Welcome, this is the third post of a week and a half series reviewing and rating how each driver in the NASCAR Cup series has done in the 2022 season (min. 15 races started). Each part will contain 3-5 drivers and have them grouped by organization/satellite team or car manufacturer as best as possible. The review will include the drivers 2022 season statistics, along with ranks among drivers in 2022 with season ranking since the Chase started in 2004. We will also highlight playoff stats, notable streaks accomplished through the year, 2022 short track (under 1.0 mile), small track (1.0-1.3 mile), intermediate track (1.3-1.5 mile), big track (2-2.5 mile), road course, superspeedway (drafting tracks) and dirt track statistics. Then I will give a brief summary/review, finally ending with a grade A+ thru F-.
Next up is the team a lot of people were rooting for in the Championship race, the Joe Gibbs Racing drivers. Before I go further our thoughts and prayers here at Pit Pass go out to the whole Gibbs family and team as they are still dealing with the loss of Coy Gibbs.
Joe Gibbs Racing Drivers
Christopher Bell – 3rd in points
| Category | Statistic | 2022 Rank | ªRank Thru 36 Races |
| Avg. Fin.¹ | 13.81 | 5th of 39 | 142nd of 790 |
| Wins | 3 | T3rd of 62 | T70th of 1366 |
| Poles | 4 | T1st of 62 | T21st of 1366 |
| Top 2’s | 4 | T6th of 62 | T112th of 1366 |
| Top 3’s | 6 | 7th of 62 | T126th of 1366 |
| Top 5’s | 12 | T3rd of 62 | T82nd of 1366 |
| Top 10’s | 20 | T2nd of 62 | T81st of 1366 |
| DNF’s¹ | 6 | T23rd of 39 | T575th of 790 |
| Stage Wins | 4 | T8th of 62 | T39th of 388* |
| Stage T10s | 37 | 8th of 62 | T55th of 388* |
| Stage Pts | 207 | 8th of 62 | 54th of 388* |
| Playoff Pts² | 19 | 4th of 62 | T27th of 388* |
ªSince Playoffs started in 2004
¹Ranks of drivers with 15+ starts in a year
²Earned from races only
*Stage racing started in 2017
- Playoff Statistics this year (Rank among drivers with 1+ playoff start, 47 drivers, Avg. Finish and DNF ranks among drivers with 5+ playoff starts, 37 drivers)
- 10 Races, Avg. Finish 12.0(5th), 2 Wins(T1st), 1 Poles(T3rd), 2 Top 2’s(T2nd), 3 Top 3’s(T1st), 5 Top 5’s(T1st), 6 Top 10’s(T3rd), 2 DNF’s(T24th), 2 Stage Wins(T3rd), 10 Stage Top 10’s(9th), 68 Stage Points(T4th), 12 Playoff Points earned in a race(T1st)
- Notable Streaks this year
- 3 straight Top 5 finishes
- 5 straight Top 10 finishes
- 2022 Short Track Stats (Avg. Fin. rank among drivers with 1+ Short Track start, 40 drivers)
- 5 Races, Avg. Finish 6.6(2nd), Best 1st, Worst 20th, Led 16.17% of laps run, 1 Win, 0 Poles, 2 Top 2’s, 2 Top 3’s, 3 Top 5’s, 4 Top 10’s, 4 Top 15’s, 0 Finishes out of Top 20, 0 DNF’s, 1 Stage Win, 5.2 Stage Pts Per Stage
- 2022 Small Track Stats (Avg. Fin. rank among drivers with 1+ Small Track start, 42 drivers)
