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2022 NASCAR Cup Series AutoTrader EchoPark Automotive 500 Live Coverage

The first race in the round of 12 in the 2022 NASCAR Cup Series playoffs will unfold at the Texas Motor Speedway, a track we just included in our list of worst NASCAR tracks in history.
2022 NASCAR Cup Series AutoTrader EchoPark Automotive 500 Live Coverage 7 photos
Photo: NASCAR
2022 NASCAR Cup Series AutoTrader EchoPark Automotive 500 Live Coverage2022 NASCAR Cup Series AutoTrader EchoPark Automotive 500 Live Coverage2022 NASCAR Cup Series AutoTrader EchoPark Automotive 500 Live Coverage2022 NASCAR Cup Series AutoTrader EchoPark Automotive 500 Live Coverage2022 NASCAR Cup Series AutoTrader EchoPark Automotive 500 Live Coverage2022 NASCAR Cup Series AutoTrader EchoPark Automotive 500 Live Coverage
Defending champion in this race and defending Cup Series champion Kyle Larson said in an interview this weekend that he would demolish this place and start over from scratch.

Kyle Busch, Tyler Reddick, Kevin Harvick, and Austin Dillon were all eliminated from the 2022 NASCAR playoffs after last Saturday's race in Bristol. Now, the remaining 12 drivers will have three races in order to advance to the round of 8.

Brad Keselowski will start from the pole, just ahead of Joey Logano and William Byron. Logano will start in the best position among the drivers competing in the playoffs. Meanwhile, three cars will start from the back of the grid. Justin Haley, B.J. McLeod, and Cody Ware will all start at the back after making unapproved adjustments following qualifying yesterday.
Live updates (ended):

01:13 UTC  The top ten at the end of the race:

  • 1 - #8 - Tyler Reddick
  • 2 - #22 - Joey Logano
  • 3 - #31 - Justin Haley
  • 4 - #12 - Ryan Blaney
  • 5 - #14 - Chase Briscoe
  • 6 - #43 - Erik Jones
  • 7 - #24 - William Byron
  • 8 - #6 - Brad Keselowski
  • 9 - #5 - Kyle Larson
  • 10 - #11 - Denny Hamlin

01:12 UTC 

01:10 UTC 

01:10 UTC  Tyler Reddick wins here in Texas!

01:10 UTC  White flag is out for Tyler Reddick.

01:08 UTC  With five to go Reddick has a comfortable lead.

01:06 UTC 

01:05 UTC  Huge save by Kyle Larson, who almost lost it in Turns 3 and 4 but keeps it going and keeps it out of the wall.

01:03 UTC 

01:01 UTC  Side-by-side battle for fourth as Ryan Blaney tries to take the spot from Chase Briscoe.

01:01 UTC  Noah Gragson almost crashed into the wall at Turn 1.

01:01 UTC  Green flag out again with 24 laps to go.

00:55 UTC  Ross Chastain has come back to pit road with damage to his left front fender after his contact with Aric Almirola.

00:53 UTC  However, a spin by Aric Almirola brings the caution out again for the 16th time.

00:52 UTC  A great launch on the restart by Tyler Reddick.

00:52 UTC  With 29 laps to go, the green flag is out.

00:48 UTC 

00:48 UTC  For several of these teams this will be the last set of sticker tires they put on.

00:45 UTC  Stenhouse got sideways off Turn 2 and proceeded to hit the wall.

00:45 UTC  The 15th caution is out!

00:45 UTC  Ricky Stenhouse Jr. has CRASHED and it's collected Austin Cindric!

00:44 UTC  Joey Logano has driven away from Stenhouse and is now a second back of Reddick for the lead. However, his tires are dead and I don't believe he could overtake Reddick.

00:41 UTC  Logano finally completes the overtake on Stenhouse.

00:40 UTC 

00:38 UTC  Joey Logano takes third spot from Gilliland and will now try to work over Stenhouse for second.

00:35 UTC  Reddick takes the lead with 54 to go in a very easy way.

00:34 UTC  Meanwhile, Reddick easily overtakes Gilliland for second place.

00:34 UTC  Stenhouse fights with Gilliland and keeps his lead.

