H2H: Who had the biggest breakthrough of 2021?

Posted on December 18, 2021December 19, 2021 by RJ Kraft

In a season that saw five new tracks on the NASCAR Cup Series schedule, three first-time Cup Series winners, two organizations scoring their first Cup victory, five first-time NASCAR Xfinity Series winners, five first-time NASCAR Camping World Truck Series winners, notable names notching their first multi-win season at the sport’s top level and three first-time NASCAR national series champions, there were plenty of breakthrough performances to dig through in 2021. But which ones stood out the most?

NASCAR.com’s RJ Kraft and Sean Montgomery debate who had the biggest breakthrough across all of NASCAR in 2021.

2021 WINNERS: NASCAR Cup Series | Xfinity Series | Camping World Truck Series

KRAFT: For me, it’s Bubba Wallace as the driver who had the biggest breakthrough in 2021. After three full-time seasons driving for Richard Petty Motorsports, he made the move to 23XI Racing — a new team started up by Basketball Hall of Famer Michael Jordan and Denny Hamlin, who may well be a NASCAR Hall of Famer when all is said and done. The new team has its bumps in the road throughout the season, makes a crew chief change late in the season but hits pay dirt in October at Talladega Superspeedway for Wallace’s first career Cup Series win and his first win in a national series event since 2017. The win also saw him become the second Black driver to win in NASCAR’s top series and the first to do so since Wendell Scott since 1963. Wallace has shown during his Cup career that he is a factor at superspeedways and he was able to cash in at the 2.66-mile track.

The win was a monumental moment for the sport both on and off the track. The victory comes in the midst of drivers that Wallace came up the ranks with — Chase Elliott and Kyle Larson — winning Cup Series championships as part of a new wave of drivers making their mark. It also came at the site of where Wallace was thrust into the social-justice spotlight nearly 16 months earlier where the Cup garage rallied behind Wallace during pre-race ceremonies as a sign of support following the finding of a noose in Wallace’s garage stall that an FBI investigation concluded had been there for months. He has become a public voice for NASCAR as the sport looks to reach a broader and more diverse audience.

On the track, the Talladega win sets a baseline for what the expectations are in 2022: To build off that victory with another and a playoff berth in 2022 for 23XI Racing with new teammate Kurt Busch in the fold.

In the honorable mention category for me: My answer for the biggest surprise of 2021, Ty Gibbs, was a consideration with his four-win Xfinity Series season in a part-time capacity. Along the same lines, Josh Berry’s two-win partial campaign with JR Motorsports that helped land him a full-time ride at the Xfinity organization can be considered. As can Ryan Blaney’s first multi-win Cup season in six full-time years.

MONTGOMERY: The biggest, and perhaps most underrated, breakthrough of the season is Kurt Busch’s summertime win at Atlanta Motor Speedway. If you look back at the end of the 2020 season, rumors swirled around a bit, suggesting the veteran may be headed towards retirement. The 2021 win once again proved that he not only has retained the talent and grit to still win at NASCAR’s highest level, it extended his consecutive seasons with a win streak to eight — only trailing his brother Kyle Busch (17), Brad Keselowski (11) and Joey Logano (10) among active drivers. The sale of Chip Ganassi Racing to Trackhouse Racing in June heightened the urgency for the elder Busch to make another playoff push as he searched for a new ride for the 2022 season, and he answered the challenge just a month later by picking up his fourth win at the Georgia track.

Fast forward to next season and the 2004 Cup Series champion has a new ride for a second-year team in 23XI Racing alongside Wallace. The combination of a winning resume and over two decades of top-flight success brings invaluable experience to an organization seeking its first postseason appearance. While a lot of chips had to fall in place for the Las Vegas native to land where he did, 2021 certainly breathed a breath of fresh air into his career. Now, the retirement rumors have faded. The highly-anticipated Next Gen car and a talented, eager team allow Busch to look more towards the future rather than reflect on the past. At 42 years old, the 33-time winner is beginning a brand new journey.

While the Atlanta win will go down as the last for iconic racing owner Chip Ganassi in the Cup Series (for now, at least), it also serves as a giant page-turner into another chapter for Busch’s impressive story.