- 5 Races, Avg. Finish 10.0(3rd), Best 1st, Worst 26th, Led 2.68% of laps run, 1 Win, 0 Poles, 1 Top 2, 1 Top 3, 2 Top 5’s, 4 Top 10’s, 4 Top 15’s, 1 Finish out of Top 20, 0 DNF’s, 0 Stage Wins, 2.6 Stage Pts Per Stage
- 2022 Intermediate Track Stats (Avg. Fin. rank among drivers with 1+ Intermediate Track start, 45 drivers)
- 10 Races, Avg. Finish 12.1(6th), Best 3rd, Worst 34th, Led 3.29% of laps run, 0 Wins, 2 Poles, 0 Top 2’s, 1 Top 3, 4 Top 5’s, 7 Top 10’s, 8 Top 15’s, 2 Finishes out of Top 20, 2 DNF’s, 1 Stage Win, 3.19 Stage Pts Per Stage
- 2022 Big Track Stats (Avg. Fin. rank among drivers with 1+ Big Track start, 40 drivers)
- 3 Races, Avg. Finish 22.0(T28th), Best 4th, Worst 36th, Led 10.07% of laps run, 0 Wins, 0 Poles, 0 Top 2’s, 0 Top 3’s, 1 Top 5, 1 Top 10, 1 Top 15, 2 Finishes out of Top 20, 2 DNF’s, 1 Stage Win, 3.17 Stage Pts Per Stage
- 2022 Road Course Stats (Avg. Fin. rank among drivers with 1+ Road Course start, 49 drivers)
- 6 Races, Avg. Finish 11.5(6th), Best 1st, Worst 27th, Led 3.59% of laps run, 1 Win, 0 Poles, 1 Top 2, 2 Top 3’s, 2 Top 5’s, 3 Top 10’s, 4 Top 15’s, 1 Finish out of Top 20, 0 DNF’s, 1 Stage Win, 0.92 Stage Pts Per Stage
- 2022 Superspeedway Stats (Avg. Fin. rank among drivers with 1+ Superspeedway start, 45 drivers)
- 6 Races, Avg. Finish 25.17(36th), Best 17th, Worst 36th, Led 2.01% of laps run, 0 Wins, 2 Poles, 0 Top 2’s, 0 Top 3’s, 0 Top 5’s, 0 Top 10’s, 0 Top 15’s, 4 Finishes out of Top 20, 2 DNF’s, 0 Stage Wins, 1.25 Stage Pts Per Stage
- 2022 Dirt Track Stats (Avg. Fin. rank among drivers with 1+ Dirt Track start, 36 drivers)
- 1 Race, Avg. Finish 7.0(7th), Best 7th, Worst 7th, Led 0.00% of laps run, 0 Wins, 0 Poles, 0 Top 2’s, 0 Top 3’s, 0 Top 5’s, 1 Top 10, 1 Top 15, 0 Finishes out of Top 20, 0 DNF’s, 0 Stage Wins, 8.5 Stage Pts Per Stage
Summary
While Christopher Bell got off to a slow start in the 2022 season he ended with all of his 2022 ranks above being 8th or better, except DNF’s. These stats translated over to the playoffs as well as Bell didn’t rank outside 9th in any of the playoff ranks above, except DNF’s again. Basically if Bell didn’t wreck out he finished in the Top 10 usually, which tells me if he had a little luck his stats could have been spectacular. When looking at Bell’s track stats he had 2 glaring weaknesses, Big tracks and Superspeedways. Out of his 6 DNF’s 4 of them came on Big tracks or Superspeedways. In fact both of those style tracks average finishes were 20.0 or worse, but the other 5 style of tracks were 12.1 or better. The best of these was Short tracks and while Toyota was known for being good at Intermediate and Big tracks this year, Bell was a different story. His best tracks were Short and Small tracks as he racked up 8 Top 10’s in the 10 races and a 6.6 and 10.0 average finish respectively. Overall when looking at the stats Bell could have easily been even better than he was and in my opinion will be very dangerous in 2023.
