1. Denny Hamlin: Hamlin chased down Bubba Wallace over the closing laps, but couldn’t get close enough to make the pass, instead settling for his second-consecutive runner-up finish.
“Congratulations to my 23XI Racing driver,” Hamlin said. “If I could have gotten a little closer, I was getting ready to make a ‘boss’ move.”
2. Chase Elliott: Elliott finished 11th in the Hollywood Casino 400 at Kansas.
“We needed a solid performance,” Elliott said, “and we got it. I wasn’t happy with my performance at Darlington. By ‘backing it into the wall,’ I left my back against the wall.”
3. Ryan Blaney: Blaney finished ninth at Kansas.
“Congratulations to Bubba Wallace on his win,” Blaney said. “That’s two straight wins by non-playoff drivers. I’m just the opposite: a non-winning playoff driver.”
4. Christopher Bell: Bell finished third at Kansas and clinched a spot to the second round of the playoffs.
“This takes a lot of the pressure off of me,” Bell said. “I don’t need to win; there are a lot of drivers who do. So, while they’re going ‘balls to the wall’ at Bristol, my balls will be in a much safer place.”
5. Joey Logano: Logano started second at Kansas and finished 17th, one lap down.
“North Wilkesboro will host the 2023 All-Star Race,” Logano said. “I think it’s great because NASCAR is going back to its roots. The only roots in Los Angeles, where last year’s race was held, are those being dyed in the hair of those L.A. posers.”
6. Kyle Larson: Larson finished eighth in the Hollywood Casino 400.
“I’m 27 points above the playoff cut line of 12th place,” Larson said. “So, barring a disaster, I should advance. I’m really excited to defend my championship, because trust me, defending a championship is much better than defending yourself.”
7. William Byron: Byron finished sixth at Kansas.
“The Bristol Night Race is going to be huge,” Byron said. “It’s on a Saturday, and some playoff drivers need a win just to advance to the next round. It’s going to be intense, and must-see TV. As the driver of the car with the ‘Liberty University’ paint scheme on his car, I can promise you fans will be watching as intently as Jerry Falwell, Jr. watches his wife and the pool boy.”
8. Ross Chastain: Chastain solidified his playoff standing with a seventh at Kansas.
“That’s right,” Chastain said, “I’m a good bet to make the second round of the playoffs. Personally, I’m thrilled that I’ll be able to make an impact in the second round. There are at least 11 other drivers that feel otherwise.”
9. Kyle Busch: Busch finished a disappointing 26th at Kansas a spin on Lap 130 resulted in two flat tires, leaving him a lap down.
“I’m headed to Richard Childress Racing in 2023,” Busch said. “They made a deal with me, so now they have to deal with me.”
10. Kevin Harvick: Harvick’s day ended early at Kansas when he slammed the wall after getting loose while racing in tight quarters with Ross Chastain and Bubba Wallace. Harvick finished last in 36th.
“That’s a finish of 33rd and 36th for me in the playoffs,” Harvick said. “The bad news? I’m the coldest driver in the playoffs. The good news? I’m not ‘on fire.’”
“In regards to what happened at Darlington, I’m surprised Busch didn’t create a new marketing campaign around the slogan, ‘You got a light?’”
Bubba Wallace wheeled the No. 45 23XI Racing Toyota TRD Camry to a late victory in the Hollywood Casino 400 at Kansas Speedway on Sunday, September 11. It was the second time in recent weeks that a non-Playoff competitor spoiled the show in the early stages of the 2022 NASCAR Cup Series Playoffs. On this occasion, it was a team that celebrated an automatic transfer to the second round in the owners’ standings.
The 28-year-old Wallace from Mobile, Alabama, led two times for 58 of 267-scheduled laps, including the final 43, and rallied from an early loose wheel that forced him to pit for a second time prior to the start of the second stage as he held off team owner Denny Hamlin amid lapped traffic to score his second career win in NASCAR’s premier series. The victory enabled the No. 45 team to earn an automatic pass to the Round of 12 in the owners’ standings with Wallace not contending for the drivers’ title.
With on-track qualifying that determined the starting lineup occurring on Saturday, Playoff contender Tyler Reddick secured his second pole position of the season after posting a pole-winning lap at 180.608 mph in 29.899 seconds. Joining him on the front row was Playoff contender Joey Logano, who posted the second-best lap sat 180.385 mph in 29.936 seconds.
Prior to the event, Aric Almirola and Ricky Stenhouse Jr. dropped to the rear of the field due to unapproved adjustments made to their respective cars.
When the green flag waved and the race started, Reddick and Logano dueled early for the lead entering the first turn before Logano capitalized on the inside lane to assume the lead. With the field fanning out through the backstretch, Logano went on to lead the first lap while Alex Bowman muscled his No. 48 Ally Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 into the runner-up spot over Reddick’s No. 8 Guaranteed Rate Chevrolet Camaro ZL1.
Two laps later, however, Bowman battled and overtook Logano on the outside lane for the lead. Reddick would soon overtake Logano for the runner-up spot while Christopher Bell and Ross Chastain occupied the top five ahead of a side-by-side battle between Bubba Wallace and Kyle Larson.
Through the first five scheduled laps, Bowman was leading by six-tenths of a second over Reddick followed by Logano, Bell and Chastain while Wallace, Larson, Kevin Harvick, rookie Austin Cindric and Martin Truex Jr. were in the top 10 ahead of Daniel Suarez, William Byron, Chris Buescher, Ryan Blaney and Austin Dillon.
At the Lap 10 mark, Bowman stabilized his advantage to nearly eight-tenths of a second over Reddick followed by Logano and Bell while Wallace muscled his No. 45 Root Insurance Toyota TRD Camry into the top five. By then, half of the 16 Playoff contenders were running in the top 10 while Chase Elliott was the lowest-running Playoff contender in 26th. Meanwhile, Kyle Busch was in 22nd while Chase Briscoe was mired in 17th behind William Byron, Austin Dillon and Denny Hamlin.
