NASCAR Cup Series race
Motor car race
The
2022 Xfinity 500
was a
NASCAR Cup Series
race
held on October 30, 2022, at
Martinsville Speedway
in
Ridgeway, Virginia
. Contested over 500 laps on the .526 mile (.847 km) short track, it was the 35th race of the
2022 NASCAR Cup Series
season, the ninth race of the Playoffs, and final race of the Round of 8.
This race, won by
Christopher Bell
, was noted for
Ross Chastain
's "
Hail Melon
" finish, in which Chastain
rode the wall
in a move described as similar to those done in racing video games to secure a fourth-place finish that locked him to the Championship 4 race. Chastain's move also set an all-new track record.
[8]
[9]
Report
[
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]
Background
[
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]
Martinsville Speedway
is an
International Speedway Corporation
-owned
NASCAR
stock car racing track located in
Henry County
, in
Ridgeway, Virginia
, just to the south of
Martinsville
. At 0.526 miles (0.847 km) in length, it is the shortest track in the NASCAR
Cup Series
. The track is also one of the first paved
oval tracks
in NASCAR, being built in 1947 by
H. Clay Earles
. It is also the only race track that has been on the NASCAR circuit from its beginning in 1948. Along with this, Martinsville is the only NASCAR oval track on the entire NASCAR track circuit to have asphalt surfaces on the straightaways, then concrete to cover the turns.
Entry list
[
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]
- (R)
denotes rookie driver.
- (i)
denotes driver who is ineligible for series driver points.
Practice
[
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]
Denny Hamlin
was the fastest in the practice session with a time of 19.916 seconds and a speed of 95.079 mph (153.015 km/h).
[10]
Practice results
[
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]
Qualifying
[
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]
Kyle Larson
scored the pole for the race with a time of 19.709 and a speed of 96.078 mph (154.623 km/h).
[11]
Qualifying results
[
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]
Race
[
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]
Heading into the finish,
Ross Chastain
clinched his spot into the Championship 4 by the way of a last-ditch wall-ride that has been described as a "
video game-like move
" in the final lap.
[8]
Chastain's move also set a new Cup Series lap record on the track at 18.845 seconds.
[9]
The move has been dubbed the
Hail Melon
by many in the sport.
Christopher Bell
's race victory also placed him into the championship race, with
Joey Logano
(who won a race in the Round of 8) and
Chase Elliott
also advancing.
Stage Results
[
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]
Stage One
Laps:
130
Pos
|
|
Driver
|
Team
|
Manufacturer
|
Points
|
1
|
11
|
Denny Hamlin
|
Joe Gibbs Racing
|
Toyota
|
10
|
2
|
9
|
Chase Elliott
|
Hendrick Motorsports
|
Chevrolet
|
9
|
3
|
41
|
Cole Custer
|
Stewart-Haas Racing
|
Ford
|
8
|
4
|
5
|
Kyle Larson
|
Hendrick Motorsports
|
Chevrolet
|
7
|
5
|
14
|
Chase Briscoe
|
Stewart-Haas Racing
|
Ford
|
6
|
6
|
20
|
Christopher Bell
|
Joe Gibbs Racing
|
Toyota
|
5
|
7
|
12
|
Ryan Blaney
|
Team Penske
|
Ford
|
4
|
8
|
1
|
Ross Chastain
|
Trackhouse Racing Team
|
Chevrolet
|
3
|
9
|
99
|
Daniel Suarez
|
Trackhouse Racing Team
|
Chevrolet
|
2
|
10
|
10
|
Aric Almirola
|
Stewart-Haas Racing
|
Ford
|
1
|
Official stage one results
|
Stage Two
Laps:
130
Pos
|
|
Driver
|
Team
|
Manufacturer
|
Points
|
1
|
11
|
Denny Hamlin
|
Joe Gibbs Racing
|
Toyota
|
10
|
2
|
9
|
Chase Elliott
|
Hendrick Motorsports
|
Chevrolet
|
9
|
3
|
5
|
Kyle Larson
