The2022 NASCAR Cup Series was the 74th season forNASCAR professional stock car racing in the United States and the 51st season forthe modern Cup Series. The 2022 season marked the debut of theNext Gen Car, which was originally supposed to debut in2021, but was postponed due to theCOVID-19 pandemic. In addition, this was the first season to have races covered byUSA Network, which took over for the now-defunctNBCSN.[1]
This season concluded with 19 different drivers winning a race, which tied the modern-era (1972–present) record set in2001, making the 2022 season one of the most competitive in history.
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On April 28, 2021,Kaulig Racing announced they would run at least one full-time Cup car in 2022. The team made their Cup Series debut in the2020 Daytona 500 with theirXfinity Series driverJustin Haley driving the No. 16 car. They then entered the No. 16 in all superspeedways (withKaz Grala) and road course races (with theirXfinity Series driverA. J. Allmendinger) in 2021.[14] On June 18, the team announced that Haley would drive the No. 16 full-time in 2022.[15] On June 5, team owner Matt Kaulig announced that Allmendinger would return to run the road courses and would also run the superspeedway races for the team in the Cup Series in 2022. Because Matt Kaulig also then announced that their full-time car will have one full-time driver, Allmendinger will drive a new second Cup Series car for Kaulig.[14] On June 18, the team announced that they had purchased two charters from Spire Motorsports.[15] On December 14, Kaulig announced that Allmendinger would instead drive the No. 16 and the other drivers sharing the car with him would be Noah Gragson andDaniel Hemric, with Haley driving Kaulig's other car. On December 15, it was announced that Haley's car number would be the No. 31.[96]
On May 14, 2021,Rick Ware Racing ownerRick Ware toldNBC Sports that he may lease out one of his four charters in 2022.[97] On October 10, RWR announced that they would form a technical alliance withStewart–Haas Racing in 2022 and would field two full-time cars with the possibility of a third if sponsorship can be found.[98]
On May 29, 2021,Denny Hamlin hinted that23XI Racing may expand to a two-car operation in 2022, with or without a charter.[99] On August 14,Bob Pockrass ofFox Sports reported a potential deal between 23XI andFront Row Motorsports that would allow 23XI to lease or purchase one of FRM's charters.[100] On August 27, 2021,Kurt Busch was officially announced as the driver of the No. 45 car.[77] On October 3, Jordan Bianchi ofThe Athletic reported that Hamlin had secured a charter for the No. 45.[101] On October 13, Pockrass reported that they had been working with FRM, but the deal had fallen through.[102] On November 13, David Wilson fromToyota Racing Development revealed in an interview to Jenna Fryer from theAssociated Press that 23XI had secured a charter for the No. 45 car. He did not announce which team they got it from and if they purchased it or are leasing it. On November 16, 23XI's president Steve Lauletta confirmed that the team has purchased StarCom Racing's charter forUS$13.5 million, the most expensive purchase of the charter since the implementation of the system in 2016.[103]
On June 10, 2021,Justin Marks stated onSirius XM NASCAR Radio that hisTrackhouse Racing may expand to a two-car operation in 2022.[104] On June 30, the team announced that they had purchased the entirety ofChip Ganassi Racing's NASCAR operations, effective at the end of the 2021 season.[34] On May 24, 2022, Trackhouse announced that they would field a third car, the No. 91, part-time in 2022. The entry will be fielded for international drivers in other racing series through an initiative known as PROJECT91. The car will be fielded in at least one race in 2022 and in additional races in 2023.[89]
On June 17, 2021, it was announced that the Truck Series teamGMS Racing would debut in the Cup Series in 2022. They did not announce whether the team would run full-time or part-time and their car number at the time.[105] On October 10, GMS announced that they would run full-time withTy Dillon driving the No. 94 car. The team will also have a technical alliance withRichard Childress Racing, the team owned by Dillon's grandfather,Richard Childress.[23] On December 1, GMS purchased a majority interest inRichard Petty Motorsports forUS$19 million. The deal includes both of RPM's charters; the No. 43 will continue to operate with its charter while the second charter, which was leased to Rick Ware Racing for the No. 51 from 2019 to 2021, will be transferred to GMS' No. 94.[106] On December 7, the team was renamedPetty GMS Motorsports, with the No. 94 renumbered to the No. 42, a formerPetty Enterprises number which became available after Chip Ganassi Racing closed down.[22]
On June 18, 2021,Spire Motorsports announced the sale of two of its three charters to Kaulig Racing, which left the team with one charter in 2022 forCorey LaJoie's No. 7 car and no charter for their No. 77 car.[15] When Rick Ware Racing scaled back their operations from four full-time cars to two in 2022, they sold their No. 53 charter to Spire; the purchased charter was assigned to the No. 7, with the No. 7's former charter reassigned to the No. 77, withLandon Cassill andJosh Bilicki sharing the ride.[107]
On August 31, 2021,JTG Daugherty Racing announced that it would scale down to one full-time team (the No. 47) in 2022. The team's No. 37 car, which ran full-time without a charter in 2021, was shut down at the end of the season.[12]
On September 1, 2021,Catchfence.com reported thatStarCom Racing would be selling its charter after the 2021 season. The purchasing team has yet to be announced.[103] On September 15, StarCom Racing's shop foreman and mechanical director Charlie Langenstein prematurely revealed in a since-deleted tweet that the team would shut down at the end of the 2021 season.[108] On November 5, StarCom itself confirmed that they would be closing down. StarCom was in talks to sell its charter to Spire Motorsports, but the deal ultimately fell through. The charter was sold to 23XI Racing for the No. 45 car on November 16.[103]
On September 7, 2021,Beard Motorsports announced that the team will enter their No. 62 car in the Daytona 500 as well as the other three superspeedway races in 2022. The team only attempted the Daytona 500 in 2021 after previously attempting all Cup Series superspeedway races from 2017 to 2020.[83]
On October 9, 2021,NASCAR Whelen Euro Series driverLoris Hezemans andReaume Brothers Racing announced that they would form a new Cup Series team,Team Hezeberg, that will field the No. 27 car part-time in 2022 for Hezemans and fellow Euro Series driverJacques Villeneuve. Hezemans, who drove part-time in the Xfinity Series for Reaume in partnerships with other teams in 2021, will run all of the road course races with the possibility of some short track races. Villeneuve, whose races in the car have yet to be announced, will make his first Cup Series and NASCAR national series start since2013. The team hopes to compete in the Cup Series full-time in 2023.[94]
On November 16, 2021, Roush Fenway Racing announced their rebrand toRFK Racing (Roush Fenway Keselowski Racing) due toBrad Keselowski joining the team as a co-owner.[109]
On January 19, 2022, Adam Stern fromSports Business Journal reported thatThe Money Team Racing, a team co-owned by or affiliated with boxerFloyd Mayweather Jr. that has unsuccessfully tried to enter the series since 2019, had secured a car and a sponsor and was finalizing a deal to attempt to qualify for theDaytona 500 withKaz Grala as the driver of their No. 50 car.[110] On February 1, the team officially announced these plans.[87] In addition, it was revealed that former StarCom Racing owners Michael and Matt Kohler and Bill Woehlemann have invested in the team.[111]
On February 3, 2022,MBM Motorsports announced thatJ. J. Yeley would attempt to qualify for the2022 Daytona 500 in the team's renumbered No. 55 car.[112] This is the fourth straight year that MBM's second car has changed numbers, as it was previously the No. 46 in 2019, the No. 49 in 2020 and the No. 13 in 2021.
