The driver of the No. 10 Stewart-Haas Racing Ford announced his decision Monday morning with the release of a YouTube video titled, “The Next Chapter of My Life … ” Stewart-Haas Racing then confirmed the news with a release of its own.
“I truly enjoy driving race cars and I’m excited to race my heart out in 2022 for Smithfield and Stewart-Haas Racing,” Almirola said. “But to be the best in this business, you’ve got to be selfish, and for the last 37 years, my life has always revolved around me and what I needed to do.
“I want to be present. I want to be the best husband and father, and that to me means more than being a race-car driver. So, it’s one more year where I’m all-in on racing, where we’ll do whatever it takes to compete at the highest level. But when the season is over, I’ll be ready to wave goodbye. I’ve loved every minute of it, but it’s time for the next chapter of my life.”
Almirola, now 37 years old, has two children – 10-year-old son Alex and 9-year-old daughter Abby – with wife Janice. He is originally from Tampa, Florida.
Almirola joined the NASCAR Cup Series in 2007, making his debut March 11 at Las Vegas Motor Speedway, and served as a part-time driver through 2010 with multiple teams. He began competing full-time in 2012 with Richard Petty Motorsports in the historic No. 43. In 2018, Almirola moved over to Stewart-Haas Racing to claim the No. 10 Ford.
“I’ve watched Aric develop into a really good race-car driver and it was a proud moment when we were able to bring him to Stewart-Haas Racing,” team co-owner Tony Stewart said. “He’s really delivered for our race team and for Smithfield, always putting in maximum effort. I know he wants to go out on a high note and we’re going to give him all the resources to succeed.
“That being said, we also want him to enjoy this season. Aric is a great husband and father, and this year will bring a lot of cool moments that he’ll be able to share with his family. He’s earned this opportunity to go out on his terms.”
Almirola has three career wins at NASCAR’s top level, the first of which came in 2014 at Daytona International Speedway with RPM. He then won at Talladega Superspeedway in 2018 in his first SHR campaign and added another at New Hampshire Motor Speedway in 2021. His best-ever points finish came in 2018 with a fifth-place standing come season’s end. He had a career-high six top fives and 19 top 10s in 2020.
On the car for two of those wins was Almirola’s primary sponsor, Smithfield Foods. The two have been partners since 2012. Smithfield Foods will be back as Almirola’s anchor partner on the No. 10 Ford for the 2022 season.
“It’s been an absolute pleasure to have Aric as part of our Smithfield Family for more than a decade now,” Smithfield Foods president and CEO Shane Smith said. “In addition to being an incredibly talented racer and devoted family man, Aric embodies Smithfield’s values and has embraced our commitment to do good for our customers, employees and communities. He will always be family. We wish him all the best in his next chapter and look forward to another great year with him and Stewart-Haas Racing.”
The 2022 season officially kicks off Feb. 20 with the Daytona 500 (2:30 p.m. ET on FOX, MRN and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio) and concludes Nov. 6 with the championship race at Phoenix Raceway (3 p.m. ET on NBC, MRN and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio).
“It’s been a great ride,” Almirola said. “I have been blessed beyond my wildest imagination and I honestly have no regrets.
“Do I wish I would’ve won more races? Sure, and there’s still an opportunity this year. Do I wish I would’ve won a championship? Sure, and I’ve got a lot of drive to make that happen this year. I’m a competitive person. I want to win and I want to be a champion, but at the end of the day, I know that those things mean way less than being there for my family.”
Dale Earnhardt Jr. will be back behind the wheel at Daytona International Speedway this week, driving the No. 5 Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet in a two-day NASCAR Cup Series test.
Hendrick Motorsports teased Earnhardt’s appearance in a social media post Monday morning, showing his signature skeleton driving gloves with a No. 5 Chevy test car in the background. Testing is set to run Tuesday and Wednesday at the 2.5-mile track. A full entry list from NASCAR officials has yet to be released. Hendrick Motorsports confirmed Earnhardt will drive the No. 5 car and William Byron will drive the No. 24.
Earnhardt later explained on Twitter why he is taking part in the test.
Excited to get more time behind the wheel of this new car. It’s absolutely necessary for me to do my best in the broadcast booth. Thanks @TeamHendrick and @NASCAR for the opportunity.
The Daytona test will mark Earnhardt’s second stint in the Next Gen car that makes its debut this year. Earnhardt shared driving duties with Clint Bowyer in making hot laps at Bowman Gray Stadium in Winston-Salem, North Carolina, last Oct. 26.
Earnhardt, who is slated for induction into the NASCAR Hall of Fame on Jan. 21, last competed in the Cup Series in 2017. He has entered one NASCAR Xfinity Series event in each year since his retirement from full-time competition.
Earnhardt has four Cup Series victories at Daytona, including two wins in the season-opening Daytona 500. This year’s Great American Race is scheduled Feb. 20 (2:30 p.m. ET, FOX, MRN, SiriusXM).
Life has always centered around racing for Tyler Haydt.
That comes further into focus in 2022 as Haydt joins the NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour as a car owner with his new team, Haydt Yannone Racing, which will field an entry with 2011 tour champion Ron Silk behind the wheel and crew chief Phil Moran atop the pit box.