While Christopher Bell got off to a slow start in the 2022 season he ended with all of his 2022 ranks above being 8th or better, except DNF’s. These stats translated over to the playoffs as well as Bell didn’t rank outside 9th in any of the playoff ranks above, except DNF’s again. Basically if Bell didn’t wreck out he finished in the Top 10 usually, which tells me if he had a little luck his stats could have been spectacular. When looking at Bell’s track stats he had 2 glaring weaknesses, Big tracks and Superspeedways. Out of his 6 DNF’s 4 of them came on Big tracks or Superspeedways. In fact both of those style tracks average finishes were 20.0 or worse, but the other 5 style of tracks were 12.1 or better. The best of these was Short tracks and while Toyota was known for being good at Intermediate and Big tracks this year, Bell was a different story. His best tracks were Short and Small tracks as he racked up 8 Top 10’s in the 10 races and a 6.6 and 10.0 average finish respectively. Overall when looking at the stats Bell could have easily been even better than he was and in my opinion will be very dangerous in 2023.
Final Grade: A-
Denny Hamlin – 5th in points
| Category | Statistic | 2022 Rank | ªRank Thru 36 Races |
| Avg. Fin.¹ | 15.53 | 10th of 39 | T232nd of 790 |
| Wins | 2 | T6th of 62 | T100th of 1366 |
| Poles | 3 | T4th of 62 | T43rd of 1366 |
| Top 2’s | 4 | T6th of 62 | T112th of 1366 |
| Top 3’s | 5 | T8th of 62 | T144th of 1366 |
| Top 5’s | 10 | T7th of 62 | T123rd of 1366 |
| Top 10’s | 16 | 9th of 62 | T178th of 1366 |
| DNF’s¹ | 5 | T17th of 39 | T483rd of 790 |
| Stage Wins | 5 | 7th of 62 | T31st of 388* |
| Stage T10s | 31 | 10th of 62 | T72nd of 388* |
| Stage Pts | 195 | 10th of 62 | 56th of 388* |
| Playoff Pts² | 15 | 7th of 62 | T37th of 388* |
ªSince Playoffs started in 2004
¹Ranks of drivers with 15+ starts in a year
²Earned from races only
*Stage racing started in 2017
- Playoff Statistics this year (Rank among drivers with 1+ playoff start, 47 drivers, Avg. Finish and DNF ranks among drivers with 5+ playoff starts, 37 drivers)
- 10 Races, Avg. Finish 6.6(1st), 0 Wins(T9th), 0 Poles(T8th), 2 Top 2’s(T2nd), 2 Top 3’s(T5th), 5 Top 5’s(T1st), 9 Top 10’s(1st), 0 DNF’s(T1st), 2 Stage Wins(T3rd), 9 Stage Top 10’s(10th), 62 Stage Points(9th), 2 Playoff Points earned in a race(10th)
- Notable Streaks this year
- 2 straight Top 2 finishes
- 5 straight Top 10 finishes
- 2022 Short Track Stats (Avg. Fin. rank among drivers with 1+ Short Track start, 40 drivers)
- 5 Races, Avg. Finish 9.4(6th), Best 1st, Worst 28th, Led 10.45% of laps run, 1 Win, 0 Poles, 1 Top 2, 1 Top 3, 3 Top 5’s, 4 Top 10’s, 4 Top 15’s, 1 Finish out of Top 20, 0 DNF’s, 2 Stage Wins, 3.7 Stage Pts Per Stage
- 2022 Small Track Stats (Avg. Fin. rank among drivers with 1+ Small Track start, 42 drivers)