On February 14, 2022,NY Racing Team announced that they would attempt to qualify for the 2022 Daytona 500 withGreg Biffle driving their No. 44 Chevrolet. The team has its car bodies supplied by Richard Childress Racing and engines byHendrick Motorsports.[85]
On March 8, 2022,Team Stange Racing announced that they would debut in the Cup Series, fielding the No. 79 Ford part-time for formerFormula One andChamp Car driverTarso Marques. TSR previously fielded part-time entries in theARCA Menards Series and theARCA Menards Series East from 2014 to 2016 and collaborated withArrow Schmidt Peterson Motorsports to field an entry in the2019 Indianapolis 500. The team was also going to enter the Truck Series race at Sonoma in order for Marques approved to race in the Cup Series[113] although this did not end up happening. On June 27, TSR revealed that they would be postponing their debut from the race at Road America to the race at Watkins Glen with Marques and the team also competing in the Xfinity Series race at the Indianapolis Road Course in order for Marques to be approved to race in the Cup Series. Marques and the team would not end up entering both of these races. On August 22, Marques stated in an interview withMotorsport.com that TSR was "completely late with everything" and that he hoped he could run one or two races before the end of the season, which they ultimately never did.[114]
On August 4, 2022, it was announced that German racing team3F Racing plans to debut in the Cup Series, fielding the No. 30 Chevrolet in the last five races of the season starting with therace at the Charlotte Roval. The team would become the first team from Germany to compete in the NASCAR Cup Series. Team owner Dennis Hirtz stated that the team has an alliance with Richard Childress Racing and hopes to run 10 to 12 races in 2023 before running full-time in 2024. The team's drivers, sponsors and crew chief have yet to be announced.[115][116] The No. 30 car was not on the entry list for the race at the Charlotte Roval, their first scheduled attempt. On October 6, Hirtz toldTobyChristie.com that the team would be delaying their debut until 2023.[117]
On May 18, 2021, Jim Utter fromMotorsport.com reported thatBrad Keselowski, whose contract withTeam Penske ends after the2021 season, was offered a full-time Cup Series ride withRoush Fenway Racing in 2022, with a partial ownership stake in the team. Later the same day,Bob Pockrass fromFox Sports reported that it was a "done deal, according to multiple industry sources with knowledge of the situation". Keselowski declined to comment on the matter when asked about it in an interview. On July 15, Keselowski released a statement confirming his decision to part ways with Team Penske at the end of the season.[118] On July 20, Roush Fenway Racing officially announced that Keselowski would join the team as a driver/co-owner starting in 2022 and would replaceRyan Newman as the driver of the No. 6 car.[119]
On May 30, 2021, Jordan Bianchi fromThe Athletic reported thatKurt Busch, whose contract withChip Ganassi Racing ends after the 2021 season, was the top candidate for23XI Racing should they open a second team in 2022.[120] After months of speculation that this would happen, particularly after Trackhouse's purchase of CGR's NASCAR team for 2022, on August 27, 2021, 23XI officially announced thatKurt Busch would drive their new second car, which would be the No. 45, one of team co-ownerMichael Jordan's other numbers during his legendary basketball career.[77] On July 23, 2022, Busch suffered a concussion from a crash during qualifying for the2022 M&M's Fan Appreciation 400 atPocono. Xfinity Series driverTy Gibbs substituted him for this race, the Indianapolis road course, Michigan, and Richmond.[121][122][123][124] On August 25, Busch announced he withdrew his request for a playoff waiver.[125] On August 31, 23XI announced that No. 23 driverBubba Wallace would swap cars with Gibbs during the playoffs, as the No. 45 is still eligible for the owner's championship.[126] On October 18, Wallace was suspended for theHomestead race for intentionally wreckingKyle Larson atLas Vegas.John Hunter Nemechek was announced as the driver for Homestead.[78]
On July 15, 2021, Team Penske confirmed that2020 NASCAR Xfinity Series championAustin Cindric would replace Brad Keselowski in the No. 2 car in 2022. Cindric drove Team Penske's No. 22 car in the Xfinity Series full-time from 2019 to 2021. He also drove a part-time fourth Team Penske Cup Series car, the No. 33, part-time in 2021.[64]
On July 15, 2021,Wood Brothers Racing announced that Xfinity Series driverHarrison Burton would drive the No. 21 in 2022. Austin Cindric was originally signed to drive the Penske-affiliated team, but Brad Keselowski's departure from Team Penske resulted in Cindric's move to the No. 2.[72] This driver change madeMatt DiBenedetto a free agent in 2022. On August 8, DiBenedetto stated in an interview that he would "entertain anything" when it comes to his 2022 plans, meaning that he was open to moving down to the Xfinity or Truck Series full-time.[127] On January 6, 2022, it was announced that DiBenedetto would move down to the Truck Series and would driveRackley WAR's No. 25 truck full-time in 2022.[128]
On September 1, 2021,Ryan Preece confirmed onSirius XM NASCAR Radio that he would not be returning toJTG Daugherty Racing, following the announcement that JTG will scale back to a single-team operation in 2022.[12] On January 6, 2022,Stewart–Haas Racing announced that it has hired Preece as a reserve driver in case any of the team's full-time drivers are unable to compete due to COVID-19, an injury, or other unforeseen circumstances. Preece will also be a simulator driver for Ford and run two Cup Series races withRick Ware Racing in the No. 15 atDover and theCoca-Cola 600. He will also run three Xfinity Series races for SHR or another Ford team as well as seven Truck Series races forDavid Gilliland Racing in 2022.[53]
On October 1, 2021,Bob Pockrass fromFox reported thatTy Dillon was the frontrunner to drive GMS Racing's Cup Series car in 2022. On October 10, GMS announced that he would be their Cup Series driver and would drive the No. 94 full-time in 2022.[23] On December 7, after GMS purchased the majority of Richard Petty Motorsports, it was announced that Dillon would instead drive a second car for the renamed Petty GMS Motorsports, the No. 42, instead of the GMS No. 94.[22]
On November 16, 2021,Beard Motorsports announced thatNoah Gragson would return to the No. 62 to attempt to qualify for the 2022 Daytona 500.[84]
On December 8, 2021, anMBM Motorsports No. 66Next Gen car featuringBoris Said's name on it was on display at the Performance Racing Industry Trade Show, indicating that he would run select races for the team in 2022. On December 16, MBM ownerCarl Long revealed to TobyChristie.com that Said would drive for the team in some of the road course races if sponsorship could be found.[93]
On December 14, 2021, Kaulig Racing announced thatDaniel Hemric (one of their full-time Xfinity Series drivers) and Noah Gragson (who drives full-time forJR Motorsports in the Xfinity Series) would share the No. 16 withA. J. Allmendinger.[16]
On December 29, 2021, TobyChristie.com reported thatJosh Bilicki was likely to leave Rick Ware Racing to take a ride with another Cup Series team and that he was a candidate for theSpire Motorsports No. 77 car.[130] On January 10, 2022, Spire announced that Bilicki would drive the No. 77 for most of the 2022 season starting at California.[32]
On January 12, 2022, Rick Ware Racing announced thatDavid Ragan would drive their No. 15 car in multiple races in 2022, including the Daytona 500.[50] On January 27, 2022, it was announced thatroad course ringerJoey Hand, who made his NASCAR debut with RWR in 2021 in their No. 52 car at the Charlotte Roval, would return to the team to run all six road course races in the No. 15 car.[52]
On January 25, 2022, it was revealed in a podcast interview thatJ. J. Yeley would drive the No. 13 car forMBM Motorsports in the Daytona 500. On January 27, 2022, MBM ownerCarl Long confirmed that this deal was in the works toBob Pockrass from Fox. On February 3, 2022, MBM officially made this announcement, although the number of the car was switched from the No. 13 to the No. 55.[112]
On May 26, 2022, it was announced that2007 Formula 1 World ChampionKimi Räikkönen, who retired from F1 after the2021 season, would drive theTrackhouse Racing No. 91 car inthe race atWatkins Glen.[90] It will be Räikkönen's Cup Series debut and his first NASCAR start since 2011 when he drove in the Truck and Xfinity Series races at Charlotte in May. He will also become the first driver fromFinland to have run a Cup Series race.
On June 2, 2022,RFK Racing announced thatChris Buescher tested positive for COVID-19 and would have to missthe race at Gateway. Fellow Ford driverZane Smith, who drives full-time in the Truck Series forFront Row Motorsports, would make his Cup Series debut in the race filling in for Buescher in the No. 17 car.[48]
On August 31, 2022, it was announced thatBubba Wallace would run the remainder of the 2022 season, consisting of the Playoffs, in the No. 45 car at 23XI Racing as the team would run for the owner's championship. Bubba was in the No. 23 car for 23XI for the regular season.Ty Gibbs, who replaced Kurt Busch in the No. 45 after he suffered a concussion at Pocono, will be in the No. 23 car until Kurt is medically clear to return to racing.[132]
On September 29, 2022,Alex Bowman announced that he would miss theTalladega playoff race due to a concussion sustained from his crash atTexas. Noah Gragson was announced as the substitute driver of the No. 48 for the race.[11] Bowman sat out the next four races but returned in time to contest the season finale at Phoenix.