Haydt, 36, grew up around modifieds in Kunkletown, Pennsylvania, near Mahoning Speedway and raced weekly for years. Now a commercial land developer, Haydt saw the timing was right for him and co-owner Joe Yannone to get into the tour with a team of their own.
“I had built him a house, and we got to be buddies,” Haydt said of Yannone. “And he knew that I was into racing, so I think he came along a couple times to some of the stuff and then one day he said, ‘You know, we should get a race car.’ I was like, ‘Alright,’ so I think the next week we bought one and we started racing it at Mahoning and Evergreen (Raceway) and Wall (Stadium).”
Haydt has been a racer since hopping into his first quarter midget when he was 6. That passion carried him into 15 starts on the tour in 2005 before continuing his weekly racing around Pennsylvania.
Haydt fielded cars for other modified drivers on weekly circuits in recent years and often received help from Ryan Stone. Through Stone, Haydt was connected with Silk — not long before Haydt parted ways with a former driver. Haydt knew right away that Silk’s input would be invaluable if the former tour titleist was willing to get behind the wheel.
“He was the first guy I asked because I knew he was good,” Haydt recalled. “We agreed the first year we were just gonna run stuff. He had a tour ride and he had a tri-track ride, so we just ran open stuff the first year to see how it would go. So we ran Evergreen and we ran Stafford and stuff like that.
“And then, the next year, he knew that we were gearing up with better equipment and stuff. So the next year, we decided to run the tri-track and we ran New Smyrna and we ran Thompson. We just kind of kept chipping away at it, and now this year we’re gonna go and try and run the tour.”
Ron Silk celebrates winning the Toyota Mod Classic 150 for the NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour at New York’s Oswego Speedway on Sept. 4, 2021. (Bryan Bennett/NASCAR)
Along with Silk’s experience behind the wheel comes Moran, who spent the last two seasons working with six-time tour champion Doug Coby as his crew chief. Haydt and Moran connected while Haydt was a driver himself, but conversations for 2022 swirled as Moran’s 2021 campaign was coming to a close.
One phone call and plenty of discussion later, the duo reached an agreement for Moran to lead the 2022 program.
“We certainly hope to run well; there’s no doubt about that,” Haydt said. “We needed a strong personality that could be a team leader for us. We had the guys; we just didn’t have all the chassis knowledge and the time to put in to run the tour. So (Moran) is the perfect fit for that. I think he’s gonna command respect among our team.”
With that experience comes high expectations from Haydt, even if specific goals have not been set. Silk was a two-time winner on the tour in 2021, as was Moran with Coby, and Haydt is confident his equipment will be of winning caliber starting Feb. 12 at Florida’s New Smyrna Speedway.
“We’re expecting to run good,” Haydt said. “We didn’t really sit down, per se, and talk about what our expectations are yet, but, I mean we all know that we have the right components and the right people to run well.”
NASCAR Cup Series teams and drivers are taking part in an organizational test Tuesday and Wednesday at Daytona International Speedway, giving the Next Gen car another preseason tune-up before its 2022 season debut.
NASCAR.com is delivering live-streaming video coverage of the two-day test, which runs from noon-8 p.m. ET Tuesday and 9 a.m.-5 p.m. ET Wednesday. Fans were allowed to attend Tuesday’s session free of charge from the grandstands and the infield fan zone, with registration available online or at the gate.
The two-day test comes in advance of the season-opening Daytona 500, scheduled Feb. 20 (2:30 p.m. ET, FOX, MRN, SiriusXM). Two tests of the new Next Gen model have already taken place at Daytona – a single-car session Dec. 15-16, 2020 and a multi-car test with eight teams in attendance last Sept. 7-8.
This week’s sessions will allow drivers to get more familiar with the Next Gen car’s characteristics in a multi-car pack, but will also allow NASCAR competition officials to gather feedback to dial in the superspeedway package for the circuit’s fastest ovals in 2022. Teams are scheduled to start this week’s test with the superspeedway configuration used last week in testing at Atlanta Motor Speedway — a target engine output of 510 horsepower combined with a 7-inch rear spoiler.
The superspeedway configuration will be used at the 2.5-mile Daytona track and the 2.66-mile Talladega Superspeedway. It is expected to also be in effect at 1.54-mile Atlanta, which will feature steeper banking and fresh pavement for its 2022 race weekends. All other tracks will use a baseline target of 670 horsepower with a smaller 4-inch rear spoiler.
The following drivers were taking part in the test:
Team
No.
Drivers
Days
Trackhouse Racing
1
Ross Chastain, Daniel Saurez
Front Row Motorsports
38
Todd Gilliland, Michael McDowell
Richard Childress Racing
3
Austin Dillon
Motorsports Business Management
66
Timmy Hill
Spire Motorsports
7
Corey Lajoie, Josh Bilicki, Landon Cassill
Joe Gibbs Racing
11
Denny Hamlin
Rick Ware Racing
15
Cody Ware
Team Penske
2
Austin Cindric
Wood Brothers Racing
21
Harrison Burton
Team Penske
22
Joey Logano
Tuesday
Hendrick Motorsports
24
William Byron
Kaulig Racing
31
Justin Haley, Daniel Hemric
JTG Daugherty Racing
47
Ricky Stenhouse Jr.