- 5 Races, Avg. Finish 16.4(16th), Best 6th, Worst 34th, Led 4.3% of laps run, 0 Wins, 0 Poles, 0 Top 2’s, 0 Top 3’s, 0 Top 5’s, 2 Top 10’s, 3 Top 15’s, 2 Finishes out of Top 20, 0 DNF’s, 1 Stage Win, 1.8 Stage Pts Per Stage
- 2022 Intermediate Track Stats (Avg. Fin. rank among drivers with 1+ Intermediate Track start, 45 drivers)
- 10 Races, Avg. Finish 9.0(1st), Best 1st, Worst 32nd, Led 7.32% of laps run, 1 Win, 2 Poles, 3 Top 2’s, 3 Top 3’s, 5 Top 5’s, 8 Top 10’s, 8 Top 15’s, 2 Finishes out of Top 20, 1 DNF, 0 Stage Wins, 3.48 Stage Pts Per Stage
- 2022 Big Track Stats (Avg. Fin. rank among drivers with 1+ Big Track start, 40 drivers)
- 3 Races, Avg. Finish 17.67(T15th), Best 3rd, Worst 35th, Led 10.54% of laps run, 0 Wins, 1 Pole, 0 Top 2’s, 1 Top 3, 1 Top 5, 1 Top 10, 2 Top 15’s, 1 Finish out of Top 20, 0 DNF’s, 1 Stage Win, 3.33 Stage Pts Per Stage
- 2022 Road Course Stats (Avg. Fin. rank among drivers with 1+ Road Course start, 49 drivers)
- 6 Races, Avg. Finish 18.83(21st), Best 13th, Worst 31st, Led 0.76% of laps run, 0 Wins, 0 Poles, 0 Top 2’s, 0 Top 3’s, 0 Top 5’s, 0 Top 10’s, 2 Top 15’s, 1 Finish out of Top 20, 0 DNF’s, 1 Stage Win, 1.5 Stage Pts Per Stage
- 2022 Superspeedway Stats (Avg. Fin. rank among drivers with 1+ Superspeedway start, 45 drivers)
- 6 Races, Avg. Finish 23.17(30th), Best 5th, Worst 37th, Led 4.3% of laps run, 0 Wins, 0 Poles, 0 Top 2’s, 0 Top 3’s, 1 Top 5, 1 Top 10, 1 Top 15, 4 Finishes out of Top 20, 3 DNF’s, 0 Stage Wins, 2.42 Stage Pts Per Stage
- 2022 Dirt Track Stats (Avg. Fin. rank among drivers with1+ Dirt Track start, 36 drivers)
- 1 Race, Avg. Finish 35.0(35th), Best 35th, Worst 35th, Led 0.00% of laps run, 0 Wins, 0 Poles, 0 Top 2’s, 0 Top 3’s, 0 Top 5’s, 0 Top 10’s, 0 Top 15’s, 1 Finish out of Top 20, 1 DNF, 0 Stage Wins, 0.00 Stage Pts Per Stage
Summary
Much like Christopher Bell, Denny Hamlin got off to a slow start in 2022. At the end of the year though Hamlin ended up with all of his 2022 ranks above being 10th or better, except for DNF’s. In fact his Wins thru Top 10’s finishing categories all ranked 6th thru 9th, thus showing his consistency. In the playoffs Hamlin was absolutely amazing. Even though he didn’t win he did have 2 Top 2’s, the most Top 5’s with 5, most Top 10’s with 9 and the best average finish at 6.6. However it was not all good as Hamlin struggled in stages, he only got 62 Stage Pts and got a Stage T10 in less than half of the playoff stages. When it comes to the tracks Hamlin was great at Intermediates and pretty good at Short tracks accumulating 12 Top 10’s out of the 15 total races on those tracks. He also had an average finish of 9.0 on Intermediates, ranking 1st, and a 9.4 average finish at Short tracks, ranking 6th. His worst tracks were Superspeedways surprisingly as he had 1 Top 15 in the 6 races. All in all Hamlin had a good season and great playoffs but that was mostly thanks to Intermediate tracks, next year I feel he will have to improve on other tracks in order to win that illusive championship.