On October 4, 2022,Cody Ware announced that he would not run the race at the Charlotte Roval due to lingering effects from his injury in a crash in the race at Texas in September on his right foot. J. J. Yeley would fill in for him in the Rick Ware Racing No. 51 in the race.[56]
On June 28, 2021,Team Penske crew chiefTodd Gordon announced that 2021 would be his final season as a crew chief.[133] On September 29, it was announced that Jonathan Hassler, who was the crew chief forMatt DiBenedetto and the Wood Brothers Racing No. 21 for part of 2021, would replace Gordon as crew chief of the No. 12 driven byRyan Blaney.[65] On November 11, 2021, WBR announced that Brian Wilson, who was the crew chief for the No. 22 Team Penske Xfinity Series car from 2018 to 2021, would replace Hassler as the crew chief for the No. 21 car ofHarrison Burton in 2022. Wilson won the 2020 Xfinity Series championship withAustin Cindric.[73]
On October 25, 2021,Chip Ganassi Racing crew chief Phil Surgen, who crew chiefed the team's No. 42 car driven byRoss Chastain in 2021, announced onSirius XM NASCAR Radio that he would move with Chastain to theTrackhouse Racing No. 1 car in 2022.[36]
On November 16, 2021,GMS Racing announced that former Chip Ganassi Racing engineer Jerame Donley will be the crew chief forTy Dillon and the No. 94 car.[24] When GMS bought the majority of Richard Petty Motorsports and the team was renamedPetty GMS Motorsports, it was announced that Dillon and Donley would instead drive and crew chief a second Petty GMS car, the No. 42, instead of the GMS No. 94.[22] On September 13, 2022, Petty GMS announced that Chad Norris would replace Donley for the remainder of the 2022 season, starting with theBristol night race.[26]
On January 6, 2022, Front Row Motorsports announced that Blake Harris would replace Drew Blickensderfer as the crew chief for Michael McDowell in the No. 34 in 2022. He was previously the car chief forMartin Truex Jr.'s No. 19 car forJoe Gibbs Racing.[135]
On January 8, 2022,Kaulig Racing announced thatTrent Owens, the crew chief of the No. 37JTG Daugherty Racing car which closed down, would be the crew chief of the team's new No. 31 car driven byJustin Haley. Owens also was previously a crew chief forBraun Racing, a former Xfinity Series team owned by Todd Braun, who is Justin Haley's uncle.[17]
On November 7, 2021, NASCAR announced thatKyle Busch's crew chiefBen Beshore would be suspended for the2022 Busch Light Clash at The Coliseum after the No. 18 car had two loose lug nuts following the2021 NASCAR Cup Series Championship Race atPhoenix.[136] Seth Chavka, the No. 18 car's engineer, was Busch's crew chief for the exhibition race. Chavka was also Busch's interim crew chief at Texas in October 2021 and JGR's No. 20 car, then driven byErik Jones, at Darlington in May 2020. On October 18, Beshore was suspended for four races due to a tire and wheel loss during the2022 South Point 400 atLas Vegas.[78] Chavka was announced as the crew chief of the No. 18 for the remainder of the season.[81]
On December 3, 2021, NASCAR announced thatMBM Motorsports crew chief Johnny Roten would be indefinitely suspended after violating the substance abuse policy in the NASCAR rulebook.[137] MBM has yet to announce if Roten will return to the team as a crew chief in 2022 after his suspension is lifted. Roten crew chiefed MBM's No. 66 car in 13 races in 2021 as well as their No. 13 car in one race. For the2022 Daytona 500, Jeff Weaver was the crew chief for the No. 66 and George Church was the crew chief for the No. 55 (which was previously the No. 13).[138]
On January 31, 2022, Jerame Donley, the crew chief forTy Dillon's No. 42 car forPetty GMS Motorsports, was replaced on the entry list for the Clash by Joey Cohen, the competition director for Petty GMS. On February 1, 2022, Joseph Srigley fromTobyChristie.com revealed that Donley would miss the race due to his wife expecting a baby.[139] On July 23, 2022, NASCAR announced that Donley and Dave Elenz, the crew chief for the other Petty GMS car, the No. 43, would both be suspended for the race at Pocono due to rocker box assembly violations. Cohen would again fill in for Donley as the crew chief of the No. 42 car andDanny Efland, the engineer for the No. 43 car, would be the interim crew chief for the No. 43 car, filling in for Elenz.[25]
On February 23, 2022,Trent Owens, the crew chief of theKaulig Racing No. 31 car driven byJustin Haley, was suspended for four races due to a tire and wheel loss during the 2022 Daytona 500.[140] Because Kaulig appealed the penalty and the appeal did not occur until March 16, 2022, the four race suspension was put on hold and Owens still crew chiefed the No. 31 car at Fontana, Las Vegas and Phoenix. The penalty was upheld and the team decided to not file a final appeal and Owens was suspended for the races at Atlanta, COTA, Richmond and Martinsville.[20] The interim crew chief for the No. 31 car for these four races was Caleb Williams, a tire technician for Kaulig's No. 10 car in the Xfinity Series driven byLandon Cassill. On May 17, Owens was again suspended for four races due to another tire and wheel loss during the2022 AdventHealth 400 atKansas.[21] Caleb Williams would return to the interim crew chief role for the No. 31 car at the Texas All-Star Race, Charlotte and Gateway. Jaron Antley, the car chief of the No. 31 car, would serve as the interim crew chief at Sonoma instead of Williams.
On February 23, 2022,Tony Eury Jr., the crew chief ofThe Money Team Racing No. 50 car driven byKaz Grala, was suspended for four races due to a tire and wheel loss during the 2022 Daytona 500.[140] With the No. 50 car only running part-time and none of the next four races being part of the team's part-time schedule, Eury Jr. did not miss any races.
On March 1, 2022, Seth Barbour, the crew chief of theFront Row Motorsports No. 38 car driven byTodd Gilliland, was suspended for four races due to a tire and wheel loss during the2022 WISE Power 400 atFontana.[141] Because FRM appealed the penalty and the appeal did not occur until March 16, 2022, the four race suspension was put on hold and Barbour still crew chiefed the No. 38 car at Las Vegas and Phoenix. The penalty was upheld and the team decided to not file a final appeal and Barbour was suspended for the races at Atlanta, COTA, Richmond and Martinsville. The interim crew chief for the No. 38 car for these four races was Troy Raker, the car's engineer.[20] Raker was previously an interim crew chief in nine races in2007 for the Team Penske No. 2 car driven byKurt Busch.
On March 15, 2022, Ryan Sparks, the crew chief of theSpire Motorsports No. 7 car driven byCorey LaJoie, was suspended for four races due to a tire and wheel loss during the2022 Ruoff Mortgage 500 atPhoenix.[31] The team decided not to appeal the penalty andPeter Sospenzo, who was the crew chief of Spire's No. 77 car in 2019 and 2020 (which included crew chiefing an upset win for the No. 77 car atDaytona in July 2019 withJustin Haley), was the interim crew chief for the No. 7 car at Atlanta, COTA, Richmond and Martinsville.
On March 24, 2022,Matt McCall, the crew chief of theRFK Racing No. 6 car driven byBrad Keselowski, was suspended for four races and finedUS$100,000 for an L2 Penalty during post-race inspection after the2022 Folds of Honor QuikTrip 500 atAtlanta. The penalty came under Sections 14.1 and 14.5 in the NASCAR Rule Book, both of which pertain to the modification of a single-source supplied part. (On April 13, Scott Miller, NASCAR's senior vice president of competition, explained that the repairs No. 6's rear fascia did not meet original specifications, as a critical dimension of the part was altered.)[142] In addition, the No. 6 team was docked 100 driver and owner points and 10 playoff points.[44] Josh Sell, the car's engineer, would serve as Keselowski's interim crew chief at COTA, Richmond, Martinsville and the Bristol dirt race.
On March 29, 2022,Bootie Barker, the crew chief of the23XI Racing No. 23 car driven byBubba Wallace, was suspended for four races due to a tire and wheel loss during the2022 EchoPark Texas Grand Prix atCOTA. The team decided not to appeal the penalty andDave Rogers, the director of performance for 23XI and a formerJoe Gibbs Racing crew chief, was announced as Wallace's crew chief for Richmond, Martinsville, the Bristol dirt race, and Talladega.[76]
On April 27, 2022, Lee Leslie, the crew chief of theLive Fast Motorsports No. 78 car driven byB. J. McLeod, was suspended for four races due to a tire and wheel loss during the2022 GEICO 500 atTalladega. The team decided not to appeal the penalty and Christopher Stanley, an engineer for LFM, would serve as the car's interim crew chief at Dover and Darlington and Keith Wolfe, a crew chief for LFM co-ownerB. J. McLeod's Xfinity Series team,B. J. McLeod Motorsports, would serve as the interim crew chief at Kansas and the Texas All-Star Race.[40]
On May 3, 2022,Chris Gabehart, the crew chief of theJoe Gibbs Racing No. 11 car driven byDenny Hamlin, was suspended for four races due to a tire and wheel loss during the2022 DuraMAX Drydene 400 atDover.[18] Because JGR appealed the penalty and the appeal did not occur until May 18, 2022, the four race suspension was put on hold and Gabehart still crew chiefed the No. 11 car at Darlington and Kansas. The penalty was upheld and the team decided to not file a final appeal and Gabehart was suspended for the races at Charlotte, Gateway, Sonoma and Nashville. The Texas All-Star Race was originally counted as one of the four races, but after the final appeal, NASCAR allowed Gabehart to crew chief the car in that race and suspend him for the race at Nashville instead. Sam McAulay, the No. 11 car's engineer, would serve as the interim crew chief in these four races. This is his second time serving as an interim crew chief as he previously was in the role for the team in 2020 when Gabehart was suspended for four races that year.
On May 3, 2022, Matt Swiderski, the crew chief of the Kaulig Racing No. 16 car driven byDaniel Hemric,A. J. Allmendinger, andNoah Gragson, was suspended for four races due to a tire and wheel loss during the 2022 DuraMAX Drydene 400 at Dover.[18] The team decided not to appeal the penalty and George Spencer, an engineer for Kaulig, would serve as the interim crew chief for the No. 16 car at Darlington, Kansas, the Texas All-Star Race, and Charlotte.
