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Blaney survives for first NASCAR All-Star Race victory at Texas

By
Andrew Kim
-
FORT WORTH, TEXAS - MAY 22: Ryan Blaney, driver of the #12 Menards/Wrangler Ford, celebrates with the million dollar check in victory lane after winning the NASCAR Cup Series All-Star Race at Texas Motor Speedway on May 22, 2022 in Fort Worth, Texas. (Photo by Jared C. Tilton/Getty Images).

From having the race won to not having it won before officially emerging triumphant under the lights, Ryan Blaney outlasted Denny Hamlin and the field during an overtime shootout to win the 2022 NASCAR All-Star Race at Texas Motor Speedway on Sunday, May 22.

The 28-year-old Blaney from High Point, North Carolina, led a race-high 84 of 140 over-scheduled laps and was initially within striking distance of claiming the checkered flag and the win during the final 50 scheduled laps.

However, an untimely caution due to an incident involving Ricky Stenhouse Jr. sent the event into overtime as part of the All-Star Race format that stated the event could not finish under caution.

Despite initially having issues re-attaching his window net after having it partially down prior to overtime, Blaney managed to streak away from the competition that included his Team Penske teammates and Denny Hamlin to win NASCAR’s annual exhibition event with a million dollars on the line for the first time in his career.

The starting lineup for the event was based on a newly-formatted qualifying session, consisting of a single qualifying lap session before the top-eight competitors transferred to the second round, which was an elimination bracket session. In this session, the drivers competed against one another in a side-by-side four-tire pit stop before drag-racing off of pit road and cycling for a full lap, where the first competitor across the start/finish line would transfer to the following round.

Following all qualifying sessions and rounds, Kyle Busch started in the pole position for the third time in his career. Joining him on the front row was Ryan Blaney. Twenty competitors earned guaranteed spots for the main event and they were joined by Ricky Stenhouse Jr., Chris Buescher, Daniel Suarez and Erik Jones (fan vote), all of whom transferred from the All-Star Open.

Prior to the event, Alex Bowman dropped to the rear of the field after unapproved adjustments were made to his No. 48 Ally Chevrolet Camaro ZL1.

When the green flag waved and the race started, Kyle Busch broke ahead with an early advantage followed by Blaney while teammates William Byron and Kyle Larson battled for third place. Behind, Kurt Busch and Ross Chastain raced one another for fifth place.

Following the first lap, Kyle Busch was out in front ahead of Blaney, Byron, Larson, Chastain, Kurt Busch, Martin Truex Jr., Joey Logano, AJ Allmendinger and Chase Briscoe.

Through the first five laps of the event, Kyle Busch continued to lead by nearly half a second over Blaney followed by Larson, Byron and Kurt Busch while Truex, Chastain, Logano, Allmendinger and Briscoe were in the top 10. Chase Elliott was in 11th followed by Kevin Harvick, Christopher Bell, Bubba Wallace, Aric Almirola, Denny Hamlin, rookie Austin Cindric, Daniel Suarez, Ricky Stenhouse Jr., Alex Bowman, Brad Keselowski, Michael McDowell, Erik Jones and Chris Buescher.

At the Lap 10 mark, Kyle Busch stabilized his advantage to half a second over Blaney while Larson, Byron, Kurt Busch, Chastain, Truex, Logano, Allmendinger and Briscoe remained in the top 10.

Ten laps later, Kyle Busch remained as the leader and led by four-tenths of a second over Blaney while third-place Larson trailed by nearly two seconds. Byron remained in fourth followed by Kurt Busch, Chastain and Truex. By then, Christopher Bell was in ninth behind Logano while Elliott cracked the top 10 ahead of Bubba Wallace, Hamlin, Allmendinger, Suarez and Briscoe.

At the start of the final lap of the first stage, Kyle Busch was leading by nearly half a second over Blaney. Remaining uncontested at the front, Busch was able to cruise his No. 18 M&M’s Toyota TRD Camry back to the start/finish line and win the first stage on Lap 25. With the stage win, Busch was guaranteed to start with the lead for the final stage as long as he remained in the top 15 for the following two stages.

Under the stage break, some of the drivers, led by Kyle Busch, remained on the track while others, led by Byron, pitted.

The second stage started on Lap 26 as Kyle Busch and Blaney occupied the front row once again. At the start, Kyle Busch received a strong push from Chastain to maintain the lead. Blaney got loose behind Chastain entering the first turn, which allowed Kyle Larson to rocket into the runner-up spot while Cindric and Bell also moved into the top five. In the midst of the restart, Blaney was left battling Byron for sixth place.

On Lap 30 and while Kyle Busch remained as the leader. Blaney got into the rear of Chastain through the frontstretch in a bid for third place but got loose and shot up the track toward the outside wall. As a result, Blaney dropped from fourth to sixth. By then, Bubba Wallace had made an unscheduled pit stop under green and was a lap behind the leaders.

By Lap 35, Kyle Busch continued to lead by six-tenths of a second over Larson followed by Chastain, Byron and Cindric. Running in sixth was Suarez followed by Hamlin, Bell, Truex and Elliott.

Just then, the caution flew when Larson, winner of the last two All-Star events, lost a right-front tire and pounded the outside wall hard in Turn 4. Despite limping back to pit road, the damage to his No. 5 HendrickCars.com Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 was terminal as Larson retired in his pit stall.

“[I] Hate that that happened,” Larson, who was released from the infield care center, said on FS1. “I felt like our car was good enough, depending on restarts since you can’t pass at all, especially the leader anyways. It’s pretty impossible to pass. Yeah, we’ll move on and look forward to the [Coca-Cola] 600 and hopefully, put on some good racing there.”

During the caution period, names like McDowell, Wallace, Almirola, Briscoe and Erik Jones pitted while the rest led by Kyle Busch remained on the lead lap.

Following an extensive cleanup, the race proceeded under green on Lap 43. At the start, Kyle Busch and Chastain dueled for the lead for a full lap until Busch managed to pull ahead and clear Chastain for the lead during the following lap. Soon after, Cindric moved his No. 2 Keystone Ford Mustang into the runner-up spot while Blaney and Byron were in the top five. 

By Lap 45, Kyle Busch was leading by nearly half a second over Cindric and Chastain while Blaney and Elliott were in the top five. 

Two laps later, trouble ensued when Kyle Busch cut a right-rear tire and was off the pace through the frontstretch. Just as Busch moved his slow car to the inside lane, he was T-boned by an oncoming Chastain, whose No. 1 Worldwide Express Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 got airborne and nearly flipped as he shot up the track, clipped Elliott’s No. 9 NAPA Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 and sent him hard against the Turn 1 wall while Chastain came to a stop below the apron. The incident, which knocked out all three competitors, was enough for NASCAR to cease the competition for more than 14 minutes.

“I felt like the driver of the No. 1 car chose the wrong lane to go,” Chastain said. “I saw Kyle have an issue, like a tire down, and I guessed left [lane] and I should’ve guessed right. Big hits. Tough break, but fast cars.”

“Just got a flat tire off of [Turn] 4,” Kyle Busch said. “Right rear’s flat. Unfortunate for our guys. Everybody at Joe Gibbs Racing, Toyota, M&M’s. We had a really fast race car. Led all the laps up until that point. Disappointing not to be able to finish it out and go race for the million bucks.”

