Daniel Hemric entered the season as the defending champion and attempted to become the second driver in series history to win back-to-back championships driving for two different teams. (The first wasTyler Reddick in2018 and2019, who drove forJR Motorsports andRichard Childress Racing in those years respectively.) Hemric drove the No. 18 car forJoe Gibbs Racing in 2021, but moved to the No. 11 car forKaulig Racing in 2022. Hemric once again made the Playoffs but was eliminated after the Round of 12.
The Xfinity Series logo also changed from red to purple in 2022 to reflect a similar change in the logo of series title sponsorXfinity.[1]
^abAt Texas in May (race #12), Road America (race #16) and Kansas II (race #25), Weatherman qualified the car before being replaced by Iwuji in the race.
^abRyan Sieg is running the full season split between the Nos. 39 and 38RSS Racing cars.
^abcThe entries at Daytona in August (race 23) and Talladega in October (race 28) were fielded in a collaboration withEmerling-Gase Motorsports.
^abTimmy Hill qualified the No. 38 car at Fontana, but after Joe Graf Jr. failed to qualify for the race in his own No. 08 car, he replaced Timmy Hill in the No. 38.
On August 6, 2021,Shane Lee tweeted that he got the equipment from the closedH2 Motorsports team that he drove for in2019 and was contemplating whether to use it and start his own team or sell the equipment.[122] On November 18,Joey Gase announced that he would start his own team, Joey Gase Racing, fielding the No. 35 Ford/Toyota full-time in 2022 with himself and other drivers sharing the ride. The Toyotas that the team will run were the ones owned by Lee that were last used by H2M. As part of the deal to sell the equipment to Gase, Lee will drive select races in Gase's No. 35.[93] On December 30, it was announced thatPatrick Emerling (who drove part-time forOur Motorsports in 2020 and 2021) would join the team as a driver and a co-owner, and as a result, the team was renamed Emerling-Gase Motorsports, and that the team would also field a second part-time car.[90]
On August 21, 2021, it was announced thatNFL Hall of FamerEmmitt Smith and driverJesse Iwuji would be starting an Xfinity Series team, Jesse Iwuji Motorsports, with Iwuji running the full season and for Rookie of the Year.[38] On February 7, 2022, it was announced that the team would run Chevrolets and share a shop withJD Motorsports, which had extra space available as they reduced from 4 full-time cars to 2 for 2022. The team chose the No. 34 in honor of fellow African American driverWendell Scott afterTeam Penske, who cut back to a part-time Xfinity car in 2022, declined to give the team their first choice of car number, the No. 22, Smith's number when he played for theDallas Cowboys.[123][124]
On August 30, 2021, it was announced thatCaesar Bacarella, who has driven part-time in the series for B. J. McLeod Motorsports and DGM Racing since2017, would be joiningMartins Motorsports as a driver/co-owner and the team would be renamedAlpha Prime Racing (Alpha Prime is a company he owns). In addition to Bacarella,Tommy Joe Martins,Rajah Caruth, and potentially additional drivers will share the team's No. 44 car for the full season.[5] On January 6, 2022, Alpha Prime Racing announced it will field two full-time teams in 2022, withSage Karam driving the No. 45 for four races.[125]
When theJayski's Silly Season Site 2022 Xfinity Series team/driver chart was released, it was revealed thatBig Machine Racing, which fields the No. 48 car forJade Buford (who will return to the team in 2022) may form an alliance with a larger NASCAR Xfinity Series team.[126] On October 7, 2021, BMRT announced that they would partner with Richard Childress Racing in 2022.[16]
Miles Thomas Motorsports will debut in 2022. The team will compete part-time in both the Xfinity Series and ARCA Menards Series withJason Miles, who is also a co-owner of the team. Miles competed part-time in ARCA forFast Track Racing in2019 and2021. Ford will be their manufacturer. The team has yet to announce their car number, sponsors, and crew chief.[127]
On October 14, 2021,Bob Pockrass fromFox tweeted thatJoe Gibbs Racing could downsize from four full-time cars to three in 2022. One of the cars would continue to be for a rotation of drivers like the No. 54 was in 2021.[128] The team lost two of its full-time drivers from 2021,Daniel Hemric, who moved toKaulig Racing's No. 11 car, andHarrison Burton, who moved up toWood Brothers Racing in theNASCAR Cup Series, who each bring sponsorship, and the team could not find sponsorship for the No. 54 car in multiple races in 2021. On November 16, JGR officially announced that it would only field 3 full-time Xfinity Series cars in 2022, thus shutting down the No. 20 team, because the No. 54 car would return in 2022 withTy Gibbs as its full-time driver. It was later turned out the No. 54 was renumbered from the No. 20 after the season ended.[129]
