Driver: Chase Elliott Car: No. 9 Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 Crew chief: Alan Gustafson Final 2022 ranking: 4th Key stats: 5 wins, 12 top fives, 20 top 10s, 3 poles, 857 laps led
How 2022 ended: When you are a recent NASCAR Cup Series champion, the 2022 regular season champion and a favorite to hoist another trophy, any other outcome is understandably disappointing. So despite all the positives of a stellar season, Elliott’s fourth-place finish in the championship race at Phoenix was a bit of a disheartening way for such a promising season to end for the young superstar. He finished the championship finale in 28thplace – two laps down – after his Chevy made contact with fellow playoff driver Ross Chastain’s Chevy on a late-race restart. It forced Elliott’s famous No. 9 Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet to pit road for repairs during the green flag run that ultimately settled the trophy. And so for the second consecutive year, Elliott finished fourth in the championship – earning only a trio of top-10 finishes in the 10-race championship run.
Best race: With a series-best five victories on the season, Elliott had a lot of reason to smile during the year, but it was a heartwarming victory at Atlanta Motor Speedway during the summer that truly hit home – literally. Elliott led a race-best 96 of the 260 laps and then held off Corey LaJoie in a final-lap duel to claim his first NASCAR Cup Series trophy at his family’s “home track.” The Elliotts hail from nearby Dawsonville, Georgia, and the locals were absolutely overjoyed to celebrate their hometown hero’s win.
Stat to know: Elliott’s first regular season championship propelled him to career-high numbers in the final tally. His five wins were most in the series as were his 857 laps led. Only one driver bettered Elliott’s 20 top-10 finishes (Ross Chastain had 21) and the No. 9 team netted six stage wins, tied for fourth most all season. The 46 playoff points Elliott accumulated were easily the most in the series and his fifth Most Popular Driver award leads all active drivers.
Quotable: “It was a solid year, especially through the summer months. That was probably as good as I remember running throughout the summer. Unfortunately, the last nine or 10 [races] weren’t great. I actually thought Phoenix was pretty solid for us as far as how car drove and how the day was going. The nine weeks prior to that were pretty rough but I thought the 10th was moving in the right direction, which was good, so nice to kind of end on a high note from a car perspective. …
“This sport will humble you in a hurry and I don’t think anyone’s ever immune to that especially now with the way everything works and with all the winners and things we saw this year. I don’t think you’re immune to that regardless of how good a season you had until that point. You have to stay on it and it’s easy to miss a little bit here and there and have a bad day.”
Looking ahead: With a year under everyone’s belt in terms of preparing, driving and racing the Next Gen car, Elliott was optimistic that he ended the season on a positive note despite missing out on a second series title. He added victories at three new tracks in 2022 (Nashville, Atlanta and Pocono) – paced the entire field in wins and laps led, and again, boasted at least 20 top-10 finishes for the third straight year. Elliott, who signed a five-year contract extension with Hendrick Motorsports in February, is in an enviable position. Nothing but greatness is expected from the 27-year old and that No. 9 team. It’s just navigating the challenges and staying on what he’s already established is a championship path.
Driver: Denny Hamlin Car: No. 11 Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota Camry TRD Crew chief: Chris Gabehart Final 2022 ranking: Fifth Key stats: 2 wins, 10 top fives, 16 top 10s, 3 poles, 624 laps led
How 2022 ended: Hamlin was just two points shy of advancing to the Championship 4 for the fourth consecutive season, a feat erased by Ross Chastain’s absurd move around the Turns 3 and 4 walls at Martinsville Speedway that propelled him past Hamlin at the checkered flag. That didn’t erase a stellar playoff run for the No. 11 team, which earned nine top-10 finishes in the final 10 races of 2022 en route to another top-five points finish.
Best race: Coca-Cola 600. Arguments could easily be made for other strong performances for Hamlin’s 2022 season, but his triumph on the Charlotte Motor Speedway oval proved the resilience of the No. 11 team. After a dismal start to the season – and even in the year’s longest event – Hamlin rebounded from an early-race incident to score his first career victory in the Memorial Day special after leading 15 laps – netting a critical five playoff points in the process.