On May 14, 2022, Justin Alexander, the crew chief of theRichard Childress Racing No. 3 car driven byAustin Dillon, was forced to miss the2022 AdventHealth 400 atKansas due to COVID-19 protocols. Jim Pohlman, a mechanic for RCR, served as the car's interim crew chief in that race.[29]
On May 29, 2022,Jeremy Bullins, the crew chief of theTeam Penske No. 2 car driven byAustin Cindric, got sick and had to miss that day's race, the2022 Coca-Cola 600 atCharlotte. Grant Hutchens, the car's engineer, filled in as the interim crew chief. This was his third time serving as an interim crew chief as he previously was in the role for the team two separate times in 2021 when Bullins was suspended one race due to loose lug nuts on the No. 2 car (which was then driven by Keselowski) and another two races due to COVID-19 protocols. On July 20, 2022, Bullins was suspended for four races due to a tire and wheel loss during the2022 Ambetter 301 atLoudon. The team decided to not appeal the penalty and Hutchens returned to fill in for Bullins for the races at Pocono, the Indianapolis road course, Michigan and Richmond.[66]
On June 14, 2022,Cliff Daniels, the crew chief of theHendrick Motorsports No. 5 car driven byKyle Larson, was suspended for four races due to a tire and wheel loss during the2022 Toyota/Save Mart 350 atSonoma.[143] The team decided not to appeal the penalty andKevin Meendering was announced as Larson's interim crew chief for the races at Nashville, Road America, Atlanta in July and New Hampshire.[7]
On June 28, 2022, Scott Graves, the crew chief of the RFK Racing No. 17 driven byChris Buescher, was suspended for four races due to a tire and wheel loss during the2022 Ally 400 atNashville.[47] The team decided to appeal the penalty and Graves was still the crew chief of the car at Road America and would have been for any other races until the appeal date.[46] However, after the race at Road America, the team changed their mind and decided to withdraw the appeal, meaning that Graves would be suspended for the next four races of Atlanta, New Hampshire, Pocono and the Indianapolis road course. Travis Peterson, the engineer of the No. 17 car, was the interim crew chief.
On July 26, 2022, Blake Harris, the crew chief of theFront Row Motorsports No. 34 car driven byMichael McDowell, was suspended for four races and finedUS$100,000 for an L2 Penalty during post-race inspection after the2022 M&M's Fan Appreciation 400 atPocono. The penalty came under Sections 14.1 C, D and Q and 14.5 A and B in the NASCAR Rule Book, both of which pertain to the body and overall vehicle assembly rules surrounding modification of a single-source supplied part. In addition, the No. 34 team was docked 100 driver and owner points and 10 playoff points.[144] On August 3, 2022, lead engineer Chris Yerges was announced as the interim crew chief.[39]
On August 23, 2022, Billy Plourde, the crew chief of the No. 51Rick Ware Racing car driven byCody Ware, was suspended for four races after the car lost its ballast in therace atWatkins Glen.[55] The team decided not to appeal the penalty and Ken Evans, the team's Vice President of Operations, filled in as interim crew chief at Daytona, Darlington, Kansas and Bristol.
On September 20, 2022, Jonathan Hassler, the crew chief of the Team Penske No. 12 driven byRyan Blaney, was suspended for four races due to a tire and wheel loss during the2022 Bass Pro Shops Night Race atBristol.[69] The team decided to appeal the penalty and Hassler was still the crew chief of the car at Texas and would have been for any other races until the appeal date.[68] However, on September 26, 2022, after the race at Texas, the team changed their mind and decided to withdraw the appeal, meaning that Hassler would be suspended for the next four races of Talladega, the Charlotte Roval, Las Vegas and Homestead-Miami. Miles Stanley, the engineer of the Penske-alignedWood Brothers Racing No. 21 car, was the interim crew chief. In 2021, Stanley was the engineer for Blaney and the No. 12 car and was also the crew chief of Penske's part-time fourth Cup Series car, the No. 33.[70]
On October 5, 2022,Rodney Childers, the crew chief of theStewart–Haas Racing No. 4 car driven byKevin Harvick, was suspended for four races and finedUS$100,000 for an L2 Penalty during post-race inspection after the2022 YellaWood 500 atTalladega. The penalty came under Sections 14.1 (vehicle assembly) and 14.5 (body) in the NASCAR Rule Book, both of which pertain to the body and overall vehicle assembly rules surrounding modification of a single-source supplied part. In addition, the No. 4 team was docked 100 driver and owner points.[59] SHR decided to appeal the penalty although the team chose to have Stephen Doran, the engineer for the No. 4 car, serve as the interim crew chief for the next four races (the Charlotte Roval, Las Vegas, Homestead-Miami and Martinsville) rather than have Childers crew chief until the appeal date as they want Childers to crew chief the car in the season-finale at Phoenix.[60]
On October 11, 2022,Mike Shiplett, the crew chief of the Stewart–Haas Racing No. 41 car driven byCole Custer, was indefinitely suspended and finedUS$100,000 after Custer intentionally slowed down and checked up on the last lap of the2022 Bank of America Roval 400 at theCharlotte Roval so his SHR teammateChase Briscoe would advance to the next round of the playoffs. In addition, the No. 41 team was docked 50 owner and driver points.[63] Tony Cardamone, the No. 41 car's car chief, would serve as the interim crew chief fromLas Vegas to thePhoenix season finale. On October 27, the National Motorsports Appeals Panel upheld the No. 41 team's penalty.[145]
On October 10, 2021,Rick Ware Racing announced that they will run onlyFords in 2022 after forming a technical alliance withStewart–Haas Racing. The team's Cup Series cars had previously been a mixture of used Fords and Chevrolets.[98]
On July 14, 2021, Hendrick Motorsports announced that the number of races that HendrickCars.com would sponsor Kyle Larson's No. 5 car in 2022 would increase to 35 races in 2022 and 2023.[146]
On July 23, 2021,JTG Daugherty Racing announced thatBimbo Bakeries would be a new primary sponsor for the team in 2022.[148] On January 6, 2022,SweetLeaf was announced as a new primary sponsor for Ricky Stenhouse Jr's No. 47 car for an unspecified number of races.[149]
On August 27, 2021, whenKurt Busch was announced as the driver of the new No. 45 car for23XI Racing, it was also announced that his primary sponsorMonster Energy would be moving with him fromChip Ganassi Racing to 23XI.[77] On February 3, 2022, 23XI racing announced a multi-year partnership with MoneyLion as a primary sponsor of both the No. 23 and No. 45 for select races in 2022.[150] The next day, the team announced its partnership withJordan Brand as a primary sponsor of the No. 45 for several races starting with the2022 Busch Light Clash at The Coliseum.[151]
On September 21, 2021,RFK Racing announced that Violet Defense would sponsor bothBrad Keselowski andChris Buescher in select races in 2022 and 2023.[152] On December 7, 2021, Fastenal announced its partnership with the No. 6 as a primary sponsor for several races in 2022, starting with the 2022 Busch Light Clash at The Coliseum.[153] On May 8, 2022,King's Hawaiian was announced as the primary sponsor of the No. 6 atKansas andNashville.[154]
On October 15, 2021, Joe Gibbs Racing announced thatInterstate Batteries extended its partnership with the team and in 2022 would serve as a primary sponsor ofKyle Busch andMartin Truex Jr. in the Cup Series andTy Gibbs in theNASCAR Xfinity Series. This marks the 30th year of the company as a JGR sponsor. This also was the first season that Interstate Battries would be a primary sponsor on the No. 19 car in a race.[155]
On October 27, 2021,Stewart–Haas Racing announced thatGearWrench would be the primary sponsor forKevin Harvick's No. 4 car for five races and an associate sponsor for the rest of 2022. In addition, GearWrench would become the official tool partner of SHR and have the naming rights to the main assembly area of the team's race shop, which became the GearWrench Garage. The company previously sponsored the closed Chip Ganassi Racing No. 1 car for about the same number of races each year from 2018 to 2021.[156] On January 11, 2022,Rheem Manufacturing Company announced it would sponsor the No. 4 car for three races.[157] Rheem was previously a primary sponsor of Harvick for his former Xfinity and Truck Series team,Kevin Harvick Incorporated, and forRichard Childress Racing in the Cup Series.