The honorable mention goes to Alex Bowman. Bowman reeled off four wins in 2021 — second most at Hendrick Motorsports — after having only two in the previous six seasons combined. Look for the driver of the No. 48 to be a solid dark horse in 2022.

Posted on December 17, 2021December 17, 2021 by Chase Wilhelm

CONCORD, N.C. — After nearly 16 hours of Next Gen testing on Wednesday and Friday at Charlotte Motor Speedway, NASCAR Cup Series drivers and teams have a clearer understanding of the product they’ll be putting on track in 2022.

Twenty-two drivers took to the 1.5-mile track, punctuated by three pack runs on Friday. The morning session saw a six-inch offset spoiler, while a pair of afternoon mock races focused on a six-inch centered spoiler and four-inch centered spoiler. The 670-horsepower option was used throughout the day. Steve O’Donnell, NASCAR executive vice president and chief racing development officer, indicated that will be the likely move for the power units next year, but finalization of the 2022 rules package is still ongoing.

William Byron and Tyler Reddick had incidents in Friday’s morning portion of the session but were able to avoid any significant damage, while Corey LaJoie looped the No. 7 Spire Motorsports Chevrolet around at the end of the second pack run coming out of Turn 4. Reddick also scraped the wall in the second pack run as he tried to find just how far the new car can be pushed.

This car has been blessed. 😇 pic.twitter.com/Xn5gImuqIN

— Tyler Reddick (@TylerReddick) December 17, 2021

“The cars are on edge, which is a good thing,” Reddick said on Friday. “There’s more mechanical grip in the car, less aerodynamic grip so, you know, you gotta keep it straight and you gotta keep the tires happy. You can’t get completely sideways or as sideways as we used to in years past with the other cars because the side force just doesn’t hold (the cars) down to the track.”

Ty Dillon, driving the No. 42 for newly formed Petty GMS Racing, feels the edge is a lot sharper because drivers are still trying to figure out how hard they are able to push their machines, but overall, the car is less forgiving of drivers’ mistakes.

“Your margin of error is a lot smaller,” Dillon said. “I know every lap I’ve ran I’ve gotten a lot more comfortable and I was able to drive it a little bit harder and that edge is getting a little softer for me. What makes Tyler (Reddick) so good is that he lives on that edge, the fine line of hitting the wall or spinning out but he’s super fast.”

Despite a spin in Turns 3 and 4 that left slight rear damage, Byron finished first in the second and third sessions Friday afternoon and second in the first pack run. While Byron and the No. 24 Hendrick Motorsports team have put emphasis on finding a balance with the car that makes him comfortable, he noted it was a confidence boost to be out front.

“I would rather be there than being the guy that says we’re going to be fine when the season starts and all that,” Byron said. “It’s nice, but so much is going to change. I just try to stay just as open-minded as a driver as I can because I’ve learned. I’ve been in this deal for four years now and things change so fast. It really is just about me staying open-minded, trying be as objective as I can be with my team. I think it’s gonna change a lot but it’s nice for us to show some speed.”

While Byron believes the Next Gen car will evolve even more before hitting the track for the Busch Light Clash at the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum, his read on the 670-horsepower engine and aerodynamic packages being considered is that they’ve put the tools back into the drivers’ hands.

“I think it’s fun,” Byron said. “It’s definitely fun for the drivers. A lot more going on, you’re sweating a little bit more or at least I was working harder. You’ve got more brake usage, more throttle usage, more of a difference I feel like I’m making.”

Daniel Suarez, preparing for his second season with Trackhouse Racing as the team moves to a two-car operation with Ross Chastain, said he enjoyed experimenting with different packages on the race track. Suarez did agree with others regarding the finer line that drivers will have to toe in order to keep all four wheels pointed in the right direction.

“The car has more downforce but has no side force at all, which the side force is what all drivers were extremely used to,” Suarez said. “We have that feeling that the rear is right there and you can race sideways and it can be OK. But this, we don’t have as much of a warning. You have a little bit and you step out a little bit more and you spin out or wreck. The warning is way different.”

