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2022 NASCAR Cup Series Playoffs at Charlotte Motor Speedway (Roval)

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2022 NASCAR Cup Series Playoffs at Charlotte Motor Speedway (Roval) 6 photos
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2022 NASCAR Cup Series Playoffs at Charlotte Motor Speedway (Roval)2022 NASCAR Cup Series Playoffs at Charlotte Motor Speedway (Roval)2022 NASCAR Cup Series Playoffs at Charlotte Motor Speedway (Roval)2022 NASCAR Cup Series Playoffs at Charlotte Motor Speedway (Roval)2022 NASCAR Cup Series Playoffs at Charlotte Motor Speedway (Roval)2022 NASCAR Cup Series Playoffs at Charlotte Motor Speedway (Roval)
The final race from round 12 of the 2022 NASCAR Cup Series playoffs will be held at the Charlotte Motor Speedway (Roval) in North Carolina.
On Saturday's qualifying sessions, Joey Logano was the one to put his car in pole position, posting a lap of 80.755 (103.424 mph) in the final round. This is his third pole of the year, and it's his first on a road course since 2011 at the Sonoma Raceway.

Next to Logano is the #24 car of William Byron, followed by #99 Daniel Suarez. To complete the top five, we have Tyler Reddick and Austin Cindric.

Ross Chastain managed to qualify tenth after having serious damage to his car following a big crash in Turn 5. He slid off course, hitting the tire barrier with his driver's side.

Aric Almirola's team did not participate in qualifying due to an engine issue. Meanwhile, Josh Williams' team was not allowed to make a qualifying attempt after failing the pre-qualifying tech inspection three times.
Live updates (ended):

21:37 UTC 

21:36 UTC 

21:35 UTC  The top ten at the end of the race:

  • 1 - #20 - Christopher Bell
  • 2 - #4 - Kevin Harvick
  • 3 - #18 - Kyle Busch
  • 4 - #16 - A.J. Allmendinger
  • 5 - #31 - Justin Haley
  • 6 - #17 - Chris Buescher
  • 7 - #45 - Bubba Wallace
  • 8 - #8 - Tyler Reddick
  • 9 - #14 - Chase Briscoe
  • 10 - #3 - Austin Dillon

21:34 UTC  Bell needed a win and he went out there and got it.

21:34 UTC 

21:33 UTC  Kyle Larson is eliminated from the playoffs.

21:33 UTC  CHRISTOPHER BELL WINS HERE IN CHARLOTTE!!!

21:32 UTC  White flag for Christopher Bell!

21:32 UTC  That's a huge break for Kyle Larson, as Cindric was just one point away from him before that happened!

21:32 UTC  Austin Cindric spins out in the backstretch chicane.

21:31 UTC 

21:31 UTC  Big pileup in Turn 1 just as Christopher Bell takes the lead from Kevin Harvick.

21:29 UTC  Green flag. Here we go!

21:29 UTC  Kevin Harvick is the leader on this restart.

21:29 UTC 

21:27 UTC  Several cars to pit road under caution, including Chase Briscoe.

21:27 UTC  Red flag has been lifted and we're back under caution. Overtime coming up.

21:24 UTC  Christopher Bell could become the sixth driver in playoff history to pull off a Win-and-In to advance to the next round. It's happened just once in the Round of 12 up to this point.

21:18 UTC  NASCAR has red flagged this race in order to repair the curbing on the backstretch.

21:18 UTC  Chase Briscoe, Erik Jones, Joey Logano, William Byron are just some of the drivers who were spun in the backstretch chicane.

21:15 UTC  Ty Dillon has spun and there's also a piece of the curb lying in the backstretch chicane.

21:15 UTC  While Bell overtakes Reddick for P2, the caution is out again!!!

21:15 UTC  Meanwhile, there's a huge mess in the backstretch chicane! Lots of cars spun!

21:14 UTC  Christopher Bell is on fresh tires and he takes third from Allmendinger.

21:14 UTC  Elliott spins after having contact with Allmendinger.

21:13 UTC  Chase Elliott spins out in second place!!!

21:13 UTC  Noah Gragson gets spun in Turn 1. So does Harrison Burton.

21:13 UTC  Three laps to go at the restart. Green flag.

21:10 UTC 

21:09 UTC  Looks like Chase Briscoe and Austin Cindric will stay out.

21:09 UTC  The leaders stay out under caution.

21:07 UTC  The caution is out because there is a piece of debris in the racetrack

21:06 UTC  This caution changes everything especially at the playoff cutoff line.

21:06 UTC  THE CAUTION IS OUT!

21:04 UTC  The problem for Larson is going to be if Austin Cindric can make up a chunk of spots, but it'll likely take a late yellow for that to happen.

21:03 UTC  Kyle Larson's team continues to work on his car on pit road. He's now just seven points above the cut line.

21:00 UTC  Check out the contact between LaJoie and Suarez.

