Ty Gibbs holds off Gragson to win Xfinity Series finale at Phoenix

Posted on November 5, 2022November 5, 2022 by Staff Report

AVONDALE, Ariz. – 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 at Phoenix Raceway, 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.

MORE: Photos from Phoenix

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 0.397 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.

NOTE: Inspection is complete in the Xfinity Series garage with no issues. The No. 54 had one lug nut not safe and secure; the teardown of the No. 54 engine is in progress.

Posted on November 5, 2022November 6, 2022 by Cameron Richardson

Ty Gibbs’ rookie campaign has been full of non-stop headlines throughout 2022. Whether it be his six wins entering the Championship 4 finale at just 20 years old or his aggressive driving style, Gibbs has been the star — for better or worse — in the Xfinity Series.

His stardom shined the brightest Saturday evening at Phoenix Raceway as Gibbs claimed the series title in his maiden Xfinity season. The No. 54 Joe Gibbs Racing driver held off a JR Motorsports trio of rival Noah Gragson and his teammates Justin Allgaier and Josh Berry in the championship race.

RELATED: Race results | Ty Gibbs driver page

At 20 years, 1 month and 1 day old, Gibbs became the fourth-youngest champ in series history, coming close to the likes of current Cup Series veterans Chase Elliott and William Byron. Elliott is the youngest NASCAR national series champ, winning the Xfinity title in 2014 at the age of 18, while Byron grabbed his NXS title in 2017 at 19.

Gibbs dominated the ARCA Menards Series on his come-up, winning 18 races across three seasons and grabbing checkered flags at a ludicrous rate of 38.3% in 47 starts. He was nearly perfect in 2021 across all three ARCA banners, winning 10 of 20 races in the Menards Series and all six of his combined starts in the West and East Series.

Having shown full command at the ARCA level, the teenager was called up for a part-time role with his grandfather-owned JGR team. He piloted the No. 54 Toyota and immediately made his name known in the series where names are made.

His first career Xfinity start? A rousing victory as a then-18-year-old Gibbs won on Daytona’s road-course layout, leading 14 of the 56 laps in the process.

Gibbs continued to shine in 2021, winning three more races, and while he wasn’t championship eligible, the Xfinity contingency got the message loud and clear that the fast-rising prospect was bound to be a title contender soon.

His official rookie year brought that contender status to fruition as Gibbs earned five victories prior to the start of this year’s playoffs.

While wins and top-five finishes are always remarkable for someone as young as Gibbs, his shining moment came in the summer at Road America as the No. 54 driver outdueled the 2021 Cup Series champion Kyle Larson through the left and right-hand turns of the 4.048-mile road course.

It was the race that reaffirmed Gibbs as a top-tier talent who’s ready for potential limelight in NASCAR’s premier series.

While not how drivers would want to get their first shot in the Cup Series, Gibbs — in addition to his Xfinity role — filled in the remainder of the 2022 Cup Series for Kurt Busch after the 2004 champion was injured in a qualifying crash at Pocono Raceway.

Gibbs scored three top-20 finishes in his first three Cup starts with the No. 45 23XI Racing Toyota, including a career-best top-10 run at Michigan International Speedway. While never collecting another such finish heading into the title race, Gibbs learned how to drive the Next Gen car and earned valuable seat time that should have him prepared to make the full-time jump to the Cup level when the time comes.

His sixth win in the penultimate race of 2022 at Martinsville Speedway didn’t come without its criticism, but the victory cemented his position in the Championship 4 — which has now culminated in his first title of what could be many more to come for the 20-year-old.

With a jump to the Cup Series perhaps right around the corner for Gibbs on his grandfather’s team, he’ll have a lot of eyes on him as he continues to mature into a championship-caliber driver at the sport’s highest level.

But for now, it’s time to celebrate.

Posted on November 5, 2022November 5, 2022 by Staff Report

Give the early advantage to Joey Logano for the 2022 Cup Series championship. With a hot lap of 134.389 mph in the second round of Saturday’s qualifying session, the 2018 Cup champion won the pole for Sunday’s Cup Series championship race at Phoenix Raceway (3 p.m. ET, NBC, Peacock, MRN, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio).

The pole marks Logano’s 26th in the Cup Series and fourth of 2022.

Logano will not only lead the field to green, but he will also have the first pick for pit stalls, a key aspect for Sunday’s 312-lap finale.

But Logano didn’t think he had a pole-winning lap when he ran it.