|
Hendrick Motorsports
|
Chevrolet
|
8
|
4
|
41
|
Cole Custer
|
Stewart-Haas Racing
|
Ford
|
7
|
5
|
20
|
Christopher Bell
|
Joe Gibbs Racing
|
Toyota
|
6
|
6
|
12
|
Ryan Blaney
|
Team Penske
|
Ford
|
5
|
7
|
22
|
Joey Logano
|
Team Penske
|
Ford
|
4
|
8
|
1
|
Ross Chastain
|
Trackhouse Racing Team
|
Chevrolet
|
3
|
9
|
99
|
Daniel Suarez
|
Trackhouse Racing Team
|
Chevrolet
|
2
|
10
|
45
|
Bubba Wallace
|
23XI Racing
|
Toyota
|
1
|
Official stage two results
|
Final Stage Results
[
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]
Stage Three
Laps:
240
Pos
|
Grid
|
|
Driver
|
Team
|
Manufacturer
|
Laps
|
Points
|
1
|
20
|
20
|
Christopher Bell
|
Joe Gibbs Racing
|
Toyota
|
500
|
51
|
2
|
1
|
5
|
Kyle Larson
|
Hendrick Motorsports
|
Chevrolet
|
500
|
50
|
3
|
4
|
12
|
Ryan Blaney
|
Team Penske
|
Ford
|
500
|
43
|
4
|
9
|
1
|
Ross Chastain
|
Trackhouse Racing Team
|
Chevrolet
|
500
|
39
|
5
|
11
|
11
|
Denny Hamlin
|
Joe Gibbs Racing
|
Toyota
|
500
|
52
|
6
|
12
|
22
|
Joey Logano
|
Team Penske
|
Ford
|
500
|
35
|
7
|
25
|
24
|
William Byron
|
Hendrick Motorsports
|
Chevrolet
|
500
|
30
|
8
|
24
|
45
|
Bubba Wallace
|
23XI Racing
|
Toyota
|
500
|
30
|
9
|
3
|
14
|
Chase Briscoe
|
Stewart-Haas Racing
|
Ford
|
500
|
34
|
10
|
2
|
9
|
Chase Elliott
|
Hendrick Motorsports
|
Chevrolet
|
500
|
45
|
11
|
10
|
21
|
Harrison Burton
(R)
|
Wood Brothers Racing
|
Ford
|
500
|
26
|
12
|
7
|
99
|
Daniel Suarez
|
Trackhouse Racing Team
|
Chevrolet
|
500
|
29
|
13
|
19
|
38
|
Todd Gilliland
(R)
|
Front Row Motorsports
|
Ford
|
500
|
24
|
14
|
5
|
41
|
Cole Custer
|
Stewart-Haas Racing
|
Ford
|
500
|
38
|
15
|
15
|
10
|
Aric Almirola
|
Stewart-Haas Racing
|
Ford
|
500
|
23
|
16
|
8
|
4
|
Kevin Harvick
|
Stewart-Haas Racing
|
Ford
|
500
|
21
|
17
|
13
|
34
|
Michael McDowell
|
Front Row Motorsports
|
Ford
|
500
|
20
|
18
|
23
|
43
|
Erik Jones
|
Petty GMS Motorsports
|
Chevrolet
|
498
|
19
|
19
|
26
|
23
|
Ty Gibbs
(i)
|
23XI Racing
|
Toyota
|
498
|
0
|
20
|
27
|
19
|
Martin Truex Jr.
|
Joe Gibbs Racing
|
Toyota
|
498
|
17
|
21
|
14
|
7
|
Corey LaJoie
|
Spire Motorsports
|
Chevrolet
|
498
|
16
|
22
|
31
|
47
|
Ricky Stenhouse Jr.
|
JTG Daugherty Racing
|
Chevrolet
|
498
|
15
|
23
|
21
|
16
|
A. J. Allmendinger
(i)
|
Kaulig Racing
|
Chevrolet
|
498
|
0
|
24
|
22
|
17
|
Chris Buescher
|
RFK Racing
|
Ford
|
497
|
13
|
25
|
17
|
48
|
Noah Gragson
(i)
|
Hendrick Motorsports
|
Chevrolet
|
497
|
0
|
26
|
30
|
2
|
Austin Cindric
(R)
|
Team Penske
|
Ford
|
497
|
11
|
27
|
29
|
31
|
Justin Haley
|
Kaulig Racing
|
Chevrolet
|
497
|
10
|
28
|
36
|
51
|
Cody Ware
|
Rick Ware Racing
|
Ford
|
495
|
9
|
29
|
18
|
18
|
Kyle Busch
|
Joe Gibbs Racing
|
Toyota
|
494
|
8
|
30
|
35
|
15
|
J. J. Yeley
(i)
|
Rick Ware Racing
|
Ford
|
488
|
0
|
31
|
32
|
42
|
Ty Dillon
|
Petty GMS Motorsports
|
Chevrolet
|
466
|
6
|
32
|
33
|
77
|
Landon Cassill
(i)
|
Spire Motorsports
|
Chevrolet
|
460
|
0
|
33
|
16
|
3
|
Austin Dillon
|
Richard Childress Racing
|
Chevrolet
|
316
|
4
|
34
|
34
|
78
|
B. J. McLeod
(i)
|
Live Fast Motorsports
|
Ford
|
225
|
0
|
35
|
28
|
8
|
Tyler Reddick
|
Richard Childress Racing
|
Chevrolet
|
188
|
2
|
DSQ
|
6
|
6
|
Brad Keselowski
[a]
|
RFK Racing
|
Ford
|
500
|
1
|
Official race results
|
Race statistics
[
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]
- Lead changes: 8 among 5 different drivers
- Cautions/Laps: 6 for 53
- Red flags: 0
- Time of race: 3 hours, 24 minutes and 18 seconds
- Average speed: 77.239 miles per hour (124.304 km/h)
Media
[
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]
Television
[
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]
NBC Sports
covered the race on the television side.
