2022 GEICO 500

NASCAR Cup Series race

2022 GEICO 500
Race details^[1]^[2]^[3]^[4]^[5]^[6]
Race 10 of 36 in the 2022 NASCAR Cup Series
The 2022 GEICO 500 program cover.
Date	April 24, 2022 (2022-04-24)
Location	Talladega Superspeedway in Lincoln, Alabama
Course	Permanent racing facility 2.66 mi (4.28 km)
Distance	188 laps, 500.08 mi (804.64 km)
Average speed	148.637 miles per hour (239.208 km/h)
Pole position
Driver	Christopher Bell	Joe Gibbs Racing
Time	52.927
Most laps led
Driver	William Byron	Hendrick Motorsports
Laps	38
Winner
No. 1	Ross Chastain	Trackhouse Racing Team
Television in the United States
Network	Fox
Announcers	Mike Joy, Clint Bowyer, and Dale Earnhardt Jr.
Radio in the United States
Radio	MRN
Booth Announcers	Alex Hayden, Jeff Striegle, and Rusty Wallace
Turn Announcers	Dave Moody (1 & 2), Mike Bagley (Backstretch), and Dillon Welch (3 & 4)

Motor car race

The 2022 GEICO 500 was a NASCAR Cup Series race held on April 24, 2022, at Talladega Superspeedway in Lincoln, Alabama. Contested over 188 laps on the 2.66 mile (4.28 km) superspeedway, it was the 10th race of the 2022 NASCAR Cup Series season.

Report

Background

Talladega Superspeedway, formerly known as Alabama International Motor Speedway, is a motorsports complex located north of Talladega, Alabama. It is located on the former Anniston Air Force Base in the small city of Lincoln. A tri-oval, the track was constructed in 1969 by the International Speedway Corporation, a business controlled by the France family. Talladega is most known for its steep banking. The track currently hosts NASCAR's Cup Series, Xfinity Series and Camping World Truck Series. Talladega is the longest NASCAR oval with a length of 2.66-mile-long (4.28 km) tri-oval like the Daytona International Speedway, which is 2.5-mile-long (4.0 km).

Entry list

(R) denotes rookie driver.
(i) denotes driver who is ineligible for series driver points.

No.	Driver	Team	Manufacturer
1	Ross Chastain	Trackhouse Racing Team	Chevrolet
2	Austin Cindric (R)	Team Penske	Ford
3	Austin Dillon	Richard Childress Racing	Chevrolet
4	Kevin Harvick	Stewart-Haas Racing	Ford
5	Kyle Larson	Hendrick Motorsports	Chevrolet
6	Brad Keselowski	RFK Racing	Ford
7	Corey LaJoie	Spire Motorsports	Chevrolet
8	Tyler Reddick	Richard Childress Racing	Chevrolet
9	Chase Elliott	Hendrick Motorsports	Chevrolet
10	Aric Almirola	Stewart-Haas Racing	Ford
11	Denny Hamlin	Joe Gibbs Racing	Toyota
12	Ryan Blaney	Team Penske	Ford
14	Chase Briscoe	Stewart-Haas Racing	Ford
15	David Ragan	Rick Ware Racing	Ford
16	Daniel Hemric (i)	Kaulig Racing	Chevrolet
17	Chris Buescher	RFK Racing	Ford
18	Kyle Busch	Joe Gibbs Racing	Toyota
19	Martin Truex Jr.	Joe Gibbs Racing	Toyota
20	Christopher Bell	Joe Gibbs Racing	Toyota
21	Harrison Burton (R)	Wood Brothers Racing	Ford
22	Joey Logano	Team Penske	Ford
23	Bubba Wallace	23XI Racing	Toyota
24	William Byron	Hendrick Motorsports	Chevrolet
31	Justin Haley	Kaulig Racing	Chevrolet
34	Michael McDowell	Front Row Motorsports	Ford
38	Todd Gilliland (R)	Front Row Motorsports	Ford
41	Cole Custer	Stewart-Haas Racing	Ford
42	Ty Dillon	Petty GMS Motorsports	Chevrolet
43	Erik Jones	Petty GMS Motorsports	Chevrolet
44	Greg Biffle	NY Racing Team	Chevrolet
45	Kurt Busch	23XI Racing	Toyota
47	Ricky Stenhouse Jr.	JTG Daugherty Racing	Chevrolet
48	Alex Bowman	Hendrick Motorsports	Chevrolet
51	Cody Ware	Rick Ware Racing	Ford
55	J. J. Yeley (i)	MBM Motorsports	Ford
62	Noah Gragson (i)	Beard Motorsports	Chevrolet
77	Landon Cassill (i)	Spire Motorsports	Chevrolet
78	B. J. McLeod	Live Fast Motorsports	Ford
99	Daniel Suárez	Trackhouse Racing Team	Chevrolet
Official entry list