“It went slower than the run before (in the opening round),” he said. “It seemed like tire falloff was a real thing. I kind of got done with my lap and was like, ‘Eh.’ I thought it was going to be like third or fourth probably, just not as good as what it was the first run.

“I overcompensated some of the adjustments I wanted to make as a driver and probably didn’t adjust the car enough as much as we needed to for some other things, but I guess everybody’s tires fell off, and that was a better lap than I thought it was.”

2020 Cup champion and Championship 4 competitor Chase Elliott qualified fifth with a 133.437 mph lap around the one-mile Arizona track.

Fellow Championship 4 competitors didn’t fare so well as Christopher Bell and Ross Chastain struggled on their qualifying runs Saturday afternoon and couldn’t find their way into the pole round. Instead, both will have a lot of work to do to navigate their way to the front as Bell will start 17th while Chastain starts well outside the top 20 in 25th.

“I was too loose on the throttle,” said Chastain, who was fastest in Friday’s practice but out of balance in qualifying trim. “It’s a great thing for (Sunday) but not good right now.”

Ryan Blaney will join his Team Penske teammate on the front row. Chase Briscoe and Kyle Larson will roll off third and fourth, respectively. Larson, the 2021 Cup champion, is still eligible for the 2022 owners’ championship on Sunday.

Harrison Burton, Kevin Harvick, William Byron, Cole Custer and Ty Gibbs rounded out the top 10 in qualifying.

After a five-race absence following his injury at Texas Motor Speedway, Alex Bowman returned to the No. 48 Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet and qualified his hot rod in 24th.

“There’s a lot of really smart people at HMS that evaluated everything and tried to make everything the best it can be,” Bowman said.

“I think having a goal to come back this year kept me working really hard and really accountable for what I was doing. I think if we would have said, ‘We’re going to take the rest of the year off,’ it would have been way easier to just sit back on my butt and not work as hard.”

Making his final start with Joe Gibbs Racing, two-time Cup Series champion Kyle Busch will start 22nd in his No. 18 Toyota.

The NASCAR Wire Service contributed to this report.

Posted on November 5, 2022 by Staff Report

Championship weekend is upon us with the NASCAR Xfinity Series and Cup Series set to take center stage at Phoenix. Before this weekend’s action, try your hand at some prop picks for a chance to win exclusive prizes and points at the conclusion of each race.

PHOENIX: Weekend schedule | Championship 4 drivers ranked

CUP SERIES

XFINITY SERIES

Posted on November 5, 2022November 5, 2022 by Zack Albert

AVONDALE, Ariz. — Oh, mamma-jamma.

Ben Rhodes’ aspirations of a repeat NASCAR Camping World Truck Series title — and an encore to his boozy champion’s press conference — sank in a dramatic overtime finish to Friday night’s season finale. Instead, the Kentucky native held a distinctly less rollicking post-race interview session as the runner-up at Phoenix Raceway after Zane Smith foiled his bid by a scant .236-second margin in the Lucas Oil 150.

“Gave it all I had and just didn’t have anymore,” Rhodes said in summing up his day. “We needed more pace all day long.”

RELATED: Race results | At-track photos: Phoenix

Rhodes’ ThorSport Racing No. 99 Toyota just edged out fellow Championship 4 contender Chandler Smith in third. Ty Majeski, the only other title contender in the Phoenix finale, wound up 20th after a late-race crash while battling Zane Smith for second position.

Rhodes had endured handling issues and an uphill fight for track position through much of the 154-lap race, which was stretched four laps past the scheduled distance because of the final caution period for Majeski’s wreck. Rhodes sat seventh before the race’s next-to-last yellow flag — prompted by a Hailie Deegan mishap on Lap 134 — until a savvy pit-stop call helped him make up ground.

No. 99 crew chief Rich Lushes opted for two fresh tires on the right side during that pit exchange, while the other title-eligible teams swapped out for all-fresh rubber. Rhodes lined up third for the restart and rocketed to the lead past Stewart Friesen and Carson Hocevar, who had stayed on the track.

Rhodes led eight laps until both Smiths left him split in the middle on the final restart. The trio diced until the final set of corners, when Rhodes came up to Zane Smith’s back bumper and scraped the wall in a last-ditch effort to get by — “shades of Ross Chastain, I guess,” he called it.

Even without the embrace of the champion’s trophy for the second straight year, Rhodes lauded the call that nearly provided a winning advantage.

