Jones finished in 19th place and thats a solid bounce back after not finishing the Daytona 500 to start the year. Crew chief Cole Pearn is the most well-known figure in NASCAR among those barely known at all at the beginning of the year. #38 - Todd Gilliland (R) - Front Row Motorsports Ford (Crew Chief: Seth Barbour). This will be the 18th full season for Truex, who turns 43 in June. Brad Keselowski found himself one lap down and unable to start his vehicle after being spun by Corey LaJoie. Corey LaJoie returns for a second season at Spire Motorsports, building on what was a year of growth for both LaJoie and his race team in 2021. Kurt Busch has also been discussed as potentially driving part-time, but he has yet to be medically cleared to return to racing as of January. Ryan Blaney. 18 team, which will now adopt Gibbs' own No. Live Fast Motorsports returns for its second Cup season, with 2019 Cup rookie Matt Tifft and veteran driver B.J. LaJoie has not shown a tremendous amount of past speed with Spire Motorsports so ranking as the 27th-best driver should be an accomplishment for now. Shaharyar is a Formula 1 & NASCAR writer at EssentiallySports. Daniel Suarez had top-5 speed at the place he almost secured his first victory last season and it turned into a fourth-place finish. Few runnings of NASCAR's longest and most arduous race were anything like the 2022 edition of the Coca-Cola 600 at Charlotte Motor Speedway in May. Take one of the best drivers and one of the best crew chiefs, and they should perform well. Harrison Burton will move up from the Xfinity Series to drive the Wood Brothers No. Austin Dillon will have a new crew chief for 2023, as Justin Alexander stepped down from his role atop the No. Dennis Johnson (@dentiki) November 18, 2021. #91 - TBD - Trackhouse Racing Project91 Chevrolet (Crew Chief: Darian Grubb). Despite a 10th-place finish, the defending NASCAR Cup Series champion is still on top as the sport readies itself for Las Vegas. The hire of Gilliland keeps things all in the family, as his father David Gilliland drove the No. A pitstop is a temporary stop in a NASCAR race for a racing car away from the racing track to change tires and refuel. Pit Crew POZEGA, KEN Rear Changer ROBERTS, MICHAEL C Front Changer SIMMONS, MATTHEW J Tire Carrier WILSON, SHANE R Jack DAVENPORT, BROOK N Fueler . Briscoe couldn't make it stick, sending him spinning around before clipping Reddick and spinning the leader as well. Four races into the 2020 NASCAR Cup Series season, here are the strongest pit crews we've seen so far, ranked by NASCAR.com's Pat DeCola. 9 Hendrick Motorsports Chevy Ashoc Energy Drink will be sponsor at Richmond in April. After racing full-time for Kaulig in Xfinity and most of last year's Cup season for Spire Motorsports, Justin Haley has been tabbed as the full-time driver of one of Kaulig's two new full-time Cup teams. Andujar will jump right into action as the starting right fielder and No. By the time Chase Briscoe spun trying to make the winning pass on Kyle Larson to set up overtime, it already looked like an instant classic was at hand -- and that was before the leaders went four-wide coming to the white flag, leading to a crash that set up one final restart. Pirates' Miguel Andujar: Contract selected by PIT Looking for more NASCAR content? Harrison Burton returns for a second season as the driver of the Wood Brothers' legendary No. Denny Hamlin (No. 12 team. All Rights Reserved. Hamlin came home with a sixth-place finish and was a top-5 car based on the advanced statistics. Many of those same drivers will return to the seat of the 36 chartered Cup Series cars, but there are a few notable exceptions -- none more so than Kyle Busch, who takes over the No. 1 through 42. No. Martin Truex Jr. will compete in his fourth season at Joe Gibbs Racing, and looks to win his second Cup title after multiple missed opportunities. After winning three races in 2021, Ryan Blaney has a new crew chief for 2022: Following the retirement of Todd Gordon, Jonathan Hassler moves from Wood Brothers Racing to Team Penske to assume the top of the pit box for Blaney's No. Alex Bowman signed a two-year contract extension with Hendrick Motorsports last June, which was well-timed given that Bowman had his best season as a Cup driver with four wins. #12 - Ryan Blaney - Team Penske Ford (Crew Chief: Jonathan Hassler) After winning three races in 2021, Ryan Blaney has a new crew chief for 2022: Following the retirement of Todd Gordon,. Having the best pit crew can create a difference between securing a win or coming up short. Hunt sold the van, and the money from that sale paid for the pit crew he used at Homestead. Veteran crew chief Adam Stevens played a large role in that run, and the two are paired together again for 2023. Ross Chastain Team: #1 Trackhouse Racing Chevrolet. Chase Briscoe returns for a third season at Stewart-Haas Racing after enjoying a second-year leap in 2022. Sunday Dover Cup race: Start time, TV info, weather 77. 