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Todd Gordon Keeping It Real with Final NASCAR Race

Todd Gordon chats with Ryan Blaney at Talladega Superspeedway. (Photo: NKP)

When Todd Gordon woke up Monday morning (Nov. 1), the main thought on his mind wasn’t on his last race as a NASCAR crew chief.

It was on the “disappointment” that he and the rest of Ryan Blaney’s No. 12 Team Penske crew weren’t able to advance out of the Round of 8 in the Playoffs.

“But that’s past,” Gordon told Frontstretch Saturday in the Phoenix Raceway garage. “You can’t do anything about what happened there. (I’m) looking forward to having one more great run.”

Noah Gragson Falls Short at Phoenix: ‘We just missed it as a whole’

2021 Xfinity Phoenix Noah Gragson, No. 9 JR Motorsports Chevrolet (Credit: NKP)

Noah Gragson didn’t have the speed to contend for the NASCAR Xfinity Series race win and championship on Saturday (Nov. 6) at Phoenix Raceway, but he wound up having a shot at the end, restarting inside the top five.

That’s when the No. 9 slid up and smacked the outside wall in turns 1 and 2. Miraculously, he stayed out and was able to salvage a 12th-place finish, falling short of the championship and finishing third in the overall standings.

Austin Cindric Beaten by Inches for Xfinity Series Championship

2021 Xfinity Phoenix Austin Cindric, No. 22 Team Penske Ford (Credit: NKP)

A second consecutive championship was on the line for Austin Cindric. He fell inches short.

A bump-and-run from perennial runner-up Daniel Hemric in the final set of corners left Cindric 0.03 seconds from the 2021 NASCAR Xfinity Series title at Phoenix Raceway on Saturday night (Nov. 6).

The contact came coming to the checkered flag on an overtime restart to define the season’s title bout. Cindric was “pissed” he was moved but said it was fair game.