Wild and crazy is how stage one started with three cautions within 50 laps one of which was the NASCAR mandated caution but with beating and banging all over the track the third caution of the night saw Sam Mayer who’s had issues all season long making contact with Ty Gibbs racing for position. Mayer would end up on pit road with a tire cut down and front-end damage to the car.
When the stage ended it was Austin Cindric taking the win over Hemric, Allgaier and Allmendinger who were chasing points to lock in points for the Championship in Phoenix.
With pit stops underway Noah Gragson gambled knowing he needed a bunch of points or a win to make it to Phoenix staying out while Cindric, Hemric and more took to pit road in a split strategy. As the field went back to green and worked their way through the remaining laps of stage two Allgaier would stay marred back just inside the top-15.
By the time stage two was over Noah Gragson would take the win with H. Burton following in the tire track back in second with Cindric finishing out the stage in 5th, Hemric 6th and Allmendinger 7th among the playoff drivers within the top-10.
While under the caution Championship contender Justin Haley would get hit by a rotor fire which called the attention of the track crew using an entire fire extinguisher followed up by the crew pouring water directing on the fire to get it out. After going back out on track Haley was forced to the garage with no brakes ending his opportunity to race for a championship.
Gragson in a must win situation was well in control and looking at a possible berth to Phoenix until the seventh caution of the night came out and got blocked by another car trying to leave his box.
Within a handful of laps a stack up of Spencer Boyd, Brett Moffitt, Jeb Burton and more including Michael Annett who lost all the fluid from his No. 1 machine causing the extended clean up. While leaving the care center Annett remarked “racing that dumbass in the 10 car” when asked what happened.
Just as the green flag comes out Ty Gibbs is sent spinning following a slam from behind by Gragson and Cindric all working to get in line. Gibbs would collect his teammate Harrison Burton was in a must win situation to move on. When Gibbs finally returned to the track and made repairs to the car on pit road would line up a lap down.
With a handful of laps in sight and Hemric leading the way would see the 12th caution of the evening come out due to the No. 11 machine of Haley spinning off turn four setting a sprint to the finish.
On the restart with Gragson on the outside pinched the No. 18 machine of Hemric down to the bottom and cleared for the lead just as Berry spun in the middle of three and four to bring out the 13th caution of the night setting up NASCAR overtime.
With the green flag back in the air and Cindric hot in the tire track of Gragson to get past Hemric who was looking for his first win ever Gragson would pull away by mere inches to not just take home the win at Martinsville but the much-needed win that locked him into Phoenix for the championship.
Gragson would be joined with AJ Allmendinger and Austin Cindric who locked in earlier in the race with Daniel Hemric rounding out the Championship 4. However Allgaier, Haley, Brandon Jones and Harrison Burton missed out on the chance to run for a championship.
The NASCAR Xfinity Series will close out the 2021 campaign next Saturday, November 6th at 8:30 p.m. ET from Phoenix Raceway.