On Lap 25, a competition caution was displayed as scheduled by NASCAR. At the moment of caution, Bowman had extended his advantage to more than a second over Reddick while Logano, Bell, Wallace, Chastain, Truex, Larson, Harvick and Cindric were scored in the top 10.
During the competition caution, the leaders led by Bowman pitted and Reddick reassumed the lead after exiting pit road first followed by Bowman, Logano, Bell, Truex and Wallace. Following the pit stops, however, Brad Keselowski, Briscoe and Truex were sent to the rear of the field for speeding on pit road. In addition, Hamlin was penalized for an equipment interference.
When the race restarted under green on Lap 31, Reddick and Bowman dueled for the lead as the field fanned out to multiple lanes through the backstretch and entering Turn 3. As Bowman and Reddick continued to battle dead even for the lead, a three-wide action for third place ignited between Logano, Chastain and Wallace as Harvick closed in.
Two laps later, however, the caution returned when Chastain and Wallace slid up the track and in front of Harvick entering Turn 4. This caused Harvick to get loose before he veered back to the right and smacked the outside wall in Turn 4 as he sustained significant right-side damage to his No. 4 Rheem Ford Mustang. The damage on the No. 4 Ford, which included the right-front suspension, was too extensive for Harvick to continue as he took his car to the garage and retired in 36th place, dead last.
At the start of the following restart on Lap 38, Reddick retained the lead while fending off Blaney and Bowman before Logano challenged Bowman for third place through the first two turns. Behind, Chastain rocketed his No. 1 AdventHealth Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 to fifth after he overtook Wallace and Bell as the field continued to dice for positions towards the front.
By Lap 50, Reddick was ahead by nearly a second over Blaney, Bowman, Chastain, Bell, Wallace, Logano, Buescher, Cindric and Byron. Behind, Stenhouse was in 11th ahead of Larson, Suarez, Kyle Busch, Elliott, Austin Dillon, Erik Jones, Almirola, Truex and Hamlin while Briscoe was in 29th.
Fifteen laps later, however, the caution flew when the race leader Reddick slipped sideways and slapped the outside wall after he cut a right-rear tire in Turn 2. The situation went from bad to worse for Reddick, who then spun below the apron as he was entering pit road and ultimately retired from the race. Under caution, the leaders led by Bowman pitted and Austin Dillon assumed the lead following a two-tire pit stop.
With nine laps remaining in the first stage, the race proceeded under green. At the start, Austin Dillon and Bell dueled until Bell prevailed on the inside lane. Shortly after, Blaney battled and overtook Dillon for third before Truex and Chastain took Dillon three-wide in a bid for fourth followed by Stenhouse and Wallace.
When the first stage concluded on Lap 80, Bell, who was making his 100th Cup career start, captured his third stage victory of the 2022 season. Blaney settled in second while Truex, Stenhouse, Wallace, Elliott, Kyle Busch, Chastain, Logano and Austin Dillon, who fell back on two fresh tires, were scored in the top 10. By then, Hamlin was in 11th ahead of Byron and Larson while Cindric was in 15th followed by Suarez and Bowman. Briscoe was mired back in 25th while Reddick and Harvick were officially out of the event.
Under the stage break, nearly the entire field led by Bell returned to pit road for service while Almirola remained on the track to inherit the lead. Following the pit stops, Blaney and Wallace pitted to address loose wheels on their respective cars.
The second stage started on Lap 86 with Almirola and McDowell, who opted for two fresh tires, on the front row. At the start and with the field fanning out, McDowell pulled ahead with the lead while Almirola, who slid up the track, made the slightest of contact with Bell and Elliott, though all continued to run straight.
During the following lap, Truex muscled his No. 19 Bass Pro Shops Toyota TRD Camry into the lead. Behind, Stenhouse moved in second over McDowell while Bell and Byron were in the top five. In addition, Almirola was in sixth in front of Elliott and Suarez while Kyle Busch and Logano were in the top 10.
Another three laps later, the caution flew for Ty Gibbs, who got loose after making contact with Corey LaJoie and slapped the outside wall in Turn 2 as he flattened both right-side tires and sustained right-side damage to his No. 23 McDonald’s Toyota TRD Camry. During the caution period, Almirola and Ty Dillon pitted while the rest of the field led by Truex remained on the track.
During a Lap 95 restart, Truex and Stenhouse dueled for the lead before Truex managed to clear himself with the lead and with a clear racetrack in front of him two laps later. Meanwhile, Bell and Byron battled for third in front of Kyle Busch and McDowell.
At the Lap 100 mark, Truex was leading by more than half a second over Stenhouse while Bell was the highest-running Playoff contender in third in front of Kyle Busch and Byron. By then, seven of 16 Playoff contenders were running in the top 10 as Briscoe, Cindric, Suarez, Chastain, Austin Dillon, Blaney and Hamlin were mired outside of the top 10 on the track.
Nine laps later, the caution returned when Stenhouse, who was running in second place, slapped the outside wall in the backstretch after he blew a right-rear tire on his No. 47 SunnyD Chevrolet Camaro ZL1. During the caution period, the leaders led by Truex pitted and Truex retained the lead after exiting with the top spot followed by Byron, Bowman, Logano, and Kyle Busch. Following the pit stops, however, Truex limped his way back to pit road to address a loose left-rear wheel. In addition, Austin Dillon, Kyle Busch and Suarez were all penalized for equipment interference.
On Lap 114, the race restarted under green as teammates Byron and Bowman occupied the front row. Entering the first turn and with the field bunched up, however, the caution returned when Erik Jones, winner of last weekend’s Southern 500 at Darlington Raceway, made contact with rookie Harrison Burton and Corey LaJoie while trying to squeeze himself in between both competitors as both LaJoie and Burton went up the track and clipped Almirola, who went spinning before both collided with one another toward the outside wall.
