Noah

2022 - 3 - 12

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Noah Gragson tops Jones for NASCAR Xfinity win at Phoenix (Motorsport.com, Edition: Global)

Noah Gragson ended a dominant day with a checkered flag in the NASCAR Xfinity Series (NXS) race at Phoenix Raceway.

Ty Gibbs got turned off the nose of Josh Berry and went for a harrowing spin in front of the field. On the restart, Gragson got ahead of Jones, but the caution flag quickly came back out. Bayne had to fall to the rear of the field after both he and Mayer were caught speeding. Pole-sitter Bayne was having trouble getting his car fired and the No. 18 Joe Gibbs Racing team was scrambling to find a fix. I thought we had a pretty good Monster Energy Ford. I just went into (Turn) 3, hit the brake pedal, it took a hard right and my foot went to the floor. After a few tense moments, Bayne got rolling just before the race began. He rejoined behind Jones, but had plenty of time to make up the lost time. Bayne lost three positions on pit road and came out in fourth. He lost the lead with 13 laps to go after a brief battle. Jones would soon be overtaken by Nemechek, who put the Sam Hunt Racing car out front for a few laps. "Feels great to get the Bass Pro Shops Camaro to Victory Lane," an ecstatic Gragson said after climbing the fence. Josh Berry, Trevor Bayne and John-Hunter Nemechek rounded out the top-five.

Noah Gragson breaks through with NASCAR Xfinity win in dominant ... (AZCentral.com)

Noah Gragson shook off some recent frustrating finishes to race to his first victory of the season Saturday in the Xfinity Series at Phoenix Raceway.

Bayne was the pole-sitter but had a pre-race scare when he couldn’t get his car off pit road because of a steering wheel issue. Bayne’s Toyota won the first stage after beating Gragson back to the finish line by 0.06 seconds. He led 114 of the 200 laps and his JR Motorsports Chevrolet was obviously the fastest car in the field. He and his team continued the celebration by warming their hands over a hunk of burning tire on the track. Toyota cars earned four of the top six spots. “All top-three finishes in the first four races.

Noah Gragson claims first Xfinity Series win of 2022 at Phoenix ... (NASCAR)

Noah Gragson passed Brandon Jones for the lead with 14 laps to go to win the NASCAR Xfinity Series races at Phoenix Raceway.

But a pit-road penalty at Lap 165 for removing equipment from his stall forced the No. 7 car back to the pits for a pass-through penalty. In the outside lane, Allgaier found the right momentum through the resin and edged Jones by 0.03 seconds for the spot. As Gragson stormed away with the advantage, Jones and Justin Allgaier battled side-by-side with Bayne hot on their heels for second place. Stage 1 ended with a rousing photo finish between Gragson and polesitter Trevor Bayne. Gragson maintained the lead exiting Turn 2, but Bayne got a strong run and dove to Gragson’s left entering Turn 3. The strategy worked to perfection and he jumped out to a 1.2-second lead after trailing Gragson by over two seconds. The field avoided Gibbs, and he rallied to finish sixth.

Noah Gragson takes United Rentals 200 victory - The Checkered Flag (The Checkered Flag)

Noah Gragson led thrice as many laps as the next most driver in Saturday's NASCAR Xfinity Series race in Phoenix to claim his first win of the year.

It was the lone caution of the day as the final thirty laps in the stage ran green, during which Gragson fought with Jones before clearing him on lap 70 and leading the rest of the way. Although Nemechek had the early advantage, Gragson took the lead on lap 113 and never looked back, only surrendering the position during green-flag stops at the 170-lap marker. Gragson qualified second next to Trevor Bayne, who would be his biggest challenge as he dominated the first stage.

Noah Gragson wins Phoenix Xfinity race (NASCAR on NBC Sports)

JR Motorsports driver Noah Gragson led 114 of 200 laps to win his first Xfinity Series race of the season Saturday at Phoenix Raceway.

WHO HAD A BAD RACE: Riley Herbst finished last in the 38-car field after a crash. Josh Berry placed third and was followed by pole-sitter Trevor Bayne and John Hunter Nemechek. Bayne scored a top-five despite a pit road speeding penalty at the stage 2 break. … Josh Berry, who was third, scored his third consecutive top-five finish. Gragson led 114 of the 200 laps and won by 2.55 seconds. … Runner-up Brandon Jones had not finished better than 10th in the first three races. Gragson passed Brandon Jones for the lead with 14 laps to go and went on to score his sixth career series win.

Noah Gragson continues hot streak with victory in Phoenix (Gwinnett Prep Sports)

Noah Gragson came heartbreakingly close a week ago to his first NASCAR Xfinity Series victory of the 2022 season. On Saturday, his No.