“But, listen, I’m excited for the challenge,” Suarez added. “I’m very, very excited with this new car and I think everyone is enjoying the journey. I think we’re going to end up with a very, very good product. We just have to continue to work together to get there.”

Posted on December 17, 2021 by Team Release

MOORESVILLE, N.C. — Front Row Motorsports (FRM) today announced No. 34 Ford Mustang crew chief Drew Blickensderfer has informed the team he will be leaving the organization to pursue other options.

“Drew helped lead the No. 34 team to new heights since coming to Front Row Motorsports, highlighted by winning the Daytona 500,” said team owner Bob Jenkins in an official statement. We are now in the process of securing the next leader in our organization to continue the solid foundation that has been built. That process has begun, and we will move quickly. We wish Drew the best in his next endeavors.”

FRM will announce the new hire in the future.

Posted on December 17, 2021December 17, 2021 by Zack Albert

CONCORD, N.C. — NASCAR officials and teams indicated that 670 horsepower would likely be the target engine output for almost all tracks in the 2022 NASCAR Cup Series during Friday’s Next Gen testing at Charlotte Motor Speedway.

The second of two days of organizational testing for the 2022 Cup Series’ new model was completed Friday afternoon at the 1.5-mile Charlotte oval. The 8 a.m. ET start time was delayed roughly 45 minutes because of a damp track caused by overnight dew.

Steve O’Donnell, NASCAR executive vice president and chief racing development officer, said Friday morning that focus on the 670-horsepower target emerged after meetings with teams, drivers and other competition officials. That figure also fell within a range that would be attractive to manufacturers looking to potentially enter the sport.

Each of the three configurations that were tested Friday at Charlotte used the 670-horsepower target.

“I would say we’re more than likely going with that number across all of our tracks,” said O’Donnell, noting later that a separate package for aero/engine would be used on superspeedways. “We’ve still got a few boxes to check post tests here where we get together with our (OEMs, original equipment manufacturers) and the teams and just confirm that’s the direction we want to go with. But everything we’ve seen so far, that tells us and that’s the horsepower we want to target and go with.”

Officials and teams shifted through three configurations during eight hours of testing Wednesday:

Configuration 1: 550 target horsepower, centered 7-inch spoiler — a 1-inch reduction from the most recent Charlotte test.
Configuration 2: 670 target horsepower, centered 6-inch spoiler.
Configuration 3: 670 target horsepower, 6-inch spoiler offset to the right (passenger) side.

A fourth configuration was tested in the latter part of Friday’s session, using the 670-horsepower output with a centered 4-inch rear spoiler. The setup is the latest configuration as teams, drivers and officials focus on determining the rules package that will be used in the 2022 NASCAR Cup Series.

“We know where we’re at. It’ll definitely be one of the goals has been to move a little bit more downforce toward the front because we were having to run so much rearward to add stability to the car,” said Dr. Eric Jacuzzi, NASCAR managing director of aerodynamics and vehicle performance. “It seems like now that the car’s a little happier, better behaved at different ride heights, I think we’re pretty comfortable with where we’re at. It seems like product-wise, we feel pretty good.”

Three 30-lap group runs were scheduled throughout the day. Teams began each run on new tires and lined up according to unofficial test speeds, fastest to slowest.

10 a.m. ET: 30-lap group run with Configuration 3
1 p.m. ET: 30-lap group run with Configuration 2
3 p.m. ET: 30-lap group run with Configuration 4

A separate rules package will be used at Daytona International Speedway and Talladega Superspeedway, where speeds are curtailed on the circuit’s fastest ovals. O’Donnell said Atlanta Motor Speedway, which is being reconfigured with steeper banking for the 2022 season, may also fall into that category after tests are held there — Jan. 5-6 for the Cup Series.

More preseason tests are scheduled next month — Jan. 11-12 at Daytona, and Jan. 25-26 at Phoenix Raceway. Jacuzzi said the 2022 rules and car configurations should be mostly set after this week’s Charlotte tests.