On October 28, 2021, it was announced thatRSS Racing would field two full-time cars again in 2022 with multiple drivers sharing the second car (announced to be the No. 38 on January 17, 2022). After previously fielding three full-time cars in 2018 and 2019 and two in 2020, the team downsized to one car, the No. 39, in 2021.[60] After two drivers of the No. 38,C. J. McLaughlin andParker Retzlaff, were both announced to be running the race at Bristol in September, it appeared likely that RSS would field a third car in that race.[86][88] On January 20, 2022, RSS announced that they would field a third car, the No. 28, forKyle Sieg part-time in 2022.[113]
On October 29, 2021, it was announced thatRichard Childress Racing would field two full-time cars again in 2022, with their second car driven byAustin Hill.[58] On January 21, 2022, RCR revealed on their website that Hill's car number would be the No. 21, which the team has used in the Xfinity Series for many years.[130]
On November 17, 2021,MBM Motorsports ownerCarl Long announced onSiriusXM NASCAR Radio that his team would downsize their Xfinity Series team to one full-time car in 2022. The team previously fielded three full-time cars, the Nos. 13, 61 and 66, with the No. 61 sharing the owner points withHattori Racing Enterprises.[94]
On December 16, 2021,Our Motorsports announced that they would be expanding to three full-time cars in 2022.Jeb Burton will drive the team's new third car, the No. 27.[52]
On December 20, 2021,J. C. Stout (who drove part-time in the Xfinity Series from2008 to2010 and the Truck Series from2003 to2010) announced that he had bought some Toyotas fromJoe Gibbs Racing and would be restarting his team,SQR Development (previously Stellar Quest Racing), which last competed in the series in2009. The team planned to run 10 to 12 races with the first one being at Richmond.[131] On January 20, 2022, SQR announced that formerKyle Busch Motorsports andGMS Racing Truck Series driverRaphaël Lessard would drive the team's car, the No. 87, part-time.[132] Lessard and the No. 87 car were not on the entry list for the race at Richmond and Lessard revealed in a Facebook post on March 29 that the team would not be attempting any races due to personal issues involving team owner Stout.[133]
On January 13, 2022,Team Penske Vice Chairman Walt Czarnecki announced that Penske would not field an Xfinity Series team in 2022 unless a sponsor was interested. On February 15, 2022,Roger Penske revealed onSiriusXM NASCAR Radio that his team would field a part-time car in the Xfinity Series in 2022.[134]
On March 28, 2022,DGM Racing announced it would condense its Xfinity operation to two full-time teams with the No. 36 and No. 91 continuing to run full-time while the No. 92 would become a part-time car.[135] A day later,SS-Green Light Racing announced that it purchased the points of the No. 92 car for its No. 08 car, which had failed to qualify for four of the first six races of the season.[136]
On April 19, 2022,B. J. McLeod Motorsports announced that they would scale back to two full-time cars, the No. 5 and No. 78, for the remainder of 2022, with the No. 99, previously a full-time car, now being fielded on a part-time basis.[137]
On August 8, 2022, it was revealed thatKaulig Racing would field a fourth car, the No. 14, for the first time in the race at Daytona which will be driven byJustin Haley, who drives full-time in the Cup Series for the team.
On September 15, 2020,JR Motorsports announced thatSam Mayer would run full-time for them in 2022 after running the second half of the 2021 season in their No. 8 car.[41] After the announcement that Josh Berry, who shared the No. 8 car with Mayer in 2021, would drive the No. 8 full-time in 2022, Dustin Albino fromJayski confirmed that Mayer would still run full-time for JRM in 2022.[140]Dale Earnhardt Jr. himself commented on NASCARReddit that it was possible that the team could run five cars full-time[141] so the team would not have to release one of their other full-time drivers. JRM had re-signedNoah Gragson andJustin Allgaier in addition to Berry and Mayer and it was likely thatMichael Annett would return to the team in 2022 due to him bringing sponsorship fromPilot Flying J, so at that time, it was likely that Mayer would run full-time for JRM in the fifth car. However, with Annett announcing his retirement, Mayer will replace him as the team's fourth full-time driver and the team will not field a fifth car full-time. However, JRM will field a fifth car (the No. 88) in the spring Martinsville race for Earnhardt Jr. in his once-a-year Xfinity Series start. It is the first time since2018 that JRM will have fielded five cars in a race.[106] On December 15, JRM revealed a new font for the No. 1 on their website, which indicates that it will be Mayer's car number in 2022.
On June 18, 2021,Kaulig Racing announced thatJustin Haley, the driver of their No. 11 car in the Xfinity Series, would move up to the Cup Series full-time in 2022, driving the team's No. 31 car.[142] On September 25, Kaulig announced thatDaniel Hemric would replace Haley in the No. 11 in 2022.[50] He drove the No. 18 forJoe Gibbs Racing in 2021 and won the championship. Hemric also drove Kaulig's No. 10 car in therace at Charlotte in2019 as a relief driver forAustin Dillon.