Qualifying

Christopher Bell scored the pole for the race with a time of 52.927 and a speed of 180.928 mph (291.175 km/h).^[7]

Qualifying results

Pos	No.	Driver	Team	Manufacturer	R1	R2
1	20	Christopher Bell	Joe Gibbs Racing	Toyota	53.152	52.927
2	19	Martin Truex Jr.	Joe Gibbs Racing	Toyota	53.228	53.008
3	16	Daniel Hemric (i)	Kaulig Racing	Chevrolet	53.493	53.221
4	99	Daniel Suárez	Trackhouse Racing Team	Chevrolet	53.345	53.234
5	5	Kyle Larson	Hendrick Motorsports	Chevrolet	53.348	53.254
6	45	Kurt Busch	23XI Racing	Toyota	53.270	53.255
7	11	Denny Hamlin	Joe Gibbs Racing	Toyota	53.440	53.308
8	24	William Byron	Hendrick Motorsports	Chevrolet	53.483	53.316
9	23	Bubba Wallace	23XI Racing	Toyota	53.310	53.336
10	8	Tyler Reddick	Richard Childress Racing	Chevrolet	53.513	53.399
11	31	Justin Haley	Kaulig Racing	Chevrolet	53.514	—
12	18	Kyle Busch	Joe Gibbs Racing	Toyota	53.515	—
13	22	Joey Logano	Team Penske	Ford	53.572	—
14	3	Austin Dillon	Richard Childress Racing	Chevrolet	53.602	—
15	6	Brad Keselowski	RFK Racing	Ford	53.626	—
16	43	Erik Jones	Petty GMS Motorsports	Chevrolet	53.628	—
17	14	Chase Briscoe	Stewart-Haas Racing	Ford	53.635	—
18	2	Austin Cindric (R)	Team Penske	Ford	53.653	—
19	1	Ross Chastain	Trackhouse Racing Team	Chevrolet	53.657	—
20	42	Ty Dillon	Petty GMS Motorsports	Chevrolet	53.689	—
21	34	Michael McDowell	Front Row Motorsports	Ford	53.708	—
22	12	Ryan Blaney	Team Penske	Ford	53.743	—
23	10	Aric Almirola	Stewart-Haas Racing	Ford	53.744	—
24	4	Kevin Harvick	Stewart-Haas Racing	Ford	53.751	—
25	21	Harrison Burton (R)	Wood Brothers Racing	Ford	53.764	—
26	47	Ricky Stenhouse Jr.	JTG Daugherty Racing	Chevrolet	53.802	—
27	48	Alex Bowman	Hendrick Motorsports	Chevrolet	53.813	—
28	9	Chase Elliott	Hendrick Motorsports	Chevrolet	53.940	—
29	41	Cole Custer	Stewart-Haas Racing	Ford	53.943	—
30	17	Chris Buescher	RFK Racing	Ford	53.964	—
31	62	Noah Gragson (i)	Beard Motorsports	Chevrolet	53.989	—
32	38	Todd Gilliland (R)	Front Row Motorsports	Ford	54.178	—
33	7	Corey LaJoie	Spire Motorsports	Chevrolet	54.205	—
34	51	Cody Ware	Rick Ware Racing	Ford	54.677	—
35	44	Greg Biffle	NY Racing Team	Chevrolet	54.791	—
36	15	David Ragan	Rick Ware Racing	Ford	55.118	—
37	78	B. J. McLeod	Live Fast Motorsports	Ford	55.129	—
38	55	J. J. Yeley (i)	MBM Motorsports	Ford	55.662	—
39	77	Landon Cassill (i)	Spire Motorsports	Chevrolet	0.000	—
Official qualifying results