“I think depending on what comes out of today, we’re like 95% there as far as the pieces here,” Jacuzzi said. “Making the final aero package, I think early next week, we’ll be there. Then obviously, superspeedways. We have the Talladega test, so we’re just looking at speeds and whether we can kind of unify the intermediate and speedway packages, but that all depends — safety, how fast we’re going. We always try to do that and we will, but we’ll be in much better shape early next week.”

William Byron was involved in an early incident, his No. 24 Chevrolet spinning out after a left-rear tire went flat. He was unhurt and the car sustained a minor scrape to the rear bumper.

Tyler Reddick spun in nearly the same location through Turns 3 and 4, in the midst of the first group run of the day. He drove the No. 8 Richard Childress Racing Chevrolet away from the scene. Reddick was involved in a more significant incident in the same area on Wednesday, popping the sand barrels at the end of the pit-road entrance.

Reddick was involved in two more incidents Friday, the final one as part of a three-car fracas exiting Turn 2 that also collected the No. 9 of Chase Elliott and the No. 42 of Ty Dillon. That final incident brought the final group run to an end with 12 laps complete.

Posted on December 17, 2021 by Jerry Bonkowski

Editor’s Note: This continues the series of season reviews for the 2021 NASCAR Cup Series Playoffs drivers.

Driver: Ryan Blaney
Car: No. 12 Team Penske Ford
Crew chief: Todd Gordon
Final 2021 ranking: 7th
Key stats: 3 wins, 11 top fives, 20 top 10s, 423 laps led

How 2021 ended:

When Blaney left Texas Motor Speedway after the opening race of the third round of the playoffs, he was riding high and ranked second in the standings with just three races left to go in the season. Then came disaster at Kansas Speedway, when he crashed with a little more than 40 laps to go and finished 37th, dropping him to fifth in the rankings.

He could do no better than 11th the next week at Martinsville Speedway and was eliminated from the Championship 4, leaving him seventh in the standings, where he would also finish the season after the finale at Phoenix Raceway.

Best races:

While one could point to his consecutive wins at Michigan International Speedway and Daytona International Speedway in August as his best races, the fact is he led just the last eight laps at Michigan and only seven total – including just the last two to take the checkered flag – at Daytona.

Rather, two other races that arguably stood out even more: First, how Blaney battled back to steal the lead away from Kyle Larson (who led the previous 80 laps) with just nine laps to go to win the spring race at Atlanta Motor Speedway. Second, the 157 laps (a season-high for him) he led in the spring Martinsville race before he yielded first to Denny Hamlin (who led the most laps with a race-high 276) and then to eventual winner Martin Truex Jr.

Other season highlights:

• Blaney recorded multiple wins in a single season for the first time in his Cup career, capturing three wins (Atlanta in the spring and Michigan and Daytona in the summer).

• Blaney’s back-to-back wins at Michigan and Daytona sent him into the playoffs with the No. 2 seed. At that point, he looked like a serious championship contender but ended up tying his previous best season finish of seventh achieved in 2019.

Stats to know:

2021 was Blaney’s best overall single-season performance of his Cup career to date with most wins (three), most top 10s (20), most lead-lap finishes (30), career-best finishing average (11.9) and second-best career starting average (9.6). In an ironic twist, Blaney recorded 11 top-five finishes for the third straight season.

Quotable:

“It was a really good last run for Todd (Gordon) before he hangs it up. I wish it was a win (finished fourth). I can’t thank him enough for the last couple of years and I can’t thank this whole group enough for this year. It has been a lot of fun. Hopefully, we will be in the Championship 4 next year.” – Blaney after the 2021 season finale at Phoenix, Gordon’s final race before retiring

Looking ahead:

• Blaney will have a new crew chief in 2022, as Jonathan Hassler takes over for Gordon, who has retired. Hassler assumed the role of Matt DiBenedetto’s crew chief this past June, Hassler’s first role as a full-time crew chief in any of NASCAR’s three premier series. Blaney proved to himself and everyone else he finally could put together multiple wins in a season. And he qualified the highest (second) he ever has for the playoffs in five straight seasons.

With Brad Keselowski moving to Roush Fenway Keselowski Racing for 2022, Blaney has the chance to build upon the good he achieved in 2021 and go even further. He’s definitely a playoff contender and, with a few breaks, has strong potential to be a championship contender next season. If he doesn’t reach the Championship 4 round, it would be a big surprise and disappointment. He’s ready to step to the next level.