On July 15, 2021,Team Penske announced thatAustin Cindric would move up to the Cup Series full-time in 2022, replacingBrad Keselowski (who is moving toRFK Racing to become a driver/co-owner for that team) in the No. 2 car.[143] The team has yet to announce their plans for the No. 22 car, although at this time it appears most likely that it will go back to being an "all-star car" with their Cup Series drivers sharing the ride, according to Jordan Bianchi fromThe Athletic.[144]
On July 15, 2021, it was also announced thatHarrison Burton, the driver of the No. 20 forJoe Gibbs Racing in the Xfinity Series, would be moving up to the Cup Series full-time in 2022, replacingMatt DiBenedetto in the No. 21 car forWood Brothers Racing.[145] JGR has yet to announce who will replace Burton in the No. 20, although JGR part-time Xfinity and full-time ARCA driverTy Gibbs andKyle Busch Motorsports full-time Truck Series driverJohn Hunter Nemechek are widely considered to be the most likely candidates (although Nemechek would run part-time since he is returning to KBM in the Truck Series full-time in 2022). Gibbs could also stay in the No. 54, which he drove part-time in 2021, and run full-time in that car sinceKyle Busch will not be returning to the Xfinity Series in 2022 after reaching his retirement goal of 100 wins in the series in 2021.[146] Gibbs could also drive JGR's No. 18 car in 2022 asDaniel Hemric will be leaving the team to drive the No. 11 for Kaulig Racing in 2022.[50]
On July 16, 2021,GMS Racing full-time Truck Series driverSheldon Creed stated in an interview that he would like to move up to the Xfinity Series full-time in 2022.[147] On August 17, Chris Knight fromCatchfence tweeted that Creed was close to getting a 2022 deal done.[148] On September 14, it was announced that Creed would drive full-time forRichard Childress Racing in the Xfinity Series in 2022.[55] On October 9, RCR announced that Creed would replaceMyatt Snider in the No. 2 and that Snider would remain with RCR in theirdriver development program.[149] On November 3, it was announced that Snider would drive full-time for the RCR-alignedJordan Anderson Racing in their No. 31 car in 2022.[40]
On July 27, 2021,Tommy Joe Martins announced that he will go back to part-time as a driver andhis team's No. 44 will be split between him and multiple other drivers, one of which currently competes in ARCA and has yet to make a start in the top 3 series. Martins is expected to announce who that driver is sometime in August.[6] On August 30, Martins announced that the driver isRajah Caruth, who will be running three races in the No. 44 car (one race at Martinsville, Dover, and Richmond) with the possibility of two more if sponsorship can be found (Pocono and Kansas). Caruth will also return toRev Racing and theDrive for Diversity program in 2022 and will run full-time in theARCA Menards Series.[5]
On August 16, 2021, JR Motorsports announced thatJosh Berry would drive full-time in their No. 8 car in 2022, which he drove part-time in 2021.[45]
On September 9, 2021, it was announced thatColby Howard would drive full-time in the Truck Series forMcAnally-Hilgemann Racing in 2022. He previously drove the No. 15 forJD Motorsports in the Xfinity Series full-time in 2021 and part-time in 2020.[150]
On September 21, 2021, it was announced thatStefan Parsons would drive full-time forB. J. McLeod Motorsports in 2022. He has driven part-time for the team since 2019, mostly in the No. 99 car.[97] On April 19, 2022, BJMM announced that they would be cutting back to two full-time cars with the No. 99 car and Parsons being reduced to a part-time schedule.
On October 6, 2021, it was announced thatMichael Annett would retire from full-time competition after the 2021 season. He has driven full-time for JR Motorsports in the Xfinity Series since2017.[152]
On October 11, 2021,Jeb Burton confirmed in an interview withFrontstretch that he would not be returning to the Kaulig Racing No. 10 in 2022 as a result of longtime sponsorNutrien parting ways with the team at the end of the 2021 season.[153] On December 9, Kaulig signedLandon Cassill to drive the No. 10 full-time in 2022.[47]
On October 15, 2021,Bayley Currey stated in an interview withJayski's Silly Season Site that he hopes to return toJD Motorsports in 2022. He drove forMike Harmon Racing for most of the 2021 season until he was taken out of the ride due to other drivers bringing sponsorship.[154] On December 27, JDM announced that Currey would drive one of their cars full-time in 2022. Although he drove the No. 15 in all of his starts for the team in 2021, Currey moved to JDM's No. 4 car for 2022, replacingLandon Cassill.[31]
On October 19, 2021, B. J. McLeod Motorsports announced thatNick Sanchez would run part-time for the team in 2022. It will be his debut in the Xfinity Series. Sanchez, a member of theDrive for Diversity program, will also continue to drive full-time forRev Racing in the ARCA Menards Series in 2022.[79] Sanchez would replaceMatt Mills in BJMM's No. 5 car in the races he ran. On July 15, 2022, Sanchez parted ways with B. J. McLeod Motorsports after running two of his seven races scheduled with the team.[155] On September 8, Mills tweeted that he would miss theKansas race due to a flu.Garrett Smithley was announced as the driver of the No. 5 for the race.[84]
On November 9, 2021,Jeffrey Earnhardt posted on hisFacebook page that he would not return toJD Motorsports in 2022 in order to pursue opportunities to drive for a top-tier team whether it be full-time or part-time.[156] On January 14, 2022, it was announced that Earnhardt would drive part-time in the No. 26 car forSam Hunt Racing.[72] On March 8,Emerling-Gase Motorsports announced that Earnhardt would drive their No. 35 car in thespring race atPhoenix.[157] On April 12, it was announced that Earnhardt would drive forRichard Childress Racing in thespring race at Talladega in their No. 3 car, the number made famous by his grandfatherDale when he drove for RCR in the Cup Series.[111]
On November 15, 2021,DGM Racing announced that Josh Williams will not return to the No. 92, with the team opting to find an experienced and funded driver to fill the seat in 2022.[158] On January 31, it was announced thatKyle Weatherman, who drove the No. 47 forMike Harmon Racing full-time in 2021, would replace Williams in the No. 92, driving the first five races of the season in that car.[99]Ross Chastain drove the No. 92 at COTA. After COTA, the No. 92's owner points were sold to the No. 08SS-Green Light Racing car, primarily driven byDavid Starr.