Much like Christopher Bell, Denny Hamlin got off to a slow start in 2022. At the end of the year though Hamlin ended up with all of his 2022 ranks above being 10th or better, except for DNF’s. In fact his Wins thru Top 10’s finishing categories all ranked 6th thru 9th, thus showing his consistency. In the playoffs Hamlin was absolutely amazing. Even though he didn’t win he did have 2 Top 2’s, the most Top 5’s with 5, most Top 10’s with 9 and the best average finish at 6.6. However it was not all good as Hamlin struggled in stages, he only got 62 Stage Pts and got a Stage T10 in less than half of the playoff stages. When it comes to the tracks Hamlin was great at Intermediates and pretty good at Short tracks accumulating 12 Top 10’s out of the 15 total races on those tracks. He also had an average finish of 9.0 on Intermediates, ranking 1st, and a 9.4 average finish at Short tracks, ranking 6th. His worst tracks were Superspeedways surprisingly as he had 1 Top 15 in the 6 races. All in all Hamlin had a good season and great playoffs but that was mostly thanks to Intermediate tracks, next year I feel he will have to improve on other tracks in order to win that illusive championship.
Final Grade: B+
Kyle Busch – 13th in points
| Category | Statistic | 2022 Rank | ªRank Thru 36 Races |
| Avg. Fin.¹ | 16.72 | 18th of 39 | T280th of 790 |
| Wins | 1 | T10th of 62 | T146th of 1366 |
| Poles | 0 | T17th of 62 | T267th of 1366 |
| Top 2’s | 3 | T9th of 62 | T142nd of 1366 |
| Top 3’s | 7 | T5th of 62 | T102nd of 1366 |
| Top 5’s | 8 | 10th of 62 | T176th of 1366 |
| Top 10’s | 17 | T5th of 62 | T151st of 1366 |
| DNF’s¹ | 6 | T23rd of 39 | T575th of 790 |
| Stage Wins | 3 | 11th of 62 | T51st of 388* |
| Stage T10s | 33 | 9th of 62 | T63rd of 388* |
| Stage Pts | 196 | 9th of 62 | 55th of 388* |
| Playoff Pts² | 8 | 12th of 62 | T54th of 388* |
ªSince Playoffs started in 2004
¹Ranks of drivers with 15+ starts in a year
²Earned from races only
*Stage racing started in 2017
- Playoff Statistics this year (Rank among drivers with 1+ playoff start, 47 drivers, Avg. Finish and DNF ranks among drivers with 5+ playoff starts, 37 drivers)
- 10 Races, Avg. Finish 19.7(23rd), 0 Wins(T9th), 0 Poles(T8th), 0 Top 2’s(T13th), 2 Top 3’s(T5th), 2 Top 5’s(T8th), 4 Top 10’s(T9th), 3 DNF’s(T33rd), 1 Stage Win(T6th), 7 Stage Top 10’s(14th), 41 Stage Points(T12th), 1 Playoff Point earned in a race(T11th)
- Notable Streaks this year
- 2 straight Top 2 finishes
- 3 straight Top 3 finishes
- 5 straight Top 10 finishes
- 2022 Short Track Stats (Avg. Fin. rank among drivers with 1+ Short Track start, 40 drivers)
- 5 Races, Avg. Finish 17.6(13th), Best 7th, Worst 34th, Led 0.05% of laps run, 0 Wins, 0 Poles, 0 Top 2’s, 0 Top 3’s, 0 Top 5’s, 3 Top 10’s, 3 Top 15’s, 2 Finishes out of Top 20, 1 DNF, 0 Stage Wins, 2.4 Stage Pts Per Stage
- 2022 Small Track Stats (Avg. Fin. rank among drivers with 1+ Small Track start, 42 drivers)