Other season highlights: Officially, Hamlin scored two wins in 2022 – one each at Richmond and Charlotte — but he did cross the finish line first at Pocono Raceway after leading 21 circuits as well. The car was disqualified for an illegal body modification, erasing five playoff points and handing them instead to third-place finisher Chase Elliott who was declared the winner. Despite sitting 25th in points after race No. 5 at Atlanta, Hamlin’s performance improved significantly and began leading a noteworthy amount of laps, including a season-high 203 at Martinsville Speedway in the fall. The No. 11 Toyota led significant laps at Dover (67), Nashville (114) and the throwback race at Darlington (42) but failed to reach Victory Lane after his May win at Charlotte.
Stat to know: 15.5 average finish. Hamlin posted his worst average finish since 2013 due to his dismal start to the season. A stellar postseason run couldn’t save the stat, ending an impressive three-year stretch of top-10 average finishes (9.5 in 2019; 9.3 in 2020; 8.4 in 2021).
Quotable: “There’ll be a time where my attention will be more needed as a team owner than a driver, but it’s going to be on my terms and when I want it to happen and when I think it needs to happen. But I don’t think it … I don’t foresee ownership expediting my retirement. I think that my retirement will be a totally independent decision, regardless of where we’re at with the race team.” – Hamlin on his future entering 2023, a contract year with JGR.
Looking ahead: The 2022 season proved to be one of the most challenging of Hamlin’s career, failing to break into the top 20 in drivers points in the first half of the regular season. But he and fourth-year crew chief Chris Gabehart proved they could overcome the odds and be a consistent threat to win once again in the Next Gen era. The biggest difference in 2023 will have to be the team’s execution in closing races. Nine top-10 finishes through the playoffs should be celebrated. But a zero in the win column during that stretch is why Hamlin failed to reach the Championship 4, ending a streak of three straight years with a chance to win the title in the championship race.
Monday, Dec. 26 4 a.m., Greatest Races: 2011 NASCAR Cup Series Southern 500 at Darlington Raceway (re-air), FS1 6 a.m., NASCAR Race Hub: 75 Years of Racing (re-air), FS2
7 a.m., Greatest Races: 1985 NASCAR Xfinity Series race at Bristol Motor Speedway (re-air), FS2
9 a.m., Greatest Races: 1990 Goody’s 300 at Daytona International Speedway (re-air), FS2
11 a.m., Greatest Races: 1994 NASCAR Cup Series Brickyard 400 (re-air), FS2
2 p.m., NASCAR Presents: Beyond the Wheel, FS2
6 p.m., NASCAR Presents: Beyond the Wheel, FS1
7 p.m., Greatest Races: 2007 NASCAR Cup Series Food City 500 at Bristol Motor Speedway (re-air), FS1
10 p.m., Greatest Races: NASCAR (re-air), FS1
Tuesday, Dec. 27 1 a.m., Greatest Races: 2011 NASCAR Cup Series Aaron’s 499 at Talladega Superspeedway (re-air), FS1
4 a.m., NASCAR Race Classic: 1997 Daytona 500 (re-air), FS1
8 p.m., NASCAR Presents: Beyond the Wheel, FS2
9 p.m., NASCAR Race Hub: 75 Years of Racing (re-air), FS2
10 p.m., NASCAR Race Hub (re-air), FS2
11 p.m., NASCAR Race Hub (re-air), FS2
Wednesday, Dec. 28 9:30 p.m., NASCAR Presents: Beyond the Wheel, FS2
10:30 p.m., Greatest Races: 2001 NASCAR Cup Series race at Atlanta Motor Speedway (re-air), FS2
Thursday, Dec. 29 1:30 a.m., NASCAR Race Hub: Best of Radioactive from Atlanta (re-air), FS2
12 p.m., ARCA Menards Series race (re-air), MAVTV
2 p.m., ARCA Menards Series race (re-air), MAVTV
4 p.m., ARCA Menards Series race (re-air), MAVTV
6 p.m., ARCA Menards Series race (re-air), MAVTV
8 p.m., ARCA Menards Series race (re-air), MAVTV
10 p.m., ARCA Menards Series race (re-air), MAVTV
Sunday, Jan 1 12 a.m, ARCA Menards Series race (re-air), MAVTV
Driver: William Byron Car: No. 24 Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 Crew chief: Rudy Fugle Final 2022 ranking: 6th Key stats: 2 wins, 5 top fives, 11 top 10s, 1 pole, 746 laps led
How 2022 ended: After securing his fourth consecutive playoff berth, Byron turned in the best championship finish of his five-year career at the NASCAR Cup Series level with a sixth-place position in the final standings. Importantly for the 25-year-old, he proved himself a legitimate favorite to have advanced to his first Championship 4 – just missing the opportunity. Byron earned six top-10 finishes in the 10 playoff races. But his seventh-place effort at Martinsville Speedway (where he won in the spring) to set that four-driver title group was not enough to ultimately earn a championship shot.
