2022_Xfinity_500

2022 Xfinity 500

2022 Xfinity 500

NASCAR Cup Series 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.

Quick Facts Date, Location ...

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.
More information No., Driver ...

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

More information Pos, No. ...

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

More information Pos, No. ...

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

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Stage Two Laps: 130

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Final Stage Results

Stage Three Laps: 240

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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.

More information NBC, Booth announcers ...

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.

More information MRN, Booth announcers ...

Standings after the race

More information Pos, Driver ...

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. [1]
    "2022 schedule". Jayski.com. Jayski's Silly Season Site. Retrieved September 26, 2022.
  2. [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. [3]
    "Entry List" (PDF). Jayski.com. Jayski's Silly Season Site. October 24, 2022. Retrieved October 24, 2022.
  4. [4]
    "Practice Results". NASCAR.com. NASCAR. October 29, 2022. Retrieved October 29, 2022.
  5. [5]
    "Qualifying Results". NASCAR.com. NASCAR. October 29, 2022. Retrieved October 29, 2022.
  6. [6]
    "Xfinity 500 Results". NASCAR.com. NASCAR. October 30, 2022. Retrieved October 30, 2022.
  7. [7]
    "Points standings" (PDF). Jayski.com. Jayski's Silly Season Site. October 30, 2022. Retrieved October 30, 2022.
  8. [8]
    "Ross Chastain's bold wall-riding move seals title berth; Christopher Bell wins race". ESPN.com. 31 October 2022. Retrieved 31 October 2022.
  9. [9]
    Long, Dustin (October 31, 2022). "Long: Ross Chastain's frenzied finish divides competitors". NBC Sports. Retrieved October 31, 2022.
  10. [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. [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. [12]
    "Keselowski disqualified from fourth at Martinsville". RACER. 2022-10-31. Retrieved 2022-10-31.
  13. [13]
    "Brad Keselowski fails post-race inspection, dropped to last place - NBC". NASCAR Talk | NBC Sports. 2022-10-31. Retrieved 2022-10-31.
Previous race:
2022 Dixie Vodka 400		 NASCAR Cup Series
2022 season		 Next race:
2022 NASCAR Cup Series Championship Race
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