20:59 UTC  Less than ten laps to go and Elliott's lead over Allmendinger is 3.5 seconds.

20:58 UTC 

20:58 UTC  Surprise pit stop for Kyle Larson. Apparently the team is working on the right rear toe link.

20:58 UTC  Corey LaJoie went for a spin off of Daniel Suarez, who is still struggling with his power steering.

20:53 UTC  With less than 15 laps to go, AJ is making up time on race leader Elliott.

20:52 UTC  Reddick is still on third, but he lost a lot of time to the leaders.

20:52 UTC  Tyler Reddick missed the backstretch chicane. He had to come to a stop on the frontstretch in order to keep from being penalized.

20:51 UTC  Between Chase Elliott and AJ Allmendinger is a gap of five seconds.

20:50 UTC  AJ Allmendinger has made the pass on Tyler Reddick for second.

20:50 UTC  Daniel Suarez power steering problems are back and he is once again in the pit road.

20:49 UTC  Ross Chastain's team has repaired what looked to be a control arm and sent him back out.

20:49 UTC 

20:46 UTC  With less than 20 to go, Chase Elliott is still in the lead, ahead of Tyler Reddick and AJ Allmendinger.

20:42 UTC  With 21 laps to go, he is 13 points above the cut line.

20:42 UTC  Ross Chastain is now in the garage.

20:41 UTC 

20:41 UTC  Daniel Suarez lost a total of four laps on pit road. His only chance to advance to the next round might be through trouble for other cars.

20:39 UTC  However there is no caution.

20:39 UTC  Apparently, Austin Cindric ran into the back of Joey Hand before the backstretch chicane, sending Hand into the wall.

20:38 UTC  Joey Hand is out of the race.

20:37 UTC 

20:37 UTC 

20:37 UTC  Ross Chastain hits the wall!!! Right rear tire looks to be shaking and it looks like the rear toe link is broken.

20:35 UTC  The hood is up on his car as his crew tries to replace hydraulic fluid and fix his power steering as well as they can.

20:35 UTC  Daniel Suarez is now onto the pit road.

20:33 UTC 

20:33 UTC  Chase Elliott's lead over Tyler Reddick is about four seconds

20:31 UTC  Daniel Suarez is a lap down from the leader.

20:31 UTC  Suarez's team is preparing to try and repair his power steering problem on the pit road.

20:30 UTC 

20:28 UTC  Michael McDowell has come to pit road while Chase Elliott has passed Erik Jones. Elliott is the new race leader.

20:27 UTC  Once McDowell and Erik Jones will come to the pit road, Chase Elliott willl be the new race leader.

20:26 UTC  Allmendinger ends up losing spots on track to both Elliott and Reddick.

20:26 UTC  With 34 laps to go Allmendinger comes to the pit road.

20:24 UTC  Long pit stop by Reddick allows Elliott to pass him on-track.

20:24 UTC 

20:21 UTC  Tyler Reddick pits from the lead while AJ Allmendinger stays out.

20:20 UTC  Chase Elliott now comes to pit road.

20:18 UTC  Christopher Bell going to short pit in order to try and make up time on-track.

20:18 UTC  Meanwhile, pit stop have begun.

20:17 UTC  With less than 40 to go, Suarez has fallen below the cut line to advance.

20:15 UTC  Daniel Suarez has now fallen below the cut line. Chase Briscoe currently has the final spot in the Round of 8 by one point.

20:13 UTC 

20:12 UTC  For the moment, Daniel Suarez is only two points ahead of Chase Briscoe for the final spot in Round of 8.

20:08 UTC 

20:08 UTC  Meanwhile, Conor Daly has come to pit road with what sounds like an electrical fire in his cockpit.

20:07 UTC  It looks like Daniel Suarez may be experiencing some power steering issues. He runs in P24.

20:07 UTC 

20:01 UTC  Chase Briscoe's car has some steering problems after that contact with Corey LaJoie.

19:58 UTC 

19:58 UTC  Meanwhile, Loris Hezemans got in the wall coming out of the frontstretch chicane.

19:57 UTC  Intense fight between four cars in the middle pack. Daniel Suarez is the leading car in this pack.

19:55 UTC  Tyler Reddick picks off Allmendinger for the lead of the race.

19:55 UTC  Green flag back out at Lap 55.

19:55 UTC  Christopher Bell did not score yet any stage points. However, he is in seventh for now.

19:49 UTC  Leaders to pit road under caution.

19:48 UTC 

19:44 UTC  This is the top ten after Stage 2:

  • 1 - #1 - Ross Chastain
  • 2 - #21 - Harrison Burton (R)
  • 3 - #5 - Kyle Larson
  • 4 - #16 - A.J. Allmendinger
  • 5 - #8 - Tyler Reddick
  • 6 - #99 - Daniel Suarez
  • 7 - #22 - Joey Logano
  • 8 - #14 - Chase Briscoe
  • 9 - #12 - Ryan Blaney
  • 10 - #9 - Chase Elliott

19:43 UTC 

19:43 UTC  Ross Chastain picks up the Stage 2 win after staying out on the track.