On November 22, 2021, NASCAR indefinitely suspendedAlpha Prime Racing driver/co-ownerCaesar Bacarella for substance abuse after he claimed he unknowingly took a workout supplement that is on the banned substances list. Bacarella enrolled in the Road to Recovery program with the expectation of being reinstated in time for the season-opener at Daytona.[9] On February 14, 2022, Bacarella was reinstated by NASCAR.[159]
On December 1, 2021, JR Motorsports announced thatPorsche Cup Brasil championMiguel Paludo will return to the team for three road course races in 2022, although he will now drive the part-time No. 88 car as Josh Berry is driving the No. 8, which Paludo drove in 2021, full-time in 2022.[103] On April 26, 2022, JR Motorsports announced that the No. 88 would be driven by Cup Series regularsChase Elliott at Darlington spring,William Byron at Texas and New Hampshire, andKyle Larson at Watkins Glen and Darlington fall.[160]
On December 3, 2021,RSS Racing announced thatParker Retzlaff, who has driven in theARCA Menards Series East forCook-Finley Racing, would run part-time in the team's full-time second car (later announced to be the No. 38) in 2022.[88] With the race at Bristol in September overlapping withC. J. McLaughlin's schedule in the car, Retzlaff may drive the third RSS car, the No. 28, in that race or that race could be switched to another one.[86]
On December 8, 2021, B. J. McLeod Motorsports announced thatJosh Williams would run full-time in the No. 78 for the team in 2022. Williams drove for DGM Racing the last five years either full-time or part-time.[85] On August 10, Williams parted ways with B. J. McLeod Motorsports.[161]
On December 15, 2021,DGM Racing announced thatMason Massey would drive the No. 91 car for the majority of the 2022 season. He drove part-time for B. J. McLeod Motorsports in 2020 and 2021.[28] AJayski article on March 20, 2022, revealed that Massey would drive the car in all of the oval races.[29] On May 25, 2022,DGM Racing announced thatIMSA driverMason Filippi would make his Xfinity Series and NASCAR debut inthe race atPortland in the team's No. 91 car.[30]
On December 16, 2021, it was announced thatAnthony Alfredo, previously the driver of the No. 38 forFront Row Motorsports in the Cup Series, andJeb Burton, previously the driver of the Kaulig Racing No. 10, would both run full-time forOur Motorsports in 2022 as the team expands to three full-time cars. Alfredo will drive the No. 23, which multiple drivers drove part-time in 2021, and Burton will drive the team's new third car, the No. 27.[52]
On January 7, 2022,Mike Harmon Racing announced that it has parted ways withKyle Weatherman.[162] On January 31, it was announced that Weatherman would drive the No. 92 forDGM Racing in the first five races of the season.[99] On February 10, it was announced thatGray Gaulding, who drove MHR's No. 74 car at the Charlotte Roval in 2020 and 2021 and at Kansas in October 2021, would drive the No. 47 in the season-opener at Daytona and Talladega.[108]Brennan Poole would compete in their No. 47 for a handful of races.
On January 8, 2022,SS-Green Light Racing announced thatJoe Graf Jr. would run full-time in the No. 07 while the second team would haveCole Custer running at least four races andChase Briscoe running one race in 2022.[61] Custer would end up driving the No. 07 in his first start with the team at California with Graf Jr. moving to the No. 08. On October 4, Truck Series driverHailie Deegan announced she would make her Xfinity Series debut in the No. 07 atLas Vegas.[62]
On January 13, 2022,Sam Hunt Racing announced thatRyan Truex would run part-time in the No. 26 in 2022.[70] Truex previously drove full-time in the Truck Series in the No. 40 forNiece Motorsports, but lost his ride in that truck toDean Thompson for 2022. On February 24, it was announced that Truex would also run 4 races forJoe Gibbs Racing in their No. 18 car. He drove part-time for JGR in the Xfinity Series in2011 and2012.[66]
On January 17, 2022, it was announced thatC. J. McLaughlin would return toRSS Racing to drive their No. 38 car in 14 races in 2022. He drove part-time for RSS in 2019 and 2020.[86] McLaughlin would end up driving 1 of his races (Las Vegas in March) in the team's No. 28 car instead of the No. 38.