- 5 Races, Avg. Finish 7.0(2nd), Best 2nd, Worst 12th, Led 10.76% of laps run, 0 Wins, 0 Poles, 1 Top 2, 1 Top 3, 1 Top 5, 4 Top 10’s, 5 Top 15’s, 0 Finishes out of Top 20, 0 DNF’s, 0 Stage Wins, 2.2 Stage Pts Per Stage
- 2022 Intermediate Track Stats (Avg. Fin. rank among drivers with 1+ Intermediate Track start, 45 drivers)
- 10 Races, Avg. Finish 16.7(15th), Best 2nd, Worst 36th, Led 12.67% of laps run, 0 Wins, 0 Poles, 1 Top 2, 3 Top 3’s, 4 Top 5’s, 5 Top 10’s, 5 Top 15’s, 5 Finishes out of Top 20, 3 DNF’s, 2 Stage Wins, 3.19 Stage Pts Per Stage
- 2022 Big Track Stats (Avg. Fin. rank among drivers with 1+ Big Track start, 40 drivers)
- 3 Races, Avg. Finish 28.67(38th), Best 14th, Worst 36th, Led 16.41% of laps run, 0 Wins, 0 Poles, 0 Top 2’s, 0 Top 3’s, 0 Top 5’s, 0 Top 10’s, 1 Top 15, 2 Finishes out of Top 20, 1 DNF, 0 Stage Wins, 0.00 Stage Pts Per Stage
- 2022 Road Course Stats (Avg. Fin. rank among drivers with 1+ Road Course start, 49 drivers)
- 6 Races, Avg. Finish 22.17(27th), Best 3rd, Worst 32nd, Led 0.00% of laps run, 0 Wins, 0 Poles, 0 Top 2’s, 1 Top 3, 1 Top 5, 1 Top 10, 2 Top 15’s, 4 Finishes out of Top 20, 0 DNF’s, 0 Stage Wins, 3.33 Stage Pts Per Stage
- 2022 Superspeedway Stats (Avg. Fin. rank among drivers with 1+ Superspeedway start, 45 drivers)
- 6 Races, Avg. Finish 15.33(14th), Best 3rd, Worst 33rd, Led 5.31% of laps run, 0 Wins, 0 Poles, 0 Top 2’s, 1 Top 3, 1 Top 5, 3 Top 10’s, 3 Top 15’s, 1 Finish out of Top 20, 1 DNF, 1 Stage Win, 2.58 Stage Pts Per Stage
- 2022 Dirt Track Stats (Avg. Fin. rank among drivers with 1+ Dirt Track start, 36 drivers)
- 1 Race, Avg. Finish 1.0(1st), Best 1st, Worst 1st, Led 0.4% of laps run, 1 Win, 0 Poles, 1 Top 2, 1 Top 3, 1 Top 5, 1 Top 10, 1 Top 15, 0 Finishes out of Top 20, 0 DNF’s, 0 Stage Wins, 6.0 Stage Pts Per Stage
Summary
Kyle Busch had 1 win in 2022 and that was a lucky win at Bristol Dirt, so to say 2022 was disappointing for Busch is an understatement. The stats show that this was not a typical Kyle Busch season as his 2022 ranks above are 9th or worse in every category except Top 3’s and Top 10’s. When looking at the stats you see Busch did good at finishing 3rd and 6th-10th but not good at much else in the Top 10. This trend was also there for Busch in the playoffs too, he had 2 Top 3’s but only 2 Top 5’s and 4 Top 10’s. His playoffs overall were a major disappointment, in his last 10 races with JGR he had an average finish of 19.7, only 23rd best. Besides the Dirt race Busch’s best tracks were Small tracks as he boasted a 7.0 average finish, 2nd best of all drivers. Most of the other styles Busch had an average finish around 16th, ranking around 14th. His worst tracks were Big tracks and Road Course with average finishes of 28.67 and 22.17 respectively. Keep in mind though Pocono is a Big track and Busch was DQ’d there, so Road courses were by far his worst having 4 finishes outside the Top 20 in 6 races. Busch’s 2022 was one to forget, but maybe he will find his mojo next year with RCR.
