Gibbs upsets Hendrick’s chance at first NXS win since 2009
ELKHART LAKE, WISC. — No matter the restart or strategy change-up, Hendrick Motorsports looked unbeatable with Kyle Larson at the helm Saturday in Road America – until the final lap when an old, familiar rival showed up at the right time and impressed.
Larson led 31 of 48 laps and seemingly drove away or drove through the field during several restarts, except for the final one. He spun his tires and had Ty Gibbs dogging him until turn four, with one lap to go, when he passed the defending NASCAR Cup Series champion for the lead.
Larson followed Gibbs closely and tried one last move in Canada Corner, but Gibbs masterfully ran a defensive, fast line and won an overtime-extended Henry 180 at Road America.
I had a fun time racing with Kyle (Larson),” Gibbs said. “I thought it was going to get a little rough there, but he’s such a great competitor and a great person. We played golf the other day – I want to tell him thanks for the golf lessons. I still suck. This is awesome. I can’t believe it. It’s wonderful.”
Gibbs now has eight career NXS win in 34 starts.
Larson was one position shy of giving Hendrick Motorsports’ NXS operations two wins in a row, 13 years apart – as HMS’ last start was Feb. 2009 at Daytona when Tony Stewart won for them. Larson swept both stages, even besting Gibbs in stage one, but he fell short on the final lap.
Still, the defending Cup champion left Road America impressed with NASCAR’s newest rising star.
“He did a really good job executing and I didn’t. Congrats to Ty, that was really impressive. He was able to pass me without laying a bumper on me,” Larson told NBC Sports. “When he passed me clean, I decided I should not use him up unlike when others get used it up. He ran me clean so I ran him clean.”
The top 10 finishers are as follows: Ty Gibbs (led 5 laps), Kyle Larson (led 31 laps), Josh Berry, Austin Hill, Brandon Jones, A.J. Allmendinger (led 1 lap), Riley Herbst, Noah Gragson, Jeremy Clements, Ryan Sieg (led 2 laps).
While Ty Gibbs and other NASCAR Xfinity Series regulars will race next July 9 for the Alsco Uniforms 250 at Atlanta Motor Speedway (5 p.m. ET; TV: USA; Radio: PRN/SiriusXM NASCAR Ch. 90), Alex Bowman will be next to try and deliver an NXS win for Hendrick Motorsports at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway road course July 30 (3:30 p.m. ET; TV: NBC; Radio: IMS/SiriusXM NASCAR).
William Byron will also race the No. 17 Chevrolet, Aug. 20, at Watkins Glen (3 p.m. ET; TV: USA; Radio: MRN/SiriusXM NASCAR).
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Jonathan Fjeld View All
Jonathan Fjeld is the co-owner of the The Racing Experts, LLC. He has been with TRE since 2010.
A Twin Valley, MN, native, Fjeld became a motorsports fan at just three years old (first race was the 2002 Pennsylvania 500). He worked as a contributor and writer for TRE from 2010-18. Since then, he has stepped up and covered 24 NASCAR race weekends and taken on a larger role with TRE. He became the co-owner and managing editor in 2023 and has guided the site to massive growth in that time.
Fjeld has covered a wide array of stories and moments over the years, including Kevin Harvick's final Cup Series season, the first NASCAR national series disqualification in over 50 years, Shane van Gisbergen's stunning win in Chicago and the first Cup Series race at Road America in 66 years – as well as up-and-coming drivers' stories and stories from inside the sport, like the tech it takes for Hendrick Motorsports to remain a top-tier team.
Currently, he resides in Albuquerque, N.M., where he works for KOB 4, an NBC station. He works as a digital producer and does on-air reports. He loves spending time with friends and family, playing and listening to music, exploring new places, being outdoors, reading books and writing among other activities. You can email him at fjeldjonathan@gmail.com