19:43 UTC  One to go in Stage 2.

19:43 UTC  Chastain, Burton, and Larson are the top three after staying out.

19:42 UTC  Ross Chastain stays out and will take the lead.

19:42 UTC  Allmendinger pits from the race lead.

19:38 UTC  As a fun fact this is the first time that AJ Allmendinger has led over ten laps in a Cup Series race since Sonoma in 2016.

19:36 UTC  Allmendinger reports that his car has periodically been getting stuck in second gear.

19:36 UTC  With five laps to go in Stage 2 Allmendinger is still in the lead. However, he may have some transmission problems.

19:34 UTC  Ross Chastain missed the backstretch chicane and had to come to a stop.

19:33 UTC 

19:33 UTC  Check out the funny moment between Gragson and LaJoie.

19:30 UTC 

19:30 UTC  Noah Gragson and Corey LaJoie had a little moment. They run eachother into the chicane on the backstretch.

19:27 UTC  We are halfway through Stage 2 and for the moment A.J. Allmendinger is leading Reddick by more than one second.

19:27 UTC  Former F1 driver Daniil Kvyat is out due to engine failure. He had a good race yesterday in the Xfinity Series.

19:24 UTC  The drivers who were leading at the Stage 1 are now in the midpack. For example, Joey Logano is now in P22.

19:20 UTC 

19:19 UTC  Green flag back out at Lap 30. Reddick and Allmendinger after it for the lead.

19:16 UTC  Daniel Suarez did end up making some contact with Bubba Wallace on pit road.

19:04 UTC 

19:02 UTC 

19:01 UTC  Tyler Reddick was able to make it to pit road before pit road closed.

19:00 UTC  Joey Logano and others elect to stay out.

18:57 UTC  With three to go in Stage 1 there are a lot of drivers in the pit road.

18:56 UTC  Green flag stops have begun.

18:55 UTC  William Byron has caught Joey Logano for the lead with five to go in Stage 1.

18:49 UTC  Joey Logano is still in the lead, but William Byron continues to be right in his back. Half a second now between them.

18:43 UTC 

18:42 UTC  Joey Logano is comfortably in the lead. He has more than a second over William Byron.

18:38 UTC  Bubba Wallace did flatspot a tire.

18:35 UTC  Trouble on the frontstretch for Bubba Wallace. He misses the frontstretch chicane after locking his tires up.

18:35 UTC  He has to serve a pass-thtough penalty for cutting the track.

18:34 UTC  NASCAR has ruled that Austin Dillon's stop after cutting the frontstretch chicane was not sufficient, because Austin did not come to a full stop.

18:33 UTC 

18:33 UTC  Austin Dillon missed the chicane on the frontstretch and had to stop momentarily in order to avoid a penalty.

18:32 UTC  Cole Custer becomes the first driver to have some form of trouble today, as he ran over the curbs entering the backstretch chicane.

18:30 UTC  Joey Logano is still in leaf after one lap.

18:28 UTC  Joey Logano has a nice start and he is in the lead.

18:27 UTC  Green flag is out and we're underway!

18:24 UTC 

18:18 UTC 

18:16 UTC  UNC head men's basketball coach Hubert Davis gives the command to start engines. Engines fired for today's race.

18:11 UTC 

18:08 UTC  Pre-race ceremonies for today's race have now begun. Who's your pick to win today?

18:04 UTC  As a result, the NASCAR officials will send him to the rear of the field for today's race because of unapproved adjustments made after qualifying. Still, is more important to get your car fixed.

18:03 UTC  fter his crash in qualifying yesterday, Ross Chastain's team opted to repair his car instead of going to a backup car.

18:03 UTC 



 

17:58 UTC  Kyle Larson is the defending winner here in Charlotte. He is trying to get himself in the round of 8.

17:53 UTC 

17:53 UTC  Here is how the top ten looks after yesterday's qualifying sessions:

  • 1 - #22 - Joey Logano
  • 2 - #24 - William Byron
  • 3 - #99 - Daniel Suarez
  • 4 - #8 - Tyler Reddick
  • 5 - #2 - Austin Cindric (R)
  • 6 - #12 - Ryan Blaney
  • 7 - #16 - A.J. Allmendinger
  • 8 - #20 - Christopher Bell
  • 9 - #9 - Chase Elliott
  • 10 - #1 - Ross Chastain

17:52 UTC  A.J. Allmendinger is still undefeated in the Xfinity Series at the Charlotte Motor Speedway.

17:51 UTC 

17:51 UTC  It's the first time that three full-time drivers have missed a race due to injury in over 20 years.

17:51 UTC  Alex Bowman (concussion), Kurt Busch (concussion), and Cody Ware (foot) are all out today with injuries. Again, safety is a major topic here today in Charlotte.

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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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