Best race: Ironically, it was the famous Martinsville short track where Byron and the Rudy Fugle-led No. 24 Hendrick Motorsports team turned in their best single-day effort of the 2022 season. He led 212 of the 403 laps — including the final 83 — to earn the win in April, marking the first time Byron had ever led 200 laps in any NASCAR Cup Series race — the first truly “dominating” effort in his young career and he had to hold off eventual series champion Joey Logano for the trophy.
Stat to know: Despite starting the season with back-to-back DNFs at Daytona and Auto Club Speedway, Bryon managed to hit several career-high marks statistically. The springtime victories at Atlanta and Martinsville (only three weeks apart) marked the first time he’d scored multiple victories in the same NASCAR Cup Series season. His 746 laps out front (over 18 races) was also a personal high – over 300 more laps than he’d ever led in a single season. And most significantly, Byron’s career-best sixth-place finish in the championship showed he could contend alongside the sport’s stars and legitimately elevate his standing as a serious title contender.
Quotable: “Just have to put all the pieces together next year. But happy with where we are. Sixth in points this year and still continuing to climb forward. I’m young, but I’m experienced in what I’ve done in racing, and I think all that experience is starting to come to fruition. … I feel good about the direction we’re headed, and to be that close to the final four this year, was a big step.”
Looking ahead: In his second season reunited with his NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series championship crew chief Fugle, Byron continued to raise his game. It’s easy to forget sometimes that although the precocious Byron has now competed in five full-time NASCAR Cup Series seasons, he is still only 25 years old. That “seasoning” is something Byron himself recognizes – and is encouraged about. Every year he has improved his championship ranking and elevated his statistical showings. He knows how to win a NASCAR championship, and his Hendrick Motorsports team is one of the most successful in the sport’s history, winning two of the last three season titles. The combination of experience and confidence that Byron has gained is evident in his 2022 work as a multi-race winner and his best-ever playoff effort. The progression certainly places him among the sport’s top tier and only raises expectations heading into 2023.
Driver Baltazar Leguizamón hopes to become the first native of Argentina to make his NASCAR national series debut, with MBM Motorsports aiming to provide the opportunity.
The 22-year-old native of Arrecifes, a province 112 miles northwest of Buenos Aires, is hopeful to make starts in the NASCAR Xfinity Series in 2023, according to a press release from the team. Leguizamón won the 2018 Atlantic Championship Series title and earned a runner-up championship finish in the inaugural season of F3 Americas, also in 2018. Leguizamón has also competed in Top Race V6, an Argentine touring car series.
“I am really proud to be the first Argentinean with a NASCAR national series license,” Leguizamón said in a release. “It’s been a long way on my career living my dream in international motorsports. All the hard work is paying off right now.”
“This is huge for us, for my country, and for South America. It’s my childhood dream beginning to come true.”