The second stage resumed with a two-lap, overtime dash and teammates Cindric and Blaney dueled for the lead through the backstretch until the former pulled ahead through Turns 3 and 4 as the field behind jostled for positions. When the second stage concluded on Lap 54, Cindric claimed the second stage victory.

During the stage break, a pit stop competition occurred as all the remaining competitors on the track led by Cindric pitted for four tires. Following the pit stops, Team Penske’s No. 22 Shell/Pennzoil Ford Mustang team, piloted by Joey Logano and led by crew chief Paul Wolfe, was awarded $100,000 for performing the fastest pit stop during the stage break and won the pit stop challenge. With that, Logano was given a guaranteed starting spot toward the front for the fourth and final stage so long as he remained in the top 15 during the third stage.

During the pit stops, Kurt Busch was penalized for driving through too many pit boxes.

The third stage started on Lap 55 as Byron and Blaney occupied the front row. At the start, Suarez gave Byron a bump to enable Byron’s No. 24 Liberty University Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 to the lead while Blaney dueled against Suarez to retain the runner-up spot. With the field stacked up and dueling for spots, Bell was in fourth followed by Cindric.

Two laps later, Blaney moved his No. 12 Menards/Wrangler Ford Mustang to the front ahead of Byron as Bell tried to close in on the two leaders. 

At the halfway mark between Laps 64 and 65, Blaney was leading by more than half a second over Bell followed by Byron, Suarez, Truex, Cindric, Buescher, Hamlin, Stenhouse and Logano while Kurt Busch, Keselowski, Bowman, McDowell, Wallace, Harvick, Erik Jones, Allmendinger, Almirola and Briscoe were still running on the track and on the lead lap.

By Lap 70, Blaney stabilized his advantage to nearly eight-tenths of a second over Bell followed by Byron, Suarez and Truex. Soon after, Stenhouse, who was in ninth, dropped off the pace after his No. 47 Viva Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 sustained a flat right-rear tire.

On Lap 75, the caution returned when Bell, who was in the runner-up spot, got his No. 20 DeWalt Toyota TRD Camry loose as he made contact against the outside wall between Turns 3 and 4.

Under caution, a majority of the field led by Byron pitted while the rest, including Blaney, Cindric, Logano and McDowell remained on the track.

With the third stage sent into another two-lap, overtime shootout, Blaney rocketed away with the lead entering the first turn while his teammates Logano and Cindric struggled to go as they briefly stacked up the field. 

At the start of the final lap of the third stage on Lap 80, Blaney was leading by half a second over teammate Logano, who had Suarez pressuring him for the runner-up spot. By then, Blaney was long gone as he went on to claim the third stage victory on Lap 82. Behind, Suarez was able to overtake Logano for the runner-up spot followed by McDowell, Cindric, Byron, Hamlin, Buescher, Truex and Kurt Busch.

During the stage break and amid the reshuffling of the field, Cindric emerged with the top starting spot for the final stage followed by teammates Logano and Blaney. In addition, names like Cindric, Logano, Blaney, Michael McDowell and Stenhouse pitted while the rest remained on the track.

With the race entering the final stage comprised of 50 laps, the race proceeded under green. At the start, teammates Cindric and Blaney dueled for the lead while Suarez and Logano battled against one another for third place. As Blaney started to pull ahead of Cindric and Logano, Hamlin moved his No. 11 FedEx Toyota TRD Camry against Suarez’s No. 99 Freeway Insurance Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 in a bid for fourth place.

Down to the final 40 laps of the event, Blaney was leading by nearly a second over teammate Cindric while teammate Logano trailed by nearly two seconds. Suarez and Hamlin were in the top five followed by Truex, Byron, Kurt Busch, Buescher and Brad Keselowski while Allmendinger, Bowman, Harvick, Erik Jones, Wallace, Bell, McDowell, Almirola, Stenhouse and Briscoe were still running on the track and on the lead lap.

Just past the final 35 laps of the event, Wallace pitted his No. 23 Dr. Pepper Dark Berry Toyota TRD Camry under green after he suffered a flat tire while Blaney continued to lead ahead of his Team Penske teammates.

With 30 laps remaining, Blaney stabilized his advantage to more than a second over teammate Cindric while teammate Logano trailed in third place by more than three seconds. Suarez and Hamlin remained in the top five ahead of Truex, Byron, Kurt Busch, Buescher and Keselowski.

Two laps later, the caution flew when Erik Jones, the Fan Vote winner, got loose and spun his No. 43 Focus Factor Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 against the outside wall entering Turn 4, with Jones’ car suffering significant damage as the driver retired.

Under caution, a majority of the field led by Hamlin pitted while eight competitors led by Blaney and including Cindric, Logano, Suarez, Buescher, Keselowski and Almirola remained on the track.

With 21 laps remaining, the race resumed under green. At the start, teammates Blaney and Cindric dueled for the lead until Blaney managed to clear the field entering the backstretch. Behind, Suarez moved up to third place while Logano and Hamlin battled for fourth place in front of Buescher, Keselowski and Byron.

Six laps later, Blaney extended his advantage to more than a second over teammate Cindric, who had Hamlin closing in for the spot.

Down to the final 10 laps of the event, Blaney continued to lead by more than two seconds over Hamlin, who overtook Cindric for the runner-up spot three laps earlier. Behind, Suarez and Logano remained in the top five ahead of Buescher, Keselowski, Alex Bowman, Bell and Kurt Busch. Meanwhile, Byron was back in 11th ahead of Harvick, Stenhouse, Allmendinger and Truex.

With five laps remaining, Blaney extended his advantage to nearly three seconds over Hamlin while Cindric, Suarez and Logano were running in the top five. 

When the white flag waved and the final lap started, Blaney remained as the leader by nearly three seconds over Hamlin. Just as Blaney was within reach of crossing the finish line to capture the victory, the caution flew when Stenhouse got into the wall. As part of NASCAR’s policy for this year’s All-Star event to conclude under green, the event was sent into overtime.

During the caution period, some like Harvick, Truex, Almirola and Kurt Busch pitted while the rest led by Blaney, who was struggling to get his window net secured, remained on the track.

During the start of the first overtime attempt, Blaney, who was able to attach his window net to an acceptable rate without having to pit, received a push from teammate Cindric to take off with the lead ahead of Hamlin.

When the white flag waved and the final lap started, Blaney was still out in front of Hamlin and the field. As he cycled his way back to the finish line and with no cautions in the air, Blaney officially crossed the finish line in first place as he cashed in a million dollars.

With the victory, Blaney became the 26th different competitor to win the All-Star Race and recorded the fourth All-Star victory for Team Penske while Ford earned its first All-Star win since 2016 with Joey Logano. The victory was also a first in the Cup Series for crew chief Jonathan Hassler as Blaney also won for the first time in 2022.

“It was about to be real bad for us,” Blaney said on FS1. “I thought the race was over. Everyone thought the race was over. I already had my window net down. I do wanna thank NASCAR for letting me kind of fix it and not make us come down pit road. Yeah, that was really tough and then, having to do it all over again after trying to get that window net back up there. Great car. [Crew chief] Jonathan Hassler, everybody on this No. 12 group did a great job. Can’t thank Menards, Ford enough…This is cool! I know it’s not a points race win, but it’s gonna be a lot of fun. The party’s gonna be pretty big.” 

Hamlin, who won the All-Star Race in 2015, settled in second place but was left fuming over NASCAR’s decision to not penalize Blaney for having his window net not properly secured prior to the overtime attempt.

