Skip Barber Alumni secure NASCAR and Trans Am Championships!
Nov 07, 2022

Skip Barber alum Joey Logano dominated the NASCAR Cup Series championship race at Phoenix Raceway. He started on the pole, won the first stage, led a race-high 187 laps, won the race, and claimed his second series championship. The race victory marked his fourth of the season, his third at Phoenix, and the 31st of his career. Championship 4 contender and fellow Skip Barber grad Ross Chastain was closing fast in the final laps and came home third, 1.268 seconds behind Logano on the track and one spot behind the driver of the No. 22 Ford in the final championship standings.
In the NASCAR Xfinity Series championship race at Phoenix Raceway, Noah Gragson finished a close second as he was only 0.397 seconds back from the race win and championship. Gragson gained five spots on the Lap 171 restart, then passed Allgaier for second, and began to close on the lead. In the final corner, the No. 9 JR Motorsports Chevrolet driver was within two car lengths of the race win. A.J. Allmendinger finishes the season with a fifth-place finish behind the wheel of the No. 16 Kaulig Racing Chevrolet. Allmendinger also finished fifth in the final championship standings.
Chandler Smith finished third in the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series championship race at Phoenix Raceway, 0.259 seconds back of the winner. In his first Championship 4 appearance, the driver of the No. 18 Kyle Busch Motorsports Toyota ends the season third in the final championship standings. Smith claimed three wins throughout the season and nine Top-5 finishes.
Skip Barber alum and former instructor Thomas Merrill overcame nearly impossible odds to win the Trans Am Series TA2 championship in the final round at Circuit of the Americas. Coming into the race weekend with a 32-point deficit, Merrill needed every point possible to have a chance at the championship. Merrill placed the No. 26 Ford Mustang on the pole position in TA2 with a new lap record as Boris Said qualified pole in TA with a new lap record. Merrill led the race through multiple full-course cautions as the championship leader suffered major damage to his car. Merrill claimed the race win, placing himself in a tie for the championship. The tiebreaker for the title was based on wins, giving Merrill the championship. Said finished third in the TA class race.