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.
| 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 | ||
| 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 | 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) | ||
Report
editBackground
editTalladega 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
edit- (R) denotes rookie driver.
- (i) denotes driver who is ineligible for series driver points.
Qualifying
editChristopher 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
editRace
editStage Results
editStage 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
editStage 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
edit- 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
editTelevision
editFox 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
editMRN 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
edit
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References
edit- ^ "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.