On January 20, 2022,SQR Development announced that formerKyle Busch Motorsports andGMS Racing Truck Series driverRaphaël Lessard would drive the team's car, the No. 87, part-time.[132] Lessard and the No. 87 car were not on the entry list for the team's scheduled first race at Richmond and Lessard revealed in a Facebook post on March 29 that the team would not be attempting any races due to personal issues involving team owner Stout.[133]
On February 12, 2022,DGM Racing announced thatAlex Labbé, who drove their No. 36 car full-time in 2021, would only be driving for the team part-time in 2022 due to lack of sponsorship. He drove the team's part-time fourth car, the No. 90, in the season-opener at Daytona. He would then drive for the team in the races at Phoenix in March and COTA (in the No. 36), Road America, the Indy Road Course, Michigan, Daytona in August, Bristol and the Charlotte Roval. However, Labbé would end up also running every race after Daytona until Charlotte in May in the No. 36 car. On May 24, DGM announced that Labbé would not be running the race at Charlotte due to the inability to find a sponsor but would return to the No. 36 car for the race at Portland.[25] Austin Konenski fromSportsnaut revealed that Garrett Smithley would be driving the No. 36 car at Charlotte.[26]
On February 16, 2022,MBM Motorsports announced thatJ. J. Yeley would drive their No. 66 car in the season-opener at Daytona. Yeley also toldBob Pockrass fromFox that it was possible that he would run the full season in the car.[95]
On February 21, 2022, it was revealed thatARCA Menards Series West driverTakuma Koga would attempt to make his Xfinity Series debut in the No. 13 car for MBM sometime in 2022.[163]
On March 10, 2022, it was announced thatroad course ringerPatrick Gallagher would drive the RSS Racing No. 38 car inthe race atCircuit of the Americas.[114] Gallagher ended up driving the No. 28 RSS car instead of the No. 38. It was his second Xfinity Series start as he made his series debut in 2019 inthe race atMid-Ohio in the B. J. McLeod Motorsports No. 99 car.
On April 12, 2022,Big Machine Racing announced thatKaz Grala would replaceJade Buford in the team's No. 48 car for the races at Talladega and Dover in April in order to evaluate the team's performance and see if they can get better finishes. At that point in the season, Buford and the No. 48 car had only scored one top-20 finish (eighth at COTA).[17]Tyler Reddick replaced him at Darlington and Texas andAustin Dillon replaced him at Charlotte. Buford returned to the No. 48 car at Portland. On August 7, BMR announced thatIndyCar Series driverMarco Andretti would make his NASCAR debut at theCharlotte Roval.[164]
On the Portland entry list,Gray Gaulding andRyan Vargas are revealed to have switched rides, meaning Gaulding would be in the No. 6 and Vargas would be in the No. 47.
On July 22, 2022,Brandon Brown announced he would drive the Mike Harmon Racing No. 47 atIndianapolis while Austin Dillon would drive the No. 68 ofBrandonbilt Motorsports due to a lack of funding on the latter team.[165] Brown later stated that he would unlikely return to the No. 68 full-time as a result of his struggle to secure a sponsor.[166]Kris Wright was announced to drive the No. 68 in all but three races from August onwards. Brown drove the No. 5 for B. J. McLeod Motorsports at Watkins Glen.
On August 22, 2022, it was announced that Josh Williams would return to DGM Racing starting at theDaytona, with him driving the rest of the season split between the team's No. 36 and No. 92 cars. He will drive the No. 36 car in each race that Alex Labbé does not have sponsorship for (all remaining races except Daytona, Bristol and the Charlotte Roval, where he'll be sponsored by Can-Am).[24] In those three races, Williams will drive the No. 92 car.[27]
On August 23, 2022,Big Machine Racing ownerScott Borchetta revealed onSiriusXM NASCAR Radio thatRoss Chastain would drive his team's No. 48 car in a "couple" of races in 2022. WithRicky Stenhouse Jr. driving the car at Daytona andNick Sanchez driving the car at Bristol and that "couple" meant more than one race, Chastain will more than likely drive the car at both Darlington and Kansas. (All races after Bristol are playoff races which Cup Series drivers are not allowed to run.)[19]
On November 5, 2021, it was reported byJayski that Dave Elenz would not return as crew chief forNoah Gragson and would move to theNASCAR Cup Series to be the crew chief for theRichard Petty Motorsports No. 43 car ofErik Jones, replacing Jerry Baxter. The move was officially announced on November 10. Noah Gragson's new crew chief will be announced at a later date.[167] On January 4, JRM announced that formerRoush Fenway Racing Cup Series crew chiefLuke Lambert would replace Elenz as the crew chief for the No. 9 of Gragson.[42]
On November 10, 2021,Sam Hunt Racing announced that Allen Hart, who previously worked for JR Motorsports as the engineer forJustin Allgaier's No. 7 car (as well as Allgaier's interim crew chief in one race in 2021), would become the team's technical director as well as the crew chief for their No. 26 car. Former crew chief Andrew Abbott will remain with Sam Hunt Racing in another role.[71]
On November 16, 2021, it was announced that defending Xfinity Series championship-winning crew chiefDave Rogers, who wasDaniel Hemric's crew chief atJoe Gibbs Racing in 2021, would be moving to23XI Racing in the Cup Series as their performance director in 2022.[129]
On November 22, 2021, NASCAR suspendedMike Harmon Racing crew chief Ryan Bell for the first six races in 2022 for violating the vehicle testing rule when the team brought the No. 74 car toRockingham Speedway (which is currently unsanctioned by NASCAR) for a charity event. In addition, the team will have 75 owner and driver points deducted at the start of the 2022 season.[9] On January 27, 2022, Mike Harmon Racing won its final appeal, rescinding Bell's suspension and the monetary fine while still receiving the points deduction.[168] Bell would move from the MHR No. 74 car to the No. 47 car in 2022, replacing Mike Tyska, who became the crew chief forStefan Parsons and the No. 99B. J. McLeod Motorsports car.