Follow NASCAR.com contributor Jerry Bonkowski on Twitter @JerryBonkowski

Posted on December 16, 2021December 16, 2021 by Staff Report

CHARLOTTE, N.C. — Our Motorsports is expanding its NASCAR Xfinity Series operation to three full-time teams after signing veterans Jeb Burton and Anthony Alfredo, the team announced Thursday at the NASCAR Hall of Fame. The incoming duo teams up with 2018 Camping World Truck Series champion Brett Moffitt, who enters his third season with the organization.

“We are very excited about the plans we have put in place for the 2022 race season,” owner Chris Our said in a team release. “We continue to expand on the foundation built in our first two seasons in the NASCAR Xfinity Series. This combination of experienced drivers and crew members will make Our Motorsports a contender each weekend.”

Burton joins the team with 76 races at the Xfinity level, including his first full-time season in 2021 driving for Kaulig Racing. He picked up his first career victory in 2021 at Talladega Superspeedway, securing a playoff spot and finishing 10th in the final standings.

The two-year deal for Burton is a first in his national series career and provides him with a sense of stability.

“I’ve never had that before,” Burton said. “I think we’ve got a great lineup here and I’m just really excited about the future. Mr. Our and everybody at Our Motorsports wants to win and hopefully, we can do that a couple more times this year.”

But Burton isn’t the only driver finding support with the talented, up-and-coming organization.

“It’s a huge opportunity for me to go back in the Xfinity Series and run full time for the first time,” Alfredo said. “Obviously after a full season in the Cup Series, I’ve learned a lot and there were a lot of challenges to overcome. But I think all those obstacles I faced and all of the adversity made me not just a better driver, but a better person.”

After a year-long stint as a rookie in the Cup Series with Front Row Motorsports, Alfredo brings 68 races of experience across the three NASCAR national series. His lone Xfinity season in 2020 for Richard Childress Racing brought in a pair of top-five finishes and nine top 10s in just 19 races.

Alfredo returns to a somewhat familiar setting due to Our Motorsports’ collaboration with ECR Engines. Moving from one car to three this season provides a much-needed boost for on-track data, teamwork and the quest for the organization’s first playoff appearance.

Jeff Hensley will be the crew chief for Moffitt, Chad Walker for Burton and Pat Tryson for Alfredo.

The newly formed trio will compete on track together for the first time in the season-opening race at 5 p.m. ET on Feb. 19 at Daytona International Speedway, televised on FS1.

Posted on December 16, 2021December 16, 2021 by Staff Report

Lionel Racing released its list of the best-selling NASCAR die-cast cars for 2021 on Wednesday. Topping the list was a popular choice, the No. 4 Stewart-Haas Racing Ford with a “Grave Digger” monster truck design that Kevin Harvick raced at Nashville Superspeedway in June.

Lionel, official die-cast maker of NASCAR, indicated that the sales numbers were tabulated from wholesale outlets, dealers, team stores and its own online store to determine the top 10 sellers.

The full top-10 list:

1. Kevin Harvick, No. 4 Grave Digger Ford from Nashville
2. Kyle Larson, No. 5 HendrickCars.com Chevrolet champion edition
3. Chase Elliott, No. 9 NAPA Auto Parts Chevrolet
4. Kyle Larson, No. 5 HendrickCars.com Chevrolet from his championship-clinching win at Phoenix Raceway
5. Dale Earnhardt Jr., No. 8 United for America Chevrolet from his Xfinity Series start at Richmond Raceway
6. Chase Elliott, No. 9 Hooters Chevrolet “night owl” model
7. Chase Elliott, No. 9 Llumar Chevrolet from his Circuit of The Americas victory
8. Kyle Larson, No. 5 HendrickCars.com Chevrolet from his Las Vegas Motor Speedway win
9. Chase Elliott, No. 9 Hooters Chevrolet throwback from Darlington Raceway
10. Bubba Wallace, No. 23 McDonald’s Toyota from his Talladega Superspeedway victory

It's time to reveal the top-10 best selling Lionel Racing die-cast of 2021!