00:33 UTC  With 58 laps to go, green flag is back out.

00:30 UTC  Ricky Stenhouse Jr. is the new leader.

00:29 UTC 

00:27 UTC  No response from NASCAR for the moment.

00:27 UTC  enny Hamlin's team wants NASCAR to penalize William Byron for intentionally spinning the No. 11 under caution.

00:26 UTC  Tyler Reddick takes two tires and wins the race off pit road, while Ross Chastain takes no tires and gains 10 spots.

00:25 UTC  During the caution, William Byron spun Denny Hamlin on the frontstretch. Chris Gabehart says Byron needs to man up. "At some point it's racing." Hamlin is now going after Byron on the track.

00:23 UTC 

00:22 UTC  We have now the 14th caution of the day, a new record for cautions in a race at Texas.

00:21 UTC  Denny Hamlin goes for a spin through the infield on the frontstretch!

00:21 UTC  This is the craziest race in years!

00:21 UTC  MARTIN TRUEX HAS CRASHED!

00:21 UTC 

00:18 UTC  Denny Hamlin runs William Byron up the track on the exit of Turn 2, and Byron ends up getting into the wall.

00:17 UTC  Byron is now under attack from Hamlin.

00:17 UTC  Byron attacks Truex for the lead but with no succes.

00:15 UTC  Truex pushed clear to the lead from Austin Dillon.

00:15 UTC  Green flag with 76 laps to go.

00:11 UTC  Martin Truex Jr. is the new race leader, and he stays out as only a handful of drivers come to pit road.

00:10 UTC 

00:09 UTC  We are now tied with the record for the most cautions in a Cup race at Texas.

00:09 UTC  Kevin Harvick blew a right rear tire in Turn 3 and backed it into the outside wall!

00:07 UTC  KEVIN HARVICK BLOWS A TIRE!

00:06 UTC 

00:05 UTC  Top 11 cars stayed on the racetrack. Kevin Harvick, who last pitted at Lap 198, is the new leader with 87 laps to go at the restart.

00:01 UTC  Kyle Larson takes two tires on pit road and wins the race off.

23:58 UTC  Another caution is out.

23:58 UTC  Chris Buescher, who was running third, crashes off in Turn 4.

23:56 UTC 

23:54 UTC  Kevin Harvick overtakes Burton for fifth place.

23:51 UTC  McDowell also loses second to Erik Jones.

23:51 UTC  Michael McDowell goes wide in Turn 2. As a result, Tyler Reddick is the new leader.

23:50 UTC 

23:49 UTC  McDowell runs Jones into the Wall off Turn 2!

23:49 UTC  Michael McDowell is able to challenge Erik Jones for lead even with transmission problems.

23:49 UTC  Pace car is off and the green flag is back out with 111 laps left still to run.

23:48 UTC 

23:47 UTC 

23:46 UTC  Drivers have returned to their cars, and the engines have been re-fired.

23:32 UTC  Engine will be fired again at 6:34 local.

23:31 UTC  The lightning hold is about to be lifted and drivers are being told to get back in their cars.

23:25 UTC  Cody Ware has been checked and released after his crash earlier and will travel home after the race.

22:55 UTC  A lightning strike has been reported within an eight-mile radius of the racetrack. There will be a minimum delay of 30 minutes.

22:53 UTC 

22:50 UTC  However, the entire track is in full sunshine.

22:50 UTC  NASCAR is going to bring the field down pit road and red flag this race.

22:42 UTC  Restart was called off because there are some dark clouds on the sky.

22:42 UTC  McDowell leads despite not having the fourth gear.

22:37 UTC  Logano takes two tires to move up to second.

22:37 UTC  Kyle Larson takes fuel only and wins the race off pit road.

22:33 UTC  Top ten after Stage 2:

  • 1 - #12 - Ryan Blaney
  • 2 - #1 - Ross Chastain
  • 3 - #24 - William Byron
  • 4 - #6 - Brad Keselowski
  • 5 - #99 - Daniel Suarez
  • 6 - #3 - Austin Dillon
  • 7 - #2 - Austin Cindric (R)
  • 8 - #22 - Joey Logano
  • 9 - #19 - Martin Truex Jr.
  • 10 - #34 - Michael McDowell

22:31 UTC 

22:31 UTC  Ryan Blaney wins Stage 2 here in Texas!