On November 23, 2021,Petty GMS Motorsports announced that FOCUSfactor, a brain health supplement, would be the primary sponsor for the No. 43 car ofErik Jones for 26 races for multiple years starting in 2022. It is the company's first time as a NASCAR sponsor.[158]
On November 30, 2021,Menards announced that it would return to sponsor Ryan Blaney's No. 12 car forTeam Penske, and theWood Brothers Racing No. 21 car, now driven byHarrison Burton, during the 2022 season. Menards would also expand their partnership with Penske to the team's No. 2 car, now driven byAustin Cindric, in select races.[159]
On December 1, 2021,Tootsie's Orchid Lounge announced that it would return as a primary sponsor of theTrackhouse Racing No. 99 for six races in 2022. They increased their sponsorship of the car for 2022 after sponsoring it for one race in 2021.[160]
On December 7, 2021,McDonald's announced it will return as a primary sponsor of the23XI Racing No. 23 for several races in 2022, including the2022 Daytona 500. In addition, McDonald's also became a primary sponsor of the team's new No. 45 car driven byKurt Busch in select races in 2022.[161]
On December 10, 2021, Stewart–Haas Racing announced thatMahindra Tractors would be the sponsor forChase Briscoe and the No. 14 car for the majority of the 2022 season.[162] The company was a NASCAR sponsor in 2009 and 2010 forRobert Richardson Jr. in the Cup, Xfinity and Truck Series for hisR3 Motorsports team as well as other teams. On May 16, 2022, Magical Vacation Planner signed on to sponsor the No. 14 for five races starting with the2022 NASCAR All-Star Race.[163]
On December 13, 2021, 23XI Racing announced thatWheaties would sponsor the No. 23 car atFontana to celebrate the 100th anniversary of the cereal.[164] On January 4, 2022, 23XI announced that Leidos would be a primary sponsor for Bubba Wallace's No. 23 in six races in 2022. The company was one of Wallace's sponsors when he drove for Roush in the Xfinity Series in2016 and2017.[165]
On January 6, 2022, Joe Gibbs Racing announced thatRheem Manufacturing Company would return to the team and would sponsor the team's No. 20 and No. 18 Cup Series cars in 2022. This marked the first season that Rheem would be a primary sponsor on the No. 18 car in a race.[166]
On January 11, 2022,Spire Motorsports announced that Built Bar renewed its sponsorship of the No. 7 for nine races in 2022, including the Daytona 500. They increased their sponsorship of the car for 2022 after sponsoring it for three races in 2021.[167]
On January 11, 2022,Trackhouse Racing announced thatAdventHealth signed a multiyear deal to sponsorRoss Chastain and the No. 1 car. AdventHealth previously sponsored Chastain when he drove for Chip Ganassi Racing.[168] On April 7, 2022,GoPro was announced as the sponsor of both the No. 1 and No. 99 atMartinsville.[169] On April 18, 2022,Jockey International signed a multi-year agreement to sponsor both cars on select races.[170] On April 24, 2022, Worldwide Express signed a two-year deal to sponsor the No. 1 for 17 races and the No. 99 for four races.[171]
On January 11, 2022,MBM Motorsports announced that online car dealership website Bumper.com would be the primary sponsor for their No. 66 car driven byTimmy Hill for the Daytona 500.[92] After the No. 66 car failed to qualify for the Daytona 500, Bumper.com would return as the car's sponsor forthe race at Circuit of the Americas withBoris Said driving the car.[91]
On January 11, 2022,Richard Childress Racing announced that hemp-based company 3Chi would sponsorTyler Reddick and the No. 8 in a multi-year deal, becoming the first team to have a hemp-based sponsor in NASCAR.[172] On January 24, 2022,Guaranteed Rate signed on to sponsor the No. 8 for multiple races in 2022.[173]
On January 18, 2022, Richard Childress Racing announced that True Velocity Ammo would sponsorAustin Dillon and the No. 3 for multiple races in 2022, beginning with the Busch Light Clash.[174]
On January 25, 2022, it was revealed that the cryptocurrency Hex would sponsorJ. J. Yeley and the No. 13 (later renumbered to the No. 55)MBM Motorsports car in the Daytona 500. After the No. 55 car failed to qualify for the Daytona 500, Hex would return as the car's sponsor forthe race at Talladega in April with Yeley again driving the car.[91]
On February 1, 2022, it was announced that Pit Viper Sunglasses will sponsorThe Money Team Racing's No. 50 car driven byKaz Grala in the Daytona 500.[87]
On February 3, 2022, Petty GMS Motorsports announced its partnership withBlack Rifle Coffee Company as a primary sponsor of the No. 42 driven byTy Dillon for several races, starting with the 2022 Busch Light Clash at The Coliseum.[177] On March 2, 2022,Goettl Air Conditioning partnered with Petty GMS to sponsor the No. 42 at Las Vegas.[178]
On March 8, 2022,Team Stange Racing announced that Dignity Gold cryptocurrency would be the sponsor of their No. 79 car in 2022, whichTarso Marques will drive part-time.[113]
On April 19, 2022,Spire Motorsports announced that Raze Energy signed a multi-race deal to sponsor the No. 7 car, starting at Talladega.[186]
On May 10, 2022, Stewart–Haas Racing announced that Renegade Insurance would be the primary sponsor of Aric Almirola's No. 10 car in the Southern 500 at Darlington in September and an associate sponsor in all other races starting at Kansas in May.[187]
On August 27, 2021, it was announced that the car numbers would be moved forward on the Cup Series cars beginning in 2022, coinciding with the debut of the Next-Gen car. NASCAR experimented with car number placement at the2020 All-Star Race by moving the numbers back. Either of those movements results in more space for sponsor logos and therefore more revenue for the race teams.[188]
On November 19, 2021, NASCAR announced the new practice and qualifying formats across all three national series in 2022. The formats are as follows:[189]
Oval races: After a 15-minute practice period, the field will be separated into two groups, each running one lap (two laps at Martinsville, Bristol, Richmond, and Dover). The top five of each group will advance to the final round of qualifying, with the fastest lap earning the Busch Pole.
Daytona, Talladega, Atlanta: All cars run one lap each, with the top 10 transferring to the final round.
Daytona 500: All cars run one lap each, with the top 10 transferring to the final round. Only the top two cars qualify, with the field determined in 60-lap heat races.
Road courses: After a 20-minute practice period, the field will be separated into two groups, each running a 15-minute timed session. The top five of each group will advance to the final round, which consists of a 10-minute timed session.
Bristol dirt race: Standard dirt race procedure (as used in Four qualifying races will determine the starting lineup).
The Daytona 500, first Atlanta race, Bristol dirt, Gateway, Nashville, and the Phoenix season ending race will have one 50-minute practice session.
On December 17, 2021, NASCAR announced that teams will be allowed to use chrome numbers in 2022.[190]
On January 24, 2022, NASCAR announced a more stringent penalty system structure for the Cup Series. The penalty system is structured in three tiers from L1 to L3, with L3 reserved for the tampering and counterfeiting of Next Gen single-source vendor parts. L3 violations will result in a deduction of owner and driver points (including playoff points), revocation of playoff eligibility, crew member suspensions, or postseason bans.[191]
Auto Club Speedway returned to the schedule for the first time since 2020 afterstate COVID-19 regulations in California forced the cancellation of the 2021 race. It was scheduled for the weekend after the Daytona 500 (February 25, 26, and 27), which made it the second race of the season for the first time since2010, replacing theDaytona Road Course. This was also scheduled to be the last race at the track before its proposed reconfiguration into a short track for 2023, although the project was later put on hold.[204]
On August 21, 2021,Sports Business Journal reported that NASCAR was in talks to haveWorld Wide Technology Raceway (Gateway) inMadison, Illinois host a Cup Series race in 2022.[205] On September 8, Adam Stern ofSports Business Journal reported that the 2022 schedule to be announced in mid-September would add Gateway and remove one of thePocono races.[206] This was confirmed on September 14 byThe Athletic, with Gateway scheduled on June 5.[194]
On September 14, 2021, NASCAR announced that theBusch Clash would move to theLos Angeles Memorial Coliseum. The Clash was moved because of a situation that developed with2021 NFL league year changes (17-game season over 18 weeks movedSuper Bowl LVI back one week) announced after the 2022 Daytona 500 date had been announced.[207] They also announced that for the first time since 1989, there will be a Cup race on Easter Sunday.[194] Only one off-week was on the schedule in 2022 (Father's Day due to NBC's Coverage of the2022 U.S. Open).
NASCAR also announced that theDixie Vodka 400 atHomestead–Miami Speedway would be returning to the NASCAR Playoffs for 2022 but not as the final race of the season, as it had been from 2002 through 2019. Instead, Homestead is to joinLas Vegas andMartinsville as the tracks composing the Round of 8 in the quest for the championship. In order to make room for Homestead in the Playoff schedule, theFederated Auto Parts 400 atRichmond, which had been run as a Playoffs event since 2018, was rescheduled for August.[194]
On January 10, 2022, it was announced that the race at Sonoma will go back to using the 1.99 mile club circuit instead of the 2.52 mile full circuit used from 1989 to 1997 and from 2019 to 2021.[208]
The 2022 season marked the debut of theNext Gen Car, which was originally supposed to debut in2021, but was postponed due to theCOVID-19 pandemic.
This was the first season to have races covered byUSA Network, taking over for the now-defunctNBCSN,[1] and marks the final season forMars, Incorporated as a NASCAR sponsor, as the company announced on December 20, 2021, that it would leave NASCAR following the 2022 season.[212] This is also the final season for Kyle Busch driving the JGR No. 18. After months of contract negotiations with Busch and trying to find a replacement sponsor for M&M's in 2023, JGR was unable to get a deal done and Busch announced he would be leaving forRichard Childress Racing for 2023.[213]
2022 was also the final season of 2004 Cup ChampKurt Busch. Busch was sidelined after a crash during qualifying atPocono Raceway where he sustained a concussion. Busch announced in 2022 that he would not compete full time again in NASCAR, and in 2023 officially confirmed his retirement and will not start in a Cup Car again.
This season brought the end of a 62-year streak without a disqualification of a race winner (which started in 1960). In therace atPocono Raceway,Denny Hamlin was stripped of the win after failing post-race inspection. (After that, the win was given to initial third-place finisherChase Elliott due to the initial second-place finisher,Kyle Busch, Hamlin's Joe Gibbs Racing teammate, also failing post-race inspection and being disqualified.) It is the first time it has happened in a Cup Series race since the rule disqualifying the winner if their car failed post-race inspection was added in 2019. Additionally, therace atWatkins Glen International featured drivers from seven different countries competing in the race, the most in series history.[214]
This season concluded with 19 different drivers winning a race, which tied the modern-era (1972–present) record set in2001. Five drivers (Austin Cindric,Chase Briscoe,Ross Chastain,Daniel Suárez, andTyler Reddick) won their first career races. Chastain, Reddick,Christopher Bell,Bubba Wallace, andChris Buescher won their second career races. (Wallace and Buescher also won their first non-weather shortened races.)William Byron, Reddick, Bell, andErik Jones won their third career races while Byron, Bell, andAustin Dillon won their fourth, making the 2022 season one of the most competitive in history.