Kyle Busch had 1 win in 2022 and that was a lucky win at Bristol Dirt, so to say 2022 was disappointing for Busch is an understatement. The stats show that this was not a typical Kyle Busch season as his 2022 ranks above are 9th or worse in every category except Top 3’s and Top 10’s. When looking at the stats you see Busch did good at finishing 3rd and 6th-10th but not good at much else in the Top 10. This trend was also there for Busch in the playoffs too, he had 2 Top 3’s but only 2 Top 5’s and 4 Top 10’s. His playoffs overall were a major disappointment, in his last 10 races with JGR he had an average finish of 19.7, only 23rd best. Besides the Dirt race Busch’s best tracks were Small tracks as he boasted a 7.0 average finish, 2nd best of all drivers. Most of the other styles Busch had an average finish around 16th, ranking around 14th. His worst tracks were Big tracks and Road Course with average finishes of 28.67 and 22.17 respectively. Keep in mind though Pocono is a Big track and Busch was DQ’d there, so Road courses were by far his worst having 4 finishes outside the Top 20 in 6 races. Busch’s 2022 was one to forget, but maybe he will find his mojo next year with RCR.
Final Grade: C
Martin Truex Jr. – 17th in points
| Category | Statistic | 2022 Rank | ªRank Thru 36 Races |
| Avg. Fin.¹ | 14.94 | 8th of 39 | T197th of 790 |
| Wins | 0 | T20th of 62 | T273rd of 1366 |
| Poles | 1 | T8th of 62 | T135th of 1366 |
| Top 2’s | 0 | T23rd of 62 | T381st of 1366 |
| Top 3’s | 0 | T26th of 62 | T447th of 1366 |
| Top 5’s | 4 | T18th of 62 | T276th of 1366 |
| Top 10’s | 15 | T10th of 62 | T200th of 1366 |
| DNF’s¹ | 5 | T17th of 39 | T483rd of 790 |
| Stage Wins | 7 | T2nd of 62 | T16th of 388* |
| Stage T10s | 38 | T6th of 62 | T51st of 388* |
| Stage Pts | 238 | 6th of 62 | T42nd of 388* |
| Playoff Pts² | 7 | T13th of 62 | T60th of 388* |
ªSince Playoffs started in 2004
¹Ranks of drivers with 15+ starts in a year
²Earned from races only
*Stage racing started in 2017
- Playoff Statistics this year (Rank among drivers with 1+ playoff start, 47 drivers, Avg. Finish and DNF ranks among drivers with 5+ playoff starts, 37 drivers)
- 10 Races, Avg. Finish 19.4(22nd), 0 Wins(T9th), 0 Poles(T8th), 0 Top 2’s(T13th), 0 Top 3’s(T18th), 1 Top 5(T14th), 3 Top 10’s(T15th), 3 DNF’s(T33rd), 0 Stage Wins(T13th), 11 Stage Top 10’s(T6th), 63 Stage Points(T7th), 0 Playoff Points earned in a race(T16th)
- Notable Streaks this year
- 3 straight Top 10 finishes
- 2022 Short Track Stats (Avg. Fin. rank among drivers with 1+ Short Track start, 40 drivers)
- 5 Races, Avg. Finish 17.8(T14th), Best 4th, Worst 36th, Led 4.22% of laps run, 0 Wins, 0 Poles, 0 Top 2’s, 0 Top 3’s, 1 Top 5, 2 Top 10’s, 2 Top 15’s, 2 Finishes out of Top 20, 1 DNF, 1 Stage Win, 1.9 Stage Pts Per Stage
- 2022 Small Track Stats (Avg. Fin. rank among drivers with 1+ Small Track start, 42 drivers)
- 5 Races, Avg. Finish 14.4(11th), Best 4th, Worst 35th, Led 14.83% of laps run, 0 Wins, 1 Pole, 0 Top 2’s, 0 Top 3’s, 1 Top 5, 2 Top 10’s, 4 Top 15’s, 1 Finish out of Top 20, 1 DNF, 2 Stage Wins, 5.6 Stage Pts Per Stage
- 2022 Intermediate Track Stats (Avg. Fin. rank among drivers with 1+ Intermediate Track start, 45 drivers)
