Ty Gibbs might be the grandson of Joe Gibbs and drive some of the best equipment available in the NASCAR Xfinity Series, but the eighteen-year-old definitely knows how to make the most of what he has. Although reigning Cup Series champion Kyle Larson dominated Saturday’s Henry 180 at Road America, Gibbs passed him on the final lap en route to his eighth career win and fourth on a road course.
Larson, driving for his Cup team Hendrick Motorsports in its first Xfinity programme since 2009, won the pole and looked virtually unstoppable as he led all but fifteen laps and won the first two stages. Gibbs qualified second and spent much of Saturday chasing Larson before finding an opportunity as the last lap commenced. After staying on his rear bumper through the first corner, made his move on the inside before switching to defence.
The young prospect kept the Cup star off him for the rest of the circuit and his series-leading fourth win of 2022.
“I had a fun time racing with Kyle,” said Gibbs. “I thought it was going to get a little rough there, but he’s such a great competitor and a great person. We played golf the other day—I want to tell him thanks for the golf lessons, I still suck. This is awesome. I can’t believe it. It’s wonderful.
“[…] It’s cool to be here, cool to race the Cup Series guys. Hopefully, that says something.”
The finish developed due to overtime that sprung up after another Cup driver Cole Custer suffered a massive wreck after his brake rotor blew up.
However, easily the biggest crash of the day—if not headline—came on lap 14 when Noah Gragson‘s scuffle with Sage Karam saw the former hook right into his opponent, triggering a massive pile-up that collected eleven other drivers. Brandon Brown suffered an especially hard hit that forced him to sit along the wall while fellow driver Myatt Snider oversaw him until safety crews arrived.
Gragson, whose aggressive driving style has frequently attracted scrutiny, was lambasted for his action but did not receive penalty or discipline from NASCAR besides a warning. Karam’s employer Tommy Joe Martins accused Gragson of triggering the wreck intentionally and told JR Motorsports owners Kelley Earnhardt and Dale Earnhardt Jr. on Twitter, “I’m sure you’re embarrassed to even be associated with that. Hard racing and bumping a guy back I get but that kind of stuff can hurt someone. It’s too much.”
“I’m not embarrassed,” responded Kelley Earnhardt. “I understand you are upset rightfully so. Our team will sort out what we need to with Noah and move on. The highs and lows are all part of what we do.”
Race results
| Finish | Start | Number | Driver | Team | Manufacturer | Laps | Status |
| 1 | 2 | 54 | Ty Gibbs | Joe Gibbs Racing | Toyota | 48 | Running |
| 2 | 1 | 17 | Kyle Larson* | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | 48 | Running |
| 3 | 16 | 8 | Josh Berry | JR Motorsports | Chevrolet | 48 | Running |
| 4 | 10 | 21 | Austin Hill | Richard Childress Racing | Chevrolet | 48 | Running |
| 5 | 14 | 19 | Brandon Jones | Joe Gibbs Racing | Toyota | 48 | Running |
| 6 | 38 | 16 | A.J. Allmendinger | Kaulig Racing | Chevrolet | 48 | Running |
| 7 | 3 | 98 | Riley Herbst | Stewart-Haas Racing | Ford | 48 | Running |
| 8 | 7 | 9 | Noah Gragson | JR Motorsports | Chevrolet | 48 | Running |
| 9 | 11 | 51 | Jeremy Clements | Jeremy Clements Racing | Chevrolet | 48 | Running |
| 10 | 27 | 39 | Ryan Sieg | RSS Racing | Ford | 48 | Running |
| 11 | 21 | 91 | Preston Pardus | DGM Racing | Chevrolet | 48 | Running |
| 12 | 15 | 7 | Justin Allgaier | JR Motorsports | Chevrolet | 48 | Running |
| 13 | 13 | 44 | Josh Bilicki* | Alpha Prime Racing | Chevrolet | 48 | Running |
| 14 | 23 | 08 | Andy Lally | SS-Green Light Racing | Ford | 48 | Running |
| 15 | 18 | 36 | Alex Labbé | DGM Racing | Chevrolet | 48 | Running |
| 16 | 30 | 4 | Bayley Currey | JD Motorsports | Chevrolet | 48 | Running |
| 17 | 31 | 78 | Josh Williams | B.J. McLeod Motorsports | Chevrolet | 48 | Running |
| 18 | 35 | 26 | John Hunter Nemechek* | Sam Hunt Racing | Toyota | 48 | Running |
| 19 | 33 | 38 | Patrick Gallagher | RSS Racing | Ford | 48 | Running |
| 20 | 5 | 1 | Sam Mayer | JR Motorsports | Chevrolet | 48 | Running |
| 21 | 34 | 27 | Jeb Burton | Our Motorsports | Chevrolet | 48 | Running |
| 22 | 24 | 34 | Jesse Iwuji | Jesse Iwuji Motorsports | Chevrolet | 48 | Running |
| 23 | 19 | 23 | Anthony Alfredo | Our Motorsports | Chevrolet | 47 | Running |
| 24 | 8 | 18 | Sammy Smith | Joe Gibbs Racing | Toyota | 45 | Engine |
| 25 | 4 | 07 | Cole Custer* | SS-Green Light Racing | Ford | 43 | Accident |
| 26 | 25 | 88 | Miguel Paludo | JR Motorsports | Chevrolet | 39 | Accident |
| 27 | 6 | 2 | Sheldon Creed | Richard Childress Racing | Chevrolet | 37 | Engine |
| 28 | 29 | 35 | Chris Dyson | Emerling-Gase Motorsports | Chevrolet | 33 | Accident |
| 29 | 22 | 11 | Daniel Hemric | Kaulig Racing | Chevrolet | 27 | Accident |
| 30 | 9 | 48 | Tyler Reddick* | Big Machine Racing Team | Chevrolet | 25 | Accident |
| 31 | 12 | 45 | Sage Karam | Alpha Prime Racing | Chevrolet | 24 | Accident |
| 32 | 20 | 10 | Landon Cassill | Kaulig Racing | Chevrolet | 24 | Accident |
| 33 | 32 | 31 | Myatt Snider | Jordan Anderson Racing | Chevrolet | 24 | Accident |
| 34 | 36 | 68 | Brandon Brown | Brandonbilt Motorsports | Chevrolet | 24 | Accident |
| 35 | 17 | 02 | Brett Moffitt | Our Motorsports | Chevrolet | 24 | Accident |
| 36 | 37 | 5 | Joe Graf Jr. | B.J. McLeod Motorsports | Ford | 17 | Brakes |
| 37 | 26 | 6 | Ty Dillon* | JD Motorsports | Chevrolet | 13 | Header |
| 38 | 28 | 13 | Will Rodgers | MBM Motorsports | Toyota | 9 | Suspension |
| DNQ | 66 | J.J. Yeley | MBM Motorsports | Toyota | |||
| DNQ | 92 | Dexter Bean | DGM Racing | Chevrolet | |||
| DNQ | 47 | Ryan Vargas | Mike Harmon Racing | Chevrolet |
* – Ineligible for points