2022 Xfinity 500

NASCAR Cup Series race
2022 Xfinity 500
Race details[1][2][3][4][5][6][7]
Race 35 of 36 in the 2022 NASCAR Cup Series
Date October 30, 2022 (2022-10-30)
Location Martinsville Speedway in Ridgeway, Virginia
Course Permanent racing facility
.526 mi (.847 km)
Distance 500 laps, 263 mi (423.5 km)
Weather Clouded sky
Average speed 113.5 mph (182.7 km/h)
Pole position
Driver
  • Kyle Larson
 Hendrick Motorsports
Time 19.709
Most laps led
Driver Denny Hamlin Joe Gibbs Racing
Laps 203
Winner
No. 20 Christopher Bell Joe Gibbs Racing
Television in the United States
Network NBC
Announcers Rick Allen, Jeff Burton, Steve Letarte and Dale Earnhardt Jr.
Radio in the United States
Radio MRN
Booth Announcers Alex Hayden, Jeff Striegle and Rusty Wallace
Turn Announcers Dave Moody (Backstretch)
Motor car race

The 2022 Xfinity 500 was a NASCAR Cup Series race held on October 30, 2022, at Martinsville Speedway in Ridgeway, Virginia. Contested over 500 laps on the .526 mile (.847 km) short track, it was the 35th race of the 2022 NASCAR Cup Series season, the ninth race of the Playoffs, and final race of the Round of 8.

This race, won by Christopher Bell, was noted for Ross Chastain's "Hail Melon" finish, in which Chastain rode the wall in a move described as similar to those done in racing video games to secure a fourth-place finish that locked him to the Championship 4 race. Chastain's move also set an all-new track record.[8][9]

Report

Background

Martinsville Speedway, the track where the race was held.

Martinsville Speedway is an International Speedway Corporation-owned NASCAR stock car racing track located in Henry County, in Ridgeway, Virginia, just to the south of Martinsville. At 0.526 miles (0.847 km) in length, it is the shortest track in the NASCAR Cup Series. The track is also one of the first paved oval tracks in NASCAR, being built in 1947 by H. Clay Earles. It is also the only race track that has been on the NASCAR circuit from its beginning in 1948. Along with this, Martinsville is the only NASCAR oval track on the entire NASCAR track circuit to have asphalt surfaces on the straightaways, then concrete to cover the turns.

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 J. J. Yeley (i) Rick Ware Racing Ford
16 A. J. Allmendinger (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 Ty Gibbs (i) 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
45 Bubba Wallace 23XI Racing Toyota
47 Ricky Stenhouse Jr. JTG Daugherty Racing Chevrolet
48 Noah Gragson (i) Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet
51 Cody Ware Rick Ware Racing Ford
77 Landon Cassill (i) Spire Motorsports Chevrolet
78 B. J. McLeod (i) Live Fast Motorsports Ford
99 Daniel Suárez Trackhouse Racing Team Chevrolet
Official entry list

Practice

Denny Hamlin was the fastest in the practice session with a time of 19.916 seconds and a speed of 95.079 mph (153.015 km/h).[10]

Practice results

Pos No. Driver Team Manufacturer Time Speed
1 11 Denny Hamlin Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota 19.916 95.079
2 12 Ryan Blaney Team Penske Ford 19.917 95.075
3 9 Chase Elliott Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet 19.949 94.922
Official practice results

Qualifying

Kyle Larson scored the pole for the race with a time of 19.709 and a speed of 96.078 mph (154.623 km/h).[11]

