The 2022 NASCAR Cup Series Season officially gets start this Sunday, February 20th with the 64th running of the Daytona 500.
NASCAR is the only sport that starts their season with the biggest contest of the year. The race is also known as the Great American Race. Winning the Daytona 500 is at the top of every driver’s check list when they enter NASCAR’s top division.
This year will see many changes that could make some interesting watching for fans. I feel like the biggest is the Next Gen cars. While all the drivers have some time in the newly designed cars, they will still be figuring them out as they go. Where is the edge of going too far? When are you not pushing the car far enough to have a chance to win?
Even the pit crews will have new things to deal with on the Next Gen cars. The most obvious to fans will be the single lug nut in the center or each wheel. We will no longer see a pit crew member trying to hit five lug nuts per wheel as fast as possible. This will make pit stops look very different.
Here is a look at what the drivers and teams will be facing in the Daytona 500 this Sunday.
Daytona International Speedway Track Data
Track Size: 2.5 miles
Banking/Corners: 31 degrees
Banking/Straights: 3 degrees
Banking/Tri-Oval: 18 degrees
Daytona 500 Race Data
Race #: 1 of 36 (2-20-22)
Total Race Length: 500 miles (200 laps)
Stage 1 Length: 162.5 miles (65 laps)
Stage 2 Length: 162.5 miles (65 laps)
Final Stage Length: 175 miles (70 laps)
Here are the top 10 active drivers in overall performance in the Daytona 500.
- Kyle Busch – 91.9
- Austin Cindric – 91.5
- Denny Hamlin – 89.8
- Joey Logano – 88.0
- Kurt Busch – 85.1
- Ryan Blaney – 84.9
- Kevin Harvick – 82.3
- Christopher Bell – 81.5
- Chase Elliott – 80.3
- Austin Dillon – 79.8
Based on Daytona 500 races from 2005 to present (17 races)
These are the active drivers that have already checked the box next to “Win the Daytona 500” on their NASCAR Cup Series career check list.
Denny Hamlin – 3 Wins (2016, 2019, 2020)
Michael McDowell – 1 Win (2021)
Austin Dillon – 1 Win (2018)
Kurt Busch – 1 Win (2017)
Joey Logano – 1 Win (2015)
Kevin Harvick – 1 Win (2007)
Last night (2/16) defending NASCAR Cup Series Champion Kyle Larson earned the pole for the 2022 Daytona 500. For a record fifth consecutive year, his Hendrick Motorsports teammate Alex Bowman also earned a spot in the front row for the race. The rest of the starting grid will be set during the Bluegreen Vacations Duel 150 qualifying races tonight (2/17).
It will all come down to which driver and team can find a way to merge old information about the track and race with new information about the Next Gen cars the best. That team and driver will likely find themselves in the historic Daytona International Speedway Victory Lane.
The 64th running of the Daytona 500 will begin this Sunday, February 20th at 1:30 p.m. CT (2:30 p.m. ET).
By: Buck Stevens