We have tallied up the sales numbers from all channels, including https://t.co/3XdQnWq95g, wholesalers, dealers, teams, and more to compile the top 10. Did your favorite die-cast of 2021 make the list? pic.twitter.com/nDFWZ8mkG5

— Lionel Racing (@Lionel_Racing) December 15, 2021

Posted on December 16, 2021December 16, 2021 by Jerry Bonkowski

Editor’s Note: This continues the series of season reviews for the 2021 NASCAR Cup Series Playoffs drivers.

Driver: Joey Logano
Car: No. 22 Team Penske Ford
Crew chief: Paul Wolfe
Final 2021 ranking: 8thKey stats: 1 win, 10 top fives, 19 top 10s, 453 laps led

How 2021 ended:
This was Logano’s worst season statistically since 2017. Just like in that season, Logano managed just one win and only 10 top-five finishes in 2021. It was also the fourth time since 2012 that he won only one race in a season. While he qualified for the playoffs for the seventh time in the eight years since the current elimination system came into play, he was not as much of a factor as we are used to seeing with the exception of finishing third in October at Talladega. A blown engine to open the Round of 8 at Texas put him in a troublesome spot he couldn’t recover from to advance.

RELATED: Joey Logano through the years

Best race:
Logano’s best race came in his sole win of the 2021 campaign when he captured the checkered flag in late March on a dirt track that was laid upon the regular 0.533-mile concrete racing surface at Bristol Motor Speedway. While Martin Truex Jr. led almost half the race (126 laps in the 253-lap overtime event), Logano led the final 61 laps to take home the win.

Other season highlights:
Logano looked like a legitimate championship contender in the first half of the season. The 2018 NASCAR Cup champ earned runner-up finishes in two of the first five races (Daytona Road Course and Phoenix), as well as seven top-five finishes in the first 16 events. But from the second Pocono race on (the back half of a weekend doubleheader at the 2.5-mile tri-oval), Logano struggled far too often. His worst slump came in a four-race stretch — Watkins Glen (finished 22nd), Indianapolis Road Course (34th), Michigan (33rd) and Daytona summer race (23rd).

Stat to know:
Logano is known as the type of driver who likes to get out in front and stay there. But that didn’t happen much in 2021: he led just 453 laps, his second-lowest total since 2017 (376 laps) and third-lowest since 2013 (323 laps). By comparison, he led 993 laps in 2014, a career-high 1,431 in 2015, 703 in 2016, 934 in his 2018 championship season, 899 in 2019 and 939 in 2020.

Quotable:
“It wasn’t the finish we wanted for the Shell-Pennzoil Ford Mustang (11th in the season finale at Phoenix) — not the way we wanted to end the season. … But all in all, it was a decent end to the season. … I’m excited for the Next Gen car and to get things going for next season. I’m not much for an off-season — I’d just like to keep racing.” — Logano said following the conclusion of the 2021 season.

Looking ahead:
Logano should become the sixth full-time driver to reach 500 career Cup starts in 2022. He comes into the season with 471 starts, and if all goes well, he will hit No. 500 in the Bristol playoff race. Kurt Busch (756) has the most starts among active full-time drivers, followed by Kevin Harvick (754), Kyle Busch (606), Truex (585) and Denny Hamlin (578). Of note, even years have treated Logano well as he’s made the Championship 4 in 2014, 2016, 2018 and 2020.

Logano essentially inherits the No. 1 spot as team leader with Team Penske now that Brad Keselowski has moved into a team ownership deal with Roush Fenway Keselowski Racing. Logano will enter his 14th full-time Cup season in 2022, the last nine with Penske. He’ll once again be joined by Ryan Blaney as his Team Penske teammate, while Austin Cindric moves up from the Xfinity Series to replace Keselowski in the No. 2 Ford. Harrison Burton moves up from Xfinity to Cup and will drive for the Team Penske affiliate, Wood Brothers Racing, in the upcoming season.