At the start of another restart on Lap 120, Bowman used the inside lane to his advantage as he assumed the lead over teammate Byron while Logano was left in a three-wide battle against Briscoe and Elliott for third as Bell pursued behind.
At the halfway mark in between Laps 133 and 134, Bowman was leading by eight-tenths over Logano, Byron, Elliott, Briscoe, Cindric, Bell, Blaney, Larson and Wallace. Chastain, Kyle Busch and Hamlin were in 12th, 14th and 17th while Suarez was in 21st and Austin Dillon was in 22nd.
Then on Lap 136, the caution flew when Kyle Busch, who was in 12th in front of Truex and Chastain, got loose and spun his No. 18 M&M’s Toyota TRD Camry into the frontstretch grass after he cut a right-rear tire. During the caution period, the leaders led by Bowman pitted and Bowman retained the lead ahead of teammate Byron.
With 22 laps remaining in the second stage, Bowman received a push from Bell on the inside lane to maintain the lead before Byron used the outside lane to overtake Bell for the runner-up spot. In addition, Logano moved up to third while Bell maintained fourth in front of Blaney and Elliott.
With less than 10 laps remaining in the second stage, Bowman remained as the leader by four-tenths of a second over Bell while Byron, Elliott and Wallace were in the top five. Wallace’s owner Hamlin was in sixth in front of Logano, Larson, Blaney and Chastain.
When the second stage concluded on Lap 165, Bowman captured his second stage victory of the 2022 season. Bell settled in a close second place followed by Byron, Wallace, Elliott, Hamlin, Larson, Logano, Blaney and Chastain.
Under the stage break, the leaders led by Bowman pitted and Bowman retained the lead following another strong pit stop from his pit crew while Wallace and Hamlin moved up to second and third.
With 96 laps remaining, the final stage started. At the start, Bowman retained the lead while Wallace challenged Byron for the runner-up spot as the field fanned out through the backstretch. A few laps later, teammates Byron and Larson overtook Wallace for second and third as Logano and Bell closed in while Bowman started to pull away with the lead.
With 87 laps remaining, Larson got loose entering Turns 3 and 4 while running on the outside lane. This allowed Byron and Wallace to go three wide on Larson as Wallace muscled his way into the runner-up spot. By then, Bowman was out in front by more than a second.
Eight laps later and with 75 laps remaining, Bowman stabilized his advantage to more than a second over Wallace followed by Byron, Bell and Larson, who continued to run in the top five despite brushing the wall earlier. Hamlin was in sixth while Blaney, Truex, Chastain and Logano were in the top 10 in front of Cindric, Elliott, Justin Haley, Suarez and Christopher Buescher.
Another eight laps later, Wallace, who slowly tracked Bowman, overtook Bowman to assume the lead for the first time.
Just past the final 55 laps of the event, green flag pit stops ensued as Truex pitted followed by teammate Hamlin and Byron. Shortly after, the leader Wallace pitted along with Bell, Blaney, Larson, Cindric, McDowell, Kyle Busch, Bowman and others.
When the latest cycle of green flag pit stops concluded with 42 laps remaining, Wallace cycled his way back into the lead after Logano and Suarez, who endured a slow pit stop, pitted under green. By then, Bell moved into second followed by teammate Hamlin while Byron and Bowman were in the top five.
With less than 30 laps remaining, Wallace was leading by two seconds over Bell, who was slowly gaining ground on Wallace for the lead as Wallace was navigating his way through lapped traffic. Hamlin was in third followed by Byron and Bowman while Chastain, Larson, Truex, Blaney and Elliott were in the top 10. By then, Playoff contenders Cindric, Austin Dillon, Briscoe, Suarez, Logano and Kyle Busch were in 11th, 12th, 13th, 14th, 18th and 24th.
Down to the final 20 laps of the event, Wallace stabilized his advantage to less than two seconds over Bell while third-place Hamlin trailed by more than two seconds. Another four laps later, Hamlin dueled and overtook teammate Bell on the frontstretch to assume the runner-up spot.
With 10 laps remaining, Wallace continued to lead by two seconds over team owner Hamlin, who was navigating his way through lapped traffic, while third-place Bell trailed by less than three seconds.
Five laps later, Wallace’s advantage decreased to less than a second and a half over Hamlin, though the former retained the top spot.
When the white flag waved and the final lap commenced, Wallace remained as the leader by more than a second over Hamlin. Despite having lapped traffic in front of his windshield, Wallace was able to navigate his way around Kansas for a final time and cycle back to the frontstretch to claim his first elusive checkered flag of the 2022 season by a second over Hamlin.
With his second Cup career victory and by transferring the No. 45 23XI Racing entry into the Round of 12 in the owners’ standings, Wallace also became the 138th different competitor to achieve multiple wins in NASCAR’s premier series, he recorded the third career win for 23XI Racing and he became the 18th different winner through the first 28 scheduled events, which was a record in NASCAR history. The victory also meant that the No. 45 23XI Racing entry swept both Kansas Cup victories of the season after winning in May with Kurt Busch.
This also marks the first time since the Playoffs debuted in 2004 where the first two Playoff events were won by non-title contenders after Erik Jones won at Darlington Raceway a week ago.
Photo by Simon Scoggins for SpeedwayMedia.com.
“Man, just so proud of this team,” Wallace said on USA Network. “So proud of the effort that they put in each and every week. Just thankful for the opportunity, right? Took this jump from an idea two years ago from a text from Denny [Hamlin] before [23XI Racing] all even happened. He was ready to get the deal done. Appreciate him, appreciate [Michael Jordan]…everybody at 23XI. They work their tails off. Just so proud. Pit crew was awesome today. We had one loose wheel. Just thankful. Thankful for the opportunity and thankful to shut the hell up for a lot of people.”
