By RaceScene Publisher on Saturday, 23 October 2021
Category: The Checkered Flag

Ty Gibbs scores fourth career Xfinity win, ARCA title at Kansas

It was an eventful Saturday for Ty Gibbs. He led the final ten laps of the NASCAR Xfinity Series‘ Kansas Lottery 300 at Kansas Speedway to win for the fourth time in the series, before taking the green flag in the evening’s ARCA Menards Series event to win the championship.

Daniel Hemric started on the pole and led the first ten laps before Austin Cindric took the spot. He led through the competition caution and a lap 28 wreck involving Jade Buford and Dylan Lupton. A.J. Allmendinger took the stage win ahead of Hemric, Cindric, Gibbs, Justin Allgaier, Myatt Snider, Noah Gragson, Brandon Jones, Justin Haley, and Michael Annett.

The second stage ran completely green. Cindric dominated the segment to win ahead of Gibbs, Hemric, Gragson, Snider, Allmendinger, Harrison Burton, Allgaier, Sam Mayer, and Haley.

Cindric continued to lead to kick off the final stage, only briefly surrendering to Snider after a wreck on lap 96 in which Hemric spun into Gragson. Joe Graf Jr.‘s single-car spin on lap 103 brought out another caution, as did Mason Massey on lap 135. Two more yellow flags waved for debris from Graf’s car and Jones spinning.

At the front, Cindric and Gibbs sparred for the lead. On lap 178, Burton got loose while running three-wide with Mayer and Gragson, causing him to be accidentally turned by the former being coming up into the latter and slamming into the wall.

Although Cindric still led on the restart, Gibbs passed him on lap 190 and led the rest of the way. It is his fourth win in just his seventeen career Xfinity start, while the Joe Gibbs Racing #54 has now won back-to-back races with non-Xfinity drivers. As a consequence of the latter, no playoff driver is locked into the Championship Round with just one race remaining.

“We had to be really patient with the way the track was and we were on the top so a lot of dirty air,” said Gibbs. “We had to make sure that we could just get (Cindric) 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. This is just awesome.”

Later in the day, he finished second in the ARCA season finale behind Nick Sanchez, though all he needed to clinch the championship was to start the race as Corey Heim was too far back in points. Gibbs is expected to move to a full-time Xfinity slate in 2022, making him the first driver to parlay an ARCA title into a full Xfinity ride since Allgaier in 2009 (most ARCA champs usually move up to the Camping World Truck Series).

Race results

FinishStartNumberDriverTeamManufacturerLapsStatus
11054Ty GibbsJoe Gibbs RacingToyota200Running
2222Austin CindricTeam PenskeFord200Running
3516A.J. AllmendingerKaulig RacingChevrolet200Running
4611Justin HaleyKaulig RacingChevrolet200Running
51439Ryan SiegRSS RacingFord200Running
61602Brett MoffittOur MotorsportsChevrolet200Running
781Michael AnnettJR MotorsportsChevrolet200Running
8128Sam MayerJR MotorsportsChevrolet200Running
937Justin AllgaierJR MotorsportsChevrolet200Running
10152Myatt SniderRichard Childress RacingChevrolet200Running
11919Brandon JonesJoe Gibbs RacingToyota200Running
121110Jeb BurtonKaulig RacingChevrolet200Running
131398Riley HerbstStewart-Haas RacingFord200Running
142368Brandon BrownBrandonbilt MotorsportsChevrolet200Running
15118Daniel HemricJoe Gibbs RacingToyota200Running
162215Bayley Currey*JD MotorsportsChevrolet200Running
171951Jeremy ClementsJeremy Clements RacingChevrolet200Running
183917Garrett SmithleySS-Green Light RacingToyota200Running
19384Landon CassillJD MotorsportsChevrolet200Running
202731Jordan Anderson*Jordan Anderson RacingChevrolet200Running
212547Kyle WeathermanMike Harmon RacingChevrolet200Running
22206Ryan VargasJD MotorsportsChevrolet200Running
231744Tommy Joe MartinsMartins MotorsportsChevrolet199Running
243423Patrick EmerlingOur MotorsportsChevrolet199Running
253199Matt MillsB.J. McLeod MotorsportsChevrolet199Running
261892Josh WilliamsDGM RacingChevrolet198Running
272826Dylan LuptonSam Hunt RacingToyota198Running
28240Jeffrey EarnhardtJD MotorsportsChevrolet198Running
293007Joe Graf Jr.SS-Green Light RacingChevrolet198Running
302978Jesse LittleB.J. McLeod MotorsportsChevrolet197Running
313290Spencer Boyd*DGM RacingChevrolet196Running
323661Loris HezemansMBM MotorsportsToyota192Running
332136Alex LabbéDGM RacingChevrolet191Running
34720Harrison BurtonJoe Gibbs RacingToyota178Accident
3549Noah GragsonJR MotorsportsChevrolet178Accident
363366David StarrMBM MotorsportsFord152Running
37265Mason MasseyB.J. McLeod MotorsportsToyota133Accident
383548Jade BufordBig Machine RacingChevrolet28Accident
394074Gray GauldingMike Harmon RacingChevrolet13Engine
403752Joey GaseJimmy Means RacingChevrolet2Electrical
Bold – Currently in playoffs
Italics – Competing for Rookie of the Year
* – Ineligible for Xfinity points
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