The 2022 season started with an exhibition race on a temporary1⁄4 mile (0.40 km) track constructed at theLos Angeles Memorial Coliseum.Kyle Busch won the pole in qualifying, which set the lineup for the four heat races. The heat races, which determined 16 of the 23 drivers for the 150-lap feature, were won by Kyle Busch,Tyler Reddick,Justin Haley, andJoey Logano. The remaining drivers were placed into two last-chance qualifying races, which determined the remaining drivers who would make the field.Denny Hamlin andRyan Preece won the last-chance qualifying races;Ty Dillon initially won the second race but was disqualified following a restart violation, which gave Preece the win.Martin Truex Jr. took the final spot in the feature with a provisional. Kyle Busch started on pole for the feature. The feature had multiple caution flags due to wrecks. Reddick led the early portion of the race before going to the garage with a broken prop shaft during a caution. Kyle Busch took over the lead and held the lead to the halftime break. After the race resumed, Kyle Busch continued to lead and led the most laps. Late in the race, Logano took the lead and went on to win the race.[215]
In theBluegreen Vacation Duel,Brad Keselowski won the first Duel in his first season withRFK Racing. In the second Duel,Joey Logano was leading late in the race until he wrecked on the last lap attempting to blockChris Buescher. Buescher won the second Duel, which ended under caution, resulting in RFK sweeping both Duel races.[217]
This was the first points race for theNext Gen car. RookieAustin Cindric, the2020 NASCAR Xfinity Series champion, won the race in only his eighth Cup Series start. He became the ninth driver to win his first Cup Series race in the Daytona 500. At age 23, Cindric also became the second-youngest driver in NASCAR history to win the Daytona 500 behindTrevor Bayne, who won the2011 Daytona 500 the day after his 20th birthday. This was the third Daytona 500 win forTeam Penske, who previously won the2008 race withRyan Newman and the2015 race withJoey Logano. It was also the first Daytona 500 win for the team's flagship No. 2 car, as Newman drove the No. 12 and Logano drove the No. 22.Bubba Wallace, driving the No. 23 for23XI Racing, finished second in the race for the second time after he first did so in2018.Martin Truex Jr., driving the No. 19 forJoe Gibbs Racing, won both Stage 1 and Stage 2.Brad Keselowski, who Cindric replaced in the Team Penske No. 2, led the most laps in the race, which was his first points race driving the No. 6 car for the renamedRFK Racing of which he became a co-owner. This was the first Daytona 500 since2019 to not be affected by rain.[218]
Austin Cindric won the pole.Kyle Busch spun early asTyler Reddick won the first stage.Brad Keselowski spun after contact withJoey Logano as Reddick won the second stage. Reddick got a flat tire while leading and got hit byWilliam Byron. Keselowski again spun and collectedBubba Wallace. With 22 laps to go, leaderKyle Larson threw a late block on teammateChase Elliott on the front stretch, resulting in Elliott making contact with the wall and later spinning, bringing out the final caution of the day. On the subsequent restart, Larson held off charges fromAustin Dillon,Erik Jones, andDaniel Suárez for his second Cup win at Fontana.[219]
Christopher Bell was on pole position. On Lap 43,Austin Dillon tapped and spunJustin Haley, bringing out the 3rd caution. The first stage was won byAlex Bowman. In stage 2,Brad Keselowski spun on the main straight and damagedRyan Blaney, who was furious. The pole sitter, Bell spun and punctured two tires. Stage 2 was won byTrackhouse Racing, who won their first stage at the hands ofRoss Chastain. In stage 3 with 13 laps to go,Joe Gibbs Racing teammatesKyle Busch andMartin Truex Jr. battled for the lead. With 3 laps to go,Erik Jones hit the wall and went across the track, bringing out the caution.Bubba Wallace narrowly hit him, instead hitting the barriers in the infield. On the overtime restart,Alex Bowman took two tires and was side by side with his teammateKyle Larson for the restart. They fought for two laps, with Bowman victorious. Ross Chastain led the most laps of the day, with 83 laps led; he finished third.[220]
Ryan Blaney won the pole.Corey LaJoie slammed into the wall after having a tire completely off the car.William Byron won the first stage.Christopher Bell got into the wall after a flat tire as Blaney won the second stage.Martin Truex Jr. slammed into the wall after having a flat tire.Erik Jones andChase Elliott both caused cautions for spinning in two different incidents. On the restart,Chase Briscoe would hold off charges fromRoss Chastain andTyler Reddick to get his first career Cup Series victory and became the 200th different winner in Cup Series history.[221]
The Folds of Honor QuikTrip 500 at Atlanta Motor Speedway in March
Chase Briscoe was awarded the pole position after NASCAR decided to replace qualifying on Saturday with a practice session due to the practice session on Friday being cancelled due to rain. Briscoe scored highest using the pandemic metric score that is now used by NASCAR based on the previous race results and points.[222]
The modifiedAtlanta Motor Speedway, now classified as a superspeedway after a reconfiguration in 2021, produced lots of action. The field ran two and three wide for most of the race. The changes were not well received byKyle Busch, who on being asked whether he preferred the new version of Atlanta to the old one he just replied "no". He had a collision withAustin Dillon in Stage 1. There were lots of right rear punctures for many drivers, includingTyler Reddick andRicky Stenhouse Jr. in stage 2, both triggering wrecks but most notably forRoss Chastain in stage 1, who also hit a wall after his puncture and had received a penalty for improper fuelling which left him several laps down. He still recovered to finish second. There were 46 lead changes among 20 drivers, both track records.William Byron won the race, his third career victory.Bubba Wallace and Chastain were also fighting for the victory in the last laps but Wallace and others had a wreck across the finish line.Christopher Bell was second on track but was classified last on the lead lap after an illegal overtake on Chastain.[223]Chase Elliott finished sixth and became the Championship Leader at his home race.
Ryan Blaney won the pole even after a crash in Practice at NASCAR's first Road course race of the season.Daniel Suárez started in P2 after being fastest in Group B. Suárez won Stage 1, his second career stage victory asKyle Busch faced mechanical issues. On the Stage 2 restart, Suárez was spun at the first corner and cut his tire, which lost him positions. His teammateRoss Chastain battled for the lead withAustin Cindric, the pair locked into a wheel to wheel battle. They both pitted on Lap 28, andDenny Hamlin won his first stage in 2022. At the restart,Joey Logano was the lead car but went deep into Turn 1, immediately losing the lead. Later, his teammate Cindric spun through the fast downhill left-hander, Turn 10 where his teammate Blaney spun during practice. Chastain returned to the lead pack battled withChase Briscoe and other drivers for the lead.Bubba Wallace's lug nut came loose and he had to retire. Briscoe later dropped back with mechanical issues.Loris Hezemans stopped on track and retired, resulting in a restart with 3 laps to go. Logano,Kurt Busch andKyle Larson made contact at the first corner on the restart, bringing out another caution. The race was restarted again in Overtime, and Chastain,Alex Bowman,Tyler Reddick andA. J. Allmendinger battled for the lead. On the final lap at Turn 15, Allmendinger pushed Chastain, briefly putting Bowman in the lead. Coming through Hayden Hill, Chastain pushed Allmendinger into Bowman. Allmendinger spun and finished 33rd. Chastain won the race from Bowman in second, givingTrackhouse Racing their first NASCAR Win.Chase Elliott finished fourth and kept the Championship lead.[224]
Ryan Blaney started the race on the pole position and led the most laps in the race. Blaney won the first stage whileMartin Truex Jr. won the second stage.William Byron was leading late in the race. During a round of late-race green-flag pit stops, several drivers came to pit road for fresh tires while Byron stayed out with older tires. Byron was passed for the lead byDenny Hamlin, who had pitted for tires, with five laps remaining. Hamlin pulled away to win the race, his first win and top ten of the season.[225]
Chase Elliott was on pole for the race and led the first 185 laps, also winning both stages. During the race,Hendrick Motorsports surpassed leading 10,000 laps at Martinsville, becoming the first Cup team to lead that many laps at a single track.William Byron led 212 laps in the race. On lap 393,Todd Gilliland brushed the turn 4 wall, which sent the race to overtime. Byron held offJoey Logano to win the race, his second win of the season.[226]
Cole Custer won the pole position through the qualifying heat races.Chase Briscoe led early in the race until he spun from a flat tire.Kyle Larson won the first stage of the race. Briscoe came back to take the lead and won the second stage of the race. After the second stage was completed, the race was delayed due to rain. Once the race resumed,Tyler Reddick took the lead by passing bothKyle Busch andJoey Logano. The race was delayed a second time due to rain. Reddick continued to lead late in the race. In the closing laps, Briscoe started catching Reddick. On the final lap in the final turn, Briscoe made contact with Reddick, causing both cars to spin, Kyle Busch passed Reddick to win the race, his first win of the season and 60th of his career. He became the 9th driver to score his 60th Cup victory. This also marked the 18th consecutive season that Kyle Busch won a race, tying the record set byRichard Petty.[227]