“I knew Denny was gonna be strong,” Wallace added. “That’s the things I look at. He wasn’t that good at the beginning of the day, and he comes up and finishes P2. That’s what I wanna start doing. We don’t have the best days. Just capitalize on moments like that. It’s cool to beat the boss, but man, we were just lights out today once we got to the lead. It was a lot of fun. It was just cool, calm and collective, and here we are. True fans that are out there, thank you, guys. I love you. It’s been a tough road. You [fans] are the best. Let’s keep this train rolling.”
The runner-up result provided mixed emotions for Hamlin, positives from an owner’s perspective but disappointment from a driver’s perspective.
“It’s a good overall day,” Hamlin said. “Just still frustrated about the first half of the race, obviously. We just aren’t executing that well. Really happy for our No. 11 Toyota team. They fought hard. They really stepped up that last half. We made the car quite a bit better. Just really happy about the outcome and really happy for that No. 45 team, Bubba Wallace and [crew chief] Bootie [Barker]. Bubba’s just really worked hard on his craft. We’ve just given him fast race cars and now, he’s showing what he’s got. I nearly wrecked to try to catch him off of [Turn] 4. I got bad loose and hit the fence, but I was driving as hard as I could. Nothing will ever come for free when you’re driving for me. If you think that I’m gonna let you win, you better go get another job. Just what a great day overall for Toyota.”
The third-place finish for Bell felt like a victory for the Oklahoma native as he garnered enough points (58) to become the first Playoff competitor to secure a spot for the Round of 12 in the 2022 Cup Series Playoffs.
“[I] Just got off a little bit on our balance that last run, but overall a great points day and very proud of everyone on this DEWALT No. 20 team,” Bell said. “Great day for Toyota and happy for Bubba to get a win. He was really deserving, really fast all day. Great points day. We’ll move on and try and win one. I’m very happy that we’re finally getting the results that this team deserves. Our speed has been there all year, and I feel like we’ve given up a couple good finishes. Last couple of weeks we’ve been building on it, and hopefully, we can keep the ball rolling.”
Bowman, who led the most laps at 107, came home in fourth place in front of Truex. Byron, Chastain, Larson, Blaney and Daniel Suarez completed the top 10 in the final running order.
There were 16 lead changes for 12 different leaders. The race featured nine cautions for 43 laps.
Results.
1. Bubba Wallace, 58 laps led
2. Denny Hamlin
3. Christopher Bell, 12 laps led, Stage 1 winner
4. Alex Bowman, 107 laps led, Stage 2 winner
5. Martin Truex Jr., 24 laps led
6. William Byron, nine laps led
7. Ross Chastain
8. Kyle Larson
9. Ryan Blaney, two laps led
10. Daniel Suarez, eight laps led
11. Chase Elliott
12. Austin Cindric
13. Chase Briscoe
14. Austin Dillon, three laps led
15. Chris Buescher
16. Michael McDowell, one lap led
17. Joey Logano, one lap down, two laps led
18. Noah Gragson, one lap down
19. Justin Haley, one lap down
20. Ty Dillon, one lap down
21. Aric Almirola, one lap down, three laps led
22. Cole Custer, one lap down
23. Todd Gilliland, one lap down
24. Landon Cassill, one lap down
25. Brad Keselowski, one lap down
26. Kyle Busch, two laps down
27. Cody Ware, two laps down
28. JJ Yeley, three laps down
29. Erik Jones, three laps down
30. Ricky Stenhouse Jr., five laps down
31. BJ McLeod, five laps down
32. Harrison Burton – OUT, Accident
33. Corey LaJoie – OUT, Accident
34. Ty Gibbs – OUT, Accident
35. Tyler Reddick – OUT, Accident, 38 laps led
36. Kevin Harvick – OUT, Accident
*Bold indicates Playoff contenders
Playoff standings
1. Christopher Bell – Advanced
2. William Byron +48
3. Denny Hamlin +47
4. Joey Logano +40
5. Ryan Blaney +36
6. Alex Bowman +30
7. Chase Elliott +28
8. Kyle Larson +27
9. Ross Chastain +26
10. Daniel Suarez +6
11. Tyler Reddick +2
12. Austin Cindric +2
13. Kyle Busch -2
14. Austin Dillon -3
15. Chase Briscoe -9
16. Kevin Harvick -35
Next on the 2022 NASCAR Cup Series Playoff schedule is Bristol Motor Speedway for the Bass Pro Shops Night Race and where the first round of eliminations will occur. The event is scheduled to occur on Saturday, September 17, at 7:30 p.m. ET on USA Network.
Competing in his third full-time season in the NASCAR Cup Series, Christopher Bell is scheduled to achieve a milestone start. By taking the green flag in this weekend’s Playoff event at Kansas Speedway, the driver of the No. 20 Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota TRD Camry will achieve 100 career starts in NASCAR’s premier series.
A native of Norman, Oklahoma, and a champion of the Camping World Truck Series in 2017, Bell made his inaugural presence in the Cup Series during the 62nd running of the Daytona 500 at Daytona International Speedway in February 2020. By then, he was coming off two full-time seasons in the Xfinity Series that was highlighted with 15 victories and two Championship Round appearances. Driving the No. 95 Leavine Family Racing Toyota Camry, Bell finished 21st in his Cup debut after being involved in a late multi-car wreck while running towards the front.
After finishing no higher than 21st during the first five scheduled events, Bell managed to finish 11th at Darlington Raceway in May before achieving his first top-10 career result in the Cup circuit by finishing ninth in the Coca-Cola 600 at Charlotte Motor Speedway. Despite collecting his first top-five career result at Pocono Raceway in June along with three additional top-10 results throughout the regular season stretch, he struggled with maintaining on-track consistency as he did not make the 2020 Cup Playoffs. During the final 10 scheduled events, he managed to finish 10th at Kansas Speedway and collect a season-best third-place result at Texas Motor Speedway in October before settling in 20th place in the final standings.
