The 2022 NASCAR Xfinity Series season had its share of exciting moments, as well as the uncanny.
From sizable streaks to controversial bump-and-runs, funny facial expressions to unique new ways to score sponsorship, there’s a lot to award following a season that saw Ty Gibbs win his first Xfinity championship.
Here are a few of 2022’s superlatives as we celebrate the season that was.
The Harry Gant Mr. September 2.0 Award
This award is a nod to Gant’s four-race win streak in the NASCAR Cup Series in 1991, nearly sweeping the month of September.
Noah Gragson did just that, earning wins at Darlington Raceway, Kansas Speedway, Bristol Motor Speedway and Texas Motor Speedway.
Darlington featured a thrilling finish in which Sheldon Creed, Kyle Larson and Gragson all battled for the lead. All three drivers hit and scrubbed the wall at the end, but Gragson was able to push through and get past Creed coming off the final turn.
At Kansas, just 93 of the 200 scheduled laps were run when the race was red-flagged due to rain. Since Gragson was the leader when the caution came out, he took home the victory.
A win is a win, right?
Then at Bristol, Gragson’s crew chief Luke Lambert called a great strategy, keeping Gragson out before a restart while the rest of the leaders pitted with about 20 laps to go. He held off some charges from Brandon Jones and grabbed his third consecutive win.
Lastly, at Texas, Gragson was able to survive the chaos and take his seventh victory of the season after leading 85 laps.
A combination of luck, strength and good strategy were all Gragson needed during this successful September stretch.
The Denny Hamlin “Short-Track Racing” Award
I’m sure you remember Denny Hamlin‘s tussle with Joey Logano a few years ago, as well as his infamous impersonation in the interview afterward.
Martinsville Speedway (and short tracks in general) tends to bring out the passion and desire to win, as well as the frustration when drivers don’t achieve a victory.
One who’s had his share of both is Xfinity champion Gibbs.
In the spring Martinsville race, Gibbs was passed by Joe Gibbs Racing teammate Jones for the lead in overtime. He also got in a fight with Sam Mayer afterward.
Gibbs and Jones’ roles were reversed in the next-to-last race of the season at Martinsville, but more was at stake this time around. Jones was fighting for a spot in the Championship 4 at the end of the race.
With Gibbs locked in already, he should…
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