“You know, it’s tough because he deserved to win the race, but if you mess up and you break a rule – not intentionally, but there’s rules and we have rules in place for safety,” Hamlin said on MRN. “My crew chief is taking four weeks off [a penalty from a pit road infraction earlier in the season] because of safety. I nearly crashed him off of Turn 2 when I got squeezed there. If I send him into traffic and he’s got no window net, then what, right? Luckily, that didn’t happen.”

Cindric, who made his All-Star debut, came home in third place followed by teammate Logano while Suarez, the All-Star Open winner, completed the top five. 

Finishing in the top 10 were Bowman, Allmendinger, Buescher, Keselowski and Bell.

There were three lead changes for four different leaders. The race featured eight cautions for 31 laps. Nineteen of the 24 starters finished the event, with 18 finishing on the lead lap.

Results.

1. Ryan Blaney, 84 laps led

2. Denny Hamlin

3. Austin Cindric, seven laps led

4. Joey Logano

5. Daniel Suarez

6. Alex Bowman

7. AJ Allmendinger

8. Chris Buescher

9. Brad Keselowski

10. Christopher Bell

11. William Byron, two laps led

12. Aric Almirola

13. Kurt Busch

14. Martin Truex Jr.

15. Michael McDowell

16. Bubba Wallace

17. Kevin Harvick

18. Chase Briscoe

19. Ricky Stenhouse Jr., one lap down

20. Erik Jones – OUT, Accident

21. Kyle Busch – OUT, Accident, 47 laps led

22. Ross Chastain – OUT, Accident

23. Chase Elliott – OUT, Accident

24. Kyle Larson – OUT, Accident

Next on the 2022 NASCAR Cup Series schedule is Charlotte Motor Speedway in Concord, North Carolina, for the Coca-Cola 600 on Sunday, May 29, during Memorial Day weekend. The event is scheduled to start at 6 p.m. ET on FOX.

Stenhouse, Buescher, Suarez and Jones transfer to 2022 All-Star Race from the All-Star Open

By
Andrew Kim
-
Photo by James Gilbert/Getty Images).

Ricky Stenhouse Jr., Chris Buescher, Daniel Suarez and Erik Jones completed the starting grid for the 2022 NASCAR All-Star Race after transferring from the NASCAR All-Star Open at Texas Motor Speedway on Sunday, May 22. Stenhouse, Buescher and Suarez raced their way into the main event after each claimed a stage victory, respectively, while Jones was revealed as the Fan Vote winner, thus claiming the final spot of the 24-car grid for the All-Star event.

With the starting lineup based on on-track qualifying occurring on Saturday, Tyler Reddick initially qualified on pole position after posting a pole-winning lap at 186.981 mph in 28.880 seconds. He, however, dropped to the rear of the field due to unapproved adjustments made to his No. 8 Richard Childress Racing Chevrolet Camaro ZL1. As a result, Daniel Suarez, who posted a qualifying lap at 186.903 mph in 28.892 seconds, and Ricky Stenhouse Jr., who qualified with a fast lap at 186.490 mph in 28.965 seconds, started on the front row.

Prior to the event, Justin Haley joined Reddick at the rear of the field due to unapproved adjustments made to his No. 31 Kaulig Racing Chevrolet Camaro ZL1.

When the green flag waved and the race started, Stenhouse and Suarez dueled for the lead for nearly a full lap before the former pulled ahead entering the frontstretch as he led the first lap. At the same time, Chris Buescher overtook Suarez for the runner-up spot while Austin Dillon was up in fourth ahead of Erik Jones and rookie Harrison Burton.

Through the first five laps of the event, Stenhouse was leading by three-tenths of a second over Buescher followed by Suarez, Erik Jones and Austin Dillon while Burton, Corey LaJoie, Reddick, Haley and Ty Dillon were in the top 10.

By Lap 10, Stenhouse continued to lead by eight-tenths of a second over Buescher. Meanwhile, Reddick, who started at the rear of the field, was up in sixth place after he overtook Harrison Burton.

With five laps remaining in the first stage, Stenhouse extended his advantage to more than a second over Buescher followed by Suarez and Austin Dillon while Reddick was up in fifth ahead of Erik Jones. By then, Haley, who also started at the rear of the field, was in seventh in front of Burton, LaJoie and Ty Dillon. 

At the start of the final lap of the first stage on Lap 19, Stenhouse remained as the leader by one-and-a-half seconds over Buescher. Remaining uncontested for a final full cycle, Stenhouse captured the first stage victory on Lap 20 and secured a spot in the 2022 All-Star Race, which will mark his fourth appearance in the million dollar event.

“Our Viva Camaro took off really, really strong there,” Stenhouse said. “All the Kroger team’s been working hard these last few weeks and we’ve been getting results, which is nice. Now, we get to go race for a million bucks and be in the big show, which was disappointing. We sat and watched it last year, so it feels really good. We’ll make some changes, make some adjustments and [I] got a better idea of what my car was doing there. Hopefully, we can run up through the field.” 

Under the stage break, the remainder of the field led by Buescher pitted. Following the pit stops, Haley and BJ McLeod were sent to the rear of the field due to uncontrolled tire violations.

The second stage started on Lap 20 as LaJoie and Suarez occupied the front row. At the start, LaJoie took off with the lead followed by Suarez as the field scrambled and jostled behind for positions. When the field returned to the start/finish line, LaJoie was out in front ahead of Suarez and Buescher while Reddick was in fourth ahead of Erik Jones.

Then on Lap 26 and as Suarez started to pressure LaJoie for the lead, the caution flew when Landon Cassill got loose, spun and made hard contact against the outside wall through Turns 3 and 4.

When the race restarted on Lap 31, LaJoie and Suarez dueled for the lead through the backstretch until Buescher pulled a bold three-wide move on both through Turns 3 and 4 in a bid for the lead. When the field returned to the start/finish line, Buescher emerged out in front followed by Suarez and Reddick while LaJoie was back in front of Erik Jones.

By Lap 35, Buescher was leading by three-tenths of a second over Suarez followed by Reddick, Erik Jones and LaJoie while Austin Dillon was in sixth.

At the start of the final lap of the second stage on Lap 39, Buescher stabilized his advantage to three-tenths of a second over Suarez. Despite having Suarez close within his rearview mirror, Buescher was able to fend off the competition to win the second stage on Lap 40 and race his way into the 2022 All-Star Race, which will mark his second appearance in the event as both Roush Fenway Keselowski Racing competitors will contend for a million dollars.

“That was cool to be able to race our way in with our Fastenal Mustang,” Buescher said. “It was aggressive racing like we know it is when we come to the All-Star and these short runs. Get to watch them get it there side by side. I see [LaJoie] start slipping up the hill and I’m like, ‘We got to commit.’ It was cool. Had a good push down the front straightaway, had to be really protective into [Turn] 1. That grip was just starting to come in, so I’m pretty curious to see where the end of this race goes and really excited for the All-Star now.” 

Under the stage break, some like Cole Custer, LaJoie pitted while the rest led by Suarez remained on the track. Following the pit stops, Custer was penalized for an uncontrolled tire violation.

With 10 laps remaining, the final stage commenced under green. At the start, Suarez and Reddick, both of whom started on the front row, dueled for the lead through the backstretch until Suarez managed to clear Reddick through Turns 3 and 4 to assume the lead. 

