NASCAR
2022 NASCAR Cup Series Playoffs Preview: Toyota
Representing just four wins across the regular season, three Toyota drivers made the 2022 NASCAR Playoff field. Denny Hamlin, Kyle Busch, and Christopher Bell are all gunning for another championship with Joe Gibbs Racing; how do they all fare heading into the 10-week chase for the Cup? While Busch has the experience of winning two of the last seven championships, Hamlin and Bell are both going for their maiden Bill France Cup. Toyota is the only manufacturer to make the Championship 4 every year since 2014; can they put another contender into Phoenix?
Denny Hamlin – Tied for Sixth Seed (2,013 points)
Despite being reset as the sixth seed, Denny Hamlin’s regular season was simultaneously great and terrible. Hamlin is one of eight multi-win drivers in 2022, with victories at Richmond and Charlotte. However, the 11 team has also been marred by unforced errors and inconsistency. One thing was constant though, more often than not the 11 had outright speed to compete in the top-10. Hamlin began 2022 with a career-worst start to the season, being outside of the top 20 in points until May. Should the 11 execute to their full potential, they should be relatively safe in the opening few Playoff rounds. Hamlin is the lone driver going for a fourth-straight Championship 4 appearance, as he still pursues his first title.
“I feel really good about where our team is at,” Hamlin said. “We have as much potential as anybody in the field if we can just put it all together. Darlington is obviously a great place to get that started with our history there. It would be nice to go in there Saturday, qualifying up front and be able to maintain that throughout the night Sunday. That’s easier said than done, but Chris (Gabehart, crew chief) and everyone on our 11 team is doing everything they can right now, so I’m excited to see it play out.”
The three tracks in the Round of 16 are some of Hamlin’s best venues. This gives team 11 very little reason for concern out of the gate. Do not be surprised to see the 11 leave the Round of 16 with at least one win. Hamlin and this JGR team are a favorite to make it all the way to Phoenix again. Hamlin may just be the Toyota with the best shot at the 2022 title.
Christopher Bell – 10th Seed (2,011 points)
Arguably the most consistent Toyota driver so far in 2022, Christopher Bell ended the regular season seventh in points. Locked into the Playoffs with a New Hampshire win, Bell also had seven top-fives, 14 top-10s, and an average finish of 14.5. After just one top-10 in the opening five weeks, Bell was 29th in points. Over the summer months though, the 20 has rallied well into the top-10. With this amount of execution and speed, Bell is poised for a deep run in his second-ever Playoffs.
“I think for me it makes our Playoffs a little bit easier than what it was last year because everyone in front of us is a little closer to us,” Bell said. “So last year, when we got into the Playoffs, we knew that we needed to capitalize on more bonus points this year. This year, I think we ended up with a couple more but the whole field – or the guys up front – ended up with less points and brought them back to us. There is definitely not a clear-cut group of guys that have a bunch of bonus points that can kind of cruise their way through the systems. You are going to have to make sure you perform every single race. I think it is going to increase the intensity for sure because you can’t have guys that are just out there riding around like you could in years past.”
“Last year’s Playoff run was definitely a learning experience and just not beating yourself. The first round went decent, even though we had a couple of flaws, we were able to make it through that first round and then the second round we started off with at Las Vegas with a 24th-place finish. Just not eliminating ourselves. I think we have the performance capability in this No. 20 group to make it deep into the Playoffs. It is just going to be a matter if we can execute and get away with limiting our mistakes and getting the results that we are capable of getting.”
While Bell is in the green as the 10th seed, only nine points separate 12 drivers on the Playoff grid. With this in mind, Bell must be on the offensive and cannot afford any issues in this opening round. Typically for the 10th seed, the Round of 16 is just a ‘survive and advance’ mentality. For Bell this year however, he must go out and gain points on those under him. Bell’s speed should be enough to carry him through this round, but he must avoid any and all troubles.
Kyle Busch – 11th Seed (2,010 points)
Earlier this summer, Kyle Busch was seen as a potential championship favorite. Since then however, Busch has had a summer largely to forget. Driver 18 recently had a career-worst stretch of eight races outside of the top-10. One of those races was the Pocono disqualification though, where Busch was arguably the best car in the field. Busch still has just the lone Bristol Dirt win this year, but also 13 top-10s. Two of the last three races have seen Rowdy in the top-10; he does have some momentum entering Playoff race one from Darlington. The two-time champion is well aware of how on-track pressure will only pick up from here.
“I feel like things do amp up and (drivers) race each other a lot harder and there’s a lot more on the line,” Busch said of Playoff intensity. “You have to pick and choose your battles, but when you get into these Playoff races, and even more so in the cutoff races, every position is a point and every point counts as you try to navigate and get through each round. So you just have to know who you are racing and what they have at stake and be smart. But you never know what it’s going to come down to that will get you to the next round or eventually to the final four, which is where all of us want to be to have a shot at a championship at the end of the year.”
While he is entering the Playoffs ahead of the cut line, Kyle Busch has no room for error. The 18 must hit the ground running in Darlington if they are to reassert themselves as a championship threat. Last year, Busch was within one spot of making the Championship 4. Can he return to the title finale at Phoenix this year? Busch chases a third Cup title with the great unknown of his contract woes still weighing over him.
Can a Toyota driver win the 2022 Bill France Cup? Yes, but the odds are stacked the most against Toyota with only three contending drivers. Between Hamlin, Busch, and Bell though, this trio can absolutely win Playoff races and make it to the big stage in Phoenix. Starting off Sunday at Darlington, Toyota will be racing for their fourth NASCAR Cup Series title.
Written by Peter Stratta
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Photo Credit to Jared East/Getty Images for NASCAR