Christopher Bell started the race from the pole position. The race had 41 lead changes among 16 drivers.Bubba Wallace won the first stage of the race. During a restart in the second stage, a multicar wreck occurred that involvedJoey Logano,Daniel Suárez,Ty Dillon, andHarrison Burton.William Byron, who led the most laps in the race, won the second stage of the race.Erik Jones was leading late in the race. On the final lap,Kyle Larson attempted to pass Jones for the lead while Jones blocked Larson.Ross Chastain was able to pass both cars and win the race, his second win of the season.[228]
The DuraMAX Drydene 400 at Dover Motor Speedway in May
Chris Buescher was on pole for the race. The race started on Sunday and 78 laps were completed before rain forced the remainder of the race to be postponed until Monday.Denny Hamlin won the first stage of the race but had a tire come off his car as he was exiting pit road. In the second stage, Hamlin was collected in a wreck caused byCody Ware spinning.Ryan Blaney won the second stage in the race.Kyle Busch led the most laps in the race. During a round of green-flag pit stops, Kyle Busch and second-placeAlex Bowman were on pit road when a caution came out forA. J. Allmendinger losing a wheel, resulting in the two drivers restarting at the end of the lead lap.Chase Elliott led the final laps of the race and went on to score his first win of the season. On the final lap,Ross Chastain andMartin Truex Jr. made contact battling for third place, resulting in Truex Jr. spinning.[229]
Joey Logano took the pole position for the race and won the first stage.Ross Chastain won Stage 2, but during the final stage, he lost control and hit the inside wall head-on, ending his day abruptly.Brad Keselowski blew a tire and collided withKyle Busch. During the caution, Busch parked his car on pit road and walked away when its front suspension was too damaged to turn to the garage. During the closing laps,William Byron was in the lead, with Logano closely behind him. With two laps to go, Logano punted Byron to the outside wall, passing him to win the race.[230]
Christopher Bell won the pole position.Chase Briscoe spun on lap 6, bringing out the first caution. Many cars suffered punctures in the left-rear tire, includingDaniel Suárez with 19 laps to go in Stage 1. The stage was eventually won byKyle Busch.William Byron andMartin Truex Jr. also had left-rear punctures, the latter with two laps to go for the end of stage 2; which was won byKurt Busch. In the final stage, Kurt Busch fought withKyle Larson for the lead. With 86 laps to go, the pair were side by side and Larson slid; but kept his car from spinning out. Later,Chase Elliott also had a left rear puncture, bringing out the seventh caution. Larson and Kurt Busch continued to fight for the win, with Kurt Busch emerging as the eventual winner. Elliott retained the points lead.[231]
Kyle Busch took the pole position.Ricky Stenhouse Jr.,Chris Buescher, andDaniel Suárez qualified for the race by winning the three stages of the All-Star Open whileErik Jones won the fan vote. Busch won Stage 1. During the second stage,Kyle Larson blew a tire and hit the wall hard, resulting in a last-place finish. With three laps to go on the stage, Busch cut a tire and slowed down. With no chance of avoiding Busch,Ross Chastain clipped him from behind before going airborne and colliding withChase Elliott. Following the restart,Austin Cindric won Stage 2 whileRyan Blaney won Stage 3. During the final lap, Blaney was over three seconds ahead ofDenny Hamlin when Stenhouse brushed the wall, resulting in NASCAR declaring a caution right before Blaney crossed the finish line. The race restarted on overtime with Blaney winning the race and the cash prize ofUS$1 million.[232] Following the race however, NASCAR faced criticism for calling the caution leading to the overtime, as well as allowing Blaney to race with an improperly installed window net in that period (Blaney had removed it to prepare for the celebrations as he crossed the finish line, only to be told about the Stenhouse crash afterwards).[233]
Denny Hamlin won the pole position. On Lap 46,Daniel Suárez overtookKyle Busch for the lead, and Kyle Busch spun.Bubba Wallace spun down the straightaway.Chase Elliott won the first stage, before spinning in a similar manner to Wallace in stage 2. With 9 laps to go in stage 2,Ryan Blaney spun, causing a multi car wreck. Suárez won the stage, and his teammateRoss Chastain won the next stage. In the final stage, Suárez tried to blockChase Briscoe but instead made contact with him, sending Suárez spinning.Chris Buescher couldn't avoid Suárez and broke his front right suspension, which resulted in the right front tire getting stuck under the car; that sent Buescher into a barrel roll, bringing out the red flag. He landed on his roof but was unhurt.Kyle Larson and Briscoe overtook Chastain, who led the most laps all day. Towards the end Briscoe closed up to Larson, overtook him and was re-overtaken. With 2 laps to go Briscoe tried again, but instead spun into Larson in turn 2, which triggered an overtime restart. In the restart,Austin Dillon, with four fresh tires, went four wide for the lead, but instead wrecked after contact with Larson; this triggered another multi car wreck and subsequent restart. On the final restart, Denny Hamlin had the inside from Chastain who dropped back because of damage. Hamlin won the race, holding off teammate Kyle Busch. The race was the longest in NASCAR history at 619.5 miles and taking 5 hours and 13 minutes.[234]
Chase Briscoe got his first pole position of the season at the Cup Series' debut at theWorld Wide Technology Raceway. He got a puncture and had to pit.Austin Cindric won the first stage. In the next stage,Ross Chastain tried to bump his way pastDenny Hamlin but instead put Hamlin in the wall instead.Ryan Blaney had a puncture with 46 laps to go which brought out the caution. On the restart Chastain spunChase Elliott, sparking another feud. Simultaneously right behind Elliott,Bubba Wallace was spun round in a similar fashion byHarrison Burton. Elliott later also bumped Chastain in retaliation, with Chastain narrowly hitting the wall and Hamlin, right behind, also coming alongside Chastain and passing him. Hamlin held up and blocked Chastain for the next few laps.Ricky Stenhouse Jr. put Wallace in the wall while trying to bump past him. Hamlin saw it firsthand and expressed his displeasure; he also owns23XI Racing- Wallace's team. Wallace's teammateKurt Busch won the stage. In the final stageKyle Busch andJoey Logano battled for the win, but a brake rotor failure onKevin Harvick's car on lap 236 sent the race to overtime. In the overtime restart, Busch briefly went past Logano but went too wide at the next turn, giving Logano the lead, and eventually the victory.[235]
Kyle Larson won the pole for the season's second road course race, this time atSonoma Raceway. He led his teammateChase Elliott on the start. With 16 laps to go in Stage 1,Bubba Wallace's engine failed and he brought out the caution. Larson won the stage. In the next stageRoss Chastain spun by himself trying to overtake his teammateDaniel Suárez. On pit lane, Elliott's car was out of the designated pit box and mechanics worked on it, earning him a penalty which dropped him to last.Joey Logano won the second stage. In the final stage, with 49 laps to go, many cars were battling for position from 8th position downwards. Briefly two rows of cars were three-wide into Turn 11. Later,Tyler Reddick spun. On Lap 27, Larson's right-front tire came off, earning a four race suspension for crew chiefCliff Daniels and both the tire changer and the jack operator. Suárez, who dominated the last stage from the lead won the race, earning his first Cup Series win, andTrackhouse's third in its second season. He became the first Mexican born driver to win a race in the Cup Series and the fifth international driver to win a Cup Series race as well. Elsewhere,Hendrick Motorsports achieved the landmark of a 100,000 miles led in the Cup Series. Elliott remained in the championship lead from Chastain. Suárez' win put him on the positive side of the Playoffs standings, but with 12 winners and ten races remaining, only the top 16 race winners (wins, then points) are guaranteed a playoff position.[236]
Denny Hamlin won the pole after qualifying was cancelled due to rain after the first round.Alex Bowman got into the wall and was unable to continue. After a several hour red flag due to rain and lightning, the race resumed asMartin Truex Jr. would sweep both stages.Chase Elliott took the lead and was able to hold offKurt Busch for his second win of the season.[237]
Chase Elliott won the pole. Eliott would dominate the race and lead the most laps, but didn't win either stage as they were won byChase Briscoe andRyan Blaney respectively. Several drivers had mechanical issues includingBubba Wallace andAustin Dillon.Tyler Reddick would pass Elliott to be able to become the leader after the final rounds of green flag pit stops. Reddick would pull away from Elliott to score his first career Cup Series victory.[238]
Chase Elliott won the pole for the second week in a row after qualifying was cancelled due to rain. Elliott would lead the most laps and win both stages.Martin Truex Jr. spun after contact withRoss Chastain and collectedJoey Logano,Kyle Busch,Michael McDowell,Kyle Larson, andAustin Dillon.Alex Bowman spun and got into the turn 2 wall coming to the end of the second stage. In the closing laps,Denny Hamlin spun after contact with Chastain and collectedBrad Keselowski. On the restart,Corey LaJoie took the lead attempting to get his first career win, but Elliott took the lead with two laps to go. LaJoie attempted a last lap pass, but Elliott put on a block and put LaJoie into the wall and collectedKurt Busch as Elliott scored the win under caution for his third win of the season.[239]
Denny Hamlin won the pole.Ty Gibbs made his Cup Series debut asKurt Busch was unable to race after Busch suffered a concussion in a turn 3 crash in practice.Austin Cindric spun early and a caution forAric Almirola ended the first stage withKyle Larson winning. Hamlin spun asKyle Busch won the second stage.Ross Chastain took the lead from Busch after the final round of green flag pit stops and was pulling away untilRyan Blaney slammed hard into the wall. On the restart, Chastain got into the wall after battling Hamlin for the lead and collectedKevin Harvick. Hamlin was able to pull away from Busch to win the race, but both Hamlin and Busch failed post-race inspection and were disqualified and thus third-placeChase Elliott was awarded the win, his fourth of the season, making the first time in the Cup Series since 1960 that the winner was disqualified and stripped of the win. It also marked the first time in NASCAR history that the winner did not lead a single lap.[241]
