The 2022 M&M's Fan Appreciation 400 was a NASCAR Cup Series race that was held on July 24, 2022, at Pocono Raceway in Long Pond, Pennsylvania. Contested over 160 laps on the 2.5-mile (4.0 km) speedway, it was the 21st race of the 2022 NASCAR Cup Series season. Chase Elliott of Hendrick Motorsports would win the race after Denny Hamlin and Kyle Busch, who originally finished first and second respectively, were both disqualified for failing post-race technical inspection. Elliott became the first NASCAR driver to win a race after both the original first and second-place finishers were disqualified since 1955. Hamlin was also the first NASCAR Cup Series race winner to be disqualified since 1960, ending a 62-year streak.[8] It was also the first disqualification of the Next Gen car since its debut earlier that year.
Report
Background
Pocono Raceway is a 2.5-mile (4.0 km) oval speedway located in Long Pond, Pennsylvania, which has hosted NASCAR racing annually since the early 1970s. Nicknamed "The Tricky Triangle", the speedway has three distinct corners and is known for high speeds along its lengthy straightaways.
From 1982 to 2019, the circuit had two race weekends. In 2020, the circuit was reduced to one race meeting of two races. The first race was moved to World Wide Technology Raceway near St. Louis starting in 2022.
Entry list
- (R) denotes rookie driver.
- (i) denotes driver who is ineligible for series driver points.
Practice
Ross Chastain was the fastest in the practice session with a time of 53.661 seconds and a speed of 167.720 mph (269.919 km/h).[9]
Practice results
| Pos | No. | Driver | Team | Manufacturer | Time | Speed |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 1 | Ross Chastain | Trackhouse Racing Team | Chevrolet | 53.661 | 167.720 |
| 2 | 20 | Christopher Bell | Joe Gibbs Racing | Toyota | 53.688 | 167.635 |
| 3 | 99 | Daniel Suárez | Trackhouse Racing Team | Chevrolet | 53.781 | 167.345 |
| Official practice results | ||||||
Qualifying
Denny Hamlin scored the pole for the race with a time of 52.944 and a speed of 169.991 mph (273.574 km/h).[10]
During the second round of qualifying, Kurt Busch spun and the car made tail to wall contact to the Turn 3 wall. After further checkups on Sunday morning, he was medically disqualified and thereby suspended under a medical suspension that resulted in what became a career-ending injury, announcing his formal retirement on August 26, 2023. Ty Gibbs took over the 45 car for the remainder of the regular season.
Qualifying results
Race
Stage Results
Stage One Laps: 30
| Pos | No | Driver | Team | Manufacturer | Points |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 5 | Kyle Larson | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | 10 |
| 2 | 9 | Chase Elliott | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | 9 |
| 3 | 99 | Daniel Suárez | Trackhouse Racing Team | Chevrolet | 8 |
| 4 | 12 | Ryan Blaney | Team Penske | Ford | 7 |
| 5 | 43 | Erik Jones | Petty GMS Motorsports | Chevrolet | 6 |
| 6 | 24 | William Byron | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | 5 |
| 7 | 19 | Martin Truex Jr. | Joe Gibbs Racing | Toyota | 4 |
| 8 | 4 | Kevin Harvick | Stewart-Haas Racing | Ford | 3 |
| 9 | 7 | Corey LaJoie | Spire Motorsports | Chevrolet | 2 |
| 10 | 34 | Michael McDowell | Front Row Motorsports | Ford | 1 |
| Official stage one results | |||||
Stage Two Laps: 65
| Pos | No | Driver | Team | Manufacturer | Points |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 1 | Ross Chastain | Trackhouse Racing Team | Chevrolet | 10 |
| 2 | 12 | Ryan Blaney | Team Penske | Ford | 9 |
| 3 | 43 | Erik Jones | Petty GMS Motorsports | Chevrolet | 8 |
| 4 | 4 | Kevin Harvick | Stewart-Haas Racing | Ford | 7 |
| 5 | 24 | William Byron | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | 6 |
