NASCAR
A Look Back at 2022’s Most Memorable NASCAR Highlights
With the new year coming up fast, let’s reminisce on the best NASCAR moments of 2022. This list is purely personal opinion and does include some honorable mentions that came close to making the cut. What are your favorite memories from NASCAR in 2022? Here’s a few that stand out from the pack. Do you agree with this list? Let us know in the comments below or on Twitter.
10. Rookie Cindric Claims Daytona 500
Starting off the 2022 season, history was made in the Daytona 500. The Great American Race saw a Rookie of the Year contender win it for the first time in 64 years. Austin Cindric took his maiden Cup Series win in only his eighth start. Cindric returned the deuce to victory lane, on team owner Roger Penske’s birthday. After two Penske cars wrecked going for the 2021 Daytona 500 win, Ryan Blaney pushed Austin Cindric to a Harley J. Earl Trophy.
9. Bell Comes in Clutch at Roval
In one of the most impressive and timeliest wins in recent NASCAR Playoff memory, Christopher Bell survived a do-or-die scenario at the Charlotte Roval. Bell was put in a must-win scenario for the Round of 12 after crashing out at Texas. This win was the shot in the arm the 20 team needed, as they would repeat this clutch performance in the Round of 8. At the Martinsville elimination race, the 20 was victorious again. This put Bell through to his first Championship 4 appearance, and was also Joe Gibbs Racing’s 200th Cup win.
8. Historic Pocono DQ
While Denny Hamlin initially thought he took a record-breaking seventh Pocono win in July, tech inspection said otherwise. Hamlin and second-place Kyle Busch were both disqualified due to illegal tape. This gave the win to third-place finisher Chase Elliott, marking the first time a Cup Series race winner had been thrown out since 1960.
Little did anyone know at the time, but a few pieces of tape had season-defining implications. Only adding insult to injury, the points Hamlin lost here would have been enough to transfer him into the Championship 4.
7. Last-Lap Fireworks at COTA
2022’s first road course race in March ended with an instant-classic finish. At Circuit of the Americas, AJ Allmendinger moved Ross Chastain on the last lap, thinking he would earn his third career Cup win. A few corners later however Chastain refused to lift, punting Allmendinger’s 16 out of the way and taking his first win. AJ would go from the lead to having to settle for 33rd-place. COTA was far from the last time Chastain’s aggression drew the ire of his competition. This also marked the first career win for Trackhouse Racing, and began a run that saw Chastain come within a few car-lengths of the championship.
6. Logano Takes Second Cup
In the Cup Series championship race at Phoenix in November, Joey Logano was not to be denied. After winning his way into the finale three weeks earlier at Las Vegas, the 22 was on rails all afternoon long. Leading the points for all but one lap, Logano took title number two in dominating fashion. The 22 reigned supreme in 2022, as now they will try and repeat their perfection in 2023.
5. Young Drivers vs. Cup Champ at Darlington
In what was debatably the finish of the year, Sheldon Creed put it all on the line at Darlington. Going for his first career win and a Playoff berth, the 2 was trying to get past reigning Cup champion Kyle Larson on the last lap. Creed held a narrow gap at the white flag, but neither driver lifted going into turn one. Beating and banging off of each other, this allowed third-place Noah Gragson to join the fight. Creed’s last chance was a videogame move riding the wall through turns three and four. Gragson’s 9 just got by the 2 though, taking away a shot at the Playoffs.
Despite the disappointment of loss at Darlington, Creed and Larson were all smiles with each other afterwards. Creed would fail to make the 2022 Xfinity Playoffs, but is in position to win often in 2023.
4. Chastain vs. the World
A season-long narrative that truly began at COTA was Ross Chastain’s aggression. His forceful driving style and never choosing to lift set him in many driver’s crosshairs all year long. This all came to a head at Gateway in June, when Denny Hamlin and Chase Elliott both took out their anger on the 1. Even with most of the garage against him, Chastain silenced all doubters and still managed to make the Championship 4.