Race

Stage Results

Stage One Laps: 60

Pos	No	Driver	Team	Manufacturer	Points
1	23	Bubba Wallace	23XI Racing	Toyota	10
2	5	Kyle Larson	Hendrick Motorsports	Chevrolet	9
3	20	Christopher Bell	Joe Gibbs Racing	Toyota	8
4	24	William Byron	Hendrick Motorsports	Chevrolet	7
5	19	Martin Truex Jr.	Joe Gibbs Racing	Toyota	6
6	9	Chase Elliott	Hendrick Motorsports	Chevrolet	5
7	45	Kurt Busch	23XI Racing	Toyota	4
8	43	Erik Jones	Petty GMS Motorsports	Chevrolet	3
9	48	Alex Bowman	Hendrick Motorsports	Chevrolet	2
10	47	Ricky Stenhouse Jr.	JTG Daugherty Racing	Chevrolet	1
Official stage one results

Stage Two Laps: 60

Pos	No	Driver	Team	Manufacturer	Points
1	24	William Byron	Hendrick Motorsports	Chevrolet	10
2	9	Chase Elliott	Hendrick Motorsports	Chevrolet	9
3	5	Kyle Larson	Hendrick Motorsports	Chevrolet	8
4	19	Martin Truex Jr.	Joe Gibbs Racing	Toyota	7
5	48	Alex Bowman	Hendrick Motorsports	Chevrolet	6
6	18	Kyle Busch	Joe Gibbs Racing	Toyota	5
7	10	Aric Almirola	Stewart-Haas Racing	Ford	4
8	43	Erik Jones	Petty GMS Motorsports	Chevrolet	3
9	1	Ross Chastain	Trackhouse Racing Team	Chevrolet	2
10	45	Kurt Busch	23XI Racing	Toyota	1
Official stage two results

Final Stage Results

Stage Three Laps: 68

Pos	Grid	No	Driver	Team	Manufacturer	Laps	Points
1	19	1	Ross Chastain	Trackhouse Racing Team	Chevrolet	188	42
2	14	3	Austin Dillon	Richard Childress Racing	Chevrolet	188	35
3	12	18	Kyle Busch	Joe Gibbs Racing	Toyota	188	39
4	5	5	Kyle Larson	Hendrick Motorsports	Chevrolet	188	50
5	2	19	Martin Truex Jr.	Joe Gibbs Racing	Toyota	188	45
6	16	43	Erik Jones	Petty GMS Motorsports	Chevrolet	188	37
7	28	9	Chase Elliott	Hendrick Motorsports	Chevrolet	188	44
8	21	34	Michael McDowell	Front Row Motorsports	Ford	188	29
9	27	48	Alex Bowman	Hendrick Motorsports	Chevrolet	188	36
10	24	4	Kevin Harvick	Stewart-Haas Racing	Ford	188	27
11	22	12	Ryan Blaney	Team Penske	Ford	188	26
12	11	31	Justin Haley	Kaulig Racing	Chevrolet	188	25
13	23	10	Aric Almirola	Stewart-Haas Racing	Ford	188	28
14	33	7	Corey LaJoie	Spire Motorsports	Chevrolet	188	23
15	8	24	William Byron	Hendrick Motorsports	Chevrolet	188	39
16	6	45	Kurt Busch	23XI Racing	Toyota	188	26
17	9	23	Bubba Wallace	23XI Racing	Toyota	188	30
18	7	11	Denny Hamlin	Joe Gibbs Racing	Toyota	188	19
19	39	77	Landon Cassill (i)	Spire Motorsports	Chevrolet	188	0
20	31	62	Noah Gragson (i)	Beard Motorsports	Chevrolet	188	0
21	18	2	Austin Cindric (R)	Team Penske	Ford	188	16
22	1	20	Christopher Bell	Joe Gibbs Racing	Toyota	187	23
23	15	6	Brad Keselowski	RFK Racing	Ford	187	14
24	36	15	David Ragan	Rick Ware Racing	Ford	186	13
25	38	55	J. J. Yeley (i)	MBM Motorsports	Ford	185	0
26	37	78	B. J. McLeod	Live Fast Motorsports	Ford	172	11
27	32	38	Todd Gilliland (R)	Front Row Motorsports	Ford	121	10
28	34	51	Cody Ware	Rick Ware Racing	Ford	105	9
29	29	41	Cole Custer	Stewart-Haas Racing	Ford	98	8
30	26	47	Ricky Stenhouse Jr.	JTG Daugherty Racing	Chevrolet	95	8
31	4	99	Daniel Suárez	Trackhouse Racing Team	Chevrolet	92	6
32	13	22	Joey Logano	Team Penske	Ford	89	5
33	20	42	Ty Dillon	Petty GMS Motorsports	Chevrolet	89	4
34	25	21	Harrison Burton (R)	Wood Brothers Racing	Ford	89	3
35	35	44	Greg Biffle	NY Racing Team	Chevrolet	79	2
36	3	16	Daniel Hemric (i)	Kaulig Racing	Chevrolet	56	0
37	17	14	Chase Briscoe	Stewart-Haas Racing	Ford	56	1
38	30	17	Chris Buescher	RFK Racing	Ford	56	1
39	10	8	Tyler Reddick	Richard Childress Racing	Chevrolet	31	1
Official race results

