Zack Albert | NASCAR Studios
PHOENIX — A remorseful Ty Gibbs rolled into the NASCAR Xfinity Series portion of Championship 4 Media Day on Thursday, saying that his selfishness and over-aggressive move last weekend left his family’s racing organization with one fewer chance for a series title. Indeed, he’ll face three JR Motorsports teammates intent on shutting him out in Saturday’s finale.
But before a lap has been turned in Saturday’s Xfinity Series curtain-closer, the war of words has already ramped up, led by old foe Noah Gragson, who derisively called the title-eligible quartet “three and a half men.”
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“Just voicing my opinion, I don’t like him,” said Gragson, who spoke candidly and at length about his disdain for his rival. “It’s just speaking what everybody doesn’t want to say, but they feel it.”
Championship 4 Media Day included the return of trash-talking and gamesmanship to the pre-race festivities Thursday at the Phoenix Convention Center, with Gragson carrying the primary baton. Gragson will join teammates Justin Allgaier and Josh Berry in taking on Gibbs in Saturday’s Xfinity Series Championship race (6 p.m. ET, USA, NBC Sports App, MRN, SiriusXM) at Phoenix Raceway.
The issue burbled up last Saturday at Martinsville Speedway, when the 20-year-old Gibbs bounced teammate Brandon Jones from the lead on the final lap of the series’ penultimate race. Gibbs had already locked into the Championship 4 field, but his bump of Jones’ No. 19 Toyota cost Joe Gibbs Racing another slot in the title-eligible field.
This story will be updated.