“I liked the fact that my crew chief, Rich Lushes, gives me those opportunities,” Rhodes said. “He’s bold. He makes a lot of crazy pit calls like that, and sometimes they work. We were just on the cusp of making it work. I think if that last restart had come out, we could have held them off and be really happy right now. But I’m not. So here I am. I tell you, I’m thankful for those calls, I just wish it could have worked out differently.”

For Lushes, it was the only call to make.

“We weren’t gonna beat him straight up, so we had to do something different than what they were gonna do,” Lushes told NASCAR.com. “And I figured they were gonna come and put four (tires) on, so I figured the only shot we had if the yellow doesn’t come out there with the green-white-checkered, I think we have a shot to win the race. So that’s all we can ask for. We didn’t have the best truck tonight, so we just tried to play strategy a little bit.”

Rhodes had started sixth and wrestled against ill-handling characteristics that kept his truck mired in the fringes of the top five. He dropped as low as 11th place early in Stage 2, and the team radio crackled: “Gotta regroup here.”

The No. 99 team did, and Rhodes gave it his all in the final two-lap dash.

“That’s just shows his growth again that he, no matter what we have, he’s worked through it and fights all day long,” Lushes said. “We just never give up, and that’s why we were in the final four for two years in a row now.”

Posted on November 5, 2022November 5, 2022 by John Crane

Nothing short of an upward trajectory has defined Zane Smith through his first three seasons as a full-time driver in the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series.

Smith — the Rookie of the Year in 2020 and a two-time Championship 4 driver heading into 2022 — certainly brought a winning pedigree to the table. After all, Smith had already amassed three wins, 10 top-five and 27 top-10 finishes before the 2022 calendar season was a forethought.

But that pedigree was missing one thing, and a big one at that.

A championship.

Not to worry, however. This pedigree soared to new heights following the season’s 2022 title race in Phoenix as the No. 38 Front Row Motorsports Ford driver toppled the triple-Toyota threat of Ty Majeski, Ben Rhodes and Chandler Smith to net the 23-year-old his first truck title in his already-blossomed racing career.

Rewinding the clocks to 2020 might have established Smith’s precedent right away, considering he concluded his rookie year spectacle with three straight top-three finishes, branching between the Round of 8 and Championship 4 (third at Texas, third at Martinsville and second at Phoenix). But his 2021 campaign would have painted the picture more succinctly, considering how close Smith came to claiming the title that season. After finishing outside the top 25 through the first two Round of 8 playoff races (29th at Las Vegas and 33rd at Talladega), Smith needed to win if he wished to keep fate in his own hands. And he did just that. After winning a frantic overtime finish at Martinsville in late October, Smith’s 2021 Championship 4 berth was set in stone. But while his top-five finish at Phoenix a week later certainly wasn’t too shabby of a result, Smith finished runner-up in the championship behind Rhodes.

Oh, so close. Yet so far, still.

For Smith, 2022 would be different. While his first and second Championship 4 appearances certainly brought some glamour, 2022 needed to take another step forward toward a potential title. Third time’s the charm, so the saying goes.

Winning the 2022 season-opener on Feb. 18 at Daytona established the tone, and while a second place finish a week later at Vegas was disqualified following post-race inspection, Smith didn’t falter.

Instead, he continued to drive and thrive.

Winning three races (Daytona, Circuit of The Americas and Kansas) and finishing inside the top 10 in all but the disqualification within the first eight races to begin the season cemented Smith’s place as a title contender. Having a career season certainly helped his case, too — heading into the title race at Phoenix, Smith’s 2022 season included three wins, 13 top-five and 18 top-10 finishes, with the latter two marks leading the field. Maintaining a net-positive average finish (8.0) compared to his average start (10.1) only made the resume that much more impressive.

But a strong regular season — and a just-as-sturdy playoff run, where Smith finished inside the top 10 in five of six postseason races heading into the championship — would be almost all for naught without that championship trophy. Sure, the campaign would have arguably still been a success, but falling just short once again would have left a sour taste in the mouth of an otherwise sweet season.

But not this time. Instead of falling just short of the title mark, Smith soared above the rest and delivered what he was oh, so close to achieving almost a year to the day.

Moving the clocks back to 2020 and 2021 might have shown Smith’s talent in racing an entire season. But his 2022 emphasized tenacity in starting strong and building momentum toward the truck circuit’s premier prize. And so, claiming the championship came into being.

Smith’s trajectory has again leaped forward. And consider the pedigree enhanced, too.