When Leavine Family Racing ceased operations following the 2020 NASCAR season, Bell reunited with Joe Gibbs Racing, the team he competed in two full-time Xfinity seasons, to pilot the No. 20 Toyota Camry, where he replaced Erik Jones. After finishing 16th in the 63rd running of the Daytona 500, Bell scored his first Cup career victory during the following weekend at the Daytona International Speedway Road Course after passing Joey Logano prior to the final lap. The victory made Bell the 197th different competitor to win in NASCAR’s premier series and the 11th to do so for Joe Gibbs Racing as he snapped a one-year winless drought for JGR’s No. 20 team. In the process, Bell became the first Oklahoma competitor to win in the Cup Series.
Following his breakthrough victory at Daytona, Bell notched three additional top-five results, including two runner-up results (Road America in June and New Hampshire Motor Speedway in July), and nine top-10 results before making his first entrance in the Playoffs as one of 16 competitors vying for the 2021 title. Despite finishing 20th, third and 29th respectively in the Round of 16, he was one of 12 competitors to advance to the Round of 12. His title hopes, however, came to an end during the second round after finishing 24th, fifth and eighth respectively. Nonetheless, Bell finished in the top 10 three times during the final four scheduled events before settling in 12th place in the final standings. By then, he nearly quadrupled his top-five results achieved in a season from two to seven, doubled his top-10 results from seven to 16 and improved his average-finishing result from 20.3 to 15.8 in comparison to his rookie Cup season.
Remaining at Joe Gibbs Racing in 2022, Bell rallied from finishing no higher than 10th through the first five scheduled events by notching nine top-10 results through the following 14 events. By then, he had achieved his first three career poles in the Cup circuit. He then became the 14th different winner of the 2022 Cup Series season after earning his second career victory at New Hampshire in July. The New Hampshire victory along with a total of seven top-five results, 14 top-10 results and an average-finishing result of 14.5 throughout the 26-race regular-season stretch were enough for him to make his second consecutive appearance in the Cup Series Playoffs. Coming off a fifth-place run in the Playoff opener at Darlington Raceway for the Cook Out Southern 500, Bell is ranked in fourth place in the Playoff standings and is 28 points above the top-12 cutline to transfer into the Round of 12 field, which will be determined at Bristol Motor Speedway in mid-September.
Through 99 previous Cup starts, Bell has achieved two victories, three poles, 17 top-five results, 38 top-10 results, 380 laps led and an average-finishing result of 17.0 while he pursues his first Cup Series title.
Bell is scheduled to make his 100th Cup Series career start at Kansas Speedway on Sunday, September 11, with the event’s coverage scheduled to start at 3 p.m. ET on USA Network.
1. Chase Elliott: Elliott lost control with two laps to go in Stage 1, hitting the wall and bouncing into the path of Chase Briscoe. The damage was severe, and his team failed to repair it in the allotted 10 minutes, forcing Elliott’s retirement, in last place.
“This is the last thing we needed to happen,” Elliott said. “You might as well call it the ‘Worst Chase Scenario.’ I hear down at the Dawsonville Pool Hall, they’re saying I put myself behind the 8-ball.’”
2. Denny Hamlin: Hamlin started strong in the Playoffs, finishing second in the Cook Out Southern 500.
“It’s important to get off to a good start,” Hamlin said. “You can’t win the championship in the first round of the Playoffs, but you sure can lose it. You can also lose the championship in the last round of the Playoffs.”
3. Joey Logano: Logano started from the pole at Darlington and finished fourth.
“I issued a warning before the race to William Byron,” Logano said. “I said, ‘You don’t want to mess with me’ in regards to our issue at the Darlington spring race. Don’t discount me, I can make a threat, even though I look like the least-threatening driver in all of motorsports.”
4. Ryan Blaney: Blaney came home 13th at Darlington.
“How about Erik Jones winning in the No. 43 car?” Blaney said. “That car number was made famous by the legendary Richard Petty. Petty is the ‘King,’ and he would like everyone to ‘ST(o)P‘ with the silly comparisons.”
5. Christopher Bell: Bell finished fifth at Darlington.
“Considering the attrition in the race,” Bell said, “I’m just glad I finished. A lot of other drivers, well, they’re just finished.”
6. Kyle Larson: Larson suffered engine issues at Darlington and fell three laps down, but diligently worked his way back to the lead lap and finished a remarkable 12th.
“I’m quite experienced at digging myself out of holes I created,” Larson said. “And that other time, I certainly didn’t get a ‘free pass.’
“I was a little discouraged when I began to have trouble early in the race. But then I thought, ‘I’ve salvaged a career; it should be easy to salvage a day.”
7. William Byron: Byron won Stage 1 at Darlington, but couldn’t capitalize the rest of the way and finished eighth.
“The ‘Track Too Tough To Tame’ really lived up to its name,” Byron said. “And if you ask Kevin Harvick, he’ll tell you the Cook Out Southern 500 did as well, especially the ‘Cook Out’ part.”
8. Kyle Busch: Busch won Stage 2 at Darlington, and was leading under caution when his engine blew with 23 laps remaining. “This racetrack really did a number on me and other playoff drivers,” Busch said. “And that number is the ‘No. 2.’
“It would be amazing if I could win a championship before I sign a new contract. That would give my value a good chance to catch up to my ego.”
9. Kevin Harvick: Harvick saw a solid effort at Darlington come to an end when his rocker panel ignited, causing a fiery end to his night on Lap 276.
“Luckily,” Harvick said, “I was able to stop the car safely and get out, despite the cockpit being full of smoke. If that would have happened in Tyler Reddick’s 3CHI-sponsored car, then that’s the ultimate ‘hot box.’”
