2022 Xfinity 500
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.
| Race details[1][2][3][4][5][6][7] | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Race 35 of 36 in the 2022 NASCAR Cup Series | |||
 | |||
| Date | October 30, 2022 | ||
| 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 | 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) | ||
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 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.
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
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[lower-alpha 1] | 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
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Notes
References
- "2022 schedule". Jayski.com. Jayski's Silly Season Site. Retrieved September 26, 2022.
- "Martinsville Speedway". NASCAR.com. NASCAR Media Group, LLC. January 3, 2013. Archived from the original on April 25, 2017. Retrieved September 26, 2022.
- "Entry List" (PDF). Jayski.com. Jayski's Silly Season Site. October 24, 2022. Retrieved October 24, 2022.
- "Practice Results". NASCAR.com. NASCAR. October 29, 2022. Retrieved October 29, 2022.
- "Qualifying Results". NASCAR.com. NASCAR. October 29, 2022. Retrieved October 29, 2022.
- "Xfinity 500 Results". NASCAR.com. NASCAR. October 30, 2022. Retrieved October 30, 2022.
- "Points standings" (PDF). Jayski.com. Jayski's Silly Season Site. October 30, 2022. Retrieved October 30, 2022.
- "Ross Chastain's bold wall-riding move seals title berth; Christopher Bell wins race". ESPN.com. 31 October 2022. Retrieved 31 October 2022.
- Long, Dustin (October 31, 2022). "Long: Ross Chastain's frenzied finish divides competitors". NBC Sports. Retrieved October 31, 2022.
- Utter, Jim (October 29, 2022). "Denny Hamlin tops Ryan Blaney in Martinsville Cup practice". Motorsport.com. Martinsville, Virginia: Motorsport Network. Retrieved October 29, 2022.
- Utter, Jim (October 29, 2022). "Kyle Larson beats teammate Elliott to Martinsville Cup pole". Motorsport.com. Martinsville, Virginia: Motorsport Network. Retrieved October 29, 2022.
- "Keselowski disqualified from fourth at Martinsville". RACER. 2022-10-31. Retrieved 2022-10-31.
- "Brad Keselowski fails post-race inspection, dropped to last place - NBC". NASCAR Talk | NBC Sports. 2022-10-31. Retrieved 2022-10-31.