On December 8, 2021,B. J. McLeod Motorsports announced that Danny Johnson would be the crew chief forJosh Williams and their No. 78 car in 2022. Johnson crew chiefed the No. 23Our Motorsports car for most of the first half of the 2021 season. He was also Williams' crew chief when he ran full-time in the ARCA Menards Series in2016 forhis own team.[85]
On December 16, 2021,Our Motorsports announced their 2022 crew chief lineup.Pat Tryson, who was the crew chief forBrett Moffitt and the No. 02 car for the second half of 2021, will replace Kenneth Roettger Jr. as crew chief of the No. 23, which will now be driven byAnthony Alfredo. FormerGMS Racing Truck Series crew chiefsJeff Hensley andChad Walter were announced as the crew chiefs for the No. 02 of Moffitt and the new No. 27 car ofJeb Burton, respectively.[52] However, on February 3, it was announced that Hensley would instead be the new crew chief forMatt Crafton's No. 88 truck forThorSport Racing in the Truck Series. Former East and West Series crew chief andJoe Gibbs Racing crew member Kris Bowen would be the new crew chief for Moffitt and the Our Motorsports No. 02.[53]
On January 4, 2022,JR Motorsports announced that crew chiefs Mike Bumgarner and Taylor Moyer would switch cars for 2022, with Bumgarner moving from the No. 1 to the No. 8 and Moyer moving from the No. 8 to the No. 1.[42]
On January 8, 2022,Kaulig Racing announced that crew chiefs Bruce Schlicker and Jason Trinchere would switch cars for 2022, with Schlicker moving from the No. 10 to the No. 16 and Trinchere moving from the No. 16 to the No. 10.[48] On September 9, it was announced that Trinchere would move to Kaulig's No. 11 car, driven byDaniel Hemric, switching cars withAlex Yontz, who became the crew chief for Kaulig's No. 10 car driven byLandon Cassill.[49]
On February 7, 2022,Jesse Iwuji Motorsports announced that formerRick Ware Racing Cup Series crew chief Jason Houghtaling would be the crew chief of the team's new No. 34 car.[124] Before the race at Talladega in April, Houghtaling was released from the team due to a "multitude of issues" (and would later be suspended by NASCAR on May 3). He was replaced by Dan Stillman, who started the season as the crew chief of theAlpha Prime Racing No. 44 car.[39]
On October 26, 2021, NASCAR suspendedOur Motorsports No. 23 crew chief Kenneth Roettger Jr. for 4 Xfinity Series races after the car lost a ballast during therace at Kansas that month.[169] Because there were only 2 races left in the 2021 season, he will also be suspended for the first 2 races of the 2022 season (Daytona and California). Roettger Jr. will not return to Our Motorsports as a crew chief in 2022 (he was replaced byPat Tryson, who moved over from the team's No. 02 car),[52] but he will be suspended for whichever team he works for in 2022.
On December 3, 2021, NASCAR announced thatMBM Motorsports crew chief Johnny Roten has been indefinitely suspended after violating the substance abuse policy in the NASCAR rulebook. MBM has yet to announce if Roten will return to the team as a crew chief in 2022 after his suspension is lifted.[170]
On May 3, 2022, Taylor Moyer, crew chief of theJR Motorsports No. 1 driven bySam Mayer, was suspended for four races due to a tire and wheel loss during the2022 A-GAME 200 atDover.[171] Andrew Overstreet would serve as the interim crew chief for Mayer at Darlington, Texas, Charlotte and Portland.[43]
On May 31, 2022, Kase Kallenbach, crew chief of theJD Motorsports No. 6 driven byRyan Vargas andGray Gaulding, was suspended indefinitely for violating Section 4.4.e, which deals with NASCAR Member Code of Conduct Penalty Options and Guidelines. He was replaced by Alex Bird atCharlotte.[34]
On October 18, 2022, Mark Setzer, crew chief of theJeremy Clements Racing No. 51 driven byJeremy Clements, was suspended for one race and finedUS$25,000 for an L1 Penalty under Section 14.4.B.E, which deals with the modification of a composite body part following the2022 Alsco Uniforms 302 atLas Vegas. In addition, the No. 51 has been docked 40 driver and owner points.[37] Jeremy's father, Tony Clements, would serve as the interim crew chief at Homestead-Miami.