The team’s release noted Leguizamón still needs to secure financial backing to set a definitive date for his debut, but the team implied it is targeting one of the eight road or street courses on the 2023 NASCAR Xfinity Series schedule for Leguizamón’s inaugural start. Circuit of The Americas marks the first road course on the circuit on March 25.
“I am very thankful to everyone involved with this project: the NASCAR administration, Bruce Bohlander, and Carl Long of MBM Motorsports, who opened this door for me and is helping me into this,” Leguizamón said in a release. “We’ve won in seven different series, and we want to keep going at this very seriously.”
Driver: Kyle Larson Car: No. 5 Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 Crew chief: Cliff Daniels Final 2022 ranking: 7th Key stats: 3 wins, 13 top fives, 19 top 10s, 4 poles, 635 laps led
How 2022 ended: Larson might have had a chance to repeat as Cup champion – or at the very least, to have made it to the Championship 4 – had it not been for a three-race stretch where he finished 18th at Talladega and was dealt back-to-back 35th-place finishes at the Charlotte Roval (which knocked him out of advancing to the Round of 8) and Las Vegas. He finished on somewhat of an up note, albeit too late, when he won at Homestead-Miami Speedway and finished second at Martinsville, before ending the season with a ninth-place showing at Phoenix. Unfortunately, Larson finished a disappointing seventh in the final standings.
Best race: Larson’s best race was one that, for all intents and purposes, didn’t really count for much. He dominated the October race at Homestead, leading 199 of 267 laps, but it was too little, too late as he had already been eliminated from advancing to the Round of 8 and, ultimately, championship contention.
Other season highlights: While he also won the second race of the season at Auto Club Speedway and then Week 25 at Watkins Glen, one other race stood out: finishing runner-up at Martinsville in the penultimate race of the season. He led the first 68 laps in the 500-lap event, but was never able to get back to the front of the field, settling for the runner-up spot.
Stat to know: While some might consider three wins, 13 top-five and 19 top-10 finishes in 2022 a strong season, it actually paled in comparison to what he did in 2021: 10 wins, 20 top fives, 26 top 10s and wrapped up the year with his first career Cup championship.
Quotable: “I’ve learned that there’s still a lot of area to get a lot better and just smarter. Just doing a better job. Last year, seemed good. I was on my game and things were working out, restarts, everything. Every area was better as far as the driver goes last year. So just got to figure out how to get back to that point.” – Larson on comparing last season to 2022.
Looking ahead: Larson is not the type of driver who wallows in defeat or coming up short of expectations. Rather, he uses both as an incentive and a motivating force. He knows what went wrong in 2022, accepted much of the blame upon his shoulders, and is bound and determined not to make the same mistakes in 2023.
The Busch Light Clash at the Coliseum is getting even bigger in 2023.
The main event of the exhibition race held inside the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum expands for the Feb. 5 race as the field will increase to 27 cars, bumped up from 23 in last year’s inaugural running.
Eligibility for the one-of-a-kind stadium race includes all 2023 NASCAR Cup Series Charter team owners and associated Cup drivers. 2023 NASCAR Cup Series Open team owners and associated Cup drivers are eligible to enter and compete for the four additional starting positions in this year’s field.
The format of this year’s Clash at the Coliseum is largely unchanged. On Saturday, Feb. 4, the field will be split into three groups for practice, with each group receiving three sessions to dial in their cars.
Following practice, single-round and single-car qualifying will begin to set the starting lineups of Sunday’s heat races — four 25-lap contests in which only green-flag laps will count. In qualifying, each driver gets three laps — one warm-up lap and two timed circuits. Teams will go out for qualifying based on the 2022 NASCAR Cup Series owner points standings from lowest to highest. If there are more than 40 entries to this event, the fastest four open teams will transfer into the heat races.
Meg Oliphant | Getty Images
Saturday’s fastest qualifier will earn the pole position in Heat 1, with the second-fastest qualifier earning pole for Heat 2; third-fastest on pole for Heat 3; and fourth-fastest on pole for Heat 4, etc.