3. Larson-Wallace Fight
A moment that lives on from the Playoffs involved two non-contending drivers. After wining Stage 1 at Las Vegas, Bubba Wallace was set back in the pack, and was at the mercy of Kyle Larson. The 5 made a dive-bomb move on the 45 entering turn three, forcing Wallace into the outside wall. Wallace immediately retaliated, fencing Larson and also collecting Playoff driver Christopher Bell as collateral damage. The fireworks were not over yet though, as Wallace proceeded to walk over to Larson and shoved him, starting a physical altercation. All of these actions had Wallace suspended for the next week’s race by NASCAR. This penalty sent a message throughout the garage, that race officials are against drivers using their cars as weapons.
2. Ty Gibbs Takes on All
2022 ended with very high highs and likewise low lows for Ty Gibbs. While the record books show he won both of the last two races, that only tells a piece of the story. At Martinsville, Gibbs punted teammate Brandon Jones from the lead on the last lap. Gibbs was already locked into the title finale race, while Jones needed a win. This incident with Brandon Jones only followed similar dustups with Ryan Sieg, Sam Mayer, Noah Gragson and others. A season’s worth of frustration and a sport’s collective anger seemingly unloaded on young Gibbs that night in Virginia, as fans were none too pleased with that display.
A week later at Phoenix, Gibbs put all of these feelings behind him, showed great remorse, and put together one of his most impressive drives yet. Gibbs took down three competing cars from JR Motorsports, winning the Xfinity crown. Only hours after this though, his father Coy Gibbs would pass away from a heart attack. Gibbs has largely avoided the public eye since then, leaving many to wonder if his demeanor will change now as a Cup Series rookie.
Honorable Mentions
To say the inaugural Busch Light Clash at the Los Angeles Coliseum was a big deal would be a massive understatement. A century-old iconic sporting arena was transformed into a 1/4-mile racetrack for the season opening exhibition race. This also marked the first race with the Next Gen car, ending with Joey Logano in victory lane. The Coliseum Clash was a nearly complete success, and can only go upwards in its second year.
Aside from the disqualifications, Pocono also served as a pivotal point of 2022 with Kurt Busch’s qualifying crash. Because of prolonged effects from a concussion suffered here, Busch has not made a Cup start since. This absence included all of 2022’s final 16 weeks. Busch announced the end of his full-time driving career months later. This moment began the weeks-long campaign by drivers and NASCAR to improve safety with the Next Gen car. A new rear clip design and other updates will debut in 2023.
After its first repave since 1997, Atlanta Motor Speedway was transformed into a new high-banked quasi-superspeedway. Gone was the worn out, aged surface that challenged all drivers to perfection, and in its place was an all new beast. The debut race on this new Atlanta pavement was chaos to say the least, with several large multi-car crashes. In the end, it was William Byron standing tall as the first victor on this new layout.
The other new venue for the 2022 Cup Series, World Wide Technology Raceway at Gateway showed out for its inaugural event. In a race that saw Ross Chastain anger two of his competitors and face their repercussion, two other rivals dueled for the win. In overtime, Joey Logano bested Kyle Busch for the first win on the St. Louis track. A sold out crowd and electric atmosphere as well may have turned Gateway into a NASCAR Cup staple for years to come.
2022’s regular season ended in absolute carnage, as a wet turn one at Daytona saw a massive crash that nearly took out everyone. In total, over 16 cars were destroyed in one moment. Narrowly squeezing through this mess though would be Austin Dillon. Over three hours later, Dillon would take the victory and a Playoff spot.
1. The Hail Melon
By far the most memorable NASCAR moment of 2022 has to go to Ross Chastain on the last lap of October’s Martinsville race. Needing two points to break into the Championship 4, Chastain shifted into high gear and never lifted into turn three. Riding the wall allowed the 1 to pass five cars, putting him through to the finale and eliminating Denny Hamlin. To say this finish went viral would be selling it short. The ‘hail melon’ blew up on social media the world over, making Ross Chastain a celebrity name. This marked the Melon Man’s latest and greatest heroic moment, as it left everyone watching speechless.
Ushering in a new era of NASCAR with the Next Gen car, 2022 had lots of anticipation and certainly delivered. The only remaining questions is just how can the 2023 racing season top these moments? NASCAR will return in less than 40 days. As a result, it will not be long before the 2023 top 10 moments list begins to be built.
Written by Peter Stratta
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Photo Credit to Christian Petersen/Getty Images for NASCAR