2022 NASCAR Cup Series Silly Season tracker - NASCAR 101 Blaney came home with a 26th-place finish and will look to turn his speed into a clean and high-leveled performance next weekend. Aric Almirola was among the drivers involved in a baffling wreck on a restart that ended his day. Joe Gibbs Racing has swapped pit crews between their No. Veteran crew chief Todd Gordon will join Johnson in coming out of retirement for select races, starting with the Daytona 500. For these purposes, I'm ranking the pairings in order of whom I think will enjoy the most success over the next 18 months. Chase Elliott did not have track position to start the race but slowly climbed the leaderboard until he hit a Busch-sized wall in second place. Watch this carefully choreographed pit stop of the NASCAR pit crew. Bowman will look to be more consistent in 2022, as his five DNFs contributed to him only managing 14th in the final standings. Keith Rodden takes over as crew chief, his . Who is the best driver in NASCAR? #5 - Kyle Larson - Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet (Crew Chief: Cliff Daniels). After five drivers earned their first career wins in the first half of the season, the Cup Series had virtually been running out of surprise winners and feel-good storylines. So, whatever is gained on the putting on new rubber will be insignificant because of filling in more juice. 2022 NASCAR drivers and crew chiefs: Ranking the new pairings Published Feb. 14, 2022 9:45 a.m. Rick Ware Racing has concentrated their efforts for 2022 after running four full-time cars in 2021, and they will run two full-time cars while switching to Ford as part of a technical alliance with Stewart-Haas Racing. Hamlin has driven the No. An 18th-place finish at Fontana didn't tell the whole story for Blaney, who earned 10 stage points and was in the top-10 all day. Joey Logano led more than 100 laps in a race just three times in his championship season. #41 - Cole Custer - Stewart-Haas Racing Ford (Crew Chief: Mike Shiplett). 2022 average finish: 11.0. Hill will run both Daytona and Talladega races as well as Chicago and Michigan. My car has 5 lugs per wheel how is this like whats at the dealer? Hermie Sadler (2011-2019) Truck Series pit reporter; Sara Walsh (2019) Rotating/alternate NASCAR . But after a down year in 2020 where the pair barely avoided going winless, Stevens was given a new assignment to see if he could develop a young and still-fledgling Christopher Bell into a championship-caliber driver. Before the season began, there was a pretty good sense of who Ross Chastain was and what he was capable of. And that was before he risked life and limb to make the Championship 4 and produce one of the greatest highlights in NASCAR playoff history at Martinsville. PDF Team Event Rosters - Jayski's Silly Season Site Top-10 timings revealed. #3 - Austin Dillon - Richard Childress Racing Chevrolet (Crew Chief: Keith Rodden). Kevin Harvick. 2021 was the best season of William Byron's young Cup career, as he shattered his career-high marks for top 5s (12) and top 10s (20) while also winning at Homestead en route to 10th in the final standings. Power Rankings: Top 10 NASCAR Cup Series teams in 2022 #11 - Denny Hamlin - Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota (Crew Chief: Chris Gabehart). But it takes a special sort of resilience to do it once and then do it again in the same playoff run. #27 - TBD - Team Hezeberg Ford (Crew Chief: TBD). 6 hitter in the first half of . #24 - William Byron - Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet (Crew Chief: Rudy Fugle). The team has yet to announce specific plans for 2023. That's what Christopher Bell did in the Round of 12 and Round of 8 on his way to the Championship 4. The heart wants to put this pairing higher on the list, but the mind says SHR struggled last year and might again this year. Ross Chastain appeared to be the car to beat as he won Stage 1 and Stage 2; however, Busch was the best car in the Final Stage and cleared him before pit stops were underway. #14 - Chase Briscoe - Stewart-Haas Racing Ford (Crew Chief: John Klausmeier). A graduate in #22 - Joey Logano - Team Penske Ford (Crew Chief: Paul Wolfe). That circles back to their pairing as crew chief and driver from 2010-12 in the NASCAR Xfinity Series, where they claimed back-to-back championships in 2011 and 2012. From 2015 until 2020, Adam Stevens had one of the most lucrative crew chief jobs in NASCAR, turning the wrenches and calling the shots for Kyle Busch and winning two Cup Series championships in the process of being paired with one of the most brilliant individual talents in the sport. The Most Precise Pit Crews in NASCAR - Bleacher Report It seems as though NASCAR will have to be quick on their feet in order to make the best use of the new wheels, the new pit gun and the new car if theyre to fulfil the promise of a step-up in the Next Gen. A Max Verstappen and Ferrari They both have a lot to prove in their first season at Petty GMS Motorsports. The legend of Noah Gragson continues to grow, as the Xfinity Series superstar will move up to the Cup Series in 2023 as a Rookie of the Year contender and the new driver of the Petty No. pic.twitter.com/VS5s1imzbY. After fielding a part-time Cup team and winning their first race at Indianapolis last year, Kaulig Racing has taken the next step and will field two full-time Cup teams in 2022. 