The heat races will determine both the field for the main event, alongside the starting lineup. The top five finishers in each heat race will automatically advance to the main event, setting the top 20 starting positions (specifics in the chart below).
Drivers who finish their heat races outside the top five will fight to advance into the main event through the Last Chance Qualifiers, two 50-lap dashes to officially set the Clash field. The first LCQ will feature those who finished sixth-10th in Heats 1 and 3; the second LCQ hosts those who finished sixth-10th in Heats 2 and 4. The top three drivers in each LCQ will advance and compete in the Clash.
The 27th and final spot in the field is reserved for the driver who finished the highest in the 2022 season points standings and who did not already earn a starting position in the Clash. That means Joey Logano, last year’s Busch Light Clash at the Coliseum winner and the 2022 NASCAR Cup Series champion, is locked into the field.
Below is a breakdown of how the grid will be set for the 150-lap feature:
Position
Criteria
1
Heat 1 winner
2
Heat 2 winner
3
Heat 3 winner
4
Heat 4 winner
5
Heat 1 second place
6
Heat 2 second place
7
Heat 3 second place
8
Heat 4 second place
9
Heat 1 third place
10
Heat 2 third place
11
Heat 3 third place
12
Heat 4 third place
13
Heat 1 fourth place
14
Heat 2 fourth place
15
Heat 3 fourth place
16
Heat 4 fourth place
17
Heat 1 fifth place
18
Heat 2 fifth place
19
Heat 3 fifth place
20
Heat 4 fifth place
21
LCQ 1 winner
22
LCQ 2 winner
23
LCQ 1 second place
24
LCQ 2 second place
25
LCQ 1 third place
26
LCQ 2 third place
27
2022 points provisional
Tune into the Clash at the Coliseum on Sunday, Feb. 5, 2023, at 8 p.m. ET on FOX, MRN and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio.
With the 2022 racing season in the books, it’s time to recognize stock-car racing’s championship performances from all levels of the sport. Recap the hardware-winning seasons for multiple NASCAR, ARCA and touring series, plus the title laurels handed out in eNASCAR.
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Jared C. Tilton | Getty Images
CUP SERIES
2022 champion: Joey Logano
Season review: The Team Penske driver sealed his second Cup Series championship with a dominant victory in the season finale at Phoenix Raceway. The 32-year-old closed out a four-win campaign with the No. 22 Ford team, including a triumph in the year-opening exhibition Busch Light Clash at the LA Coliseum. His victory in the Round of 8 opener clinched his fifth Championship 4 berth. Once there, Logano rode a wave of confidence to a clinching win from the pole position, outdistancing fellow title contenders Ross Chastain, Christopher Bell and Chase Elliott. Logano is now only the second active driver with multiple championships, joining Kyle Busch. (Recap)
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Jared C. Tilton | Getty Images
XFINITY SERIES
2022 champion: Ty Gibbs
Season review: Gibbs wrapped up a sterling 2022 season with a clinching victory in the Phoenix finale, pacing 125 of 200 laps for his seventh win of the year. The 20-year-old driver carried the No. 54 Toyota owned by his grandfather, Coach Joe Gibbs, past the other three title hopefuls from JR Motorsports — Noah Gragson, Justin Allgaier and Josh Berry — in the final. The championship came in the young Gibbs’ first full Xfinity Series season, but it was marked by tragedy with the death of his father, Coy, in the hours after the Phoenix race. Ty Gibbs will join the Cup Series next season, driving for Joe Gibbs Racing. (Recap)
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Chris Graythen | Getty Images
CAMPING WORLD TRUCK SERIES
2022 champion: Zane Smith
Season review: Smith washed away the sour taste of runner-up finishes in the previous two Truck Series seasons, warding off Ben Rhodes in two laps of overtime to clinch his first championship. The 23-year-old California native was a four-time winner through the season for the No. 38 Front Row Motorsports Ford team, claiming the Regular Season Championship and finishing the year out with his victory from the pole position in the closing event at Phoenix. Rhodes, Ty Majeski, and Chandler Smith — all Toyota drivers — were the other finalists. The series will shift its entitlement sponsorship from Camping World to Craftsman next season. (Recap)
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Luke Hales | ARCA Racing
ARCA MENARDS SERIES
2022 champion: Nick Sanchez
Season review: Sanchez made the most of his first full-time ARCA Menards Series campaign, converting in his season-long title pursuit by a 14-point margin over Daniel Dye. The 21-year-old driver won three times during the year (Talladega, Kansas, Michigan), handing his Rev Racing team its first touring-series championship since 2012. Sanchez also dipped his toe into the Xfinity Series waters last season, recording a best finish of seventh with Big Machine Racing at Martinsville. He’ll continue his relationship with Max and Jennifer Siegel’s Rev Racing team in 2023, but full-time in the Craftsman Truck Series. (Recap)
