NASCAR Xfinity Series

Ty Gibbs moves Nemechek aside for ToyotaCare 250 win

2 Mins read
Credit: Jared C. Tilton/Getty Images

Besides being perhaps the hottest young prospect in NASCAR today, Ty Gibbs has developed a reputation for his rather aggressive driving. Saturday’s Xfinity Series race at Richmond Raceway did little to dispel that notion as he pushed Joe Gibbs Racing team-mate John Hunter Nemechek aside in the final corner to win his third race of the season.

The 19-year-old Gibbs, already a six-time race winner entering Richmond, won the pole while Nemechek, a Camping World Truck Series regular, joined him on the front row. The two JGR drivers battled for the lead throughout the entire race and traded the position seven times. By the checkered flag, JR MotorsportsJosh Berry was the only driver besides the two to lead a lap as he had a single circuit led under caution between the first and second stages. Nemechek won Stage #1 while Gibbs claimed the second.

Gibbs dominated Stage #3 before Nemechek passed him with four laps remaining. However, Gibbs was not going to relent for his team-mate, especially a part-timer who is not eligible for Xfinity points. After taking the white flag, Gibbs caught Nemechek and gave him multiple bumps from behind in the first two corners. Approaching turns three and four, Gibbs dove to the inside and made contact with Nemechek that sent him wide. Gibbs cleared Nemechek as they exited the last turn for the victory.

“We are racing for wins and they are hard to come by, so I had to take it,” said Gibbs. “We were fighting tight all day. We just couldn’t hold the bottom. John Hunter was a little faster and we had a great race. Good for Toyota to finish 1–2. I just got in there deep and had to bump him out of the way up the track. We are short track racing.”

Nemechek was understandably less than pleased with Gibbs’ move, commenting that “he and I will settle it on Monday. I don’t want to say too much and get myself in trouble, but just got drove through. He didn’t even try to make the corner there. Racers never forget, that is for sure.”

Save for a debris caution on lap 90, the race ran completely incident free.

Race results

FinishStartNumberDriverTeamManufacturerLapsStatus
1154Ty GibbsJoe Gibbs RacingToyota250Running
2218John Hunter Nemechek*Joe Gibbs RacingToyota250Running
3111Sam MayerJR MotorsportsChevrolet250Running
4916A.J. AllmendingerKaulig RacingChevrolet250Running
52498Riley HerbstStewart-Haas RacingFord250Running
61611Daniel HemricKaulig RacingChevrolet250Running
7128Josh BerryJR MotorsportsChevrolet250Running
82668Brandon BrownBrandonbilt MotorsportsChevrolet250Running
9839Ryan SiegRSS RacingFord250Running
101038Parker RetzlaffRSS RacingFord250Running
113827Jeb BurtonOur MotorsportsChevrolet250Running
121923Anthony AlfredoOur MotorsportsChevrolet250Running
13519Brandon JonesJoe Gibbs RacingToyota250Running
14147Justin AllgaierJR MotorsportsChevrolet250Running
153610Landon CassillKaulig RacingChevrolet250Running
1665Ryan Preece*B.J. McLeod MotorsportsFord250Running
172591Mason MasseyDGM RacingChevrolet250Running
18421Austin HillRichard Childress RacingChevrolet250Running
192036Alex LabbéDGM RacingChevrolet250Running
20751Jeremy ClementsJeremy Clements RacingChevrolet249Running
2139Noah GragsonJR MotorsportsChevrolet249Running
22132Sheldon CreedRichard Childress RacingChevrolet249Running
233308David StarrSS-Green Light RacingFord248Running
242244Rajah CaruthAlpha Prime RacingChevrolet248Running
251502Brett MoffittOur MotorsportsChevrolet248Running
263126Derek GriffithSam Hunt RacingToyota247Running
272378Josh WilliamsB.J. McLeod MotorsportsChevrolet247Running
282934Kyle WeathermanJesse Iwuji MotorsportsChevrolet246Running
292707Joe Graf Jr.SS-Green Light RacingFord246Running
302131Myatt SniderJordan Anderson RacingChevrolet246Running
31324Bayley CurreyJD MotorsportsChevrolet246Running
323566J.J. YeleyMBM MotorsportsFord245Running
331748Jade BufordBig Machine Racing TeamChevrolet245Running
343735Joey GaseEmerling-Gase MotorsportsFord245Running
351899Stefan ParsonsB.J. McLeod MotorsportsChevrolet245Running
36286Ryan VargasJD MotorsportsChevrolet243Running
373428Kyle SiegRSS RacingFord139Engine
383047Brennan PooleMike Harmon RacingChevrolet112Rear Gear
DNQ52Harrison RhodesJimmy Means RacingChevrolet
DNQ77Dillon BassettBassett RacingChevrolet
DNQ45Howie DiSavino IIIAlpha Prime RacingChevrolet
DNQ55Matt MillsB.J. McLeod MotorsportsChevrolet
Italics – Competing for Rookie of the Year
* – Ineligible for Xfinity points
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Justin is not an off-road racer, but he writes about it for The Checkered Flag.
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