NASCAR: Gibbs earns win number two at Iowa

Credit: Chris Graythen via Getty Images

Ty Gibbs claimed the second victory of his Cup Series career at Iowa, executing the final laps to perfection to hold off Christopher Bell.

As it unfolded

Ryan Blaney started on pole position, with Kyle Larson alongside. Blaney led the first lap and immediately began stretching his lead as most of the field stayed two-wide further behind.

Trouble struck on Lap 4, with Tyler Reddick and Erik Jones wrecking hard in turn one.

Blaney pulled away early again on the restart, while Larson and Joey Logano battled for second. Larson kept the spot, with Logano settling into third and Ty Gibbs and Austin Dillon behind him.

Ryan Blaney won the stage, with little change in the running order except for a pass by Logano on Larson.

Stage 1 Results:

1. No. 12 - Ryan Blaney (Team Penske)

2. No. 22 - Joey Logano (Team Penske)

3. No. 5 - Kyle Larson (Hendrick Motorsports)

4. No. 54 - Ty Gibbs (Joe Gibbs Racing)

5. No. 3 - Austin Dillon (Richard Childress Racing)

6. No. 1 - Ross Chastain (Trackhouse Racing)

7. No. 20 - Christopher Bell (Joe Gibbs Racing)

8. No. 19 - Chase Briscoe (Joe Gibbs Racing)

9. No. 88 - Connor Zilisch (Trackhouse Racing)

10. No. 38 - Zane Smith (Front Row Motorsports)

Credit: Chris Graythen via Getty Images

Blaney and Logano led the restart. Chastain's pit stop put him into fourth, and Briscoe and Bubba Wallace also climbed up the leaderboard.

The caution came out on Lap 91 for Shane Van Gisbergen, who spun in turn three. Meanwhile, Carson Hocevar struggled with engine issues.

Chase Elliott assumed the lead after staying out under caution. He and Ryan Blaney led the field back to green on Lap 98, but green flag conditions did not last long. Ricky Stenhouse Jr. spun in turn three after being caught on the outside of four-wide action.

Bubba Wallace powered by Blaney's inside on Lap 35, pushing Blaney down to second. Wallace and Elliott fought for the lead for the next three laps until Wallace finally emerged with the top spot. Blaney reclaimed second place from Elliott. He and Wallace went on to gap the field by several seconds.

Carson Hocevar spun in turn four on Lap 141, prompting a caution. Four drivers stayed out on track, including Christopher Bell and Denny Hamlin, who moved to the front row. Logano and Chastain were the first drivers off pit road, taking only two tyres.

The next green flag lap saw multiple cars involved in an incident exiting turn four. Kyle Larson was nudged out of the groove by John Hunter Nemechek. He was then pinched into the wall as the three cars to his inside moved up the track. A caution was thrown and several cars were damaged.

For the rest of the run, Christopher Bell, Briscoe and Hamlin spent the most time up front, although Hamlin ultimately fell back on older tyres. It was a similar fate for Briscoe, who was passed by Logano with 11 laps left in the stage and dropped to fifth before the stage ended. Bell held on to cross the line first.

Stage 2 Results:

1. No. 20 - Christopher Bell (Joe Gibbs Racing)

2. No. 22 - Joey Logano (Team Penske)

3. No. 1 - Ross Chastain (Trackhouse Racing)

4. No. 54 - Ty Gibbs (Joe Gibbs Racing)

5. No. 19 - Chase Briscoe (Joe Gibbs Racing)

6. No. 11 - Denny Hamlin (Joe Gibbs Racing)

7. No. 24 - William Byron (Hendrick Motorsports)

8. No. 12 - Ryan Blaney (Team Penske)

9. No. 38 - Zane Smith (Front Row Motorsports)

10. No. 88 - Connor Zilisch (Trackhouse Racing)

Credit: Chris Graythen via Getty Images

Chase Elliott stayed out under caution, moving to first position. Blaney lined up next to him after pitting. Blaney's tyres paid off, as just a few laps later, he held the lead by about a second and a half. Meanwhile, Elliott lost numerous positions, falling to the bottom of the top 10.