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Adam Fenwick | NASCAR Studios
ARCA MENARDS SERIES EAST
2022 champion: Sammy Smith
Season review: Smith notched his second consecutive championship in the East Series, winning five of the seven races for Kyle Busch Motorsports and outdistancing Taylor Gray by 41 points in the final standings. Smith also claimed the Sioux Chief Showdown title, finishing out his dominant run with a victory under the lights at Bristol Motor Speedway. The 18-year-old driver plans to move to the Xfinity Series for a full schedule in Joe Gibbs Racing’s No. 18 Toyota next year. In 2022, Smith ran a nine-race schedule for JGR in Xfinity competition, recording a best finish of third place at Watkins Glen in August. (Recap)
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Brian Hayes | ARCA Racing
ARCA MENARDS SERIES WEST
2022 champion: Jake Drew
Season review: Drew overcame the heartbreak of the 2021 West campaign, rushing to his first title on the strength of consistency and a four-win season. Drew had lost the previous year’s West championship with a last-lap twist in the Phoenix finale that handed the crown to Jesse Love. The 2022 margin was far more comfortable, and Drew needed only to start the final race to clinch the title. The driver of Bob and Maureen Bruncati’s No. 6 Ford held a 53-point edge over runner-up Tanner Reif in the final standings. His season was highlighted by a three-race win streak as the calendar turned to the summer months, with victories on Portland and Sonoma’s road circuits and the Irwindale short track. (Recap)
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Veasey Conway | NASCAR
WHELEN MODIFIED TOUR
2022 champion: Jon McKennedy
Season review: McKennedy avoided potential disaster in a late-race crash in the Martinsville Speedway finale, holding on for his first Modified Tour championship in just his second year of full-time competition. McKennedy had come close before, finishing second overall in a 2020 season truncated by the COVID-19 outbreak. But his 2022 campaign was marked by a series-leading 13 top-10 finishes in 16 races, highlighted by a victory at Claremont (N.H.) Motorsports Park. The 35-year-old Massachusetts native drove the No. 79 for car owners Tim and Sheryl Lepine. Tommy Baldwin Racing claimed the team owners’ championship. (Recap)
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Joe Chandler | South Boston Speedway
ADVANCE AUTO PARTS WEEKLY SERIES
2022 champion: Layne Riggs
Season review: At 20 years old, Riggs became the youngest winner of the NASCAR Advance Auto Parts Weekly Series national championship. The second-generation Late Model Stock driver edged the previous year’s champ, Peyton Sellers, by just four points to lock up his first national crown. Riggs clinched by netting 16 wins in 43 starts across five tracks in North Carolina and Virginia, a performance that included a track championship at South Boston (Va.) Speedway. Riggs — the son of former Cup Series driver Scott Riggs — is a full-time student at UNC Charlotte. He also made three Truck Series starts last season, logging a best result of seventh in his debut at Clermont, Ind. (Recap)
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Matthew Manor | NASCAR
PINTY’S SERIES
2022 champion: Marc-Antoine Camirand
Season review: Camirand iced his first Pinty’s Series championship by a convincing margin, outpacing Kevin Lacroix by 27 points to cap off a three-win season. The 43-year-old Quebec native registered a series-best 11 top-10 finishes in 13 races, prevailing at Eastbound Speedway, Edmonton International Raceway and Canadian Tire Motorsport Park. Camirand also topped the Canada-based series with 803 laps led and an average finish of 5.6 for the newly formed Paillé Racing Team. (Recap)
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Klemen Sofric | Whelen Euro Series
WHELEN EURO SERIES
2022 champion: Alon Day
Season review: The Israeli driver marched into history with his fourth Whelen Euro Series championship, securing a third-place finish in the finale to best Alexander Graff by 20 points. Day led the series with five victories and nine top-10 results in the 2022 season’s 12 rounds. The driver of the PK Carsport No. 24 Chevrolet Camaro also hoisted the Euro Series trophy in 2017, 2018 and 2020, and he has posted multiple victories in each season since joining the circuit in 2015. (Recap)
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NASCAR Mexico Series
MEXICO SERIES
2022 champion: Rubén García Jr.