Then with eight laps remaining, the caution flew when Reddick got loose entering Turns 3 and 4 and spun several times in the middle of the track. As the field scrambled to avoid Reddick’s spinning car, Harrison Burton collided into Reddick past the start/finish line. The incident spoiled Reddick’s opportunity to compete in the All-Star Race along for Harrison Burton.

When the race restarted with eight laps remaining, Suarez took off with a strong launch from the field as Austin Dillon moved into the runner-up spot followed by Erik Jones. 

As the field returned to the start/finish line, Suarez was out in front by two-tenths of a second over Austin Dillon followed by Justin Haley, Erik Jones and LaJoie while Ty Dillon was up in sixth place.

Down to the final five laps of the event, Suarez was leading by eight-tenths of a second over Austin Dillon while third-place Haley trailed by more than a second.

When the white flag waved and the final lap was underway, Suarez continued to lead by more than a second over both Austin Dillon and Haley. Having no challengers coming close to his rear bumper, Suarez cycled his way back to the finish line as he won the All-Star Open for the second time in his career and earn a one-way trip to the All-Star Race for the third time in his career. Suarez’s accomplishment meant that both Trackhouse Racing competitors earned a spot for the All-Star event.

“I only wished I had to run 20 [laps], but we had to run the whole 50,” Suarez said. “Overall, just very proud of my team. Every time that I’ve been part of the All-Star Race, it’s always a lot of fun. It’s just about fun, not with the trophy. What I love the most is the part about going out there in a stage with a pit crew, with a team, everybody having a good time. I’m so happy that I’m gonna be able to do this with my No. 99 crew: Trackhouse Racing.”

In the midst of the conclusion of the event, Erik Jones, who finished in fifth place, earned the 24th and final spot after being named the Fan Vote winner. As a result, Jones earned a spot for the All-Star event for the third time in his career.

“[I] Appreciate the fans,” Jones said. “I never thought I’d have a shot to win [the Fan Vote], but the No. 43 fans are pretty strong. Been struggling a bit, but we’ll make some big changes here for tonight. Hopefully, give’em a run for it.”

Austin Dillon finished in second place, but was one of 12 competitors who did not make the 2022 All-Star Race along with Justin Haley, Corey LaJoie, Ty Dillon, Cole Custer, Todd Gilliland, Cody Ware, Garrett Smithley, BJ McLeod, Tyler Reddick, Harrison Burton and Landon Cassill.

There were four lead changes for four different leaders. The race featured four cautions for eight laps.

Results.

1. Daniel Suarez – Stage 3 winner, 10 laps led

2. Austin Dillon

3. Justin Haley

4. Corey LaJoie, 11 laps led

5. Erik Jones – Fan Vote winner

6. Ty Dillon

7. Cole Custer

8. Todd Gilliland

9. Cody Ware

10. Garrett Smithley

11. BJ McLeod

12. Tyler Reddick – OUT, Accident

13. Harrison Burton – OUT, Accident

14. Chris Buescher – Stage 2 winner, nine laps led

15. Landon Cassill – OUT, Accident

16. Ricky Stenhouse Jr. – Stage 1 winner, 20 laps led

The 2022 NASCAR All-Star Race at Texas Motor Speedway will follow suit on Sunday, May 22, at 8 p.m. ET on FS1.

Verstappen assumes championship lead with Spanish Grand Prix victory

By
Andrew Kim
-

Making another emphatic statement in his quest to defend his world championship, Max Verstappen completed a late overtake on teammate Sergio “Checo” Perez before sprinting away to win the Spanish Grand Prix at Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya on Sunday, May 22.

The 24-year-old Dutchman driving for Oracle Red Bull Racing rallied from a rocky start early in the event, where he got loose and slipped into the gravel trap in Turn 4 while running in second place on the ninth lap. Through pit strategy, Verstappen, who led seven laps midway into the event, spent the majority of the event battling against Mercedes’ George Russell and teammate Sergio “Checo” Perez towards the front. After making his final pit stop on Lap 45 to remain ahead of Russell in the runner-up spot behind Perez, the latter, under team orders, was told to let his teammate overtake him, which he did on Lap 49. From there, Verstappen, who led a total of 24 of 66 laps, muscled away to claim the victory by more than 13 seconds over teammate Perez.

The victory at Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya marked Verstappen’s second career win in the Spanish Grand Prix since 2016, where he claimed his maiden F1 victory in his first event driving for Red Bull Racing. It also marked his fourth victory of the season and the 24th of his Grand Prix career. With initial points leader Charles Leclerc retiring in last place due to a turbo issue, Verstappen emerged with the lead in the drivers’ championship standings for the first time this season.

“It was a tricky one,” Verstappen said. “I don’t know why I went off on Turn 4. I braked at the same point and suddenly, I just completely lost the rear [tyres]…Nothing, really, was lost because I was fighting with George [Russell]. My DRS stopped working. That was very frustrating at the time. I was very upset, but at that point, you have to try to live with it. I tried to do the best I could. We opted to go with a different route with the strategy and I think that also made us win today because once I was in clean air, I could do my own lap times again and I could actually pull a big gap on the cars around me. That was very positive. We have to be realistic. Without Charles’ retirement, he probably would have won the race. We are lacking in bit of pace, so we have to make that we keep on working to try and improve the car.”

Despite expressing his frustration over the team’s order to, Perez, who pitted for a final time for soft tyres on Lap 54, managed to claim an extra bonus point for logging in the fastest lap of the event as he finished in second place for the third time this season. With that, Oracle Red Bull Racing managed to claim its second 1-2 finish of the season.

“It’s a difficult one to digest,” Perez, who led 12 laps, said. “It turned out to be that the three stop [strategy] was a better strategy. I think I didn’t have a very optimize two stop [strategy]. At the end of the day, it’s a great team result…I’m definitely here to win. I think if I was on the three stop [strategy], I should have won the race.”

After spending the majority of the event battling against Verstappen, George Russell, who led four laps, completed the podium in third place for his second podium result in his first campaign with Mercedes-AMG Petronas F1 Team

“We’re not back just yet, but we’re definitely on the right path,” Russell said. “It’s been six races worth of problem solving. We finally found the solutions to our problems and now, we can focus on brining more performance. This is the start of our season. I don’t think we’ll make any major strides for next week, but I think we will do in the coming races.”

Carlos Sainz rallied from spinning on the seventh lap to come home in fourth place in front of Sir Lewis Hamilton, who backed out of the throttle due to late overheating issues.

Valtteri Bottas finished in sixth place for his fifth points-paying result in his first campaign with Alfa Romeo F1 Team Orlen followed by Esteban Ocon, Lando Norris, Fernando Alonso and Yuki Tsunoda.

The first competitor to finish outside of the top-10 points-paying results was Sebastian Vettel followed by Daniel Ricciardo, Pierre Gasly, Mick Schumacher and Lance Stroll.

Nicholas Latifi settled in 16th place, two laps behind the leaders, followed by Kevin Magnussen, whose strong start in the top 10 was spoiled by an opening lap collision with Hamilton that damaged his Haas VF-22. Alexander Albon, Latifi’s teammate at Williams Racing, ended up in 18th place after being hit with a five-second track limits penalty.

Rookie Guanyu Zhou suffered his second consecutive DNF of the season after retiring in 19th place nearing the halfway mark of the event.