Posted on December 16, 2021December 16, 2021 by Staff Report

(Editor’s note: This story first published Monday, Dec. 13 and was updated Thursday, Dec. 16 to reflect the completion of Day 1 testing)

Testing of Next Gen cars for the 2022 NASCAR Cup Series returns this week to Charlotte Motor Speedway and NASCAR.com is providing coverage with live video streaming scheduled both days.

Cup Series organizations are set to turn laps on the 1.5-mile oval layout, with sessions scheduled Wednesday and Friday from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. ET each day. The two days of testing mark the latest step in preparations for the new model’s debut next season.

Fans can set a reminder and tune in to catch Friday’s Next Gen testing here:

NASCAR officials and teams went through three aero/horsepower configurations during Wednesday’s eight-hour session. A full replay of Wednesday’s opening day of testing can be seen here:

The Next Gen car is set to hit the track Sunday, Feb. 6 (6 p.m. ET) in the Busch Light Clash at The Coliseum exhibition in Los Angeles, two weeks ahead of its points-paying debut in the season-opening Daytona 500 on Feb. 20 (2:30 p.m. ET). Both events will be broadcast on FOX, MRN Radio and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio.

Posted on December 15, 2021January 27, 2022 by Staff Report

Unofficial test speeds from organizational Next Gen testing Dec. 15 and 17 for the NASCAR Cup Series on Charlotte Motor Speedway’s oval layout. Note that times are unofficial, with no technical inspection conducted before each session.

Day 2

Unofficial speeds from third practice session (4-inch centered spoiler):

Position	No.	Driver	Best Time	Difference	Best Speed	Team
1	24	William Byron	29.979		180.126	Hendrick Motorsports
2	6	Brad Keselowski	30.231	-0.252	178.625	RFK Racing
3	19	Martin Truex Jr.	30.249	-0.270	178.518	Joe Gibbs Racing
4	99	Daniel Suarez	30.278	-0.299	178.347	Trackhouse Racing
5	8	Tyler Reddick	30.321	-0.342	178.094	Richard Childress Racing
6	18	Kyle Busch	30.373	-0.394	177.789	Joe Gibbs Racing
7	47	Ricky Stenhouse Jr.	30.379	-0.400	177.754	JTG Daugherty Racing
8	10	Aric Almirola	30.400	-0.421	177.632	Stewart-Haas Racing
9	7	Corey LaJoie	30.429	-0.450	177.462	Spire Motorsports
10	45	Kurt Busch	30.450	-0.471	177.340	23XI Racing
11	42	Ty Dillon	30.535	-0.556	176.846	Petty GMS Motorsports
12	22	Joey Logano	30.587	-0.608	176.546	Team Penske
13	9	Chase Elliott	30.601	-0.622	176.465	Hendrick Motorsports
14	14	Cole Custer	30.802	-0.823	175.313	Stewart-Haas Racing
15	38	Todd Gilliland	30.824	-0.845	175.188	Front Row Motorsports
16	2	Austin Cindric	30.861	-0.882	174.978	Team Penske
17	21	Harrison Burton	30.920	-0.941	174.644	Wood Brothers Racing
18	31	Justin Haley	31.125	-1.146	173.949	Kaulig Racing

Unofficial speeds from second practice session (6-inch centered spoiler):

Position	No.	Driver	Best Time	Difference	Best Speed	Team
1	8	Tyler Reddick	29.909		180.548	Richard Childress Racing
2	24	William Byron	29.957	-0.048	180.258	Hendrick Motorsports
3	6	Brad Keselowski	29.966	-0.057	180.204	RFK Racing
4	47	Ricky Stenhouse Jr.	30.058	-0.149	179.653	JTG Daugherty Racing
5	18	Kyle Busch	30.059	-0.150	179.647	Joe Gibbs Racing
6	7	Corey LaJoie	30.158	-0.249	179.057	Spire Motorsports
7	31	Justin Haley	30.159	-0.250	179.051	Kaulig Racing
8	22	Joey Logano	30.177	-0.268	178.944	Team Penske
9	42	Ty Dillon	30.182	-0.273	178.915	Petty GMS Motorsports
10	45	Kurt Busch	30.225	-0.316	178.660	23XI Racing
11	99	Daniel Suarez	30.238	-0.329	178.583	Trackhouse Racing
12	38	Todd Gilliland	30.472	-0.563	177.212	Front Row Motorsports
13	14	Cole Custer	30.486	-0.577	177.130	Stewart-Haas Racing
14	10	Aric Almirola	30.507	-0.598	177.009	Stewart-Haas Racing
15	19	Martin Truex Jr.	30.577	-0.648	176.719	Joe Gibbs Racing
16	21	Harrison Burton	30.565	-0.656	176.673	Wood Brothers Racing
17	9	Chase Elliott	30.643	-0.743	176.223	Hendrick Motorsports
18	2	Austin Cindric	31.141	-1.232	173.405	Team Penske

