PHOENIX — Noah Gragson charged to the front in the final laps of the 2022 NASCAR Xfinity Series Championship Race. As the laps wound down at Phoenix Raceway, he closed in on the back bumper of Ty Gibbs’ No. 54 Toyota.
The two rivals seemed destined to end the best event of the weekend thus far side-by-side, fighting to the checkered flag banging together in a shower of sparks.
But as Gragson might say himself, that was “fantasyland.” Once he closed to within a couple of car lengths, the No. 9 JR Motorsports Chevrolet stalled out. Gibbs simply had more speed most of the night, winning the title with 125 laps led while Gragson had to settle for second.
What happened next was a handshake, not more hatred, the JR Motorsports driver acknowledging his defeat and respecting the way Gibbs raced clean throughout the night.
“Because they did a good job,” Gragson said, matter-of-factly, about showing respect after a week of harsh criticism over Gibbs’ driving at Martinsville Speedway. “They beat us.”
That they did. Throughout the race, Gibbs never really stumbled at any point, while the JRM triumvirate made some crucial mistakes. For Gragson, it was nine spots lost on pit road, combined with a late-race engine problem for Justin Allgaier and Josh Berry nearly spinning out on a restart, dropping back to 21st and out of contention.
A poor stop at the end made Gragson charge up from eighth. But he insisted that didn’t keep him from a championship.
“We still had laps left, and we still had opportunity,” Gragson said. “We weren’t wrecked. We weren’t in the garage.”
In the end, it all just wasn’t good enough. Everyone at JRM, from team owner Dale Earnhardt Jr. on down, had to process getting beat, losing a 3-out-of-4 shot to leave with the championship.
Dale Earnhardt Jr. reacts to JR Motorsports coming up short and Ty Gibbs winning the championship. pic.twitter.com/TplXDP9oBZ
— Bob Pockrass (@bobpockrass) November 6, 2022
Meanwhile, as Gibbs celebrated the title, there were a shower of boos raining down on him from the stands at Phoenix. Nothing he could do or say would stop them from coming, even a direct and consistent apology.
“The mistakes I made last week were completely unacceptable,” Gibbs said. “The only thing I could do this week is come back and win.”
Gragson, former bad guy of the Xfinity Series, could only watch his replacement in the role clutch a trophy he so desperately wanted to win.
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