: Chris Gayle
• Ty Gibbs won the 24th Annual NASCAR Xfinity Series Championship Race, his 11th victory in 51 NASCAR Xfinity Series races.
• This is his seventh victory and 23rd top-10 finish in 2022.
• This is his first victory and third top-10 finish in three races at Phoenix Raceway.
• Noah Gragson (second) posted his fifth top-10 finish in eight races at Phoenix Raceway. It is his 26th top-10 finish in 2022.
• Justin Allgaier (third) posted his 17th top-10 finish in 25 races at Phoenix Raceway.
• Sheldon Creed (sixth) was the highest finishing rookie.
• Ty Gibbs has won the 2022 NASCAR Xfinity Series Championship.
• Chevrolet has won the 2022 NASCAR Xfinity Series Manufacturers Championship.
• CHAMPIONSHIP FAST FACTS
• Driver Champion: Ty Gibbs
• Team: No. 54 Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota Supra
• Ty Gibbs has won his first NASCAR Xfinity Series championship (2022), his previous best finish in the series final championship standings was 13th last season.
• Gibbs is the 32nd different driver to win the NASCAR Xfinity Series championship.
• Gibbs won the season finale at Phoenix Raceway to claim the 2022 NASCAR Xfinity Series title.
• Gibbs made 33 series starts this season, posting seven wins, 16 top fives and 23 top 10s.
• In the Playoffs this season, Gibbs has posted two wins, six top fives and seven top 10s.
• Gibbs, from Charlotte, has become the eighth NASCAR Xfinity Series champion from the state of North Carolina; joining Daniel Hemric (2021 champion, Kannapolis, N.C.), William Byron (2017 champion, Charlotte, N.C.), Austin Dillon (2013, Welcome, N.C.), Brian Vickers (2003, Thomasville, N.C.), Dale Earnhardt Jr. (1998, 1999, Kannapolis, N.C.), Jack Ingram (1985, 1982, Asheville, N.C.) and Sam Ard (1983, 1984, Asheboro, N.C.).
• Driver Owner Champion: Joe Gibbs, Joe Gibbs Racing
• This is Joe Gibbs Racing’s fourth NASCAR Xfinity Series driver championship (Kyle Busch, 2009, Daniel Suárez, 2019, Daniel Hemric, 2021 and Ty Gibbs, 2022) – third-most all-time in the series.
• This is Joe Gibbs Racing sixth NASCAR Xfinity Series owner championship (2008, 2009, 2010, 2012, 2016, 2022), which ties Team Penske (2013, 2014, 2015, 2017, 2020, 2021) for the series-most owner titles all-time in the Xfinity Series at six each.
• Joe Gibbs Racing is one of 19 different organizations to win the NASCAR Xfinity Series driver championship, and one of 18 different organizations to win the owner championship.
• Joe Gibbs Racing has posted 193 NASCAR Xfinity Series wins among 20 different drivers – Aric Almirola, Bobby Labonte, Brandon Jones, Christopher Bell, Daniel Suarez, Denny Hamlin, Elliott Sadler, Erik Jones Harrison Burton, Joey Logano, John Hunter Nemechek, Kyle Busch, Matt Kenseth, Mike Bliss, Mike McLaughlin, Ryan Preece, Sam Hornish Jr., Tony Stewart, Ty Gibbs and Daniel Hemric.
• Joe Gibbs Racing began its NASCAR Xfinity Series program in 1997 at Rockingham Speedway with NASCAR Hall of Famer Bobby Labonte.
• Crew Chief Champion: Chris Gayle
• This is Chris Gayle’s first career NASCAR Xfinity Series championship (2022). Gayle’s previous best finish in the Xfinity Series championship standings was third with Elliott Sadler in 2014.
• Gayle is the 30th different crew chief to win the NASCAR Xfinity Series championship.
• Gayle has won 37 NASCAR Xfinity Series races with eight different drivers: Elliott Sadler, Kyle Busch, Erik Jones, Denny Hamlin, Sam Hornish Jr., Christopher Bell, Ty Gibbs and John Hunter Nemechek.