| 6 | 99 | Daniel Suárez | Trackhouse Racing Team | Chevrolet | 5 |
| 7 | 9 | Chase Elliott | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | 4 |
| 8 | 5 | Kyle Larson | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | 3 |
| 9 | 20 | Christopher Bell | Joe Gibbs Racing | Toyota | 2 |
| 10 | 19 | Martin Truex Jr. | Joe Gibbs Racing | Toyota | 1 |
| Official stage two results | |||||
Final Stage Results
Stage Three Laps: 65
| Pos | Grid | No | Driver | Team | Manufacturer | Laps | Points |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 3 | 9 | Chase Elliott | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | 160 | 53 |
| 2 | 16 | 8 | Tyler Reddick | Richard Childress Racing | Chevrolet | 160 | 35 |
| 3 | 9 | 99 | Daniel Suárez | Trackhouse Racing Team | Chevrolet | 160 | 47 |
| 4 | 11 | 20 | Christopher Bell | Joe Gibbs Racing | Toyota | 160 | 35 |
| 5 | 4 | 5 | Kyle Larson | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | 160 | 45 |
| 6 | 25 | 34 | Michael McDowell[b] | Front Row Motorsports | Ford | 160 | -68 |
| 7 | 8 | 19 | Martin Truex Jr. | Joe Gibbs Racing | Toyota | 160 | 35 |
| 8 | 7 | 23 | Bubba Wallace | 23XI Racing | Toyota | 160 | 29 |
| 9 | 34 | 43 | Erik Jones[c] | Petty GMS Motorsports | Chevrolet | 160 | 7 |
| 10 | 15 | 3 | Austin Dillon | Richard Childress Racing | Chevrolet | 160 | 27 |
| 11 | 17 | 48 | Alex Bowman | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | 160 | 26 |
| 12 | 18 | 24 | William Byron | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | 160 | 36 |
| 13 | 12 | 10 | Aric Almirola | Stewart-Haas Racing | Ford | 160 | 24 |
| 14 | 26 | 6 | Brad Keselowski | RFK Racing | Ford | 160 | 23 |
| 15 | 13 | 14 | Chase Briscoe | Stewart-Haas Racing | Ford | 160 | 22 |
| 16 | 10 | 45 | Ty Gibbs (i)[d] | 23XI Racing | Toyota | 160 | 0 |
| 17 | 32 | 41 | Cole Custer | Stewart-Haas Racing | Ford | 160 | 20 |
| 18 | 19 | 47 | Ricky Stenhouse Jr. | JTG Daugherty Racing | Chevrolet | 160 | 19 |
| 19 | 23 | 7 | Corey LaJoie | Spire Motorsports | Chevrolet | 160 | 20 |
| 20 | 14 | 22 | Joey Logano | Team Penske | Ford | 160 | 17 |
| 21 | 30 | 31 | Justin Haley | Kaulig Racing | Chevrolet | 160 | 16 |
| 22 | 27 | 42 | Ty Dillon[c] | Petty GMS Motorsports | Chevrolet | 160 | -20 |
| 23 | 28 | 21 | Harrison Burton (R) | Wood Brothers Racing | Ford | 160 | 14 |
| 24 | 22 | 16 | Noah Gragson (i) | Kaulig Racing | Chevrolet | 160 | 0 |
| 25 | 29 | 38 | Todd Gilliland (R) | Front Row Motorsports | Ford | 160 | 12 |
| 26 | 36 | 51 | Cody Ware | Rick Ware Racing | Ford | 160 | 11 |
| 27 | 24 | 4 | Kevin Harvick | Stewart-Haas Racing | Ford | 160 | 20 |
| 28 | 33 | 15 | J. J. Yeley (i) | Rick Ware Racing | Ford | 159 | 0 |
| 29 | 5 | 17 | Chris Buescher | RFK Racing | Ford | 158 | 8 |
| 30 | 35 | 78 | B. J. McLeod (i) | Live Fast Motorsports | Ford | 158 | 0 |
| 31 | 20 | 2 | Austin Cindric (R) | Team Penske | Ford | 154 | 6 |
| 32 | 21 | 1 | Ross Chastain | Trackhouse Racing Team | Chevrolet | 142 | 15 |
| 33 | 6 | 12 | Ryan Blaney | Team Penske | Ford | 135 | 20 |
| 34 | 31 | 77 | Josh Bilicki (i) | Spire Motorsports | Chevrolet | 35 | 0 |
| DSQ (35) | 1 | 11 | Denny Hamlin[e] | Joe Gibbs Racing | Toyota | 160 | 2 |
| DSQ
(36) |
2 | 18 | Kyle Busch[e] | Joe Gibbs Racing | Toyota | 160 | 1 |
| Official race results | |||||||
Race statistics
- Lead changes: 15 among 10 different drivers
- Cautions/Laps: 9 for 37
- Red flags: 0
- Time of race: 3 hours, 15 minutes and 59 seconds
- Average speed: 122.459 miles per hour (197.079 km/h)
Media
Television
USA covered the race on the television side. Rick Allen, Jeff Burton, Steve Letarte, and Dale Earnhardt Jr. called the race from the broadcast booth. Kim Coon, Parker Kligerman, and Marty Snider served as pit reporters.
