NASCAR’s Gibbs stakes claim to Xfinity win and top-rookie honors at Kansas Speedway
Ty Gibbs enjoyed a day of celebration and coronation at Kansas Speedway on Saturday.
Gibbs, grandson of football Hall of Fame coach and car owner Joe Gibbs, began the cool and cloudy day by overtaking Austin Cindric and winning the NASCAR Xfinity Kansas Lottery 300.
The win was Gibbs’ fourth win and 10th top 10 finish in 18 Xfinity starts this season, and clinched the series’ Rookie of the Year honors.
Then, by starting his Toyota in the Reese’s 150 on Saturday night, Gibbs, 19, claimed the ARCA Menards Series championship. Not a bad day at the race track.
Gibbs, who led 14 laps in the Xfinity race, took the lead from Cindric with 11 laps to go, then earned the checkered flag by 0.759 seconds ahead of playoff drivers Cindric, A.J. Allmendinger and Justin Haley.
“It’s mind-blowing,” Gibbs said. “To win four races my rookie year, it’s just unbelievable. Rookie of the year, I really wasn’t going for it, but it’s cool to have it on the resume.”
To best illustrate how strong Gibbs’ car was, he was penalized for speeding on pit road with about 90 laps to go and was sent 17 spots to the rear of the lead lap. He took the penalty in stride and coolly moved up to the front when it mattered most.
“I had to be calm … like James Bond,” Gibbs said. “Call me 007, no time to die. I feel like I’m very competitive and I really want to win. I put my all into it, and when I miss and strike out like that, it makes me very frustrated.
“I’m learning how to handle myself in that way, just like a gentleman should. I’ve tot to be like James Bond. Calm and cool.”
Gibbs stayed patient until it was time to pass Cindric, the defending series champion who led a race-high 151 of the 200 laps in his Ford.
“We had to be really patient with the way the track was, and we were on the top so there was a lot of dirty air,” Gibbs said. “We had to make sure that we could just get him a little loose with air and then side draft him and pull away. I felt like that was the best way to pass him. It was hard because he could run the bottom and then just be completely stalled out.”
Because non-playoff and partial-series drivers Gibbs and John Hunter Nemechek — both in the Joe Gibbs Racing No. 54 Toyota — won the first two races in the Round of 8, only one playoff driver can clinch a spot in the Championship Four by winning next week at the unpredictable short track at Martinsville. The remining berths will be determined by points.
Gibbs, like Nemechek, was happy to spoil a postseason race for the playoff drivers.
“I don’t care about who wins, but hopefully one of my teammates,” Gibbs said. “We’re trying to win an owner’s championship in the 54, so it’s good to get in there and win. It stinks that Harrison (Burton) got wrecked … but hopefully we get the other JGR cars in the championship.”
Allmindinger, who led 10 laps Saturday, and Cindric picked up a valuable points by winning the first two stages but couldn’t overcome the relentless driving of Gibbs. They’ll enter Martinsville a comfortable 47 points ahead of the cutline to qualify for the Championship Four.
“It was a great points day,” Cindric said. “I really would have loved to lock our way in and race for a win at Martinsville. Congrats to the 54, Ty. That whole team has been on it no matter who is in the car. They have earned it.”
Justin Allgaier, who finished ninth, is nine points above the cutline; and Daniel Hemric, who was 15th, is seven points ahead. Below the cutline are Haley (minus-7); Noah Gragson (minus 24); Brandon Jones (mius 40) and Burton (minus 51).
Hemrick and Gragson were contending for a top-five finish before they were collected in a crash on the 97th lap. Rookie Sam Mayer clipped Hemric, who then spun around and took out Gragson.
This story was originally published October 23, 2021 at 5:58 PM.