Posted on November 4, 2022November 5, 2022 by Staff Report

Give an early edge to Ross Chastain as the No. 1 Trackhouse Racing team unloaded the fastest car by single-lap speed entering the weekend for the Cup Series Championship race at Phoenix Raceway. Following his miracle move at Martinsville Speedway to advance to the Championship 4, Chastain kept momentum on his side with a quick lap of 133.240 mph.

RELATED: Key info for Sunday | Practice results

A group of non-championship eligible drivers followed Chastain in the top five with Ryan Blaney (133.038 mph), Kyle Busch (132.964 mph), Tyler Reddick (132.905 mph) and Kevin Harvick (132.905 mph).

Despite being the fastest out of the gate, Chastain’s crew chief Phil Surgen is focused on keeping the car fast on the long run.

“Obviously being fastest is encouraging. Certainly some opportunity to improve,” Surgen said. “Our short-run speed is good, our mid-run speed probably could use a little bit. That’s where we’ll focus our efforts tonight, on just keeping the far better longer. We’ll do a debrief with the driver. That’s what I just left. After I get back, I’ll do a debrief with the engineers, and we’ll take a look at how the practice went, the balance, the speed, identify where the shortcomings are, figure out from a setup perspective what we want to change going into tomorrow, going into Sunday for race trim, that’s our first objective.”

Joey Logano put down the seventh-fastest lap in Friday evening’s 50-minute session with a 132.802 mph. Chase Elliott rounded out the top 10 at 132.343 mph.

Martinsville winner Christopher Bell didn’t get his No. 20 Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota fired off the hauler as he would’ve liked with a lap of 131.719 mph that was only good enough for 20th quickest. His long-run speed didn’t get any better as Bell was 32nd in the 10-lap average chart.

While Bell’s crew chief Adam Stevens admitted that the No. 20 wasn’t fast Friday, he said that no trophies are handed out in practice.

“We feel like we can definitely identify our issues and find some differences between our cars and setups, our car and our teammates’ that were a little bit more competitive,” Stevens said. “Should be able to exploit those overnight and be more competitive tomorrow. It just takes a small error in judgment or a fundamental flaw in your thought process to get off as far as we were off. We made one change. It was definitely better. Made one change that was definitely worse. One change didn’t really move the needle.”

Blaney was tops on the multi-lap circuits, putting down the best averages in the five-lap. 10-lap and 15-lap runs around the one-mile Arizona track. Team Penske teammate and title hopeful Logano slotted right behind him in fifth.

Logano’s crew chief Paul Wolfe said he was pleased with how the lone practice session went.

“All the Penske cars had pretty good speed out of the gate,” Wolfe said. “Our teammates were able to try some items as well. We have a lot of stuff to look at and make some decisions on. The 12 was really fast, as well. It just gives us more to lean on and more confidence in changes and things as we try to make decisions as we go into tomorrow.

“Obviously, the conditions, it cooled off quite a bit. Be pretty warm, from what I’ve seen, on Sunday. The track will have a lot less grip. We’ll have to make sure we adjust our balance accordingly for that.”

2020 champion Elliott was the fastest of the Championship 4 on the 10 consecutive lap chart with an average speed of 131.485 mph.

Elliott’s crew chief Alan Gustafson said after practice that experience is valuable when it comes to racing in the Championship 4. He and Elliott were able to win the Cup title two years ago after starting at the rear of the field.

“Yeah, any experience is valuable, in my opinion,” Gustafson said. “I think maybe all of it doesn’t correlate. When you get to come race for a championship, yeah, it’s been the same track obviously, but even before, when it was Homestead, I think you can draw some of your experiences.”

The Cup Series championship race is scheduled for 3 p.m. ET on Sunday (NBC, Peacock, MRN, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio).

Posted on November 4, 2022November 5, 2022 by Reid Spencer

AVONDALE, Ariz. – After two frustrating runner-up finishes in the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series championship, Zane Smith finally won his first title in a two-lap overtime shootout.

Holding off defending champion Ben Rhodes by 0.236 seconds at the end of a wild final two laps of Friday night’s Lucas Oil 150, Smith put it succinctly after a celebratory burnout at Phoenix Raceway.

RELATED: Race results | More on Zane Smith’s title win

“The third time’s the charm,” exulted an emotional Smith, who said he was crying throughout the final lap after wresting the lead from Rhodes one circuit earlier.

For the final restart, Smith chose to line up behind Rhodes, rather than to his outside. That enabled Smith to shortcut the backstretch dogleg and pull even with Rhodes to the inside. From that position, he was able to edge ahead of eventual third-place finisher Chandler Smith to the outside.