10 (tie). Martin Truex Jr.: Truex was leading late at Darlington, but a dramatic engine failure ended his day on Lap 333.
“Just because I’m ineligible to win the championship,” Truex said, “doesn’t mean I’m going to roll over to the drivers who are. I may be out of the Playoffs, but I’m not out of the way.”
10 (tie). Ross Chastain: Chastain finished 20th at Darlington when a tire issue in Stage 2 set him back in the field.
“Of course it’s not the start to the postseason I wanted,” Chastain said. “But I’m just happy to be in the Playoffs. At the beginning of the year, most people thought I couldn’t make the Playoffs. Well, guess what? I crashed the Playoffs, and with apologies to Denny Hamlin, Martin Truex, Jr., and others, it most likely won’t be the last thing I crash.”
Erik Jones slid under the radar to win the Cook Out Southern 500 at Darlington Raceway as everyone else was focused on the drivers who were competing in the Playoffs.
And, he did it in style, capturing the 200th win for the 43 number that was made famous by NASCAR’s “King,” Richard Petty.
It was Jones’ third career victory in the NASCAR Cup Series and his second Southern 500 victory.
“We’ve been so close all year, and I didn’t think today was going to be the day,” he said. It was going to be a tough one to win, I knew, but no better fitting place. I love this track. I love this race. On that trophy twice, man. I was pumped to be on it once, but to have it on there twice — pretty cool.
Well, I mean, I never lost any belief in myself through any of it,” Jones continued. “I knew I could still do it, and I just knew we needed to grow the program to do it, and we have. We’ve brought on a lot of great people in the last year. Dave Elenz called a great race today. His first Cup win — that’s pretty cool for him.
“I’m excited, man. We’ve been talking about this day for a long time, and it is redemption in a lot of ways. Very fitting that it’s here at this race again. I felt like this was the race that saved my job the first time around, and coming back here with this win, I guess it puts you back on the map.”
The Track Too Tough To Tame lived up to its moniker in a tumultuous race that included 21 lead changes among 11 different drivers and nine cautions for 58 laps.
Joe Gibbs Racing’s Denny Hamlin finished second and his teammate, Christopher Bell, was scored in fifth place. Tyler Reddick was third in his No. 8 Richard Childress Chevrolet and Team Penske driver Joey Logano was fourth.
But not all of the Joe Gibbs Racing drivers were as fortunate as Hamlin and Bell. Kyle Busch saw a potential win slip away after leading a race-high 155 laps when his engine blew and he had to settle for a 30th place result.
“Real proud of the guys for their fight,” Busch said. “The guys on pit road tonight were awesome. So I had a lot of fun being up front, leading laps like that, being able to show what we’re made of. I just hate that we can’t finish with the points we need.”
Busch’s teammate, Martin Truex Jr., didn’t make the Playoffs, but ran strong throughout the race, leading 48 laps before he suffered a power steering failure.
One of the biggest surprises was Chase Elliott who entered the Playoffs on top but spun toward the end of Stage 1 and damaged the back of his No. 9 Chevrolet. The team was unable to make repairs within the time frame of the damaged vehicle policy and he was relegated to a last-place finish.
“I just hit the wall in (Turns) 1 and 2 and broke something in the right rear,” Elliott said. And, when asked how he would approach the next playoff race at Kansas Speedway? “A lot better than we did today.”
Elliott leaves Darlington Raceway in ninth place in the playoff standings.
Kevin Harvick was another driver who left Darlington frustrated and angry after a fire in his car put him on the sidelines with a disappointing 33rd-place finish.
When asked by NBC Sports’ Marty Snider what caused the fire, Harvick said, “I’m sure it’s just crappy parts on the race car like we’ve seen so many times. They haven’t fixed anything. It’s kind of like the safety stuff. We just let it keep going and keep going.
“The car started burning and as it burned the flames started coming through the dash. I ran a couple of laps and then as the flame got bigger it started burning stuff up and I think right there you see all the brake fluid that was probably coming out the brakes and part of the brake line, but the fire was coming through the dash.
“What a disaster for no reason. We didn’t touch the wall. We didn’t touch a car and here we are in the pits with a burned-up car and we can’t finish the race during the playoffs because of crappy-ass parts.”
Drivers Austin Cindric, Austin Dillon, Chase Briscoe and Harvick are the four drivers who are now below the cut line with two races remaining in the Round of 16.
Next week the NASCAR Cup Series heads to Kansas Speedway for the Hollywood Casino 400 as the Playoffs continue.
Joey Logano won the NASCAR Cup Series pole Saturday with a 168.521 mph lap at Darlington Raceway. He will lead the field to green for the Cook Out Southern 500 Sunday evening in the first race of the Playoffs.
That makes the Team Penske driver two for two, after also winning the pole at Darlington in May. It was his 24th career pole in the series.
“It’s obviously nice to start up front,” Logano said. “We got a taste of what that first pit stall means here at Darlington and it’s nice, for sure. It’s nice to be able to get that, but it’s just a start.
“We still have a full 500 miles to go,” he continued, “but, like I said, that first pit stall will pay a dividend throughout the whole race, so we’ll fire off and see what we’ve got tomorrow.
“Going off of practice from the spring to the race the first time, the track was much different in the race than it was in the practice. You’ve got to kind of assume some of it is gonna happen again tomorrow, so we’ll try to adjust on our car a little bit for race trim. I think we need a little bit there, but I don’t think we’re that far off. If we get a little bit more turn in our car, we’ll be right there.”
Christopher Bell, with a 168.469 mph lap, will start beside him on the front row in his JGR Toyota followed by William Byron, Tyler Reddick, and Kyle Busch to complete the top five. Austin Cindric, Kyle Larson, Bubba Wallace, Ryan Blaney and Michael McDowell rounded out the top 10 in the qualifying session.