Roush Fenway Racing
6
Brad Keselowski, Chris Buescher
Hendrick Motorsports
9
William Byron
GMS Racing
94
Erik Jones
Team Penske
12
Ryan Blaney
Wednesday
23XI Racing
45
Kurt Busch
Team Hezeberg
27
Jaques Villeneuve
One more preseason test is scheduled Jan. 25-26 at Phoenix Raceway. The Cup Series will kick off its season with the Busch Light Clash exhibition at the LA Coliseum on Feb. 6 (6 p.m. ET, FOX, MRN Radio, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio) before the Next Gen car’s points-paying debut in the Daytona 500.
Contested annually on the quarter-mile dirt oval known as Tulsa Expo Raceway inside the SageNet Center at Tulsa’s Expo Square in Oklahoma, the Chili Bowl is the hottest auto race in the cold of winter. The event’s prestige has only grown since its inception in 1987.
Kyle Larson celebrates winning the 2021 Chili Bowl A-Main feature (Brendon Bauman/Speed Sport)
The 2022 Chili Bowl marks the 36th running of a race that has been dominated by NASCAR national series drivers over the last several years.
Kyle Larson, the 2021 NASCAR Cup Series champion, will look for his third consecutive Chili Bowl A-Main win in 2022; he won the main event in both 2020 and 2021.
If Larson were to win the Chili Bowl in 2022, he would accomplish what fellow NASCAR Cup Series driver Christopher Bell did from 2017-19, when he won three consecutive A-Main events in Tulsa.
Larson and Bell are two of nine NASCAR Cup Series drivers (current or former) who are featured on a record-setting entry list for the 2022 Chili Bowl.
Below is everything to know about the 2022 Chili Bowl, including the TV schedule, a record-breaking entry list and the list of winners over the event’s 35-year history.
What TV channel is the Chili Bowl on in 2022?
The majority of the 2022 Chili Bowl Nationals will be shown live on FloRacing, the new streaming home for all NASCAR Roots action. FloRacing’s coverage captures all five qualifying nights from Monday, Jan. 10 through Friday, Jan. 15.
MAVTV Motorsports Network will show Saturday’s final feature events, beginning with the evening’s opening ceremonies at 7 p.m. ET / 6 p.m. CT (local).
Below is the breakdown of the TV and live streaming schedule for the 2022 Chili Bowl.
Chili Bowl 2022 dates, TV schedule
Date
Event
TV channel
Live stream
Racing start time
Monday, Jan. 10
Cummins, Inc. Qualifying Night plus the VIROC; Vacuworx Invitational Race of Champions
Both Larson and Bell, winners of the last five A-Main features in the Chili Bowl, are entered in the 2022 event. They are part of a record-breaking entry list.
As of Jan. 3, the still-growing entry list for the 2022 Chili Bowl had reached 380 drivers. The previous record for entries was 372, set ahead of the 2017 Chili Bowl.
Larson and Bell are two of nine NASCAR Cup Series drivers — current or former — included on the 2022 Chili Bowl entry list (more on those later). Chase Elliott, the 2020 Cup Series champion, is among them.
The entry list also includes a handful of drivers from the Xfinity and Truck Series, ARCA Menards Series, Whelen Modified Tour, Advance Auto Parts Weekly Series and every other corner of auto racing, including IndyCar (Conor Daly).
The complete entry list for the 2022 Chili Bowl can be viewed here.
Two drivers — Larson and Bell — have won the last five A-Mains at the Chili Bowl, the week’s feature event.
Legendary sprint car driver Sammy Swindell, a three-time World of Outlaws champion, holds the record with five Chili Bowl A-Main victories (1989, 1992, 1996, 1998, 2009). He is entered again in 2022.
Swindell’s son Kevin ranks second in Chili Bowl A-Main victories with four (all in a row from 2010-14), though injuries sustained in a 2015 crash ended his driving career.
Below is the complete list of Chili Bowl winners from 1987-2021.
A couple former Cup Series drivers in Kasey Kahne and J.J. Yeley are entered in the 2022 Chili Bowl, as well. As is Ryan Newman, who wrapped up what could be his final Cup Series season in 2021.
Larson has two wins, five top fives and seven top 10s in 10 feature races at the Chili Bowl. Among active Cup Series drivers, only Bell has more, with three wins in eight feature races.
Briscoe has just one championship feature start; he finished 22nd in 2017. Stenhouse has a pair of top-10 finishes in seven appearances in the A-Main at the Chili Bowl. Both Bowman and Elliott will be looking to reach the championship event for the first time in 2022.
Yeley has three top fives in eight feature races at the Chili Bowl. Kahne has one top 10 in seven such starts. Newman has one E-Main victory (2020) but has never competed in the A-Main feature.
Where is the 2022 Chili Bowl?
The location of the Chili Bowl is part of what makes the annual event so special.
The same dirt used for the inaugural Chili Bowl in 1987 forms the track each year.
“The Chili Bowl’s key ingredient is the clay which once covered the adjacent fairgrounds,” the event’s website reads. “Without sun or wind to harm it, the indoor garden (roughly a quarter-mile circle) is heavily saturated so that the boldest dirt track artists of our time can truly shine.”
▪Infield and Track are taking shape.
▪Pipe is buried for scoring, audio, and video.
▪Fence and Cable are stretched.
▪Pits are next on the agenda. pic.twitter.com/COfaFUqppg
Below is the 2022 Chili Bowl format as outlined on ChiliBowl.com.