Qualifying results

Pos No. Driver Team Manufacturer R1 R2
1 5 Kyle Larson Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet 19.733 19.709
2 9 Chase Elliott Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet 19.683 19.721
3 14 Chase Briscoe Stewart-Haas Racing Ford 19.659 19.721
4 12 Ryan Blaney Team Penske Ford 19.814 19.740
5 41 Cole Custer Stewart-Haas Racing Ford 19.718 19.780
6 6 Brad Keselowski RFK Racing Ford 19.754 19.783
7 99 Daniel Suárez Trackhouse Racing Team Chevrolet 19.774 19.810
8 4 Kevin Harvick Stewart-Haas Racing Ford 19.752 19.822
9 1 Ross Chastain Trackhouse Racing Team Chevrolet 19.753 19.828
10 21 Harrison Burton (R) Wood Brothers Racing Ford 19.742 19.933
11 11 Denny Hamlin Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota 19.763 —
12 22 Joey Logano Team Penske Ford 19.766 —
13 34 Michael McDowell Front Row Motorsports Ford 19.788 —
14 7 Corey LaJoie Spire Motorsports Chevrolet 19.825 —
15 10 Aric Almirola Stewart-Haas Racing Ford 19.829 —
16 3 Austin Dillon Richard Childress Racing Chevrolet 19.839 —
17 48 Noah Gragson (i) Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet 19.845 —
18 18 Kyle Busch Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota 19.849 —
19 38 Todd Gilliland (R) Front Row Motorsports Ford 19.861 —
20 20 Christopher Bell Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota 19.882 —
21 16 A. J. Allmendinger (i) Kaulig Racing Chevrolet 19.888 —
22 17 Chris Buescher RFK Racing Ford 19.891 —
23 43 Erik Jones Petty GMS Motorsports Chevrolet 19.898 —
24 45 Bubba Wallace 23XI Racing Toyota 19.924 —
25 24 William Byron Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet 19.942 —
26 23 Ty Gibbs (i) 23XI Racing Toyota 19.943 —
27 19 Martin Truex Jr. Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota 19.958 —
28 8 Tyler Reddick Richard Childress Racing Chevrolet 19.980 —
29 31 Justin Haley Kaulig Racing Chevrolet 19.987 —
30 2 Austin Cindric (R) Team Penske Ford 19.998 —
31 47 Ricky Stenhouse Jr. JTG Daugherty Racing Chevrolet 20.086 —
32 42 Ty Dillon Petty GMS Motorsports Chevrolet 20.103 —
33 77 Landon Cassill (i) Spire Motorsports Chevrolet 20.210 —
34 78 B. J. McLeod (i) Live Fast Motorsports Ford 20.247 —
35 15 J. J. Yeley (i) Rick Ware Racing Ford 20.356 —
36 51 Cody Ware Rick Ware Racing Ford 20.840 —
Official qualifying results

Race

Heading into the finish, Ross Chastain clinched his spot into the Championship 4 by the way of a last-ditch wall-ride that has been described as a "video game-like move" in the final lap.[8] Chastain's move also set a new Cup Series lap record on the track at 18.845 seconds.[9] The move has been dubbed the Hail Melon by many in the sport. Christopher Bell's race victory also placed him into the championship race, with Joey Logano (who won a race in the Round of 8) and Chase Elliott also advancing.

Stage Results

Stage One Laps: 130

Pos No Driver Team Manufacturer Points
1 11 Denny Hamlin Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota 10
2 9 Chase Elliott Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet 9
3 41 Cole Custer Stewart-Haas Racing Ford 8
4 5 Kyle Larson Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet 7
5 14 Chase Briscoe Stewart-Haas Racing Ford 6
6 20 Christopher Bell Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota 5
7 12 Ryan Blaney Team Penske Ford 4
8 1 Ross Chastain Trackhouse Racing Team Chevrolet 3
9 99 Daniel Suárez Trackhouse Racing Team Chevrolet 2
10 10 Aric Almirola Stewart-Haas Racing Ford 1
Official stage one results

Stage Two Laps: 130

Pos No Driver Team Manufacturer Points
1 11 Denny Hamlin Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota 10
2 9 Chase Elliott Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet 9
3 5 Kyle Larson Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet 8
4 41 Cole Custer Stewart-Haas Racing Ford 7
5 20 Christopher Bell Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota 6
6 12 Ryan Blaney Team Penske Ford 5
7 22 Joey Logano Team Penske Ford 4
8 1 Ross Chastain Trackhouse Racing Team Chevrolet 3
9 99 Daniel Suárez Trackhouse Racing Team Chevrolet 2
10 45 Bubba Wallace 23XI Racing Toyota 1
Official stage two results