Season review: García landed his record fourth Mexico Series championship in the No. 88 Toyota, winning four times during the season to clinch the year-ending award. The 27-year-old driver won three times in the first six races of the year, including back-to-back triumphs at Querétaro and Chihuahua to establish himself as a title contender. The former Rookie of the Year (2012) also won the Mexico Series championship in 2015, 2018 and 2019. (Recap)
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James Thomas | NASCAR Studios
eNASCAR COCA-COLA iRACING SERIES
2022 champion: Casey Kirwan
Season review: Under the spotlight of a live season finale for the first time at the NASCAR Hall of Fame, Kirwan raced to a second-place finish to secure the eNASCAR Coca-Cola iRacing Series title by one point over Bobby Zalenski. The XSET team driver was presented with the inaugural Dale Earnhardt Jr. Trophy from its namesake and pocketed a $100,000 payday in his first playoff appearance. Kirwan ended the season with one win (Pocono, July 19) and a series-best 12 top-10 finishes. Stewart-Haas eSports, led by Steven Wilson’s series-leading four wins, finished first in the overall team standings. (Recap)
DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. – (Dec. 21, 2022) – NASCAR is turning the 2023 Rose Parade presented by Honda into a royal processional fit for “The King.”
The sanctioning body announced today that Richard Petty will ride atop its historic float “Always Forward” that celebrates NASCAR’s 75th anniversary and the upcoming Busch Light Clash at the Coliseum. The parade, which will be held on Monday, Jan. 2., is part of the Pasadena Tournament of Roses which also features the famed Rose Bowl Game.
“Nobody embodies the rich history of our sport more than Richard Petty,” said NASCAR Vice President of Marketing Services Patrick Rogers. “He’s not only ‘The King,’ but an icon recognized around the world as one of the greatest athletes of all time. It’s an incredible honor to have him represent NASCAR on our float, and I know our fans in California will love this opportunity to hail NASCAR royalty in person.”
Petty’s coronation as NASCAR’s “King” was a byproduct of the hard work and skill he showcased during a remarkable 35-year career. His record 200 NASCAR Cup Series wins is considered one of the most untouchable records in all of sports. Petty was also the first driver to win seven NASCAR Cup Series championships, and he holds NASCAR records for most poles (123), most wins in a season (27), most Daytona 500 wins (seven), most consecutive wins (10) and most starts (1,185). He was enshrined in the NASCAR Hall of Fame as part of its inaugural class in 2010, and he currently serves as Chairman of Petty GMS Racing.
Yet Petty cemented his status as a cultural icon by becoming one of sport’s most accessible and likable athletes. Rarely seen without his trademark cowboy hat and sunglasses, Petty still greets fans at the race track with the same warm smile he displayed during his driving career.