Charles Leclerc, the championship leader who started on pole position, led the first 26 laps before falling off the pace and retiring in last place due to a turbo issue to his Ferrari F1-75.

Results:

1. Max Verstappen, 25 points

2. Sergio Perez, 19 points

3. George Russell, 15 points

4. Carlos Sainz, 12 points

5. Lewis Hamilton, 10 points

6. Valtteri Bottas, eight points

7. Esteban Ocon, six points

8. Lando Norris, four points

9. Fernando Alonso, two points, +1 lap

10. Yuki Tsunoda, one point, +1 lap

11. Sebastian Vettel, +1 lap

12. Daniel Ricciardo, +1 lap

13. Pierre Gasly, +1 lap

14. Mick Schumacher, +1 lap

15. Lance Stroll, +1 lap

16. Nicholas Latifi, +2 laps

17. Kevin Magnussen, +2 laps

18. Alexander Albon, +2 laps

19. Guanyu Zhou – OUT, Retired

20. Charles Leclerc – OUT, Retired, 26 laps led

With his victory, Max Verstappen leads the drivers’ standings by six points over Charles Leclerc, 25 over teammate Sergio Perez, 36 over George Russell, 45 over Carlos Sainz and 64 over Sir Lewis Hamilton. 

Currently, Red Bull Racing RBPT leads the constructors’ standings by 26 points over Ferrari, 75 over Mercedes, 145 over McLaren Mercedes, 156 over Alfa Romeo Ferrari and 161 over Alpine Renault.

Next on the 2022 Formula One schedule is Circuit de Monaco for the Monaco Grand Prix, which will occur on May 29.

CHEVY NCS AT TEXAS ALL-STAR : Post-Qualifying Notes

By
Official Release
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NASCAR CUP SERIES
TEXAS MOTOR SPEEDWAY
NASCAR ALL-STAR RACE
TEAM CHEVY POST-QUALIFYING NOTES
MAY 21, 2022

TEAM CHEVY UNOFFICIAL NASCAR ALL-STAR RACE QUALIFYING RESULTS:
POS. DRIVER
3rd WILLIAM BYRON, NO. 24 LIBERTY UNIVERSITY CAMARO ZL1
4th KYLE LARSON, NO. 5 HENDRICKCARS.COM CAMARO ZL1
6th ROSS CHASTASIN, NO. 1 WORLDWIDE EXPRESS CAMARO ZL1
10th AJ ALLMENDINGER, NO. 16 ANDY’S FROZEN CUSTARD CAMARO ZL1
13th CHASE ELLIOTT, NO. 9 NAPA AUTO PARTS CAMARO ZL1
20th ALEX BOWMAN, NO. 48 ALLY CAMARO ZL1

TOP-FIVE UNOFFICIAL NASCAR ALL-STAR RACE QUALIFYING RESULTS:

POS. DRIVER
1st Kyle Busch (Toyota)
2nd Ryan Blaney (Ford)
3rd William Byron (Chevrolet)
4th Kyle Larson (Chevrolet)
5th Kurt Busch (Toyota)

TEAM CHEVY UNOFFICIAL NASCAR ALL-STAR OPEN QUALIFYING RESULTS:
POS. DRIVER
1st TYLER REDDICK, NO. 8 GUARANTEED RATE CAMARO ZL1
2nd DANIEL SUAREZ, NO. 99 FREEWAY INSURANCE CAMARO ZL1
3rd RICKY STENHOUSE JR., NO. 47 KROGER/WISE CAMARO ZL1
4th ERIK JONES, NO. 43 FOCUSFACTOR CAMARO ZL1
6th JUSTIN HALEY, NO. 31 LEAFFILTER GUTTER PROTECTION CAMARO ZL1
7th AUSTIN DILLON, NO. 3 BASS PRO SHOPS/TRACKER OFF ROAD CAMARO ZL1
8th COREY LAJOIE, NO. 7 BUILT.COM CAMARO ZL1
11th LANDON CASSILL, NO. 77 SHELTON ENERGY SOLUTIONS CAMARO ZL1
12th TY DILLON, NO. 42 FERRIS CAMARO ZL1

TOP-FIVE UNOFFICIAL NASCAR ALL-STAR OPEN QUALIFYING RESULTS:
POS. DRIVER
1st Tyler Reddick (Chevrolet)
2nd Daniel Suarez (Chevrolet)
3rd Ricky Stenhouse Jr. (Chevrolet)
4th Erik Jones (Chevrolet)
5th Chris Buescher (Ford)

· Nine Chevrolet Camaro ZL1’s will take on the NASCAR All-Star Open for the chance to race their way into the 125-lap NASCAR All-Star Race.

· The starting lineup for the NASCAR All-Star Open was determined by a single-car, single-lap qualifying run. Chevrolet swept the top-four starting spots of the NASCAR All-Star Open, with Tyler Reddick to lead the field to the green from the pole position.

· Joining Reddick in the top-five of the NASCAR All-Star Open starting lineup includes: Daniel Suarez (2nd), Ricky Stenhouse Jr. (3rd) and Erik Jones (4th).

· The starting lineup for the NASCAR All-Star Race was determined by a unique format introduced to the event. Qualifying was split up into two rounds, with round one utilizing a single-car, single-lap qualifying format with the top-eight fastest cars moving to the round two.

· Round two featured a three-round, elimination-style bracket, with pit crews playing a vital role in the battle for the pole. During each elimination round, pit crews performed a four-tire stop, with the driver then racing back to the start/finish line and the fastest advancing on until the polesitter is crowned.

· In Round One, William Byron topped the leaderboard of the 20-car NASCAR All-Star field. Also advancing to Round Two for the bowtie brigade included defending All-Star winner, Kyle Larson, and All-Star rookie, Ross Chastain.

· The Hendrick Motorsports pit crews for the No. 24 Camaro ZL1 and No. 5 Camaro ZL1 were fastest in their first stops to moved forward to the next round. Falling just short on the second stops for both teams in their respective stops, both cars were eliminated from the bracket.

· William Byron will lead Chevrolet in the NASCAR All-Star Race lineup from the third starting spot in his No. 24 Liberty University Camaro ZL1. Kyle Larson, No, 5 HendrickCars.com Camaro ZL1, will join his Hendrick Motorsports’ teammate on the outside of row two. Ross Chastain, No. 1 Worldwide Express Camaro ZL1, will start sixth.

· FS1 will air tomorrow’s NASCAR Cup Series All-Star action, starting with the All-Star Open at 4:30 p.m. ET, followed by the 125-lap All-Star Race at 8 p.m. ET. Live coverage of both events can also be found on MRN and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio Channel 90.

Team Chevy high-resolution racing photos are available for editorial use.

About Chevrolet
Founded in 1911 in Detroit, Chevrolet is now one of the world’s largest car brands, available in 79 countries with more than 3.2 million cars and trucks sold in 2020. Chevrolet models include electric and fuel-efficient vehicles that feature engaging performance, design that makes the heart beat, passive and active safety features and easy-to-use technology, all at a value. More information on Chevrolet models can be found at www.chevrolet.com.

Toyota Racing NCS All-Star Qualifying Quotes — Kyle Busch & Ben Beshore (crew chief)

By
Official Release
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All-Star Race Qualifying | Saturday, May 21, 2022

1st – KYLE BUSCH
2nd – Ryan Blaney*
3rd – William Byron*
4th – Kyle Larson*
5th – KURT BUSCH
7th – MARTIN TRUEX JR.
14th – CHRISTOPHER BELL
16th – DENNY HAMLIN
17th – BUBBA WALLACE
*non-Toyota driver

KYLE BUSCH, No. 18 M&M’s Toyota Camry TRD

What does it mean to earn the pole for the All-Star race and did you enjoy the format?