Bubba Wallace won the first pole of his career. The race was delayed by just over an hour due to rain and lightning about 30 minutes before the race began. On the first restart,JJ Yeley, who had not stopped unlike most of the field, got loose in turn 2 and spun in the middle of the field, collectingKyle Busch,Aric Almirola,Harrison Burton,Austin Cindric, andRicky Stenhouse Jr.Christopher Bell won the first stage whileDenny Hamlin won the second stage. After the final round of green flag stops, Bell got into the wall after contact withRoss Chastain.Kevin Harvick pulled away on the restart and held off Wallace for his first win since Bristol in 2020, breaking a 65-race winless streak, the 2nd longest winless streak of his career, and also becoming the fifteenth different winner of the season, tying a series record.[243]
This race featured drivers from seven countries, which made it the most in Cup Series history. In addition to the majority of drivers being from the United States and series full-time driverDaniel Suárez being from Mexico,road course ringersDaniil Kvyat fromRussia,Loris Hezemans from theNetherlands,Kyle Tilley fromEngland,Mike Rockenfeller fromGermany andKimi Räikkönen fromFinland all entered this race; Kvyat and Hezemans were teammates for Team Hezeberg, Tilley drove for Live Fast Motorsports in the No.78, Rockenfeller drove Spire's No.77, and Raikkonen debuted Trackhouse Racing's PROJECT91 entry.[214]
Chase Elliott won the pole. The race was red flagged early due to a lightning hold.Chase Briscoe won the first stage whileJoey Logano won the second stage.Austin Dillon spun after contact withRoss Chastain and collectedKimi Räikkönen, who was making his NASCAR debut.Kyle Larson took the lead from Elliott on a late restart and held offA. J. Allmendinger for his second straight win at The Glen and his second win of the season. Elliott also clinched the regular season championship after this race.[245]
Joey Logano won the pole. Several playoff drivers had trouble during the entire race.Chase Elliott spun and collectedChase Briscoe, taking Elliott out of the race after the damaged vehicle policy clock expired.William Byron won the first stage, but suffered engine issues along with teammateKyle Larson.Ross Chastain went several laps down due to several issues.Kyle Busch won the second stage.Kevin Harvick had a tire go down and the car caught fire. Non-playoff driverMartin Truex Jr. was leading when he lost power steering and had to go to the garage. While under caution due to an accident involvingCody Ware, Kyle Busch blew the engine after dominating most of the race.Erik Jones was able to pull away on the restart and hold off a chargingDenny Hamlin for his third career win, his second Southern 500 win, and the first win forPetty GMS Motorsports. This was also the first win for the No. 43 car since the2014 Coke Zero 400 and the number's overall 200th win.[247]
Tyler Reddick won the pole.Kevin Harvick got into the wall and broke the suspension, taking him out of the race. Reddick cut a tire and got into the wall while leading, taking him out of the race.Christopher Bell won the first stage.Ricky Stenhouse Jr. cut a tire and got into the wall while running second. On the restart,Corey LaJoie got into the wall along withAric Almirola andHarrison Burton.Kyle Busch spun after both rear tires went flat.Alex Bowman won the second stage and led the most laps. Bowman pulled away in the final stage untilBubba Wallace took the lead and retained the lead after the final round of green flag pit stops and would hold off team ownerDenny Hamlin for his second career win and first non-rain shortened win. Bell locked into the next round of the playoffs on points.[248]
Aric Almirola won the pole.RFK Racing teammatesBrad Keselowski andChris Buescher dominated the race along withChristopher Bell as Keselowski won the first stage and Bell won the second stage. The Toyota cars were suffering from power steering issues, including both23XI cars. Like Darlington two races prior,Joe Gibbs Racing teammatesMartin Truex Jr. andKyle Busch were taken out of the race with power steering and blown engine respectively.Daniel Suárez lost control of his car, with fellow playoff driversAustin Dillon andTyler Reddick getting caught up with heavy damage. Both Keselowski and Bell blew tires while leading as Buescher held offChase Elliott for his second career win and first non-rain shortened win. It was Buescher's first win in 222 races, the second longest drought between wins, the first win in 175 races forJack Roush, the first win for Keselowski as an owner. Buescher also became the nineteenth different winner of the season, tying the modern-era record set in2001. Dillon,Kevin Harvick, Reddick, and Kyle Busch were eliminated from the playoffs.[249]
Brad Keselowski won the pole. The race saw tire issues forMartin Truex Jr.,Kevin Harvick andChase Elliott- who retired after a small fire broke out in his engine bay, pushing him to be last above the cut line when the race ended.Christopher Bell also faced issues and dropped below the cut line.Kyle Larson won the first stage afterDenny Hamlin made contact with his left rear quarter panel.Ryan Blaney, who won theAll Star race earlier this year won Stage 2. Subsequently, there was a 56-minute red flag for rain. Later,William Byron and Hamlin made contact, which left Byron displeased. Byron then hit Hamlin on purpose under caution, sending Hamlin spinning.Tyler Reddick foughtJoey Logano for the lead, with the former winning right after being eliminated from the previous round of the playoffs, and the latter earning the points lead. There were a record 36 lead changes and a record 16 caution periods.[250] Byron (andTy Gibbs, who hitTy Dillon on the pit road) were later fined for their incidents. Byron was also initially penalized with a loss of 25 points, which dropped him from third to tenth in the standings,[251] although it was later overturned.[252] A string of tire failures also resulted inAlex Bowman suffering from a concussion that effectively eliminated him from the playoffs[253] andCody Ware sustaining an impaction fracture on his ankle after am hard hit into the pit wall.[254]
Joey Logano won the pole. Logano won the first stage whileRoss Chastain won the second stage.Tyler Reddick,A. J. Allmendinger, andChase Elliott all led the race. Elliott was heading to the win until a caution came out for debris, ending the race to overtime. On the restart, Elliott spun from the lead with contact with Reddick and Allmendinger while Logano spun, bringing out the red flag for a dislodged curbing. On the restartChristopher Bell, who needed a win to advance, took the lead fromKevin Harvick and won his second race of the season and third of his career.Austin Cindric,Kyle Larson,Alex Bowman, andDaniel Suárez were eliminated from the playoffs.[256]
Tyler Reddick won the pole.Kyle Busch spun with a flat tire asBubba Wallace won the first stage. Wallace made contact withKyle Larson and both spun and got into the wall also collectingChristopher Bell. Wallace then confronted Larson and shoved him several times.Ryan Blaney won the second stage, but would get in the wall and spin while battling for the lead. Kyle Busch would have more tire issues as a tire came off after a pit stop.Daniel Suárez spun while battling teammateRoss Chastain for position. On the restart, Chastain pulled away from the field untilJoey Logano caught and passed Chastain with three laps to go and Logano won the race to advance to the Championship 4 in Phoenix.[257]
Kyle Larson won the pole.Denny Hamlin dominated and won both stages.Kyle Busch had tire issues and fell several laps down.Tyler Reddick exited the race early due to him not feeling well.Austin Dillon slammed hard into the wall after brake issues.Chase Briscoe, needing a win to advance, stayed off pit road and pulled away from the field untilChristopher Bell, who also needed to win to advance, passed Briscoe for the lead and held off pole sitter Larson to win the race and advance to the Championship 4 in Phoenix joiningJoey Logano.Chase Elliott made it in on points as well asRoss Chastain, who rode along the wall to go from 10th to 5th in the final corner on the final lap to beat out Hamlin for the final spot while Hamlin, Briscoe,Ryan Blaney, andWilliam Byron were eliminated.Brad Keselowski scored his best finish of the year of 4th, but failed post-race inspection and was credited with last place.[259]
Joey Logano won the pole. Logano won the first stage whileRyan Blaney won the second stage.Chase Elliott spun and got into the wall after contact withRoss Chastain.Brad Keselowski got a flat tire and the car caught fire. Logano took the lead from spring winnerChase Briscoe and held off Blaney to win the race and become the 2022 NASCAR Cup Series Champion.[260]
^Chase Elliott unofficially finished 3rd, but he was credited the win after the cars ofDenny Hamlin andKyle Busch were disqualified after the post-race inspection.[261]
(key)Bold – Pole position awarded by time.Italics – Pole position set by competition-based formula. * – Most laps led.1 – Stage 1 winner.2 – Stage 2 winner.3 – Stage 3 winner.[N 1]1–10 - Regular season top 10 finishers. . – Eliminated after Round of 16. – Eliminated after Round of 12. – Eliminated after Round of 8
† –Kurt Busch originally qualified for the race, but was not cleared to race after a crash in the final round of qualifying, and was replaced byTy Gibbs. ‡ –Greg Biffle started receiving points at Las Vegas in March. ¶ –Ty Gibbs originally qualified for the race, but would not compete due to a family emergency and was replaced byDaniel Hemric.
Notes
^Stage 3 Winner only forCoca-Cola 600 and Daytona 500 qualifying race, but no playoff point at Daytona
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