On October 28, 2021, it was announced thatRSS Racing would have a technical alliance withStewart–Haas Racing in 2022. The team switched to Ford in 2021 and the team received old SHR cars although they did not have a technical alliance with them.[60]
On January 7, 2022,SS-Green Light Racing announced a technical alliance with Stewart-Haas Racing and therefore would switch from Chevrolet to Ford in 2022. In 2021, the team's No. 17 car, fielded in a collaboration withRick Ware Racing, was a Ford in five races instead of a Chevrolet.[61]
On August 19, 2021,JR Motorsports announced that Harrison's Workwear will be a primary sponsor forJosh Berry's No. 8 car in eight races in 2022.[173] They join returning sponsor Tire Pros (which will sponsor Berry in nine races in 2022), which means that the car is sponsored for half the races.[174]
On September 17, 2021, it was reported and later confirmed byKaulig Racing President Chris Rice thatNutrien Agricultural Solutions would not return to sponsoring the team in 2022, which leaves the No. 10 car without a primary sponsor. If Kaulig does not find a replacement sponsor, the No. 10 car might close down or not run full-time which would leave Kaulig with two full-time Xfinity Series cars in 2022.[175] On December 9, cryptocurrency platform Voyager signed a two-year sponsorship deal withLandon Cassill and the Kaulig Racing No. 10. Cassill will be fully paid in a portfolio of multiple cryptocurrencies as part of the deal.[47] On July 14, 2022, Voyager filed forChapter 11 bankruptcy following a steep decline in cryptocurrency values.[176]
On October 20, 2021, it was announced thatMenards would continue to be the primary sponsor ofBrandon Jones and the Joe Gibbs Racing No. 19 car. However, Menards will now sponsor him for all 33 races after previously sponsoring a majority of the races but not all of them.[69]
On December 1, 2021, JR Motorsports announced that Brandt, which is the primary sponsor of their No. 7 car driven byJustin Allgaier, would continue to also sponsorMiguel Paludo in his three races with the team. The company will feature their operations on Brazil, BRANDT do Brasil, on Paludo's No. 88 car.[103]
On December 3, 2021, it was announced thatParker Retzlaff would be sponsored by Ponsse, Eco-Tracks and Iron Horse Loggers in his 10 races in the secondRSS Racing car. Those sponsors also sponsored him in the ARCA Menards Series East withCook-Finley Racing in 2020 and 2021.[88]
On December 13, 2021,Jesse Iwuji Motorsports announced that Equity Prime Mortgage will sponsor the team for eight races in 2022.[177]
On December 30, 2021,Brandonbilt Motorsports announced that cryptocurrency brandLGBcoin would be sponsoring the team's No. 68 car full-time in 2022.[178] However, on January 5, 2022, NASCAR announced that it would be rejecting the sponsorship. As a result, the company would instead sign a personal services deal with Brown.[179] On March 8, Zero FG energy drink was announced as the sponsor of the No. 68 at theNalley Cars 250 atAtlanta.[180]
On January 7, 2022, it was announced that UNITS Moving and Portable Storage would sponsorTimmy Hill and the No. 66 car forMBM Motorsports in multiple races. The company was previously a sponsor for the closedStarCom Racing team in the Cup Series.[119] WithJ. J. Yeley now likely driving the No. 66 full-time,[95] Hill would likely make these planned starts with UNITS sponsorship in MBM's No. 13 car.
On January 7, 2022, it was announced thatPilot Flying J would not return to sponsor the JR Motorsports No. 1 car in 2022. The company was the longtime sponsor ofMichael Annett and the car will now be driven bySam Mayer after Annett retired.[181]
On January 17, 2022, it was announced that SciAps would sponsor theRSS Racing No. 38 car in the 14 races thatC. J. McLaughlin will drive the car. The company has sponsored McLaughlin in nearly all races he has run in the Xfinity, Truck and ARCA Series.[86]
On January 20, 2022,Alpha Prime Racing announced that Heartbeat Hot Sauce would sponsorRyan Ellis and their No. 45 car atTalladega in April.[14] On January 25, the team announced that Market Rebellion would sponsor their No. 44 car at Daytona in February, both Texas races, and Las Vegas in October withTommy Joe Martins driving as well as at Phoenix in November withRajah Caruth driving. The company will also sponsorSage Karam at COTA and the Indianapolis Road Course in the No. 45 car.[7] On August 10,Sargento Foods announced it would sponsor the No. 45 driven byJosh Bilicki atWatkins Glen. This sponsorship deal came after Bilicki collided with and dragged a Sargento billboard atRoad America.[182]
On January 24, 2022,Emerling-Gase Motorsports announced that sports-based cryptocurrency Kitty Kat Coin would sponsor the team's Nos. 35 and No. 53 cars in the season-opener at Daytona as well as other races throughout the season.[92]
On March 8, 2022,JD Motorsports announced that Swedish heavy metal bandGhost would be the primary sponsor and NASCARYouTuber Eric Estepp's showOut of the Groove would be the associate sponsor of the No. 4 at theUnited Rentals 200 atPhoenix.[183]
On November 19, 2021, NASCAR announced the new practice and qualifying formats across all three national series in 2022. The formats are as follows:[185]
Oval races: After a 20-minute practice period for each of two groups, all cars will run a single qualifying lap (two laps at tracks 1.000 miles or shorter). Top five in each group will advance to the final round, which is one or two qualifying laps.
Superspeedway races: No practice period. All cars run one lap each, with the top 10 transferring to the final round.