3 last week) Hamlin's second-place run at Kansas was the best effort among the playoff contenders. 2023 will mark Kevin Harvick's 23rd and final season as a NASCAR Cup Series driver, as he announced that he will retire at the end of the season. Bowman finished below his expected finishing position but the No. Haley is a potential breakout candidate for 2023 with veteran crew chief Trent Owens once again calling the shots. Cindric ran seven Cup races in 2021, earning a best finish of 9th at Indianapolis. 6 and co-owner of the newly-renamed RFK Racing. Christopher Bell did not carry his momentum from the Daytona 500 and struggled to find the balance of a bouncy car in Stage 1. Kyle Busch's Pit Crew All-Stars for Qualifying in Texas - US News Its because of the new, bigger socket in front of it. Here is a complete look at the driver and team landscape for the 2023 NASCAR Cup Series season: #1 - Ross Chastain - Trackhouse Racing Chevrolet (Crew Chief: Phil Surgen). (Source - NASCAR.com) 1. 2022 will mark M&M's final season as Busch's primary sponsor, as they will leave NASCAR at season's end. The 2021 Rookie of the Year earned his first career win at Phoenix and went on to finish ninth in the championship standings. Ty Dillon returns to full-time Cup racing in 2022 after spending the 2021 season as a part-time driver, a position he had to settle for after a lack of sponsorship led to his Cup team shutting down at the end of 2020. Ryan Sparks is back as LaJoie's crew chief, while also adding team director of competition duties to his responsibilities. After winning the pole for NASCAR's championship race at Phoenix, Joey Logano showed immediately that he was the class of the field, leading 187 of 312 laps and never truly losing control of the championship battle. Ranking 2022 NASCAR Cup title contenders by stats | NASCAR 14 team really needs a shot in the arm at Las Vegas. Momentarily, it appeared that Reddick might be able to putter back to the finish line and win anyway after straightening his car out. Bubba Wallace likely had higher expectations going to a two-mile track but issues with his No. After competing on a part-time basis in 2022, Team Hezeberg has yet to announce specific plans for 2023. The technical storage or access that is used exclusively for statistical purposes. Rick Ware Racing looks as though it will once again use a variety of drivers in its No. Harvick will continue to be paired with Rodney Childers, who has worked with Harvick since his championship season in 2014. 2022 NASCAR Preseason Power Rankings: Nos. Martin Truex Jr. showed speed and even overcame a wheel falling off the car for an 11th-place finish. Wallace and Barker worked the final eight races together last year and won at Talladega for the first career Cup victory for both. Jerry Kelley is now listed as Ware's crew chief. 12 Team Penske crew | Ryan Blaney Crew chief: Todd Gordon Average four-tire stop: 13.896 seconds 5 of 11 Chris Graythen | Getty Images 7. A pitstop is required if the race car cannot carry all the fuel load required to last the entire race distance. Two top-10 and one 11th-place finish moved Elliott from 19 th to the top spot by the fifth race. The swap was first. #34 - Michael McDowell - Front Row Motorsports Ford (Crew Chief: Blake Harris). Almirola gets a new crew chief for his farewell tour, as Drew Blickensderfer joins Stewart-Haas Racing after winning his second Daytona 500 at Front Row Motorsports. #99 - Daniel Suarez - Trackhouse Racing Chevrolet (Crew Chief: Travis Mack). By. 23 after switching to the No. New NASCAR Cup Series team preparing for debut in early 2023, ESPN might be interested in NASCARs new TV deal for 2025 season, NASCAR reluctant to increase horsepower for the 2023 season, Aric Almirola returns to Stewart-Haas Racing in 2023, Adam Alexander to become the new lap-by-lap announcer for the Truck Series, NASCARs talks with Dodge have stalled, update on new manufacturers, NASCAR results: Practice, qualifying, and race results, Travis Pastrana to run the 2023 Daytona 500 with 23XI Racing, Stewart-Haas Racing preview: Big expectations, predictions for the 2023 season, Jimmie Johnson could drive for Kyle Busch Motorsports in 2023, NASCAR drivers: Cup, Xfinity, and Truck Series entries for the 2023 season, 5 best NASCAR races in the sports modern history, NASCAR: RFK Racing plans to expand to 4 cars in the future, NASCAR standings: Cup, Xfinity, and Truck points during the 2023 season, Martin Truex Jr. gives update on retirement decision ahead of the 2023 season, Hendrick Motorsports preview: Big expectations, predictions for the 2023 season, Team Penske preview: Big expectations, predictions for the 2023 season, NASCAR team previews: 23XI Racing and Trackhouse Racing have big goals for 2023, Kevin Harvick expected to join the FOX Sports booth in 2024, Kyle Larsons big future in the NASCAR Cup Series beyond 2022, Hendrick Motorsports drivers heavily praise Alex Bowman after his contract extension, Christopher Bell is NASCARs new elite closer, Chase Elliott is officially the championship favorite for the 2023 season, Denny Hamlin provides big updates on future at Joe Gibbs Racing, Richard Childress Racing discusses the rebrand of Kyle Buschs No.