Qualifying Nights (Monday-Friday)
Heat Races
Drivers draw for heat racing starting position at 2 p.m. at chalkboard each day
The driver who draws lowest number will start on the pole of Heat 1, second lowest number on the pole of Heat 2, etc.
Number of heats decided by number of cars – 7-10 cars per heat race (8 Laps)
Advancement from heat race to features is based upon passing points earned in heat race and qualifying races. Passing points are based upon car starting position when the yellow light goes out prior to the initial start of the heat or qualifying race.
C Mains/Qualifying Races/B Mains/A Main
The 40 drivers earning the most passing points advance to Four “A” Qualifying Races; drivers in passing points positions 41-68 will go to two C Main races. The two C Main races will have 16 cars 12 laps in length.
The top four cars in each C Main race will advance to the back of the B Main races, going 15 laps. (Top four from first C Main to back of first B Main, top four from second C Main to back of second B main)
The lineup of each “A” Qualifying race will include an inversion of six cars. The top 24 cars in passing points will make the inversion. (The top point driver will start on row 3 of the first qualifying race, the No. 2 driver on row 3 of the second qualifying race, etc.)
The four qualifying races will have 10 cars each with the top 16 in combined passing points from the heats and Qualifying races advancing to the A Main.
The balance of the cars (24) from the “A” qualifying races will advance to two 16 car B Mains. The top four in each B Main will advance to the A Main, going 30 laps.
There will be 24 drivers in each Preliminary Night A Feature
The top two drivers in the Preliminary A qualify for Saturday’s A Main.
Saturday Night Features
A Feature
The lineup for the top 10 cars in the A feature will be determined through the Pizza Express Chili Bowl Pole Dash.
The five A feature winners will draw 1-5, followed by the five drivers who finished second drawing 6-10 to seed the Pole Dash.
Pole Dash Procedure
Each of the races will have four cars and be four laps.
Preliminary Night Winners will draw for positions 1st – 5th, Runner up will draw 6th – 10th
First Race will be drivers who draw 7th – 10th, lined up in that order. Top 2 will advance.
Second Race, front row will be drivers who draw 5th & 6th, with the two drivers moving on from the first race in Row 2 (Winner inside, 2nd outside).
Third Race front row will be drivers who draw 3rd & 4th, with the two drivers moving on from the second race in Row 2 (Winner inside, 2nd outside).
Fourth Race front row will be drivers who draw 1st & 2nd, with the two drivers moving on from the third race in Row 2 (Winner inside, 2nd outside).
Winner of the fourth race will earn the pole in Saturday’s A-Feature.
(Note: All positions in races other than Saturday’s A-Main will line up upon the original draw of the winners prior to the pole dash. Example: If the Friday winner draws No. 1, the Wednesday winner draws No. 2, Tuesday winner draws No. 3, Thursday winner draws No. 4 and the Monday winner draws No. 5, all positions in all races will be based on Friday first, Wednesday second, Tuesday third, Thursday fourth and Monday fifth.)
Seven drivers will advance from each B main to the A for a total of 24 cars with Provisionals set aside for the defending Chili Bowl Champion and previous year’s VIROC Winner should they not transfer.
B Mains (20 Laps)
There will be two B mains, with 20 drivers in each B main.
Drivers finishing in their Preliminary A feature in position 3-8 will qualify for the B mains
Five drivers will advance from each C main to the B mains (1st C to 1st B, 2nd C to 2nd B)
C Mains (15 Laps)
There will be two C Mains, with 20 drivers in each C
Drivers finishing in their Preliminary A feature positions 9-14 will qualify for the C mains
Five drivers will advance from each D main to the C Mains
D Mains (15 Laps)
There will be two D mains, with 20 drivers in each D
Drivers finishing in their Preliminary A feature positions 15-20 will qualify for the D mains
Five drivers will advance from each E main to the D mains
E Mains (15 Laps)
There will be two E mains, with 20 drivers in each E
Drivers finishing in their Preliminary night A features 21-24 and B features 5th will qualify for the E mains
Five drivers will advance from each F main to the E mains
F Mains (15 Laps)
There will be two F mains, with 20 drivers in each F
Drivers finishing in their Preliminary night B features in positions 6-8 will qualify for the F mains
Five drivers will advance from each G main to the F mains
G Mains (10 Laps)
There will be two G mains, with 16 drivers in each G
Drivers finishing in their Preliminary night B features in positions 9-10 will qualify for the G mains
Five drivers will advance from each H main to the G mains
H Mains (10 Laps)
There will be two H mains, with 16 drivers in each H
Drivers finishing in their Preliminary night B features in positions 11-12 will qualify for the H mains
Six drivers will advance from each I main to the H mains
I Mains (10 Laps)
There will be two I mains, with 16 drivers in each I
Drivers finishing in their Preliminary night B features in positions 13-14 will qualify for the I mains
Six drivers will advance from each J main to the I mains
J Mains (10 Laps)
There will be two J mains, with 16 drivers in each J
Drivers finishing in their Preliminary night B features in positions 15-16 will qualify for the I mains
Six drivers will advance from each K main to the I mains
K Mains (10 Laps)
There will be two K mains, with 16 drivers in each K
Drivers finishing in their Preliminary night C features in positions 5-6 will qualify for the K mains
Six drivers will advance from each L main to the L mains
L Mains (10 Laps)
There will be two L Mains, with 16 drivers in each L
Drivers finishing in their Preliminary night C feature in position 7-8 will qualify for the L Mains
Six drivers will advance from each M main to the L mains
M Mains (10 Laps)
There will be two M Mains, with 16 drivers in each M
Drivers finishing in C feature positions 9-10 will qualify for the M Mains
Six drivers will advance from each N main to the M mains
N Mains (10 Laps)
There will be two N Mains, with 16 drivers in each N
Drivers finishing in C feature positions 11-12 will qualify for the N Mains
Six drivers will advance from each O main to the N mains
O Mains (10 Laps)
There will be two O Mains, with number of cars TBA
Drivers finishing in C feature positions 13 on back will qualify for the O Main.