Race statistics

Lead changes: 41 among 16 different drivers
Cautions/Laps: 6 for 28
Red flags: 0
Time of race: 3 hours, 21 minutes and 52 seconds
Average speed: 148.637 miles per hour (239.208 km/h)

Media

Television

Fox Sports covered their 22nd race at the Talladega Superspeedway. Mike Joy, Clint Bowyer and six-time Talladega winner Dale Earnhardt Jr. called the race from the broadcast booth. Jamie Little, Regan Smith and Vince Welch handled pit road for the television side. Larry McReynolds and Jamie McMurray provided insight from the Fox Sports studio in Charlotte.

Fox
Booth announcers	Pit reporters	In-race analysts
Lap-by-lap: Mike Joy Color-commentator: Clint Bowyer Color-commentator: Dale Earnhardt Jr.	Jamie Little Regan Smith Vince Welch	Larry McReynolds Jamie McMurray

Radio

MRN had the radio call for the race which was also simulcast on Sirius XM NASCAR Radio. Alex Hayden, Jeff Striegle, and Rusty Wallace called the race in the booth when the field raced through the tri-oval. Dave Moody called the race from the Sunoco spotters stand outside turn 2 when the field raced through turns 1 and 2. Mike Bagley called the race from a platform inside the backstretch when the field raced down the backstretch. Dillon Welch called the race from the Sunoco spotters stand outside turn 4 when the field races through turns 3 and 4. Steve Post, Jason Toy and Chris Wilner worked pit road for the radio side.

MRN Radio
Booth announcers	Turn announcers	Pit reporters
Lead announcer: Alex Hayden Announcer: Jeff Striegle Announcer: Rusty Wallace	Turns 1 & 2: Dave Moody Backstretch: Mike Bagley Turns 3 & 4: Dillon Welch	Steve Post Jason Toy Chris Wilner

Standings after the race

Drivers' Championship standings

	Pos	Driver	Points
	1	Chase Elliott	368
	2	Ryan Blaney	347 (–21)
1	3	William Byron	334 (–34)
2	4	Kyle Busch	312 (–56)
	5	Alex Bowman	309 (–59)
3	6	Joey Logano	308 (–60)
2	7	Kyle Larson	299 (–69)
1	8	Martin Truex Jr.	298 (–70)
1	9	Ross Chastain	292 (–76)
2	10	Aric Almirola	265 (–103)
2	11	Kevin Harvick	252 (–116)
2	12	Chase Briscoe	246 (–122)
4	13	Austin Dillon	245 (–123)
1	14	Christopher Bell	243 (–125)
4	15	Tyler Reddick	242 (–126)
2	16	Austin Cindric	238 (–130)
Official driver's standings

Manufacturers' Championship standings

	Pos	Manufacturer	Points
	1	Chevrolet	371
1	2	Toyota	341 (–30)
1	3	Ford	337 (–34)

Note: Only the first 16 positions are included for the driver standings.
. – Driver has clinched a position in the NASCAR Cup Series playoffs.

References

^ "2022 schedule". Jayski.com. Jayski's Silly Season Site. Retrieved March 25, 2022.
^ "Talladega Superspeedway". NASCAR.com. NASCAR Media Group, LLC. January 3, 2013. Archived from the original on April 28, 2017. Retrieved March 25, 2022.
^ "Entry List" (PDF). Jayski.com. Jayski's Silly Season Site. April 18, 2022. Retrieved April 18, 2022.
^ "Qualifying Results". NASCAR.com. NASCAR. April 23, 2022. Retrieved April 23, 2022.
^ "GEICO 500 Results". NASCAR.com. NASCAR. April 24, 2022. Retrieved April 24, 2022.
^ "Points standings" (PDF). Jayski.com. Jayski's Silly Season Site. April 24, 2022. Retrieved April 24, 2022.
^ Utter, Jim (April 23, 2022). "Bell takes Cup pole at Talladega as JGR sweeps front row". Motorsport.com. Lincoln, Alabama: Motorsport Network. Retrieved April 23, 2022.