“Anytime you’re able to showcase the pit crews ability and have them and their athleticism in this competition and in this qualifying format., I enjoy that. I think that’s my most favorite part of the year, coming to the All-Star race. Whether it’s Charlotte and coming down pit road and sliding into the box, but having those guys go over the wall certainly means a lot, Especially this No. 18 bunch that I’ve had a lot of success with over the years, obviously changed up a few times, most recently, but we’ve always been a threat to be reckoned with when it comes to getting on the pole for the All-Star race. It feels good to have that today.”

BEN BESHORE, crew chief, No. 18 M&M’s Toyota Camry TRD

What does it mean to earn the pole for the All-Star race through this qualifying format?

“This is a cool event. A good way to showcase our pit crew and they did a great job. They put in a lot of hard work this off-season and throughout the year. They clicked off awesome stops there and it’s exciting!”

Ford Performance NASCAR: NCS All-Star Race Qualifying

By
Official Release
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Ford Performance Notes and Quotes
NASCAR Cup Series
All-Star Race Qualifying | Saturday, May 21, 2022

Ford All-Star Qualifying Results
2nd – Ryan Blaney
8th – Aric Almirola
9th – Joey Logano
11th – Chase Briscoe
12th – Austin Cindric
15th – Kevin Harvick
18th – Brad Keselowski
19th – Michael McDowell

Ford All-Star Open Qualifying Results:
5th – Chris Buescher
9th – Harrison Burton
10th – Cole Custer
13th – Cody Ware
14th – Todd Gilliland
15th – Garrett Smithley
16th – BJ McLeod

RYAN BLANEY, No. 12 Menards Ford Mustang — Qualified 2nd

WHAT DID YOU THINK OF THAT ELIMINATION FORMAT? WAS IT FUN FOR YOU? “It was decent I guess. It was better than doing nothing. It puts a big emphasis on the pit crew, for sure. Our only job is to not stall it getting to the box and stop on the sign. I think a couple of guys did stall. It puts a big emphasis on those guys and their skillset. I am saying it is good because it worked out decent for us. If it went bad for us I would be saying the opposite. It was unique and I thought our guys did a good job. We got hurt on the lane choice there. I thought the bottom was better but we aren’t in a bad spot for tomorrow.”

ON THE POLE RUN, IT WAS PRETTY MUCH JUST THAT HE COULD GET A BETTER LAUNCH FROM THAT LANE? “Yeah, I thought our stop was honestly a little faster than his. I was on the top for the first round, bottom in the second round, and top in the last round. I could notice a big difference. The bottom launched a lot better after you got done with your stop. Whether it was cleaner or whatever it was, fresh asphalt or something. It just seemed to launch better. It is one of those things. I was hoping that the 5 would beat the 18 in their round because then I would have had lane choice but it just didn’t work out that way.”

KYLE BUSCH DEFEATS BLANEY IN HEAD-TO-HEAD MATCH UP TO EARN POLE FOR NASCAR ALL-STAR RACE

By
Official Release
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FORT WORTH, Texas (May 21, 2022) – Kyle Busch and the No. 18 Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota will start from the pole position for Sunday’s NASCAR All-Star Race after defeating Ryan Blaney and the No. 12 Team Penske Ford in a head-to-head matchup for the $1 million-to-win non-points race at Texas Motor Speedway.

Each driver had to win two rounds of competition to make the final-round pairing for the opportunity to then lead the 24-car field for Sunday evening’s 125-lap race.

Sunday’s on-track schedule begins with The NASCAR Open for non-all-star qualifiers at 4:30 p.m., with three drivers transferring to the All-Star Race due to their on-track performance and one more earning a spot from the fan vote. Following the Blake Shelton concert that begins at 5:30 p.m., the NASCAR All-Star Race will begin at 7 p.m. (TV: FS1, Radio: MRN, SiriusXM Radio, 95.9 The Ranch).

The first-of-its-kind format began with a traditional single-car, one-lap opening round. From there, the fastest eight qualifiers transferred to a three-round, head-to-head eliminations bracket featuring two cars staged in adjacent pit stalls near the end of pit road. At the sound of an alert, each pit crew performed a four-tire stop and, at the drop of the jack, drivers exited their pit stalls (with no speed limit) onto the track. The first car back to the start/finish line advanced to the next round with the final pairing competing for the pole.

William Byron was quickest in the first round of NASCAR All-Star Race qualifying, with a best single-lap run of 28.528 seconds at 189.288 mph in his No. 24 Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet. The balance of the top eight qualifiers moving on to the single-elimination bracket were Blaney, Kurt Busch, Kyle Busch, Martin Truex, Jr., Kyle Larson, Ross Chastain, and Aric Almirola.

In the Round of 8, Byron defeated Almirola, Blaney got around Chastain, Larson ended Kurt Busch’s competition, and Kyle Busch got past JGR teammate Truex.

In the Round of 4, the final pairing was set when Blaney got by Byron and Larson stalled at the starting lights to give Busch an uncontested run to the start/finish.

Saturday Evening’s NASCAR All-Star Race Notebook: Denny Hamlin posted the top speed in NASCAR All-Star Race practice with a best lap of 28.838 mph at 187.253 mph in the No. 11 Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota … Tyler Reddick earned the pole for the NASCAR All-Star Open after topping the charts in both practice and qualifying with a fast practice lap of 29.059 seconds at 185.829 mph and then a qualifying run of 28.880 at 188 … Busch was presented a Henry Big Boy Texas Tribute edition rifle in Speedy Cash Victory Lane.

For more ticket information, please visit www.texasmotorspeedway.com.

MORE INFO:
Keep track of all of Texas Motor Speedway’s busy schedule by following on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram. Keep up with all the latest news and information on the speedway website and TMS mobile app.

Things Buyers Need to Do Before Making a Car Purchase

By
SM
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Photo by Negative Space

Making your decision to buy your first car can be a big one. It’s a huge commitment and purchase that will significantly impact your life, so you will want to be sure that you making the right choice. It is easy to forget some of the essential things with all of the excitement that comes with buying your first car. To help you out, we’ve compiled a shortlist telling you what you need to add to your car-buying to-do list.

Do Your Research

Before you start shopping for your first car, it’s important to do your research. First, you need to figure out what kind of car you want and can afford. Do you want a new or used car? A sedan or SUV? What size engine do you need?

Once you’ve narrowed down your options, it’s time to look at prices. Compare the car prices from private sellers and several different dealerships. Be sure to factor in the cost of insurance, gas, and repairs.

The Ford Bronco Raptor is a popular choice for its durability and ruggedness, but it’s important to consider all aspects of owning one before making your decision. Also, consider the resale value of the car, as you may want to upgrade in a few years.

Read some online reviews to learn about other people’s experiences with different makes and models of the cars that you are interested in. With a bit of research on your part, you will be able to find the perfect car for your needs and budget. It will also help to find a reliable mechanic in your area after finding the car you wish to buy. This will make any car maintenance that you might need a lot easier.

For example, if you are after a Subaru car, make sure you are already looking for a local Subaru mechanic. If you are in the Nampa, ID area, you search for used car Nampa and find a car local.