Note that cars that started will be given priority over cars that did not take the green flag in a C feature.
Hendrick Motorsports’ crew chief-turned-vice president traded in his fire suit for a dress suit when he took over as competition director in 2021. He was hands-on. Now, he’s hands-off.
“The first couple of races it was really, really awkward,” Knaus told NASCAR.com. “I’m trying to figure out where I fit. Where can I stand, where can I not stand? How I should contribute. How do I engage, how do I not engage?
“Crew chiefs, I know this from experience, they don’t like a lot of input from folks that think they know what’s going on. Because guys a lot of time in my position, we feel like we’re in the know of what’s going on. But the truth is the field generals, the crew chiefs, they’re the ones that really know what’s going on. And we just kind of muddy up the waters sometimes.”
Knaus spent 19 years atop a Hendrick Motorsports pit box. That tenure began with driver Jimmie Johnson in 2002. Together, they won a record-tying seven championships and 81 races with the No. 48 Chevrolet. In 2019, Knaus switched to the No. 24 team and worked with sophomore William Byron, who scored his first career win on Aug. 29, 2020. Knaus’ promotion was announced exactly a month later but was not effective until season’s end.
A 50-year-old father of two, Knaus no longer felt the need to be a NASCAR crew chief — a dream he had since his first amateur gig at age 14 for his dad. He was ready for a change. Then, when that change did occur, Knaus described his new post as daunting, overwhelming and frightening, which somehow made it comforting.
“I’ve always operated with some level of fear in my life — fear of being able to not win the race, fear am I going to be able to continue, fear am I going to be able to win another race,” Knaus said. “All these things, right? And some people may think that’s kind of sick, but it’s true. Like I’ve always operated that I was afraid I wasn’t going to be successful. So when I took on this role, that heightened that emotion again and I think that’s why I felt pretty comfortable.”
The reverse discomfort stems from the increase in Knaus’ responsibilities. Before, as crew chief, worries were contained within a single stall. Competition director oversees the technical development of the entire garage.
That doesn’t mean Knaus is involved in every decision with every team. More so, he identifies and assesses areas for improvement then passes on that intel to engineers, crew chiefs or other staff members for implementation. That handoff remains rather difficult for Knaus, who’s admittedly an immediate-impact type of person.
“He has learned, too, that he’s got to spread his knowledge,” team owner Rick Hendrick said. “He can’t just focus on one car. He’s got to be focusing on four cars. That’s been a step for him. But he’s just accepted it. I’ve just watched him mature. Not mature, that’s not the right word, but I’ve watched him work into being a leader of many people rather than a leader of a few.”
The managerial scope has broadened, and that’s why Knaus can and must share the burden. There are too many tasks to see them all individually through. Because on top of the four mini teams inside the big team, Knaus is also involved in Hendrick Motorsports’ manufacturer alliance, pit-crew division and other partnerships outside the shop itself.
An increase in relationships bodes well for Knaus considering he has realized he’s at a point in his life where he’d rather help others succeed than capture the checkered flag himself. His desire to be competitive didn’t fade. It evolved.
“He’s got a tremendous passion, and he bleeds that passion out into the shop and the folks that he works with and the folks that he touches,” general manager Jeff Andrews said. “He pushed them every day to be better. Subsequently, that pushes our race cars to be better.”
Hendrick Motorsports won the overall championship and 17 of the 36 points-paying races in 2021. Kyle Larson was responsible for the title and 10 victories. Alex Bowman added four wins. Chase Elliott contributed two. Byron had one.
Out of all those wins — most of any organization — there’s only one Knaus called a “super successful weekend,” and that’s Dover International Speedway in May. Hendrick Motorsports finished 1-2-3-4. Literally could not ask for better results.
Otherwise, there was always at least one team that could have performed better. When the race ends, Knaus’ job begins.
“There’s not one emotion that these guys are going through that I haven’t lived,” Knaus said. “Whether it be winning a race, falling out of the playoffs, having a bad pit stop, winning a championship — all of it — I’ve lived it all, fortunate enough to live it all over the years I did. So, I hope that makes everybody understand that when I am trying to help them out that I’m doing it from a place of honesty and really wanting to be somebody in their corner.”