22:29 UTC  Blaney holds a half second lead over Chastain.

22:29 UTC  Five laps to go in Stage 2.

22:27 UTC  With less than ten laps to go in Stage 2 green flag is back out.

22:27 UTC  Chase Elliott suffered a right rear tire failure in the crash that put him out of the race.

22:23 UTC 

22:23 UTC  Lots of cars from 12th on back coming to pit road.

22:23 UTC  This time Buescher spin off in Turn 4. No damage at his car.

22:22 UTC  10th caution of the day, which brings us closer to the all-time record for cautions in a race at Texas.

22:20 UTC  Big moment for Tyler Reddick! He got way out of the groove in Turn 1, but was able to keep it out of the wall.

22:20 UTC  While Byron passes Suarez for third, Chastain passes Suarez for second.

22:19 UTC  With 17 to go in Stage 2 we have side-by-side action for the lead between Blaney and Suarez.

22:18 UTC  Green flag is back out at Lap 192.

22:16 UTC 

22:10 UTC 

22:09 UTC  CHASE ELLIOTT IS OUT OF THE RACE!

22:09 UTC 

22:09 UTC  Caution is out for the regular season champion and the points leader entering the Round of 12!

22:08 UTC  And Chase Elliott has just crashed in the wall from the lead!!!!

22:07 UTC 

22:07 UTC  Bubba Wallace slow and out of the groove on the exit of Turn 2. Meanwhile, Blaney tries to overtake Elliott.

22:04 UTC  Green flag is out again at Lap 178.

22:03 UTC  NASCAR is having to fix the Turn 4 wall because Cody Ware hit the Turn 4 wall so hard that the Barrier is now bent.

22:00 UTC  Ty Dillon gains a full 10 spots by taking fuel only.

22:00 UTC  Kyle Larson takes two tires and wins the race off pit road

21:56 UTC  Cody Ware has been put on a stretcher and is being loaded into an ambulance on pit road. Prayers up for him!

21:54 UTC  Cody Ware is receiving quite a bit of medical attention.

21:54 UTC  Marks on the pit wall show how close Ware's car impacted the opening in the pit wall.

21:52 UTC  Ware is out of his car and is now being attended to by the AMR safety crew.

21:52 UTC  The crash looked horrible and the incident was very serious!

21:52 UTC  Cody Ware hit the wall incredibly hard and almost hit the opening in the pit wall.

21:51 UTC  Huuuge crash in Turn 4.

21:49 UTC  Kyle Larson is attacking Blaney for third place.

21:49 UTC  Chase Elliott has opened up about a second lead over Ross Chastain.

21:42 UTC  Bell is now 24 points below the cutoff line for the Round of 12.

21:42 UTC  The DVP clock has run out on Christopher Bell. His damage is terminal and he'll be done for the day.

21:41 UTC  Elliott has opened up a six tenth of a second lead on Chastain, who is now under attack from Blaney.

21:39 UTC  Ryan Blaney (winner of the All-Star Race at this track in May) is now in third place after overtaking Erik Jones.

21:38 UTC  Elliott clears Ross Chastain for the race lead.

21:38 UTC  Green flag is out once again at Lap 142. That disaster of a pit stop for Harrison Burton has cost him a lap.

21:37 UTC 

21:37 UTC 

21:36 UTC  Burton's engineers are able to extinguish the fire.

21:36 UTC  Chase Elliott won the race off pit road.

21:36 UTC  Fire at Burton's left rear.

21:35 UTC  Pretty much all of the leaders come to pit road under caution.

21:35 UTC  Christopher Bell looks like he has a lot of suspension damage.

21:35 UTC 

21:31 UTC  The race is just chaotic.

21:31 UTC  Caution is out again.

21:31 UTC  Bell spins and hits the wall again.

21:24 UTC  Ricky Stenhouse almost gets in the wall off Turn 4 and has to lift. As a result, Burton takes the lead.

21:23 UTC 

21:22 UTC  Harrison Burton is looking to take the lead from Ricky Stenhouse.

