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Motorsport
Motorsport
Sport
Nick DeGroot

Everything we know about the 2022 NASCAR season: Drivers, cars, tracks & more

Entering the 2022 NASCAR Cup Series season, all the focus remains on the all-new Next Generation race cars. In one of the busiest off-seasons since the 1990s, teams have crisscrossed the country for testing and scrambled to make sure they are ready before the season-opener.

The Next Gen car brings with it many changes for the sport. A spec chassis built by Technique Inc., a sequential manual transmission, independent rear suspension, and larger 18-inch aluminum wheels that uses a single center-locking lug nut -- these are just some of the changes teams and drivers must adapt to and overcome this year.

Pre-season testing just recently concluded after a two-day test at Phoenix Raceway. Following a December test on the Charlotte Motor Speedway oval, NASCAR settled on a 670hp aero package with a four-inch spoiler for all non-superspeedway races (and the newly reconfigured Atlanta Motor Speedway). Testing at Daytona International Speedway ahead of the 500 also proved to be a great success with large packing drafts putting on a show without incident.

Kyle Larson enters the 2022 season as the reigning series champion with Hendrick Motorsports looking for their third consecutive Cup Series title.

Here’s everything we know about 2022’s highly anticipated NASCAR Cup Series season so far...

NASCAR Cup Series Chartered Teams

Team

Number

Driver(s)

Notes

Hendrick Motorsports 5 Kyle Larson Defending champion
Hendrick Motorsports 9 Chase Elliott  
Hendrick Motorsports 24 William Byron  
Hendrick Motorsports 48 Alex Bowman  
Joe Gibbs Racing 11 Denny Hamlin  
Joe Gibbs Racing 18 Kyle Busch  
Joe Gibbs Racing 19 Martin Truex Jr.  
Joe Gibbs Racing 20 Christopher Bell  
Stewart-Haas Racing 4 Kevin Harvick  
Stewart-Haas Racing 10 Aric Almirola Will retire at season's end
Stewart-Haas Racing 14 Chase Briscoe  
Stewart-Haas Racing 41 Cole Custer  
Team Penske 2 Austin Cindric Rookie driver, replaces Keselowski
Team Penske 12 Ryan Blaney  
Team Penske 22 Joey Logano  
23XI Racing 23 Bubba Wallace  
23XI Racing 45 Kurt Busch New team
Petty GMS Motorsports 42 Ty Dillon New team following GMS Racing/Richard Petty Motorsports merger
Petty GMS Motorsports 43 Erik Jones  
Richard Childress Racing 3 Austin Dillon  
Richard Childress Racing 8 Tyler Reddick  
Front Row Motorsports 34 Michael McDowell Defending Daytona 500 winner
Front Row Motorsports 38 Todd Gilliland Rookie driver
Trackhouse Racing 1 Ross Chastain Trackhouse acquired Chip Ganassi Racing, and expanded into a two-car operation
Trackhouse Racing 99 Daniel Suarez  
RFK Racing 6 Brad Keselowski Moved over from Penske, acquired ownership stake in team
RFK Racing 17 Chris Buescher  
Rick Ware Racing 15 Various drivers David Ragan to drive car in Daytona 500; Joey Hand to drive car in all six road course events
Rick Ware Racing 51 Cody Ware  
Spire Motorsports 7 Corey LaJoie  
Spire Motorsports 77 Josh Bilicki, various Bilicki to run the majority of the schedule
Kaulig Racing 16 Various drivers Allmendinger, Gragson and Hemric to share car with Hemric running the Daytona 500
Kaulig Racing 31 Justin Haley  
JTG Daugherty Racing 47 Ricky Stenhouse Jr. Team downsized, eliminated second team with Preece
Wood Brothers 21 Harrison Burton Rookie driver
Live Fast Motorsports 78 B.J. McLeod, various  

Non-Chartered entries include Team Hezeberg, Beard Motorsports, MBM Motorsports, and the newly formed The Money Team Racing. All four will attempt the Daytona 500 with former F1 World Champion Jacques Villeneuve driving for Hezeberg and Noah Gragson for Beard. MBM will enter two cars with Timmy Hill and J.J. Yeley.