Monday, Jan. 10 3 a.m., NASCAR Race Hub: 2021 Champion Season Rewind (re-air), FS1
4 a.m., NASCAR Race Hub Best of Radioactive: The 2021 Playoffs (re-air), FS1
7 p.m., NASCAR Auto Racing Classics: 1988 Checker 500 (re-air), FS2
10 p.m., NASCAR Race Hub: 2021 Champion Season Rewind (re-air), FS2
11 p.m., NASCAR Race Hub: Best of Radioactive — The 2021 Playoffs (re-air), FS2
Tuesday, Jan. 11
Midnight, NASCAR Race Hub: Best of 2021 Radioactive — Part 1 (re-air), FS2
1 a.m., NASCAR Race Hub: Best of 2021 Radioactive — Part 2 (re-air), FS2
2 a.m., NASCAR Race Hub: Legends Show (re-air), FS2
3 a.m., NASCAR Race Hub: Game Night — Part 1 (re-air), FS2
4 a.m., NASCAR Race Hub: Game Night — Part 2 (re-air), FS2
5 a.m., NASCAR Race Hub: 2021 Champion Season Rewind (re-air), FS2
10 a.m., NASCAR Race Hub: Best of Features — Part 1 (re-air), FS2
11 a.m., NASCAR Race Hub: Best of Features — Part 2 (re-air), FS2
Noon, NASCAR Auto Racing Classics: 1988 Checker 500 (re-air), FS2
Thursday, Jan. 13
7 p.m., NASCAR Race Hub: Women in Wheels (re-air), FS2
8 p.m., NASCAR Race Hub: Hometown Show (re-air), FS2
Saturday, Jan. 15
11:30 a.m., NASCAR Auto Racing Classics: 1994 Coke 600 (re-air), FS2
Noon, The Golden Hour: Making of Days of Thunder (re-air), FS2
1 p.m., NASCAR Presents: Beyond the Wheel (re-air), FS2
2 p.m. NASCAR Auto Racing Classics: The 1993 Daytona 500 (re-air), FS2
Kaulig Racing announced its crew chief lineup Saturday for the NASCAR Cup Series and Xfinity Series entries this season:
Cup Series
— Matt Swiderski, crew chief of the No. 16 Chevrolet driven by AJ Allmendinger, Daniel Hemric and Noah Gragson.
Swiderski began his title as crew chief for Kaulig Racing for the team’s part-time schedule in the 2021 Cup Series season. In just his seventh start as crew chief, Swiderski won the Verizon 200 at The Brickyard at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway road course with AJ Allmendinger. The 2022 season will mark Swiderski’s first, full-time season as crew chief in the NCS.
— Trent Owens, crew chief of the No. 31 Chevrolet driven by Justin Haley.
Veteran crew chief, Trent Owens, joins Kaulig Racing for the team’s first, full-time season in the Cup Series with Justin Haley.
With a resumé that spans across all three of NASCAR’s top series, Owens most recently held the title of crew chief for Ryan Preece at JTG Daugherty Racing. During his tenure as a crew chief in the Cup Series, Owens has made 287 starts, earning one win, eight top-fives and 31 top-10 finishes.
— Jason Trinchere, crew chief of the No. 10 Chevrolet driven by Landon Cassill.
Trinchere began his role as crew chief for Allmendinger and the No. 16 Chevrolet during the 2021 Xfinity Series season. Together, the pair earned five wins, including the regular-season championship. This year, Trinchere will pair up with veteran driver, Landon Cassill, for the 2022 season.
— Alex Yontz, crew chief of the No. 11 Chevrolet driven by Daniel Hemric.
Also returning for his third season as crew chief, Alex Yontz will call the shots for reigning Xfinity Series champion, Daniel Hemric. Since beginning the role of crew chief for the No. 11 Chevrolet, Yontz recorded four wins with Haley.
— Bruce Schlicker, crew chief of the No. 16 Chevrolet driven by AJ Allmendinger.
Beginning his third season at Kaulig Racing, Bruce Schlicker will take over as Allmendinger’s crew chief on the No. 16 Chevrolet in the Xfinity Series. During his first two seasons at Kaulig Racing, Schlicker held the title of crew chief for the No. 10 Chevrolet with drivers Ross Chastain and Jeb Burton. He accrued one win during the 2021 season with Burton.
Drivers in all three NASCAR national series got a taste of the new-look Atlanta Motor Speedway during Goodyear tire testing this week. Judging by the early reviews, trying to make direct comparisons with the new track and its former 1.54-mile layout won’t be an easy draw.
Cup Series drivers explained their early impressions Thursday during a break in the second of two days of tire testing. Those runs came after Xfinity Series and Camping World Truck Series drivers got a feel for the high-banked circuit in their own combined tire test on Tuesday.
Atlanta now features fresh pavement for the first time since 1997. But in laying down the new asphalt surface, track officials also reshaped the turns with steeper banking – 28 degrees, up from the existing 24. All three series will compete on the new layout March 19-20, with the Cup Series making the first of two Atlanta visits next year with the Next Gen car that debuts this season.
“Basically, let’s just call this a new race track,” said Chris Buescher, driver of the No. 17 RFK Racing Ford. “With the new car, with the new surface, with the new configuration, it’s not even something where you’re trying to compare it. It’s starting over. It’s a brand-new race track, and we’re making notes and starting from a blank sheet.”