Rick Allen
, 1997 race winner
Jeff Burton
,
Steve Letarte
and 2014 race winner
Dale Earnhardt Jr.
called the race from the broadcast booth.
Dave Burns
,
Parker Kligerman
, Marty Snider and Dillon Welch handled the pit road duties from pit lane.
Radio
[
edit
]
MRN
covered the radio call for the race, which was also simulcast on
Sirius XM NASCAR Radio
. Alex Hayden, Jeff Striegle and 7 time Martinsville winner
Rusty Wallace
had the call for MRN when the field raced down the front straightaway.
Dave Moody
covered the action for MRN when the field raced down the backstraightway into turn 3. Steve Post, Winston Kelley,
Brienne Pedigo
and Kim Coon covered the action for MRN from pit lane.
MRN
|
Booth announcers
|
Turn announcers
|
Pit reporters
|
Lead announcer:
Alex Hayden
Announcer:
Jeff Striegle
Announcer:
Rusty Wallace
|
Backstretch:
Dave Moody
|
Steve Post
Winston Kelley
Brienne Pedigo
Kim Coon
|
Standings after the race
[
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]
- Drivers' Championship standings
|
Pos
|
Driver
|
Points
|
|
1
|
Joey Logano
|
5,000
|
5
|
2
|
Christopher Bell
|
5,000 (?0)
|
1
|
3
|
Ross Chastain
|
5,000 (?0)
|
1
|
4
|
Chase Elliott
|
5,000 (?0)
|
|
5
|
Denny Hamlin
|
2,350 (?2,650)
|
2
|
6
|
William Byron
|
2,339 (?2,661)
|
2
|
7
|
Kyle Larson
|
2,316 (?2,684)
|
2
|
8
|
Ryan Blaney
|
2,300 (?2,700)
|
1
|
9
|
Daniel Suarez
|
2,259 (?2,741)
|
2
|
10
|
Chase Briscoe
|
2,244 (?2,756)
|
|
11
|
Austin Dillon
|
2,204 (?2,796)
|
1
|
12
|
Austin Cindric
|
2,198 (?2,802)
|
1
|
13
|
Tyler Reddick
|
2,197 (?2,803)
|
|
14
|
Kyle Busch
|
2,194 (?2,806)
|
|
15
|
Alex Bowman
|
2,104 (?2,896)
|
|
16
|
Kevin Harvick
|
2,085 (?2,915)
|
Official driver's standings
|
|
- Manufacturers' Championship standings
- Note
: Only the first 16 positions are included for the driver standings.
|
Notes
[
edit
]
- ^
Keselowski originally finished fourth, but was disqualified due to his car being found to be underweight in post-race inspection.
[12]
[13]
References
[
edit
]
- ^
"2022 schedule"
.
Jayski.com
.
Jayski's Silly Season Site
. Retrieved
September 26,
2022
.
- ^
"Martinsville Speedway"
.
NASCAR.com
. NASCAR Media Group, LLC. January 3, 2013. Archived from
the original
on April 25, 2017
. Retrieved
September 26,
2022
.
- ^
"Entry List"
(PDF)
.
Jayski.com
.
Jayski's Silly Season Site
. October 24, 2022
. Retrieved
October 24,
2022
.
- ^
"Practice Results"
.
NASCAR.com
.
NASCAR
. October 29, 2022
. Retrieved
October 29,
2022
.
- ^
"Qualifying Results"
.
NASCAR.com
.
NASCAR
. October 29, 2022
. Retrieved
October 29,
2022
.
- ^
"Xfinity 500 Results"
.
NASCAR.com
.
NASCAR
. October 30, 2022
. Retrieved
October 30,
2022
.
- ^
"Points standings"
(PDF)
.
Jayski.com
.
Jayski's Silly Season Site
. October 30, 2022
. Retrieved
October 30,
2022
.
- ^
a
b
"Ross Chastain's bold wall-riding move seals title berth; Christopher Bell wins race"
. ESPN.com. 31 October 2022
. Retrieved
31 October
2022
.
- ^
a
b
Long, Dustin (October 31, 2022).
"Long: Ross Chastain's frenzied finish divides competitors"
.
NBC Sports
. Retrieved
October 31,
2022
.
- ^
Utter, Jim (October 29, 2022).
"Denny Hamlin tops Ryan Blaney in Martinsville Cup practice"
.
Motorsport.com
.
Martinsville, Virginia
:
Motorsport Network
. Retrieved
October 29,
2022
.
- ^
Utter, Jim (October 29, 2022).
"Kyle Larson beats teammate Elliott to Martinsville Cup pole"
.
Motorsport.com
.
Martinsville, Virginia
:
Motorsport Network
. Retrieved
October 29,
2022
.
- ^
"Keselowski disqualified from fourth at Martinsville"
.
RACER
. 2022-10-31
. Retrieved
2022-10-31
.
- ^
"Brad Keselowski fails post-race inspection, dropped to last place - NBC"
.
NASCAR Talk | NBC Sports
. 2022-10-31
. Retrieved
2022-10-31
.