The right mechanic can help you keep your car running smoothly for years to come. Now, you will not have to start looking for one when something goes wrong with your car.

Get an Inspection

Once you’ve found the perfect car, it’s time for a professional inspection. This step is crucial because it can help you avoid buying a lemon. A mechanic will be able to identify any potential problems with the car and let you know if it’s worth the purchase.

If you’re buying a used car, it’s imperative to get an inspection. A used car may have hidden damage that you can’t see just by looking at it. An inspection can give you peace of mind and help you avoid making a costly mistake.

Test Drive the Car

One of the most common mistakes is not testing driving the car before purchasing. There are a few reasons why this is important.

  • It gives you a chance to make sure that the car is comfortable for you. This is especially important if you’re tall or have long legs. You want to make sure that you can reach the pedals and that you have enough headroom.
  • It’s an excellent opportunity to see how the car handles. Take it for a spin on the highway and in stop-and-go traffic. See how it accelerates and brakes.
  • This is your chance to make sure that all the features of the car are working properly. Check the AC, the radio, and the power windows.

Test driving a car may seem like a hassle, but it’s worth taking the time to do it right. After all, you’ll be spending a lot of time in your new car, so you want to be sure that it’s precisely what you’re looking for.

Get Your Financing in Order

Unless you’re paying cash, you’ll need to obtain a loan from a bank or credit union. And the better your credit score, the lower your interest rate will be. So if you’re not sure what your credit score is, now is the time to find out.

You can get a free copy of your credit report from each major credit reporting agency once per year. Once you know your score, you can start shopping for a loan. Be sure to compare rates from multiple lenders to ensure that you’re getting the best deal possible.

Getting your financing in order before buying your first car will save you time and money in the long run. This will also help avoid any stressful situations if you’re not approved for a loan.

Get Insurance

Another critical step in the car buying process is getting insurance. You’ll need to have insurance before driving your new car off the lot.

There are a few things to keep in mind when shopping for insurance. First, you’ll need to decide what type of coverage you want. Then, you’ll need to get quotes from multiple insurers to compare rates.

Keep in mind that the cheapest option is not always the best. You want to be sure that you’re getting quality coverage at a price you can afford.

By following these steps, you’ll be well on your way to buying your first car. Just remember to take your time and do your research. With a bit of preparation, you’ll be driving your new car in no time.

Kyle Busch claims pole position for the 2022 NASCAR All-Star Race

By
Andrew Kim
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FORT WORTH, TEXAS - MAY 21: Kyle Busch, driver of the #18 M&M's Crunchy Cookie Toyota, and crew celebrate winning the pole award during the elimination bracket qualifying for the NASCAR Cup Series All-Star Race at Texas Motor Speedway on May 21, 2022 in Fort Worth, Texas. (Photo by Jared C. Tilton/Getty Images).

With his pit crew executing three flawless services and the driver prevailing through three head-to-head drag races from pit road to the finish line, Kyle Busch earned the pole position for the 2022 NASCAR All-Star Race at Texas Motor Speedway on Saturday, May 21.

The two-time Cup Series champion from Las Vegas, Nevada, was one of eight competitors along with William Byron, Aric Almirola, Kyle Busch, Martin Truex Jr., Ryan Blaney, Ross Chastain, Kurt Busch and Kyle Larson to transfer from the single-car qualifying session as part of the sport’s new qualifying format for those already guaranteed a spot for the annual All-Star event. He then went head-to-head and prevailed against teammate Martin Truex Jr. and Kyle Larson through two rounds of the new elimination bracket qualifying session that placed heavy emphasis towards the pit crew performing a four-tire pit stop in a side-by-side duel with two competitors before the competitors exited pit road with no speed limit and raced one another back to the start/finish line to transfer to the following round.

After transferring all the way to the third and final elimination bracket qualifying session, Busch received another strong pit stop from his pit crew before he outlasted a single-lap duel from the pit road exit against Ryan Blaney to beat Blaney’s No. 12 Team Penske Ford Mustang back to the start/finish line and claim the top-starting spot for the sport’s annual All-Star event scheduled for Sunday, May 22, with a million dollars on the line.

Busch’s pole for the 2022 All-Star event marks his third time starting on pole for the event and his first since 2012. He will attempt to win his second All-Star event since winning his first at Charlotte Motor Speedway in 2017.

“Anytime you’re able to showcase the pit crew’s ability and have them and their athleticism in this competition, in this qualifying format, I enjoy that,” Busch, whose best qualifying lap occurred at 189.115 mph in 28.554 seconds, said. “I think that’s my most favorite part of the year is coming to the All-Star Race, and whether it’s been Charlotte and coming down pit road and sliding into the box and whatnot. But having those guys go over the wall certainly means a lot, especially the No. 18 bunch that I’ve had a lot of success with over the years. It’s obviously changed up a few times, most recently, but you know, we’ve always been a threat to be reckoned with when it comes to getting on the pole for the All-Star Race. So it feels good to have that today.”

“This is a cool event,” Ben Beshore, crew chief for Kyle Busch, added. “It’s something new. A good way to showcase our pit crew. They did a great job. They put in a lot of hard work this offseason and throughout the beginning of the year. and they clicked off three really good stops there and got it. So that’s exciting.”

Blaney, who lost to Kyle Busch in the final elimination bracket session, will start on the front row in second place as he pursues his first All-Star victory.

Teammates William Byron and Kyle Larson, both of whom were eliminated following the second elimination bracket round, will start third and fourth, respectively.

Kurt Busch, Ross Chastain, Martin Truex Jr. and Aric Almirola, all of whom were eliminated following the first elimination bracket round, will start fifth, sixth, seventh and eighth, respectively.

Joey Logano, the first competitor who did not transfer to the elimination round bracket, will start the All-Star event in ninth place as he will share the fifth row with AJ Allmendinger. They will start in front of Chase Briscoe, rookie Austin Cindric, Chase Elliott, Christopher Bell, Kevin Harvick, Denny Hamlin, Bubba Wallace, Brad Keselowski, Michael McDowell and Alex Bowman, respectively.

Results:

1. Kyle Busch, 189.115 mph, 28.554 seconds

2. Ryan Blaney, 189.043 mph, 28.565 seconds

3. William Byron, 189.288 mph, 28.528 seconds

4. Kyle Larson, 188.600 mph, 28.632 seconds

5. Kurt Busch, 188.679 mph, 28.620 seconds

6. Ross Chastain, 188.003 mph, 28.723 seconds

7. Martin Truex Jr., 187.679 mph, 28.620 seconds

8. Aric Almirola, 187.715 mph, 28.767 seconds

9. Joey Logano, 187.650 mph, 28.777 seconds

10. AJ Allmendinger, 187.454 mph, 28.807 seconds

11. Chase Briscoe, 187.357 mph, 28.822 seconds

12. Austin Cindric, 187.305 mph, 28.830 seconds

13. Chase Elliott, 187.298 mph, 28.831 seconds

14. Christopher Bell, 187.279 mph, 28.834 seconds

15. Kevin Harvick, 187.084 mph, 28.864 seconds

16. Denny Hamlin, 186.909 mph, 28.891 seconds

17. Bubba Wallace, 186.825 mph, 28.891 seconds

18. Brad Keselowski, 186.800 mph, 28.908 seconds

19. Michael McDowell, 186.625 mph, 28.935 seconds

20. Alex Bowman, 186.136 mph, 29.011 seconds

*Bold indicates finalists of elimination bracket qualifying session.