“I’m going to win this,” Zane Smith said of his mindset in overtime. “There was no other option. I was either backing it in the fence wrecking, or I was leaving tonight with a championship trophy. There were no other options, and when I saw the No. 18 [Chandler Smith] get underneath me I was worried that I got him too loose underneath me.

“Fortunately, he stayed off of me. I have a lot of respect for all three of (the other title competitors). It’s pretty impressive for some of the racing we’ve seen lately for us three to go at it that hard and that clean.”

Under caution for Hailie Deegan’s hard contact with the Turn 3 wall on Lap 134, Rhodes opted for right-side tires only, while the other three Championship 4 drivers—Zane Smith, Chandler Smith and Ty Majeski—took fresh rubber on all four corners.

Rhodes restarted third behind Stewart Friesen and Carson Hocevar on Lap 141 and charged past Friesen into the lead on Lap 144. Rhodes stayed out front with the other Championship 4 drivers in tow until Majeski lost control of his No. 66 Toyota as he tried to move to the inside of Zane Smith.

The subsequent overtime restart enabled the race winner to capitalize on his tire advantage. Rhodes got to Zane Smith’s bumper in the final corner and crossed the finish line less than a truck length behind. Chandler Smith was third, 0.259 seconds back of the winner.

“I don’t know, two tires versus four, that was the name of the game,” Rhodes said. “We didn’t have the pace all night that we needed to be up there and repeat so it was a great heads-up call by my crew chief (Rich Lushes). Ultimately, we just didn’t need that last caution. I think we could have held them off for the final few laps. I was giving him (Zane Smith) all the dirty air he could handle. I think we were going to be fine until that caution got us.

“On that last restart, I tried to get a jump, but two tires versus four, I just didn’t have the grip I needed. I did the best I could and threw a move on him but didn’t have enough grip to make it stick… We just need to go back and do our homework, and second is not fun. I’m going to mope my way back to Kentucky (his home state).”

LISTEN: Rhodes reacts to second | Chandler Smith comments on third

The victory was Smith’s fourth of the season, and it was a clean sweep. Smith earned the pole position in Friday’s time trials and won both stages before claiming the victory and the series title.

He’ll return to Front Row Motorsports next season, where he’ll defend his championship and compete in selected NASCAR Cup Series races, starting with the Daytona 500.

John Hunter Nemechek ran fourth on Friday night, followed by Friesen. Grant Enfinger, Corey Heim, Tanner Gray, Kaden Honeycutt and Carson Hocevar rounded out the top 10. Majeski came home 20th after the spin that sent the race into overtime.

NOTE: Inspection is complete in the Truck Series garage with no issues. The No. 38 Ford of Zane Smith is the race winner.

Posted on November 4, 2022 by Holly Cain

PHOENIX — In a wide-ranging, hour-long question-and-answer session Friday at Phoenix Raceway, NASCAR President Steve Phelps and Chief Operating Officer Steve O’Donnell delivered an upbeat update on the state of the sport and addressed issues from scheduling, leadership, diversity and the status of the Next Gen car heading into the 2023 season, which marks the sport’s 75th anniversary.

The leadership team was optimistic about opportunities next season – from NASCAR’s first-ever street race in Chicago to the uptick in attendance numbers and the announcement that seven-time NASCAR Cup Series champion Jimmie Johnson had bought ownership stake in Petty GMS and would compete himself in a handful of NASCAR Cup Series races, starting with the 2023 season-opening Daytona 500.

Phelps and O’Donnell openly addressed questions about safety, the way NASCAR polices on-track behavior, the charter system, the TV rights deal and the youth movement the sport is enjoying right now. And Phelps reminded with a smile, there have been 19 different winners in 2022 — nearly half the starting field has won a race.

Several tracks boasted sellouts this season, and that’s certainly the case for this Sunday’s NASCAR Cup Series Championship Race at Phoenix Raceway (3 p.m. ET on NBC, Peacock, MRN and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio).

Jared C. Tilton | Getty Images

No subject was off the table in what felt like a resoundingly positive view of where the sport has come since the 2020 COVID-19 days and where it is headed – including modifications to the race cars to improve driver safety and a renewed emphasis on good communication between NASCAR and the drivers.

“I think the communication between the sanctioning body and the drivers over this past five or six weeks has completely shifted the narrative on how the drivers are feeling about the area of safety or ‘race-ability,’ whatever it is the concerns are, the conversations we’re having with the drivers, you can tell there’s a difference, right, in how the drivers are speaking even to all of you,” Phelps said.

