Photo Credit: Elvin Anderson

Avondale, AZ - This race has been the talk for many fans, race teams, and the media. Specifically, it was during last weekend’s controversial win for Ty Gibbs as he purposely tapped and crashed his teammate Brandon Jones in the last lap for the win at Martinsville. Both drivers were into the championship and could have both been in contention to compete this weekend, but with the spinning in the final lap, Jones ended up finishing 23rd and was eliminated.  This has added more negative reactions to Gibbs as the other drivers have shared their displeasure on how he would do that to his own teammate. Grandfather and team owner Joe Gibbs has a lot on his plate this weekend in Phoenix from working out the driver incident and hoping to win championships in the Xfinity and Cup series races. “Yeah, I think what’s happened there is we’re working through all of that,” Joe said. “There’s a lot to it. We’re trying to — as a family and as a race team family, we’re trying to work through every single part of that. We’re still going through it because it isn’t easy, everything that happened. Even still, Joe believes the situation could have been handled better.

“I think that’s it,” he said. “All of us certainly wish that it had never happened. We think the world of Brandon and his dad, J.R., so we’re just kind of committed to, at this point, go through all of this and try and do it in the right way. That’s what I think we’re all focused on.”

While Joe might have navigated through difficulties before, none revolved around a difficulty involving his grandson, whom he has watched for 20 years.

Here’s a little bit to go on with the final four drivers for the championship. It’s a battle between JR Motorsports who has 3 drivers in the final 4 and Joe Gibbs Racing. What are the odds of JRM being crowned the winner? 

Noah Gragson has won 5 of the last 9 races to add to the great season he has had this year. He took the victory here at Phoenix in march. Last season he finished 12th so his mindset is definitely on the win. 

Ty Gibbs has 6 wins where he was on the podium in 3 of the last 4 races. With his fast car and superior race performance, he could be crowned the winner this year. 

Josh Berry has also had a great run this season. He may have only 2 wins this season and is not as experienced with the Phoenix track, but he can take the win this year. 

Justin Allgaier has been the most consistent among the drivers in the final 4. He has made it in the top 4 at least 7 times this year but just hasn't made it over the hump since he started in the Xfinity Series in 2009. 

Now the race has begun everyone’s eyes are zoned in on the final 4 drivers. Although Gragson led 35 laps, he just couldn’t hold onto it at the end compared to Gibbs who led 125 laps. During the last 30 laps of the race, it was surely a battle between drivers. The lead kept switching hands numerous times on this one-mile track between Gragson, Allgaier, and Gibbs. 

With just 13 laps to go in the first stage, there is a caution as Brandon Brown hits the wall. As the first stage is complete, it will go to Gibbs who dominated this stage. He, the crew chief, and his crew had a great stage performance. The car was very strong during the practice run, qualifying, and most importantly the race. Coming in second and third were Allgaier and Gragson side by side with Berry coming in at fourth position.

There are a few things that go into ensuring a win for the championship - great run, quick pit stops, and not crashing. Although Gragson had a slow pit stop that caused him to lose five positions, he was still able to make it to the front. This is what makes him a great driver. His focus was definitely on winning the championship here in Phoenix, he knew he had some laps left and he was sure he had an opportunity to win. He refused to believe his race was over and he showed us that he was not giving up. Unfortunately, it was just too late for him. 
 

Phoenix Race Results (Stage 1): 1. Ty Gibbs; 2. Noah Gragson; 3. Justin Allgaier; 4. Josh Berry; 5. Landon Cassill; 6. Sheldon Creed; 7. Nick Sanchez; 8. Sammy Smith; 9. Brandon Jones; 10. AJ Allmendinger

Phoenix Race Results (Stage 2): 1. Ty Gibbs; 2. Justin Allgaier; 3. Noah Gragson; 4. Sammy Smith; 5. Landon Cassill; 6. Sam Mayer; 7. Brandon Jones; 8. AJ Allmendinger; 9. Sheldon Creed; 10. Josh Berry

NASCAR Xfinity Series Championship | EXTENDED HIGHLIGHTS | 11/5/22 | Motorsports on NBC