Final Stage Results

Stage Three Laps: 240

Pos Grid No Driver Team Manufacturer Laps Points
1 20 20 Christopher Bell Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota 500 51
2 1 5 Kyle Larson Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet 500 50
3 4 12 Ryan Blaney Team Penske Ford 500 43
4 9 1 Ross Chastain Trackhouse Racing Team Chevrolet 500 39
5 11 11 Denny Hamlin Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota 500 52
6 12 22 Joey Logano Team Penske Ford 500 35
7 25 24 William Byron Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet 500 30
8 24 45 Bubba Wallace 23XI Racing Toyota 500 30
9 3 14 Chase Briscoe Stewart-Haas Racing Ford 500 34
10 2 9 Chase Elliott Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet 500 45
11 10 21 Harrison Burton (R) Wood Brothers Racing Ford 500 26
12 7 99 Daniel Suárez Trackhouse Racing Team Chevrolet 500 29
13 19 38 Todd Gilliland (R) Front Row Motorsports Ford 500 24
14 5 41 Cole Custer Stewart-Haas Racing Ford 500 38
15 15 10 Aric Almirola Stewart-Haas Racing Ford 500 23
16 8 4 Kevin Harvick Stewart-Haas Racing Ford 500 21
17 13 34 Michael McDowell Front Row Motorsports Ford 500 20
18 23 43 Erik Jones Petty GMS Motorsports Chevrolet 498 19
19 26 23 Ty Gibbs (i) 23XI Racing Toyota 498 0
20 27 19 Martin Truex Jr. Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota 498 17
21 14 7 Corey LaJoie Spire Motorsports Chevrolet 498 16
22 31 47 Ricky Stenhouse Jr. JTG Daugherty Racing Chevrolet 498 15
23 21 16 A. J. Allmendinger (i) Kaulig Racing Chevrolet 498 0
24 22 17 Chris Buescher RFK Racing Ford 497 13
25 17 48 Noah Gragson (i) Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet 497 0
26 30 2 Austin Cindric (R) Team Penske Ford 497 11
27 29 31 Justin Haley Kaulig Racing Chevrolet 497 10
28 36 51 Cody Ware Rick Ware Racing Ford 495 9
29 18 18 Kyle Busch Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota 494 8
30 35 15 J. J. Yeley (i) Rick Ware Racing Ford 488 0
31 32 42 Ty Dillon Petty GMS Motorsports Chevrolet 466 6
32 33 77 Landon Cassill (i) Spire Motorsports Chevrolet 460 0
33 16 3 Austin Dillon Richard Childress Racing Chevrolet 316 4
34 34 78 B. J. McLeod (i) Live Fast Motorsports Ford 225 0
35 28 8 Tyler Reddick Richard Childress Racing Chevrolet 188 2
DSQ 6 6 Brad Keselowski[a] RFK Racing Ford 500 1
Official race results

Race statistics

  • Lead changes: 8 among 5 different drivers
  • Cautions/Laps: 6 for 53
  • Red flags: 0
  • Time of race: 3 hours, 24 minutes and 18 seconds
  • Average speed: 77.239 miles per hour (124.304 km/h)

Media

Television

NBC Sports covered the race on the television side. Rick Allen, 1997 race winner Jeff Burton, Steve Letarte and 2014 race winner Dale Earnhardt Jr. called the race from the broadcast booth. Dave Burns, Parker Kligerman, Marty Snider and Dillon Welch handled the pit road duties from pit lane.

NBC
Booth announcers Pit reporters
Lap-by-lap: Rick Allen
Color-commentator: Jeff Burton
Color-commentator: Steve Letarte
Color-commentator: Dale Earnhardt Jr.		 Dave Burns
Parker Kligerman
Marty Snider
Dillon Welch

Radio

MRN covered the radio call for the race, which was also simulcast on Sirius XM NASCAR Radio. Alex Hayden, Jeff Striegle and 7 time Martinsville winner Rusty Wallace had the call for MRN when the field raced down the front straightaway. Dave Moody covered the action for MRN when the field raced down the backstraightway into turn 3. Steve Post, Winston Kelley, Brienne Pedigo and Kim Coon covered the action for MRN from pit lane.