As for the car itself, O’Donnell said, “I think one of the myths that was out there was around all the testing and what went into the Next Gen car. If you take a step back, there was more testing done for this car than at any time in our history, on track, simulation, you name it. As you fast forward for this year, as with anything that is new, you’re going to learn, collect data, which we’ve done. Adjustments have been made to the rear clip that’s already gone out to the race teams for next year.

And, he added, “It’s not just the car. I think the dialogue we’ve had with the teams now involves how are you fitting in your seat, helmets, foam head surround. All those things are part of this dialogue, which is really, really good. We’re seeing some improvements on a daily basis as we look toward 2023.”

As for off-track, Phelps reported incredible strength in both attendance and media numbers. Television viewership figures, he said, were some of the best in years as well as social media engagement.

He reported that there has been a lot of interest in bringing the NASCAR product to a foreign venue and while that’s not in the cards for 2023, he did not rule it out for the future. And he promised, the 2024 schedule will have a new look from the 2023 version.

And as far as advancements in diversity and youth, Phelps pointed to Mexican driver Daniel Suárez’s maiden NASCAR Cup victory this season and that the last two NASCAR Cup Series champions were 24 (Elliott) and 29 years old (Larson) at the time they hoisted their trophies – both important boosts for a younger and more diverse NASCAR audience.

Overall, the sport’s leadership recognized the challenges and advances of the season with a strong confidence in what the future holds; acknowledging both strengths and aspirations – the willingness to change and improve when necessary.

“I think we are going to have an historic weekend,” Phelps said in conclusion. “Really excited to see the racing this evening, tomorrow and Sunday. The grandstands are going to be packed. … There’s going to be an energy there that we haven’t seen before.”

Posted on November 4, 2022November 4, 2022 by Team Release

CONCORD, N.C. — Rev Racing announced Friday it will be expanding into the NASCAR national series in 2023, fielding a full-time ride in the Craftsman Truck Series with its technical alliance partner, Kyle Busch Motorsports (KBM). Nick Sanchez, recent 2022 ARCA Menards Series champion, will pilot the No. 2 Gainbridge Chevrolet for Rev Racing and owners Max and Jennifer Siegel.

Over the last 20 years, Siegel has made tremendous strides to increase diversity in racing by offering opportunities to women and minorities, including over 125 drivers, over 100 pit crew members, and more than 20 interns and young professionals.

This expansion into the national series offers yet another platform and pipeline for young drivers to advance to the highest levels of the sport.

Rev Racing has had a collective 26 wins, 119 top fives, and 232 top-10 finishes in the NASCAR K&N Pro Series/ARCA Menards Series, with drivers finishing in the top 10 in points in every season. Rev Racing holds two championship titles in the NASCAR K&N Pro Series East/ARCA Menards Series, with Kyle Larson in 2012 and most recently with Sanchez in 2022.

Rev Racing

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

With Rev Racing capturing the 2022 AMS Drivers Championship and KBM standing as one of the most-winningest teams in the Truck Series, the partnership was an optimal choice for continued success as collaborators. Both teams are exploring opportunities to expand competitive alliances with Rev Racing’s ARCA program as well.

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

Sanchez has spent five years competing with Rev Racing as a participant of the NASCAR Drive for Diversity Driver Development Program. He has earned an impressive 31 top 10s, 18 top fives and four wins in his collective AMS career. He ended his rookie 2021 AMS season with a win at Kansas Speedway and third in point standings and finished the 2022 AMS season with victories at Kansas, Talladega and Michigan and the championship title. Sanchez has seen success in every level of competition he has participated in, which made him the optimal choice for the dedicated seat.

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

Gainbridge became a partner of Rev Racing this season, and is fully committed to the Rev Racing/Diversity Program and supporting the next-generation drivers, like Nick Sanchez, to drive more diversity into the field of motorsports. Both groups saw immediate alignment in their shared mission and focused initiatives within the sport and beyond.

“We’re proud to support Nick Sanchez and watch him compete in the more advanced racing series. His tremendous progress is a prime example of how Rev Racing’s Drive for Diversity Program has elevated talented race car drivers,’’ said Dan Towriss, CEO and President of Group 1001, the parent company of Gainbridge. “We are committed to providing ongoing support for the next generation of drivers and driving more diversity into the field of motorsports.’’

The Rev Racing No. 2 Gainbridge Chevrolet will make its National Series debut in the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series with Nick Sanchez at Daytona International Speedway on Feb. 17, 2023.