Saturday’s NASCAR Xfinity Series event at Richmond Raceway, contrary to expectations, was a fairly clean, contact-less race… or at least it would have been if it were called the Toyota Care 245.
Throughout the entirety of the race’s final stage, Joe Gibbs Racing teammates John Hunter Nemechek and Ty Gibbs were engaged in a cat-and-mouse game for the victory, with both drivers staying within one second of each other throughout the entire run.
With five laps to go, the temperature in the pressure cooker continued to rise, as the pair got more aggressive in battling for the victory, making more and more contact as the finish loomed closer.
On the final lap of the event, things reached a boiling point, as Gibbs – sitting in the runner-up spot at the time — got into the back of Nemechek exiting turn two, allowing the 19-year-old to get alongside the Camping World Truck Series driver.
Gibbs then made an aggressive move into the third corner, sending his Monster Energy Toyota GR Supra deep into the corner, ultimately shoving Nemechek’s No. 18 up the track.
Entering the final set of corners, Gibbs made a fairly aggressive move, sending his Monster Energy-sponsored entry into the corner deep, forcing the No. 18 to move up the track, and lose the lead, despite an attempt to rally off of turn four.
Watch the battle for the victory between Ty Gibbs and John Hunter Nemechek here:
Last lap madness ?
?@RichmondRaceway pic.twitter.com/DeK6P0nhNB
— NASCAR Xfinity (@NASCAR_Xfinity) April 2, 2022