Chase Elliot, who enters the Playoffs in the top spot, qualified a disappointing 23rd and he was not alone. Several other Playoff contenders had mediocre runs including Denny Hamlin (11), Ross Chastain (12), Austin Dillon (13), Alex Bowman (16), Kevin Harvick (18), Chase Briscoe (19), and Daniel Suarez (36).
Notes: Daniel Suárez failed pre-race inspection three times Saturday morning and did not make a qualifying attempt. He will have to start the race at the rear of the field and will also have to serve a pass-through penalty in his No. 99 Trackhouse Racing Chevrolet.
You can tune into the NASCAR Cup Series Playoffs opening race at Darlington Raceway on Sunday evening at 6 p.m. ET on the USA Network, NBC Sports App, MRN and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio.
Chase Elliott enters the NASCAR Cup Series Playoffs as the top seed with 40 bonus points and four wins to his credit. But does that make him the favorite to win the 2022 championship?
“For me, there’s never a good answer, but I try to give an honest take on it. There’s been too many people good at different times. Just because we have a win more than other people doesn’t mean other people aren’t capable of winning or having a really good day. You have to respect the whole field. There are a lot of really talented drivers and a lot of really smart people working at these teams.”
And though he is entering the Playoffs with a point advantage, Elliott views it as a separate entity.
“I don’t think anybody is safe at any point in time,” he explained. “You have to respect this format from Week One all the way to Week 10. I don’t think there is ever a period of time where you should think anything is taken for granted. No amount of playoff points is ever safe.
“Each round is so short. You could have two bad weeks back-to-back and do nothing wrong. Next thing you know, you’re in a position where you have to win the last race. That can happen to the guy who is first in points or the guy that is last. No one is safe from that.”
Looking ahead to the Cookout Southern 500 at Darlington, the Hendrick Motorsports driver explained the obstacles that the drivers will face.
“For me, you have to find the balance of the fast lane being around the wall – which is a difficult place to live all night for 500 miles – and the sun sets in a really awkward place there in turn three right in your face. It becomes hard to see the corner entry.
“To me it becomes a tale of two races the more I’ve done it and the more I’ve been a part of the race. In my opinion, it almost feels longer than the 600 for some reason. It feels like you’ve been racing for two days. You start in the daytime and end late at night.
“Balancing the event is probably the most important piece of going to Darlington,” Elliott said, “then making sure you have a car that’s put together that you haven’t bounced off the wall a bunch for those last 100 miles.”
Heading into this weekend, he is focused on making the most of this opportunity.
“If you get hot at the right time, it can propel your team all the way to Phoenix and have a shot to win the thing. We want to make sure we are at our peak in these final 10 – performing our best when it matters most.
“I’ve had a large variety of experiences. We’ve had one go our way. We’ve lived through the ups and downs of what it can offer. It’s very unforgiving but obviously, if you make it and achieve the goal, it’s rewarding.”
No matter what the end result may be, rest assured that Chase Elliott gave it his all.
This weekend the NASCAR Cup Series and Xfinity Series head to Darlington Raceway. It will mark the beginning of the Cup Series Round of 16 in the Playoffs while the Xfinity Series has three races remaining in its regular season.
Seven drivers have secured a spot in the upcoming Xfinity Playoffs Round of 12 – AJ Allmendinger, Ty Gibbs, Justin Allgaier, Noah Gragson, Josh Berry, Austin Hill and Brandon Jones.
After taking a break, the Camping World Truck Series will be back to racing on Sept. 9 at Kansas Speedway for the last Playoff race in the Round of 10. Two drivers will be eliminated and eight will advance to the Round of 8. So far, only two drivers, Grant Enfinger and Chandler Smith, have clinched a spot.
All times are Eastern.
Saturday, September 3 10:05 a.m.: Xfinity Series Practice – All Entries – NBC Sports Stream
10:35 a.m.: Xfinity Series Qualifying (Impound) Single Vehicle/1 Lap – All Entries – NBC Sports Stream
12:05 p.m.: Cup Series Practice (Groups A & B) – USA coverage at 12:30
12:50 p.m.: Cup Series Qualifying (Impound) (Groups A & B) Single Vehicle, 1 Lap, 2 Rounds – USA/MRN
3 p.m.: Xfinity Series Sport Clips Haircuts VFW Help A Hero 200 Stages End on Laps 45/90/147 Laps = 200.8 Miles USA/MRN/SiriusXM The Purse: $1,208,129
Sunday, September 4
6 p.m.: Cup Series Cook Out Southern 500 Stages End on Laps 115/230/367 Laps = 501.32 Miles USA/MRN/SiriusXM The Purse: $7,823,733
This weekend at Darlington Raceway, the NASCAR Cup Series begins its Playoff series with 16 drivers hungry to win and advance to the next round.
Denny Hamlin has captured the most trophies of any active driver at the Track Too Tough To Tame and is the defending race winner. The odds are in his favor but Darlington has a way of leveling the playing field.
Kerry Tharp, president of Darlington Raceway, summed it up best, “You can’t win the race in the first 200 laps but you could certainly lose it.”
It’s a unique race track that requires a specific skill set.
“It takes a tough driver, somebody that can withstand a 500-mile race and the heat,” he continued. “You’re going to have contact during the race. Look at the drivers over the years that have been very successful here, David Pearson, Dale Earnhardt, Jeff Gordon and Cale Yarborough. Those guys were all tough. Those guys were talented, obviously, as they’re all Hall of Famers.
“I think it takes somebody that is patient. You have to be patient at Darlington. I’ve seen several races here where someone might dominate the first two-thirds of the race. And then all of a sudden something happened to him, or something goes wrong with his tire set-up, and all of a sudden they fade to fifth or sixth.