The float that will carry “The King” on Jan. 2 features his iconic No. 43 race car, along with the No. 3 made popular by Dale Earnhardt and the No. 24 driven by Jeff Gordon. With the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum’s Peristyle and Olympic cauldron serving as a breathtaking backdrop, the cars race around a track surrounded by checkered flags, ribbons, palm trees and more. Designed and constructed by Artistic Entertainment Services (AES), the float is 25 feet tall, 55 feet long and headed by NASCAR’s 75th Anniversary diamond logo.
The annual Rose Parade celebrates 134 years of success with its upcoming celebration on Jan. 2, led by the volunteer-driven, non-profit Pasadena Tournament of Roses Association. In addition to participating in the 2023 parade, NASCAR will also be providing the Association’s 935 volunteers with a special Busch Light Clash and Auto Club Speedway ticket offer, in recognition of their dedication to America’s New Year Celebration.
The Busch Light Clash at the LA Coliseum will be held on Sunday, Feb. 5, 2023, as a part of the destination’s “Coliseum Forever” celebration to honor the historic stadium’s centennial anniversary and will air live on FOX at 8 p.m. ET. After an action-packed 2022 season, the 2023 NASCAR season-opener is bound to be another thrilling event in a momentous year.
For more information about the Busch Light Clash and details on ticket pricing, please visit nascarclash.com.
Driver: Ryan Blaney Car: No. 12 Team Penske Ford Mustang Crew chief: Jonathan Hassler Final 2022 ranking: Eighth Key stats: 0 wins, 12 top fives, 17 top 10s, 3 poles, 636 laps led
How 2022 ended: Blaney charged through the NASCAR Playoffs as the only driver in the postseason without a win. Strong performances, particularly in the Round of 12, propelled the No. 12 team into the penultimate Round of 8, but mistakes at Las Vegas and Homestead-Miami thwarted his chances of advancing to the Championship 4. Blaney went out fighting, though, storming to a runner-up finish in the season finale at Phoenix after leading 109 laps to nab his fourth top-five finish in the final seven races of 2022.
Best race: Talladega playoff race. No, Blaney didn’t lead the most laps this day, but the stout superspeedway racer placed himself in position to capitalize once again at the 2.66-mile tri-oval. Blaney led 31 laps, claimed the Stage 1 victory and declared himself a threat to win. At the checkered flag, the No. 12 Ford fell just 0.046 seconds short of the victory, edged by Chase Elliott for the Talladega triumph.
Other season highlights: While it didn’t count for points or a guaranteed playoff berth, Ryan Blaney did visit Victory Lane at Texas Motor Speedway in May, taking home the $1 million prize for winning the exhibition NASCAR All-Star Race at the 1.5-mile oval. Blaney also impressed at one of his worst tracks, Richmond Raceway, where he led 128 laps, won the pole and Stage 1 and finished seventh on April 3. His spring race at Phoenix was productive as well, leading a race- and season-best 143 laps en route to a fourth-place finish after starting from the pole.
Stat to know: Nine stage wins. Twelve top fives are Blaney’s career high, improving after three consecutive seasons with 11 such finishes. But the goose egg sitting in the wins column marked his first winless year since his rookie season in 2016, even though he led the series in stage victories. His average finish, meanwhile, remained consistent with prior years at 13.6 – a drop from 11.9 in 2021 but a slight improvement from 13.8 in 2020 and 13.7 in 2019.
Quotable: “As much as I trust Chase, I don’t trust him enough for him not to take me three-wide and leave me in the middle, so I chose to stay down in front of (fellow Ford driver) Michael (McDowell). He was awesome at pushing me on the last restart and giving me great shots. Just a little bit too late.” – Blaney after finishing second to Chase Elliott at Talladega.
Looking ahead: Blaney proved he and first-year crew chief Jonathan Hassler are plenty capable of extracting speed from the Next Gen car given their resources at Team Penske, where teammate Joey Logano took home the championship. But going winless one year after collecting a career-high three victories in 2021 left plenty to be desired for the No. 12 team, even if they did advance to the Round of 8 this season. The ultimate point of emphasis for Blaney and Co. should center around closing races, particularly after scoring more stage wins than anybody in 2022.