Retired boxing superstar Floyd Mayweather recently formed TMTR and will have Kaz Grala behind the wheel for the Daytona 500.

The 2022 rookie class will feature three drivers: Austin Cindric, Harrison Burton and Todd Gilliland.

All 36 chartered teams will be present for The Clash at the Los Angeles Coliseum on February 6th. The exhibition race will be a first for the sport inside the L.A. stadium, and its first Cup race in any stadium complex since 1956 at Soldier Field. The unorthodox race on a temporary quarter-mile track will feature practice, qualifying and heat races with 23 cars making the main event.

Date All times EST. Session TV/Radio/Stream
Saturday, Feb. 5 12:30 p.m. Practice FS2/MRN/FOX Sports App
Saturday, Feb. 5 8:30 p.m. Single-car qualifying FS1/MRN/FOX Sports App
Sunday, Feb. 6 3 p.m. Clash qualifying heat races FOX/MRN/FOX Sports App
Sunday, Feb. 6 4:10 p.m. (approx.) Clash last-chance qualifying races FOX/MRN/FOX Sports App
Sunday, Feb. 6 6 p.m. Main event, 150 laps FOX/MRN/FOX Sports App

Although the Clash will be the first opportunity to see the new car in an actual race, the season won't officially kick off until the 64th running of the Daytona 500 two weeks later.

NASCAR also recently unveiled a stricter penalty system for the 2022 season with L3 penalties now resulting in the revoking of playoff eligibility for a team. 

2022 NASCAR Cup Series schedule

Date

Race

February 6* The Clash at the L.A. Coliseum
February 20 Daytona 500 - Daytona International Speedway
February 27 Auto Club Speedway
March 6 Las Vegas Motor Speedway
March 13 Phoenix Raceway
March 20 Atlanta Motor Speedway
March 27 Circuit of the Americas
April 3 Richmond Raceway
April 9 Martinsville Speedway
April 17 Bristol Motor Speedway Dirt
April 24 Talladega Superspeedway
May 1 Dover International Speedway
May 8 Darlington Raceway
May 15 Kansas Speedway
May 22* All-Star Race - Texas Motor Speedway
May 29 Coca-Cola 600 - Charlotte Motor Speedway
June 5 World Wide Technology Raceway
June 12 Sonoma Raceway
June 26 Nashville Superspeedway
July 3 Road America
July 10 Atlanta Motor Speedway
July 17 New Hampshire Motor Speedway
July 24 Pocono Raceway
July 31 Indianapolis Motor Speedway Road Course
August 7 Michigan International Speedway
August 14 Richmond Raceway
August 21 Watkins Glen International
August 27 (Regular season finale) Daytona International Speedway
September 4 (Round of 16) Southern 500 - Darlington Raceway
September 11 (Round of 16) Kansas Speedway
September 17 (Round of 16) Bristol Motor Speedway
September 25 (Round of 12) Texas Motor Speedway
October 2 (Round of 12) Talladega Superspeedway
October 9 (Round of 12) Charlotte Motor Speedway Roval
October 17 (Round of 8) Las Vegas Motor Speedway
October 23 (Round of 8) Homestead-Miami Speedway
October 30 (Round of 8) Martinsville Speedway
November 6 (Championship 4) Phoenix Raceway

*Non-points race

There will be just one off-week during the entire 2022 season -- the week of Father's Day on June 19. The schedule will again consist of 36 races with six road courses throughout the year. That is one less than 2021 with the Daytona road course race being cut from the schedule. The Bristol Motor Speedway Dirt race will be back and held on Easter Sunday.

To see the complete Daytona 500 race week schedule, CLICK HERE.

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