So are NASCAR officials, who are leaning toward adding Atlanta to the short list of Cup Series tracks (Daytona International Speedway and Talladega Superspeedway) where speeds are kept in check by the superspeedway rules package and where the aerodynamic draft looms large. For the two-day test, NASCAR officials set a target of 510 horsepower (down from the base 670) and used a 7-inch rear spoiler (an increase from the 4-inch rear spoiler that will be standard on most tracks).
Buescher took his third stint behind the wheel of the Next Gen racer this week, but it marked his first drive on an intermediate-sized track after previous tests at Daytona and the Charlotte Motor Speedway road course. Wednesday evening, he joined fellow Cup Series test drivers Kurt Busch and Ross Chastain in forming a three-car draft. Busch said that lap times in the slipstream improved from an unofficial 31.60 seconds (175.443 mph) to 30.60 seconds (181.176), with the anticipation that a sub-30-second lap was within reach.
“Things are going to be moving quicker,” said Busch, who is readying for his first season with 23XI Racing. He’s also the last Cup Series winner on the old layout, prevailing at the Georgia track last July. “You’re going to be digesting things much faster and you’re going to have that Daytona-Talladega style feel here at a mile and a half. So it’s just going to change the game in the way you have to absorb it. Maybe I’m just saying that because I’m an old guy and the young kids will think nothing of it, but things are moving quick on a mile and a half with a superspeedway feel.”
Said Chastain, who joins Trackhouse Racing for 2022: “It’s superspeedway style with the banking and the (asphalt) smoothness, but the corners are tighter. We lost a mile from Daytona across the board around the whole track, so the corners are tighter, the straightaways are shorter. That was the biggest thing for me was getting to the corner on entry, it feels like Daytona, but then you have to turn a lot sharper than we do at Daytona, Talladega. So it’s going to be a bit of a mix.”
Brandon Hutchison, Atlanta’s executive vice president and general manager, has been with the track since he was a public relations intern in 1995. His time with the track has spanned all three of its configurations, and he says this version has the chance to be a historic first.
“The feedback that I’ve received has been very positive,” said Hutchison, who also touted the track’s new weeper-proof drainage system to aid the drying process. “I think it’s no secret that the drivers really loved the old, worn-out Atlanta, but as you just heard Chris say, it was time. It was just over 20 years old, 24 years old, I guess and at some point, you’re just going to have to repave. So they think it’s going to be fast. They feel like it’s going to be exciting. With just three cars here, it’s hard to really know what’s going to happen when they get back in March for the race.”
Two more organizational Cup Series tests are scheduled this month to prep for the 2022 season — Jan. 11-12 at Daytona and Jan. 25-26 at Phoenix Raceway.
The entry list for the 2022 Lucas Oil Chili Bowl Nationals presented by General Tire, set to take place Jan. 10-15 in Tulsa, Oklahoma, is unprecedented in its depth. More than 380 entries had been accepted as of Jan. 3, breaking the previous record of 372 entries set in 2017.
And 11 of those entries are drivers who currently compete in one of NASCAR’s three national series.
The Chili Bowl, known as the Super Bowl of midget racing, attracts names from the NASCAR ranks every season. Those drivers — two of them, to be specific — have dominated the annual dirt racing extravaganza in recent years.
Kyle Larson, the 2021 NASCAR Cup Series champion, is the two-time defending winner of the Chili Bowl’s main event (A-Main). Before Larson, current Cup Series driver Christopher Bell won three consecutive Chili Bowl feature events from 2017-19.
Larson in 2022 will look to win his third Golden Driller, the most prestigious trophy in midget racing. But he must navigate a massive field of talented dirt racers and a list of competitors that includes some of his rivals at the top level of stock car racing.
Below are the active NASCAR national series drivers who are entered in the 2022 Chili Bowl. (Note: Kasey Kahne and J.J. Yeley, a pair of former NASCAR Cup Series drivers, are also entered in the 2022 Chili Bowl.)
NASCAR Cup Series drivers entered in the 2022 Chili Bowl
Christopher Bell
Christopher Bell (Meg Oliphant/Getty Images)
2022 Chili Bowl qualifying night: Thursday, Jan. 13 (Watch)
Chili Bowl A-Main appearances: 8
Chili Bowl A-Main wins: 3
Bell, a native of Norman, Oklahoma, might appreciate the Chili Bowl in Tulsa more than any of his fellow NASCAR national series competitors do; he has competed in the event every year since 2011. A Joe Gibbs Racing driver in the Cup Series, Bell will look to earn his fourth Golden Driller trophy after he took three in a row from 2017-19. He will do so racing for Keith Kunz Motorsports, the same team with which he took his three Chili Bowl titles.
Alex Bowman
Alex Bowman (Jared C. Tilton/Getty Images)
2022 Chili Bowl qualifying night: Monday, Jan. 10 (Watch)
Chili Bowl A-Main appearances: 0
Chili Bowl A-Main wins: 0
A Hendrick Motorsports driver in the Cup Series, Bowman will field his own cars in the 2022 Chili Bowl. He’ll pilot the No. 55X for Alex Bowman Racing with C.J. Leary and Jake Swanson behind the wheels of his other two midget cars. Bowman has a heat race win (2016) on a Chili Bowl resume that dates back to 2010, but he is still looking for his first appearance in the main event. He came close in 2020, advancing to a B-Main before falling short of the A-Main.