“So I think it’s being a patient driver. And I think, although I never saw him race in person, that David Pearson was that type of driver. He was very patient from what I was told. And, I think that paid off as he had 10 wins here.”
When looking at the drivers in the Playoffs and who might be a contender this weekend, Tharp said, “Denny has won here four times. I think Kevin Harvick has won three times and I think Truex has two, but he’s not in the Playoffs. I think you can look at Harvick and Hamlin as being two drivers that you’ll probably have to contend with. But I think there are some other ones out there that haven’t won here that certainly are capable.”
But before the racing begins Tharp and his staff are already welcoming the early arrivals in the campgrounds with a multitude of events in the days leading up to the weekend. For Tharp, the fan experience is just as important as the racing.
“This morning I greeted the first camper on the property, a man and a young son,” he said. “They were the first campers that entered the facility. So we kind of presented them with a special Darlington swag bag. I get a lot of satisfaction from that.”
As the fans arrive and the clock winds down, the excitement is rising. The Playoffs shift into high gear Sunday evening with the Cup Series Cook Out Southern 500 at 6 p.m. ET on the USA network.
A significant milestone start is in the making for James Small, crew chief for Martin Truex Jr. and the No. 19 Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota TRD Camry team in the NASCAR Cup Series. By participating in this weekend’s Cup Series Playoff opening event at Darlington Raceway, Small will call his 100th career event as a crew chief in NASCAR’s premier series.
A native of Melbourne, Australia, Small, who spent eight years working in the V8 Supercars Championship in Australia before spending three seasons in an engineering role at Richard Childress Racing, made his first two appearances as a Cup crew chief at Watkins Glen International and at Michigan International Speedway in August. By then, he was a lead engineer for the No. 77 Furniture Row Racing Toyota Camry team piloted by Erik Jones and was named Jones’ interim crew chief for two events after Jones’ regular crew chief Chris Gayle was suspended for two races and fined $50,000 due to a post-race infraction stemming from the previous event at Pocono Raceway. During Small’s two appearances as a Cup crew chief, Jones finished 10th and third at Watkins Glen International and at Michigan International Speedway, respectively.
After moving to Joe Gibbs Racing in 2019, where he continued to work as lead engineer for the 2017 Cup champion Martin Truex Jr., crew chief Cole Pearn and the No. 19 JGR Toyota Camry team, Small was named a full-time Cup Series crew chief for Truex for the 2020 season after Pearn resigned from his role. Pearn and Truex commenced the 2020 Cup Series season with a 32nd-place result in the 62nd running of the Daytona 500 after Truex was involved in a late multi-car wreck. Through the following nine events, his best result was third at Atlanta Motor Speedway in June. Then during the following event at Martinsville Speedway, Small achieved his first victory as a NASCAR crew chief after Truex led 132 of 500 en route to his first victory of the season and second in a row at Martinsville.
Through the remaining 15 Cup regular season events in 2020, Small and Truex achieved nine top-five results, including seven consecutive top-three results between July and August, and a total of 11 top-10 results before entering the 2020 Cup Playoffs. Despite transferring from the Playoff’s Round of 16 all the way to the Round of 8, Small served a one-race suspension prior to the second Round of 8 Playoff at Texas Motor Speedway after NASCAR confiscated the spoiler from Truex’s car and issued penalties that included Small’s suspension, a $35,000 final and a dock 20 driver/owner points. Despite Small’s return at Martinsville Speedway in November, Truex was unable to make the Championship Round at Phoenix Raceway after settling in 22nd place due to making a late unscheduled pit stop for a loose right-front wheel. In the end, Small and Truex capped off their first season in seventh place in the final standings along with one victory, 13 top-five results, 22 top-10 results and an average-finishing result of 12.0.
The duo of Small and Truex initiated the 2021 Cup season on another strong note. After logging two top-10 results through the first four scheduled events, they claimed their first victory of the season at Phoenix Raceway in March. A month later, they notched their second victory of the season at Martinsville in April following a late battle with teammate Denny Hamlin. By then, Truex became the first multi-Cup winner through the first eight scheduled events. Small and Truex then became three-time winners of 2021 four races later after Truex fended off a hard-charging Kyle Larson in the closing laps.
Fourteen regular-season races later, where Small and Truex achieved five additional top-10 results, the 2021 Cup Playoffs commenced at Darlington in September. Then a week later at Richmond Raceway, Small and Truex transferred from the Round of 16 to the Round of 12 after Truex led 80 of 400 en route to a fourth victory of the season. Three additional results inside the top 10 were enough for the duo to transfer all the way to the Championship Round finale at Phoenix Raceway in November and with an opportunity to win the title. During the finale, however, Truex, who was leading late in the event, settled in second place both on the track and in the final standings behind Kyle Larson. In his second full-time season as a Cup crew chief, Small recorded four victories, 13 top-five results, 20 top-10 results and an average-finishing result of 12.0 with Truex.
Remaining as Truex’s Cup crew chief for a third consecutive season, Small led the No. 19 JGR Toyota TRD Camry team to a pole, seven stage victories, three top-five results, 12 top-10 results and an average-finishing result of 13.2 throughout the 26-race regular-season stretch. The results, however, were not enough for the duo to make the 2022 Cup Series Playoffs after they missed the cutline by three points. Small and Truex, however, enter the 10-week Playoff stretch with a goal to capture their first victory of the season before making another bid for the Playoffs in 2023.
Through 99 previous Cup appearances, Small has achieved five victories, one pole, 30 top-five results, 56 top-10 results and 2223 laps led while working with two different competitors (Martin Truex Jr. and Erik Jones).
Small is scheduled to call his 100th Cup Series event as a crew chief at Darlington Raceway for the Cook Out Southern 500 and the opening event of the 2022 Cup Series Playoffs. The event’s coverage is scheduled for Sunday, September 4, at 6 p.m. ET on USA Network.