MRN
Booth announcers Turn announcers Pit reporters
Lead announcer: Alex Hayden
Announcer: Jeff Striegle
Announcer: Rusty Wallace		 Backstretch: Dave Moody Steve Post
Winston Kelley
Brienne Pedigo
Kim Coon

Standings after the race

Drivers' Championship standings
Pos Driver Points
1 Joey Logano 5,000
5 2 Christopher Bell 5,000 (–0)
1 3 Ross Chastain 5,000 (–0)
1 4 Chase Elliott 5,000 (–0)
5 Denny Hamlin 2,350 (–2,650)
2 6 William Byron 2,339 (–2,661)
2 7 Kyle Larson 2,316 (–2,684)
2 8 Ryan Blaney 2,300 (–2,700)
1 9 Daniel Suárez 2,259 (–2,741)
2 10 Chase Briscoe 2,244 (–2,756)
11 Austin Dillon 2,204 (–2,796)
1 12 Austin Cindric 2,198 (–2,802)
1 13 Tyler Reddick 2,197 (–2,803)
14 Kyle Busch 2,194 (–2,806)
15 Alex Bowman 2,104 (–2,896)
16 Kevin Harvick 2,085 (–2,915)
Official driver's standings
Manufacturers' Championship standings
Pos Manufacturer Points
1 Chevrolet 1,290
2 Ford 1,210 (–80)
3 Toyota 1,158 (–132)
  • Note: Only the first 16 positions are included for the driver standings.

Notes

  1. ^ Keselowski originally finished fourth, but was disqualified due to his car being found to be underweight in post-race inspection.[12][13]

References

  1. ^ "2022 schedule". Jayski.com. Jayski's Silly Season Site. Retrieved September 26, 2022.
  2. ^ "Martinsville Speedway". NASCAR.com. NASCAR Media Group, LLC. January 3, 2013. Archived from the original on April 25, 2017. Retrieved September 26, 2022.
  3. ^ "Entry List" (PDF). Jayski.com. Jayski's Silly Season Site. October 24, 2022. Retrieved October 24, 2022.
  4. ^ "Practice Results". NASCAR.com. NASCAR. October 29, 2022. Retrieved October 29, 2022.
  5. ^ "Qualifying Results". NASCAR.com. NASCAR. October 29, 2022. Retrieved October 29, 2022.
  6. ^ "Xfinity 500 Results". NASCAR.com. NASCAR. October 30, 2022. Retrieved October 30, 2022.
  7. ^ "Points standings" (PDF). Jayski.com. Jayski's Silly Season Site. October 30, 2022. Retrieved October 30, 2022.
  8. ^ a b "Ross Chastain's bold wall-riding move seals title berth; Christopher Bell wins race". ESPN.com. 31 October 2022. Retrieved 31 October 2022.
  9. ^ a b Long, Dustin (October 31, 2022). "Long: Ross Chastain's frenzied finish divides competitors". NBC Sports. Retrieved October 31, 2022.
  10. ^ Utter, Jim (October 29, 2022). "Denny Hamlin tops Ryan Blaney in Martinsville Cup practice". Motorsport.com. Martinsville, Virginia: Motorsport Network. Retrieved October 29, 2022.
  11. ^ Utter, Jim (October 29, 2022). "Kyle Larson beats teammate Elliott to Martinsville Cup pole". Motorsport.com. Martinsville, Virginia: Motorsport Network. Retrieved October 29, 2022.
  12. ^ "Keselowski disqualified from fourth at Martinsville". RACER. 2022-10-31. Retrieved 2022-10-31.
  13. ^ "Brad Keselowski fails post-race inspection, dropped to last place - NBC". NASCAR Talk | NBC Sports. 2022-10-31. Retrieved 2022-10-31.


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