Chase Briscoe
Chase Briscoe (Logan Riely/Getty Images)
2022 Chili Bowl qualifying night: Monday, Jan. 10 (Watch)
Chili Bowl A-Main appearances: 1
Chili Bowl A-Main wins: 0
Before he begins his second season with Stewart-Haas Racing in the Cup Series, Briscoe, last year’s Cup Series Rookie of the Year and the 2016 ARCA Menards Series champion, will look for more success at the Chili Bowl. His goal will be to advance back to the A-Main, where he last raced in 2017 having fallen just short of the main event in his last two attempts. Briscoe has won a pair of heat races and achieved an L-Main victory in his Chili Bowl career.
Chase Elliott
Chase Elliott (Jared C. Tilton/Getty Images)
2022 Chili Bowl qualifying night: Monday, Jan. 10 (Watch)
Chili Bowl A-Main appearances: 0
Chili Bowl A-Main wins: 0
The 2020 Cup Series champion gets his second crack at the Chili Bowl in 2022 after a disappointing debut last year, when a spin during his qualifying night kept him from the A-Main. Elliott has gained experience racing on dirt since his Chili Bowl debut, so he figures to improve his result in 2022 driving for Kyle Larson, his Hendrick Motorsports teammate in the Cup Series.
Kyle Larson
Kyle Larson (Jared C. Tilton/Getty Images)
2022 Chili Bowl qualifying night: Tuesday, Jan. 11 (Watch)
Chili Bowl A-Main appearances: 10
Chili Bowl A-Main wins: 2
Many consider the 2021 Cup Series champion the driver to beat in the 2022 Chili Bowl. He has won the last two A-Main events and is looking to do what Bell did from 2017-19: win three in a row. Larson’s victory in 2020 was a bit of a breakthrough. Despite a couple of close calls (third in 2012 and second in 2019), Larson up to that point had not won an A-Main in eight starts. He will go for the threepeat driving his own Kyle Larson Racing machine.
Ryan Newman
Ryan Newman (Jared C. Tilton/Getty Images)
2022 Chili Bowl qualifying night: Friday, Jan. 14 (Watch)
Chili Bowl A-Main appearances: 0
Chili Bowl A-Main wins: 0
Despite a storied motorsports career, Newman in 2022 will make just his third run at the Chili Bowl having competed the last two years, as well. He won an E-Main in 2020 and reached as high as sixth in a G-Main last year. As he looks for his first appearance in the main event, Newman will drive for the team he co-owns, Clauson-Marshall Racing.
Ricky Stenhouse Jr.
Ricky Stenhouse Jr. (Meg Oliphant/Getty Images)
2022 Chili Bowl qualifying night: Friday, Jan. 14 (Watch)
Chili Bowl A-Main appearances: 7
Chili Bowl A-Main wins: 0
Like Bell, Bowman and Larson, Stenhouse as a Cup Series full-timer is also a regular at the Chili Bowl; he has missed only one (2013) over the last 16 years. With three B-Main wins, a D-Main triumph and a pair of E-Main victories to his name, Stenhouse has a pair of top 10s in his seven A-Main appearances dating back to 2009. He also has won five heat races throughout his Chili Bowl career.
NASCAR Xfinity Series drivers entered in the 2022 Chili Bowl
Tanner Berryhill
Tanner Berryhill (Jonathan Moore/Getty Images)
2022 Chili Bowl qualifying night: Wednesday, Jan. 12 (Watch)
Chili Bowl A-Main appearances: 0
Chili Bowl A-Main wins: 0
A part-timer in the Xfinity Series, Berryhill is no stranger to the Chili Bowl, as 2022 will see his 10th start dating back to 2010. And this event is a big deal for the Bixby, Oklahoma native’s family. His grandfather Bob owned The Original Chili Bowl food services, the primary sponsor of the inaugural event in 1987 and the eventual permanent namesake. Tanner Berryhill has one heat race win (2016) in the Chili Bowl.
Ryan Ellis
Ryan Ellis (Logan Riely/Getty Images)
2022 Chili Bowl qualifying night: Friday, Jan. 14 (Watch)
Chili Bowl A-Main appearances: 0
Chili Bowl A-Main wins: 0
Another part-time Xfinity Series driver, Ellis will make his fourth Chili Bowl start in 2022. He will run the No. 97R for Shophouse Racing.
NASCAR Camping World Truck Series drivers entered in the 2022 Chili Bowl
Carson Hocevar
Carson Hocevar (Logan Riely/Getty Images)
2022 Chili Bowl qualifying night: Wednesday, Jan. 12 (Watch)
Chili Bowl A-Main appearances: 0
Chili Bowl A-Main wins: 0
Driving for Beilman Motorsports, Hocevar will make his Chili Bowl debut in 2022 despite a lack of experience racing on dirt. Hocevar finished 10th in last year’s Truck Series standings driving for Niece Motorsports.
Jesse Little
Jesse Little (Maddie Meyer/Getty Images)
2022 Chili Bowl qualifying night: Tuesday, Jan. 11 (Watch)
Chili Bowl A-Main appearances: 0
Chili Bowl A-Main wins: 0
Little, who recently signed with Young’s Motorsports for a part-time Truck Series schedule in 2022, will make his Chili Bowl debut in 2022. The son of former Cup Series driver Chad Little, Jesse will compete in Tulsa driving for Rick Horn Racing.