21:20 UTC  Reddick's got a problem! He's coming to pit road with a vibration!

21:19 UTC  Tyler Reddick takes second now from McDowell.

21:19 UTC  Michael McDowell got sideways while trying to race Stenhouse for the lead in Turn 4.

21:19 UTC  Turn 4 is very problematic. Some cars had to really get out of the gas.

21:17 UTC  Back to green at Lap 112.

21:15 UTC 

21:13 UTC  Leaders at the end of Stage 1 come to pit road now. Brad Keselowski takes two tires and wins the race off pit road.

21:13 UTC 

21:11 UTC  Bowman is back on track. And he is the free pass but will be 7-8 laps down. He needs to make minimum speed when go back to green. Bowman said he thinks the car is "somewhat OK"

21:11 UTC  The top ten after Stage 1:

  • 1 - #5 - Kyle Larson
  • 2 - #11 - Denny Hamlin
  • 3 - #22 - Joey Logano
  • 4 - #99 - Daniel Suarez
  • 5 - #1 - Ross Chastain
  • 6 - #24 - William Byron
  • 7 - #47 - Ricky Stenhouse Jr.
  • 8 - #6 - Brad Keselowski
  • 9 - #2 - Austin Cindric (R)
  • 10 - #34 - Michael McDowell

21:10 UTC  Hamlin not happy with Larson. Gave him a shot after the end of the Stage and said over his radio that he won't lift next time.

21:10 UTC  Contact between Larson and Hamlin on the backstretch! Hamlin had to get out of the gas to keep from turning Larson in the left rear, and that'll allow Larson to hang on and win Stage 1.

21:09 UTC 

21:09 UTC  Kyle Larson wins Stage 1 over Denny Hamlin.

21:08 UTC  Hamlin is able to hold off Logano for second and is now coming back on Larson for the lead.

21:08 UTC  Only one lap to go.

21:08 UTC  Larson prevails in a side-by-side battle with Hamlin for the lead.

21:08 UTC  Green flag with three to go in Stage 1.

21:07 UTC  Alex Bowman's team looks like it might be able to get his car back out on track before the DVP clock expires.

21:04 UTC  Quite a few of the leaders stay out, including race leader Kyle Larson.

21:03 UTC  A significant group of cars come to pit road under caution.

21:03 UTC 

21:01 UTC  Another crash in Turn 4! Alex Bowman has pounded the wall with his right front and the fifth caution of the day is out!

21:00 UTC 

21:00 UTC  With less than ten to go in Stage 1, Larson is leading pretty comfortably.

20:57 UTC  It's now Larson, Hamlin, Reddick and Byron 1-2-3-4.

20:57 UTC  Reddick was in a big fight with Hamlin. While they were battling, Kyle Larson takes them both to take the lead.

20:56 UTC  What a silly mistake by William.

20:56 UTC  Kyle Larson joins the battle in the front after taking third place from Byron.

20:56 UTC  Byron lost second place as well to Tyler Reddick.

20:56 UTC  William Byron gets out of the groove and out of the throttle! He lost the lead to Hamlin

20:54 UTC  Byron still leads.

20:54 UTC  Ross Chastain takes Logano and Elliott three-wide for fifth.

20:54 UTC  On Lap 84 we are back to green.

20:50 UTC  Christopher Bell had to drive it back to pit road with his tire flat.

20:50 UTC  Meanwhile, a bunch of cars come to pit road under caution.

20:48 UTC 

20:47 UTC  At the same time, Cole Custer hit the wall and caution is out for the fourth time in only 80 laps.

20:46 UTC  Christpoher Bell (P7) spins out and has a rear right tire flat.

20:43 UTC  William Byron is still in the lead while behind him Tyler Reddick made a move on Denny Hamlin for second place.

20:41 UTC  These Next Gen cars have had problems with fire in the past.

20:41 UTC  Chase Elliott is complaining of intermittent smoke in the cockpit.

20:39 UTC  Joey Logano has fallen back to fourth since the restart.

20:37 UTC  Byron has a good restart and he is in the lead.

20:37 UTC  Denny Hamlin takes second from Logano.

20:37 UTC  At Lap 61 green flag is out once again!