Earlier in the day, Tyler Reddick, who is one of 16 competitors that are currently not eligible for the main event, claimed the pole position for the 2022 NASCAR All-Star Open after posting a pole-winning, single qualifying lap at 186.981 mph at 28.880 seconds. Joining him on the front row will be Daniel Suarez, who posted a fast qualifying lap at 186.903 mph in 28.892 seconds.

Ricky Stenhouse Jr., Erik Jones, Chris Buescher, Justin Haley, Austin Dillon, Corey LaJoie, rookie Harrison Burton and Cole Custer will start the Open in the top 10, respectively.

The All-Star Open, which will occur prior to the All-Star Race, will consist of three stages: 20 laps, 20 laps and 10 laps, respectively. The winner of each stage along with the Fan Vote winner will transfer their way into the All-Star Race, with the main event featuring a total of 24 competitors.

Results:

1. Tyler Reddick, 186.981 mph, 28.880 seconds

2. Daniel Suarez, 186.903 mph, 28.892 seconds

3. Ricky Stenhouse Jr., 186.490 mph, 28.956 seconds

4. Erik Jones, 186.323 mph, 28.982 seconds

5. Chris Buescher, 186.188 mph, 29.003 seconds

6. Justin Haley, 186.027 mph, 29.028 seconds

7. Austin Dillon, 185.503 mph, 29.110 seconds

8. Corey LaJoie, 184.963 mph, 29.195 seconds

9. Harrison Burton, 184.780 mph, 29.224 seconds

10. Cole Custer, 184.767 mph, 29.226 seconds

11. Landon Cassill, 184.382 mph, 29.287 seconds

12. Ty Dillon, 183.698 mph, 29.396 seconds

13. Cody Ware, 183.014 mph, 29.506 seconds

14. Todd Gilliland, 181.519 mph, 29.749 seconds

15. Garrett Smithley, 180.632 mph, 29.895 seconds

16. BJ McLeod, 180.439 mph, 29.927 seconds

The All-Star Open is scheduled to occur at 5:30 p.m. ET on FS1 while the All-Star Race will follow suit at 8 p.m. ET on FS1 on Sunday, May 22.

VeeKay Fastest at 233.655 mph; Chevy, Ganassi Flex on Day 1 of Indy Qualifying

By
Official Release
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6G7A7495.JPG

INDIANAPOLIS (Saturday, May 21, 2022) – It was a very good time either to be powered by a Chevrolet engine or drive for Chip Ganassi Racing on the first day of PPG Presents Armed Forces Qualifying for the 106th Indianapolis 500 presented by Gainbridge on Saturday at Indianapolis Motor Speedway.

Chevrolets propelled the three fastest qualifiers, led by Rinus VeeKay’s four-lap average speed of 233.655 mph in the No. 21 Bitcoin Racing Team with BitNile Chevrolet, while all five of Ganassi’s Honda-powered drivers ended up in the top 12 and will advance to the final two rounds of qualifying Sunday, including the Firestone Fast Six that determines the winner of the NTT P1 Award for pole.

“It’s a good start,” VeeKay said. “It shows we have a good car and confidence for tomorrow. We can definitely challenge for pole. I think Ganassi is definitely our biggest rival out there for challenging for pole.”

Positions 13 through 33 in “The Greatest Spectacle in Racing” were set during today’s qualifying, which was interrupted twice by rain and lightning for a total of two hours, 14 minutes and cut short by 60 minutes.

The second round of qualifying, for the 12 fastest drivers today, starts at 4 p.m. (ET) Sunday. The six fastest drivers from that round will advance to the Firestone Fast Six, which starts at 5:10 p.m., and turn another four-lap qualifying run for the NTT P1 Award and its $100,000 prize.

Live coverage of the last two rounds of qualifying starts at 4 p.m. (ET) on NBC, with the INDYCAR Radio Network also providing coverage.

Just under VeeKay on the Scoring Pylon were Arrow McLaren SP teammates Pato O’Ward and Felix Rosenqvist. O’Ward was second at 233.037 in the No. 5 Arrow McLaren SP Chevrolet, followed by Rosenqvist at 232.775 in the No. 7 Vuse Arrow McLaren SP Chevrolet.

Reigning NTT INDYCAR SERIES champion Alex Palou led a trio of Honda-powered Ganassi drivers in the next three spots. Palou ended up fourth at 232.774 in the No. 10 NTT DATA Chip Ganassi Racing Honda, with 2013 “500” winner Tony Kanaan fifth at 232.625 in the No. 1 The American Legion Chip Ganassi Racing Honda. Seven-time NASCAR Cup Series champion and Indy 500 rookie Jimmie Johnson was sixth at 232.398 in the No. 48 Carvana Chip Ganassi Racing Honda.

“It’s pretty awesome, and I’m just so thankful to be part of the group,” Johnson said about the Ganassi team performance. “Watching them prepare literally since they left here last year and continually thinking of this race, and it being a motto to win here before the championship. To be a part of it, to live it, to now be here experiencing it is really cool.”

Three-time Indy 500 pole sitter Ed Carpenter was seventh with a four-lap average at 232.397 in the No. 33 Alzamend Neuro Chevrolet after topping the morning practice with a single lap of 234.410, the fastest trip around the 2.5-mile IMS oval since 1996. Marcus Ericsson of Chip Ganassi Racing was eighth at 232.275 in the No. 8 Huski Chocolate Chip Ganassi Racing Honda, with “500” rookie Romain Grosjean leading Andretti Autosport in ninth at 232.201 in the No. 28 DHL Honda.

A trio of Indianapolis 500 winners rounded out the drivers to advance to the Round of 12 qualifying.

Six-time NTT INDYCAR SERIES champion and 2008 “500” winner Scott Dixon was 10th at 232.151 in the No. 9 PNC Bank Chip Ganassi Racing Honda, followed by 2018 “500” winner and current NTT INDYCAR SERIES points leader Will Power in 11th at 231.842 in the No. 12 Verizon Team Penske Chevrolet.

Two-time Indy 500 winner Takuma Sato ended up 12th at 231.708 in the No. 51 Nurtec ODT Honda. Sato was forced to make a second attempt after his first run of 232.196 was disallowed after INDYCAR officials penalized Sato for qualifying interference and failure to follow instructions, affecting another competitor. While slowing on his cooldown lap after his first attempt, Sato was judged to have impeded the qualifying attempt of the next driver, Marco Andretti.

Rookie David Malukas just missed the cut to advance to Sunday, ending up 13th and just behind Dale Coyne Racing teammate Sato at 231.607 in the No. 18 HMD Honda.

While Chevy powered the first three drivers on the speed chart after qualifying, Honda struck back with a 7-5 edge among the top 12.

There was a common thread between VeeKay, O’Ward and Rosenqvist besides Bowtie engines. All three drew low numbers in the qualifying order Friday night and made their attempts in the first 15 minutes of qualifying, when the track temperature was just 85 degrees.

The air and track temperature continued to climb until the first rain arrived, dropping grip and speeds. By 12:30 p.m., 90 minutes into qualifying, the oval’s asphalt was 107 degrees.

A practice for the 12 remaining qualifiers will take place from 12:30-2 p.m. Sunday, with live coverage on Peacock Premium.

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