Bell closed in on Blaney as the race neared the Lap 250 mark, eventually moving past on Lap 254. Gibbs manoeuvered by Blaney for second on Lap 278, but there were few position changes otherwise during the run, with most cars on track separated by a second or more.

Bell kicked off green flag pit stops with 60 laps remaining. Teammate Gibbs followed. Chastain moved to the lead. He and Noah Gragson stayed out as long as they could. When Gibbs moved into second, he was still twelve seconds behind the leader.

Chastain finally headed to the pits with 21 laps to go, handing the lead to Gibbs. Bell lurked just a half second behind, and the margin between them thinned. Despite several late charges, Bell could not make the pass. He was forced to settle for his seventh runner-up finish this year as Gibbs took the win.

Provisional Results:

1. No. 54 - Ty Gibbs (Joe Gibbs Racing)

2. No. 20 - Christopher Bell (Joe Gibbs Racing)

3. No. 12 - Ryan Blaney (Team Penske)

4. No. 21 - Josh Berry (Wood Brothers Racing)

5. No. 11 - Denny Hamlin (Joe Gibbs Racing)

6. No. 19 - Chase Briscoe (Joe Gibbs Racing)

7. No. 1 - Ross Chastain (Trackhouse Racing)

8. No. 16 - A.J. Allmendinger (Kaulig Racing)

9. No. 24 - William Byron (Hendrick Motorsports)

10. No. 3 - Austin Dillon (Richard Childress Racing)

11. No. 88 - Connor Zilisch (Trackhouse Racing) [+1 Lap]

12. No. 23 - Bubba Wallace (23XI Racing) [+1 Lap]

13. No. 17 - Chris Buescher (RFK Racing) [+1 Lap]

14. No. 22 - Joey Logano (Team Penske) [+1 Lap]

15. No. 9 - Chase Elliott (Hendrick Motorsports) [+1 Lap]

16. No. 38 - Zane Smith (Front Row Motorsports) [+1 Lap]

17. No. 4 - Noah Gragson (Front Row Motorsports) [+1 Lap]

18. No. 47 - Ricky Stenhouse Jr. (Hyak Motorsports) [+1 Lap]

19. No. 42 - John Hunter Nemechek (Legacy Motor Club) [+1 Lap]

20. No. 60 - Ryan Preece (RFK Racing) [+1 Lap]

21. No. 35 - Riley Herbst (23XI Racing) [+1 Lap]

22. No. 34 - Todd Gilliland (Front Row Motorsports) [+1 Lap]

23. No. 7 - Daniel Suárez (Spire Motorsports) [+1 Lap]

24. No. 10 - Ty Dillon (Kaulig Racing) [+1 Lap]

25. No. 71 - Michael McDowell (Spire Motorsports) [+1 Lap]

26. No. 33 - Austin Hill (Richard Childress Racing) [+1 Lap]

27. No. 6 - Brad Keselowski (RFK Racing) [+2 Laps]

28. No. 41 - Cole Custer (Haas Factory Team) [+2 Laps]

29. No. 2 - Austin Cindric (Team Penske) [+2 Laps]

30. No. 97 - Shane Van Gisbergen (Trackhouse Racing) [+3 Laps]

31. No. 77 - Carson Hocevar (Spire Motorsports) [+3 Laps]

32. No. 51 - Cody Ware (Rick Ware Racing) [+3 Laps]

33. No. 5 - Kyle Larson (Hendrick Motorsports) [+18 Laps]

34. No. 48 - Alex Bowman (Hendrick Motorsports) [DNF]

35. No. 43 - Erik Jones (Legacy Motor Club) [DNF]

36. No. 45 - Tyler Reddick (23XI Racing) [DNF]