20:32 UTC  No 47. said on radio that Dillon doesn't know what three wide means.

20:30 UTC 

20:30 UTC  Stenhouse made contact with Austin Dillon.

20:30 UTC  Another spin! This time it's Ricky Stenhouse Jr. going for a slide through the infield grass on the frontstretch.

20:30 UTC  Green flag out again on Lap 55.

20:27 UTC  The heat is a serious problem today in Texas.

20:27 UTC  The super high temperature is affecting everyone's on-board electronics.

20:27 UTC  Denny Hamlin is complaining he cannot see his lap times on his digital dashboard.

20:24 UTC 

20:24 UTC  This will be the third DNF in the last four races for Busch. Another disaster for Busch as his Joe Gibbs Racing career comes to an end.

20:24 UTC  Kyle Busch spins out of fourth and pounds the outside wall!

20:21 UTC  And Kyle Busch is in the wall.

20:21 UTC  In the restart, Logano was able to stay with Byron for a lap. However, Byron is able to fend him off.

20:20 UTC  Green flag is back out at Lap 45.

20:18 UTC 

20:18 UTC  As a result, Byron is only fighting with Logano for the lead.

20:17 UTC  Pit road speeding penalty for Brad Keselowski. That'll send the polesitter all the way to the rear of the field for this restart.

20:17 UTC  William Byron wins the race off pit road and is the new leader.

20:17 UTC 

20:17 UTC 

20:16 UTC  Truex lost it while running in the second groove and backed it into the outside wall off of 4.

20:13 UTC  Martin Truex Jr. has spun on the frontstretch.

20:13 UTC  First caution of the day is out.

20:12 UTC 

20:11 UTC  Keselowski lost the handle on his car in Turns 1 and 2 and had to get way out of the gas collecting the car. That's what cost him both the lead and second.

20:10 UTC  Logano is the new leader, while Keselowski lost second place as well to Byron.

20:10 UTC  And Joey Logano just made a move for the lead.

20:09 UTC  In the back, Larson made a move on Elliott for P7.

20:05 UTC  Moving back to the action, Joey Logano has begun to close the gap on the leader. Only one second between the two drivers.

20:04 UTC  However, it could be another steering isue for Bubba.

20:03 UTC  Apparently there was something in his helmet hose, and it blasted some dust in his eye.

20:03 UTC  Bubba Wallace is in for an early pit stop. For the moment we don't know why.

19:59 UTC  After almost 20 laps Keselowski has now over two seconds on Joey Logano.

19:58 UTC 

19:58 UTC  The field has begun to spread out a little bit. The track is wide enough, but recent updates to the Speedway made the high lanes very unpredictable.

19:55 UTC 

19:54 UTC  Keselowski clears Logano for the lead on Lap 2.

19:54 UTC  Side-by-side battle between Keselowski and Logano on lap one.

19:54 UTC  The green flag is waved and the race is on.

19:45 UTC 

19:43 UTC 

19:43 UTC  The engines are fired.

19:42 UTC  As a fun fact, this is the hottest race in the history of this racetrack, with temperatures up to 90s.

19:36 UTC  Pre-race ceremonies for today's race have now begun.

19:29 UTC 

19:28 UTC  Three weeks and one round down in the NASCAR playoffs, the battle for the championship is still wide open. None of the 12 drivers still in the competition have won a race since the playoffs began in Darlington.

19:25 UTC  The top ten before the race start:

  • 1 - #6 - Brad Keselowski
  • 2 - #22 - Joey Logano
  • 3 - #24 - William Byron
  • 4 - #8 - Tyler Reddick
  • 5 - #34 - Michael McDowell
  • 6 - #9 - Chase Elliott
  • 7 - #3 - Austin Dillon
  • 8 - #11 - Denny Hamlin
  • 9 - #5 - Kyle Larson
  • 10 - #99 - Daniel Suarez

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About the author: Silvian Irimia
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Silvian may be the youngest member of our team, being born in the 2000s, but you won't find someone more passionate than him when it comes to motorsport. An automotive engineer by trade, Silvian considers the Ferrari F50 his favorite car, with the original Lamborghini Countach a close second.
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