Unofficial speeds from first practice session (6-inch offset spoiler):

Position	No.	Driver	Best Time	Difference	Best Speed	Team
1	22	Joey Logano	29.572		182.605	Team Penske
2	2	Austin Cindric	29.696	-0.124	181.843	Team Penske
3	6	Brad Keselowski	29.722	-0.150	181.684	RFK Racing
4	8	Tyler Reddick	29.726	-0.154	181.659	Richard Childress Racing
5	24	William Byron	29.785	-0.213	181.299	Hendrick Motorsports
6	9	Chase Elliott	29.957	-0.385	180.258	Hendrick Motorsports
7	45	Kurt Busch	30.016	-0.444	179.904	23XI Racing
8	18	Kyle Busch	30.045	-0.473	179.730	Joe Gibbs Racing
9	31	Justin Haley	30.074	-0.502	179.557	Kaulig Racing
10	14	Cole Custer	30.109	-0.537	179.348	Stewart-Haas Racing
11	47	Ricky Stenhouse Jr.	30.115	-0.543	179.313	JTG Daugherty Racing
12	21	Harrison Burton	30.199	-0.627	178.814	Wood Brothers Racing
13	19	Martin Truex Jr.	30.287	-0.715	178.294	Joe Gibbs Racing
14	38	Todd Gilliland	30.312	-0.740	178.147	Front Row Motorsports
15	99	Daniel Suarez	30.316	-0.744	178.124	Trackhouse Racing
16	42	Ty Dillon	30.528	-0.956	176.887	Petty GMS Motorsports
17	10	Aric Almirola	30.633	-1.061	176.280	Stewart-Haas Racing
18	7	Corey LaJoie	30.743	-1.171	175.650	Spire Motorsports

Day 1

Position	No.	Driver	Best Time	Difference	Best Speed	Team
1	12	Ryan Blaney	29.668		182.014	Team Penske
2	99	Ross Chastain	29.671	-0.003	181.996	Trackhouse Racing
3	45	Kurt Busch	29.831	-0.163	181.020	23XI Racing
4	9	Alex Bowman	29.839	-0.171	180.971	Hendrick Motorsports
5	8	Tyler Reddick	29.848	-0.180	180.917	Richard Childress Racing
6	24	William Byron	29.851	-0.183	180.898	Hendrick Motorsports
7	47	Ricky Stenhouse Jr.	29.851	-0.183	180.898	JTG Daugherty Racing
8	19	Martin Truex Jr.	29.936	-0.268	180.385	Joe Gibbs Racing
9	6	Brad Keselowski	29.973	-0.305	180.162	RFK Racing
10	10	Aric Almirola	29.984	-0.316	180.096	Stewart-Haas Racing
11	42	Erik Jones	30.022	-0.354	179.868	Petty GMS Racing
12	18	Kyle Busch	30.053	-0.385	179.683	Joe Gibbs Racing
13	7	Corey LaJoie	30.059	-0.391	179.647	Spire Motorsports
14	31	Daniel Hemric	30.096	-0.428	179.426	Kaulig Racing
15	2	Austin Cindric	30.161	-0.493	179.039	Team Penske
16	14	Chase Briscoe	30.327	-0.659	178.059	Stewart-Haas Racing
17	21	Harrison Burton	30.336	-0.668	178.006	Wood Brothers Racing
18	38	Todd Gilliland	30.370	-0.702	177.807	Front Row Motorsports