Gibbs and A.J. Allmendinger were the class of the field from the start of Saturday’s race on the 14-turn, 2.439-mile course.
With Allmendinger out front, both he and Gibbs make their final green flag pit stop on lap 43 of 62 with Gibbs beating Allmendinger off pit road.
After completing another lap, a caution was shown due to a car that had stopped. Gibbs took the lead on the restart with 16 laps left and was never in any real danger. He crossed the finish line 7.959 seconds ahead of Sam Mayer to secure the win, marking his first victory in seven races this year.
It’s the 12th career win for the reigning series champion, who now competes fulltime in the Cup Series.
“It’s incredibly exciting to achieve a victory at The Brickyard,” expressed Gibbs, who is 20 years old. “Since my childhood, I have been racing go-karts in New Castle, which is just a stone’s throw away, so this win holds immense significance for me. The car was outstanding – truly exceptional. I extend my gratitude to Jason Ratcliff, our crew chief, who played a pivotal role in this success. He’s the one who deserves all the credit.”
“This holds immense significance for me.”
Allmendinger faded to third at the end, Austin Hill was fourth and Justin Allgaier fifth.
Completing the top-10 were Cole Custer, Parker Kligerman, Sheldon Creed, Kaz Grala and Brett Moffitt.
Stage 1
After finishing 20 laps, Allmendinger emerged as the winner of Stage 1, beating Mayer by a margin of 5.999 seconds. Daniel Hemric secured third place, followed by Kligerman in fourth and Allgaier in fifth.
NASCAR had to show a caution for rain after only seven laps were finished. Following that, the race was halted for approximately 44 minutes due to lightning nearby.
After switching to wet weather tires, the race resumed on lap 12 with Gibbs still leading. Within a couple of laps, teams started making their way to the pit road to switch back to slick tires.
Stage 2
After finishing 40 laps, Allmendinger emerged victorious in Stage 2 with a lead of 3.121 seconds over Gibbs. Mayer secured third place, followed by Creed in fourth and Riley Herbst in fifth to complete the top five.
During the middle of the stage, the car driven by Brad Perez, labeled as No. 53, came to a halt on the track. As a result, NASCAR had to implement cautionary measures for the race. A number of vehicles took advantage of this situation to make a pit stop.
Hemric and John Hunter Nemechek collided as they entered Turn 1 towards the end of the stage, resulting in a significant tire rub for Nemechek.
Stage 3
Allmendinger remained in the lead as the final stage got under way on lap 41.
A number of teams entered the pit road during a green flag period with 20 laps left in order to change their tires and refuel, ensuring they could complete the race. Unfortunately, Nemechek was caught speeding on the pit road and had to face a penalty of passing through.
Allmendinger and Gibbs were some of the last drivers to make a pit stop before a caution was shown on lap 45 due to Andre Castro’s stalled car. Gibbs took the lead after the restart with only 16 laps remaining.
With only 10 laps remaining, Gibbs had established a lead of over 3 seconds ahead of Allmendinger, while Mayer closely trailed in third place.
Blaine Perkins experienced an unexpected deviation in his path with only seven laps remaining and encountered a flat tire. However, he managed to return to the pit road safely without requiring any cautionary measures.
Mayer overtook Allmendinger to secure second place in the last two laps.
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