Joe Gibbs Racing has been nailing it this playoff season. They pose a great threat across the NASCAR national series. Just take the Round of 16 sweep, for example, where Denny Hamlin, Chase Briscoe, and Christopher Bell dominated the three races to keep their playoff hopes alive. And now, as they aim to recreate the sweep at the Round of 8 elimination race at Martinsville, things are bound to get heated up.

And that’s exactly what happened. Things took a different turn at the Xfinity race this evening, as two of Joe Gibbs’ drivers were battling it out on the ‘Paperclip’. And although their 20-year-old rookie displayed a remarkable performance by stealing the win, it had other implications for JGR, which weren’t warranted.

Joe Gibbs Racing’s rookie earns his first-ever victory amid playoff chaos

The IAA & Ritchie Bros. 250 had all the drama cranked up to 11. With Championship 4 spots hanging in the balance, Taylor Gray swooped in and stole the show with a win that decided it all. And amid all the joy of securing his first-ever Xfinity win, he may have just derailed his teammates’ day.

Gray, a non-playoff contender, held off Sammy Smith in overtime to claim his redemption. After coming up short in his previous two trips to Martinsville Speedway, Gray cut through the field in his No. 54 JGR machine, steadily climbing into the top five by mid-race. He passed key competitors like his teammate, Brandon Jones, and JR Motorsports’ Justin Allgaier, showing patience and precision as he prepared for his first shot at the national series victory. However, it didn’t look so good for Jones.

Even though Joe Gibbs Racing’s Brandon Jones, who was very much in the playoff mix, finished P3, it wasn’t enough to earn his spot in the Championship 4. But Carson Kvapil mounted a remarkable comeback after his lap 227 spin, climbing more than 10 positions and edging out Brandon Jones by just four points to claim the final spot at Phoenix.

It was Jesse Love and Carson Kvapil who secured the final spots for the Championship 4, despite finishing 23rd and 18th, respectively. Both drivers faced significant challenges on the Virginia short track, with Love struggling for speed and picking up multiple early penalties while Kvapil spun late in the race. But as shiny as Jones’ p3 looks, it wasn’t enough for him to recover. But Gray, on the other hand, had a spectacular day.

The 20-year-old couldn’t contain his happiness. Speaking post-race, he said, ” Gosh, about damn time. I get me a clock, baby. Man, man, I cannot thank everybody on this 54 team. Such an awesome race car. Way faster, way faster. I’m not going to say that Xfinity Mobile, but just as fast. I think you just did. I know my bad Xfinity. Man, Jason Radcliffe, all these guys, the pit crew did an awesome job tonight. Everybody on this group bring awesome race cars to this racetrack and give me an opportunity to race for one every time I come here.”

By lap 172, the No. 54 driver had maneuvered inside Aric Almirola, setting up a battle for the race lead. As the laps wound down, Gray had his composure and strategy. He took the lead on lap 201 following a restart and fended off challenges from Alimrola and Sammy Smith. Multiple cautions, including spins from Jesse Love, Carson Kvapil, and Anthony Alfredo, threatened to disrupt Gray’s momentum, but he expertly navigated the restart, maintaining a consistent line on the bottom lane while holding off the field.

In the final stretch, Gray’s determination paid off. By lap 253, he held off Sammy Smith and Brandon Jones to secure his first Xfinity Series win and his 14th top 10 finish of 2025. Not only was it his first victory at Martinsville, but it also marked a triumphant moment for the highest-finishing rookie of the race. This marks the second time a non-playoff contender has won a race in this playoff season, with Austin Hill taking his Richard Childress Racing car to victory lane at Talladega. But this win has taken a toll on the playoff drivers…

Which drivers got eliminated from the playoffs and why?

While Connor Zilisch and Justin Allgaier already punched their ticket into the Championship 4 next weekend, Jesse Love and Carson Kvapil now join them. But it was extremely heartbreaking for the rest of the playoff field.  Alongside Brandon Jones, Sammy Smith, Sam Mayer, and Sheldon Creed were knocked out of the championship contention at Martinsville.

Mayer didn’t hold back his frustrations with Jeb Burton after the race. He spun Burton’s No. 27 Jordan Anderson Racing car following the checkered flag and exchanged pointed words on pit road.

Mayer said of Burton, “It’s a principal thing. He’s the worst person to race around in the entire garage. He has a reputation of being over his head every single week and this was a prime example of it. He just can’t take no for an answer and a guy with a purple spoiler racing for something huge, moved him out of the way and went on and was faster than him in the end, and as soon as he got back to me, he gave it the beans and tried to wreck me three corners in a row.”

On the other hand, Creed, Mayer’s Haas Factory Racing teammate, said he simply needed a little more to compete for the win in advance, ultimately finishing fourth.

In a disappointment, admission, Creed said, “We just needed to be a little better to maybe be in the position the 8 or the 20 were in. I’m really surprised the 20 didn’t kind of try to push the 54 up or even the 8. I thought he was for sure gonna try. To see a Martinsville finish end like that is probably good for the series. I think guys are maturing and I feel like all of us are just trying to race each other a little better, but I just felt like the 20 or the 8 could have maybe pushed the issue a little more there.”

But now, as the dust settles on Martinsville and with the Championship 4 grid set, all eyes are set on next Saturday, when the top four will battle at the 1-mile Arizona Oval. This race will also mark the final title event with Xfinity as the series sponsor. But one can expect a lot of tension and drama as the playoffs just got interesting.