| USA | |
|---|---|
| Booth announcers | Pit reporters |
| Lap-by-lap: Rick Allen Color-commentator: Jeff Burton Color-commentator: Steve Letarte Color-commentator: Dale Earnhardt Jr. |
Kim Coon Parker Kligerman Marty Snider |
Radio
Radio coverage of the race was broadcast by Motor Racing Network (MRN) and was also simulcast on Sirius XM NASCAR Radio. Alex Hayden, Jeff Striegle, and Todd Gordon called the race in the booth when the field raced through the tri-oval. Dave Moody called the race from the Sunoco spotters stand outside turn 2 when the field raced through turns 1 and 2. Mike Bagley called the race from a platform inside the backstretch when the field raced down the backstretch. Kyle Rickey called the race from the Sunoco spotters stand outside turn 3. Steve Post and Chris Wilner worked pit road for MRN.
| MRN Radio | ||
|---|---|---|
| Booth announcers | Turn announcers | Pit reporters |
| Lead announcer: Alex Hayden Announcer: Jeff Striegle Announcer: Todd Gordon |
Turns 1 & 2: Dave Moody Backstretch: Mike Bagley Turn 3: Kyle Rickey |
Steve Post Chris Wilner |
Standings after the race
|
| |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Notes
- ^ Kurt Busch was medically disqualified following a crash in Turn 3 on his warmup lap in the second round following a NASCAR evaluation the next day. Ty Gibbs took over the 45 car following the disqualification.
- ^ McDowell was docked 100 points after NASCAR discovered illegal modifications to his car during the R&D Center inspection.[11]
- ^ a b Erik Jones and Ty Dillon were docked 35 points after their rocker box vent holes failed pre-race inspection.[12]
- ^ Following Kurt Busch's medical disqualification (concussion) during the second round of qualifying, Ty Gibbs drove the No. 45 23XI Toyota in his place.[13]
- ^ a b Hamlin and Kyle Busch originally finished first and second respectively, but were disqualified after failing post-race inspection for an infringement on both cars' front fascia.[8]
References
- ^ "2022 schedule". Jayski.com. Jayski's Silly Season Site. Retrieved June 5, 2022.
- ^ "Pocono Raceway". NASCAR.com. NASCAR Media Group, LLC. January 3, 2013. Retrieved June 5, 2022.[dead link]
- ^ "Entry List" (PDF). Jayski.com. Jayski's Silly Season Site. July 18, 2022. Retrieved July 18, 2022.
- ^ "Practice Results". NASCAR.com. NASCAR. June 23, 2022. Retrieved July 23, 2022.
- ^ "Qualifying Results". NASCAR.com. NASCAR. July 23, 2022. Retrieved July 23, 2022.
- ^ "M&M's Fan Appreciation 400 Results". NASCAR.com. NASCAR. July 24, 2022. Retrieved July 24, 2022.
- ^ "Points standings" (PDF). Jayski.com. Jayski's Silly Season Site. July 24, 2022. Retrieved July 24, 2022.
- ^ a b "Elliott inherits Pocono win as Hamlin, Busch cars disqualified". Racer.com. July 24, 2022. Retrieved July 24, 2022.
- ^ Utter, Jim (July 23, 2022). "Ross Chastain spins but is still fastest in Pocono Cup practice". Motorsport.com. Long Pond, Pennsylvania: Motorsport Network. Retrieved July 23, 2022.
- ^ Utter, Jim (July 23, 2022). "Denny Hamlin earns Pocono Cup pole; Kurt Busch wrecks". Motorsport.com. Long Pond, Pennsylvania: Motorsport Network. Retrieved July 23, 2022.
- ^ "NASCAR slaps Front Row with huge penalties after Pocono violation". Racer.com. July 26, 2022. Retrieved July 26, 2022.
- ^ "NASCAR penalizes Petty GMS". Racer.com. July 23, 2022. Retrieved March 16, 2023.
- ^ "Ty Gibbs to make Cup Series debut in place of Kurt Busch at Pocono". NASCAR.com. NASCAR Digital Media, LLC. July 24, 2022. Retrieved July 24, 2022.