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.
Daytona race 1, Atlanta race 1, Portland, Nashville, and the Phoenix season ending race will have one 50-minute practice session.
On January 31, 2022, NASCAR announced that the Xfinity Series field size would be expanded to 38 cars, with 33 cars qualifying based on speed and five provisionals.[186]
Auto Club Speedway would return to the schedule for the first time in two years as a result ofstate COVID-19 regulations in California, forcing the cancellation of the 2021 race. It would be scheduled for the weekend after the Daytona 500 (February 25, 26, and 27), making it the second race of the season for the first time since2010, replacing theDaytona Road Course.[191]
As for other slight realignments, Richmond would go from the late-summer date to the spring date, and Homestead-Miami would go from February to late-October, returning to the playoffs.[188][192]
(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 winner1–10 – Regular season top 10 finishers. . – Eliminated after Round of 12. – Eliminated after Round of 8
(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 winner1–10 – Regular season top 10 finishers. . – Eliminated after Round of 12. – Eliminated after Round of 8
^ab"(Twitter post)".Twitter.DGM Racing. May 24, 2022. RetrievedMay 25, 2022.As scheduled, Alex Labbé will not pilot the No. 36 at Charlotte this weekend. This is a planned absence as Alex's sponsorship commitments cover select races in the 2022 season. Despite our best efforts to secure additional sponsorship, we were unable to find funding for this race. Labbé will return to the No. 36 at Portland International Raceway.
^ab"(Twitter post)".Twitter. Austin Konenski. May 24, 2022. RetrievedMay 25, 2022.JUST IN: Garrett Smithley is set to drive the No. 36 car for DGM Racing in this weekend's NASCAR Xfinity Series race at Charlotte Motor Speedway. Alex Labbe was previously scheduled to drive the No. 36 car.
^"(Twitter post)".Twitter.Ryan Vargas. September 6, 2022. RetrievedSeptember 8, 2022.Hey guys, wanted to get this out of the way now. I will not be racing at Bristol next weekend. The team made a business decision, funding wise, for that race. While unfortunate, I look forward to capitalizing on the other races I am in & delivering for my team and fans.
^abc"(Twitter post)".Twitter.Bob Pockrass. September 9, 2022. RetrievedSeptember 22, 2022.Crew chief swap at Kaulig — Jason Trinchere now crew chief for Daniel Hemric and Alex Yontz now crew chief for Landon Cassill.
^"(Twitter post)".Twitter. Austin Konenski. August 23, 2022. RetrievedAugust 24, 2022.Patrick Emerling will drive the No. 5 car for B.J. McLeod Motorsports in this weekend's NASCAR Xfinity Series race at Daytona International Speedway. Natalie Decker was previously listed as the driver of the No. 5 car.
^"(Twitter post)".Twitter.RSS Racing. February 21, 2022.We are excited to welcome @TahoeBlueVodka as the primary sponsor for the #38 @AutoClubSpdwy with @TimmyHillRacer driving. We will release our sponsor and scheme for the #28 later on today. Lots of great things happening for the RSS Racing team!
^"(Twitter post)".Twitter.Jimmy Means Racing. January 18, 2022. RetrievedJanuary 22, 2022.Gearing up for the 2022 season!! We are searching for funded drivers in the Nascar Xfinity Series.
^"(Twitter post)".Twitter. David PeQueen. August 12, 2022. RetrievedAugust 13, 2022.@stantonbarrett reveals on Instagram that he will drive the @mhrracing #47 @WGI with sponsorship from Horseheads Brewing.
^"(Twitter post)".Twitter.Shane Lee. August 6, 2021. RetrievedDecember 30, 2021.Well it took roughly two years to get this stuff, now to decide whether to sell it or just start my own team?
^"(Twitter post)".Twitter. Jenna Fryer.Emmitt Smith and @Jesse_Iwuji say they asked @Team_Penske for the Xfinity Series No. 22 and were turned down. Jesse says he's now glad because the No. 34 allows them to honor Wendell Scott.
^"(Twitter post)".Twitter. October 14, 2021.Expect JGR to have Jones and Gibbs in full-time Xfinity rides and a third car with multiple drivers. Would be mildly surprised if it has a fourth Xfinity car.
^"(Twitter post)".Twitter. Dustin Albino. August 16, 2020. RetrievedSeptember 5, 2021.Checked in with @JRMotorsports and @sam_mayer_ is still slated to run the full Xfinity Series schedule in 2022 for the race team. Last fall, Mayer was announced to run the second half of the 2021 season and full 2022 schedule with the race team.
^"(Twitter post)". Chris Knight. August 17, 2021. RetrievedAugust 19, 2021.Sheldon Creed says he is getting close on his 2022 plans. Says Xfinity is his primary choice, but did not rule out Trucks or Cup. Says he is close and hopes to get his deal done in the next few weeks.
^"(Twitter post)".Twitter. Jim Utter. August 18, 2021. RetrievedAugust 19, 2021.NEWS: @AutoClubSpdwy lists its 2022 race weekend as Feb. 26-27, 2022, with Friday, Feb. 25 listed as a "practice day
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