- 10 Races, Avg. Finish 15.2(T12th), Best 5th, Worst 31st, Led 7.74% of laps run, 0 Wins, 0 Poles, 0 Top 2’s, 0 Top 3’s, 1 Top 5, 5 Top 10’s, 6 Top 15’s, 4 Finishes out of Top 20, 3 DNF’s, 2 Stage Wins, 4.67 Stage Pts Per Stage
- 2022 Big Track Stats (Avg. Fin. rank among drivers with 1+ Big Track start, 40 drivers)
- 3 Races, Avg. Finish 8.67(5th), Best 6th, Worst 13th, Led 0.36% of laps run, 0 Wins, 0 Poles, 0 Top 2’s, 0 Top 3’s, 0 Top 5’s, 2 Top 10’s, 3 Top 15’s, 0 Finishes out of Top 20, 0 DNF’s, 0 Stage Wins, 2.0 Stage Pts Per Stage
- 2022 Road Course Stats (Avg. Fin. rank among drivers with 1+ Road Course start, 49 drivers)
- 6 Races, Avg. Finish 17.83(18th), Best 7th, Worst 26th, Led 0.00% of laps run, 0 Wins, 0 Poles, 0 Top 2’s, 0 Top 3’s, 0 Top 5’s, 1 Top 10, 2 Top 15’s, 3 Finishes out of Top 20, 0 DNF’s, 0 Stage Wins, 0.08 Stage Pts Per Stage
- 2022 Superspeedway Stats (Avg. Fin. rank among drivers with 1+ Superspeedway start, 45 drivers)
- 6 Races, Avg. Finish 11.83(4th), Best 5th, Worst 26th, Led 3.4% of laps run, 0 Wins, 0 Poles, 0 Top 2’s, 0 Top 3’s, 1 Top 5, 3 Top 10’s, 5 Top 15’s, 1 Finish out of Top 20, 0 DNF’s, 2 Stage Wins, 4.33 Stage Pts Per Stage
- 2022 Dirt Track Stats (Avg. Fin. rank among drivers with 1+ Dirt Track start, 36 drivers)
- 1 Race, Avg. Finish 21.0(21st), Best 21st, Worst 21st, Led 0.00% of laps run, 0 Wins, 0 Poles, 0 Top 2’s, 0 Top 3’s, 0 Top 5’s, 0 Top 10’s, 0 Top 15’s, 1 Finish out of Top 20, 0 DNF’s, 0 Stage Wins, 0.00 Stage Pts Per Stage
Summary
I think most would say Martin Truex Jr. was the best driver not to make the playoffs this year. If you look at Truex’s average finish (14.94, ranks 8th) it doesn’t make sense how he missed the playoffs, but if you look at his Top 2’s, 3’s and 5’s it makes sense. He had 0 Top 2’s and 3’s and only had 4 Top 5’s all year long, that’s just not good enough. His best stats in the 2022 ranks above are in stages as he ranks no worse than 6th in those and no better than 8th in the rest. In the playoffs Truex’s ranks are even worse, in non-stage stats he ranks no better than 8th, and that’s only because 7 drivers got a pole and 8 won a race. Since he was not in the playoffs this may have affected his performance in them, but nevertheless he was not good. Truex didn’t really have a bad style of track per say as his worst average finish, besides the Dirt track, was 17.83 on Road Courses and ranked 18th. He also didn’t have a good track really, but I’d say his best was Superspeedways as he got a Top 10 in half the races. This year Truex had a good average finish despite his low Top 5’s and mediocre Top 10’s, but overall was disappointing and definitely needs to be improved on next year.
I think most would say Martin Truex Jr. was the best driver not to make the playoffs this year. If you look at Truex’s average finish (14.94, ranks 8th) it doesn’t make sense how he missed the playoffs, but if you look at his Top 2’s, 3’s and 5’s it makes sense. He had 0 Top 2’s and 3’s and only had 4 Top 5’s all year long, that’s just not good enough. His best stats in the 2022 ranks above are in stages as he ranks no worse than 6th in those and no better than 8th in the rest. In the playoffs Truex’s ranks are even worse, in non-stage stats he ranks no better than 8th, and that’s only because 7 drivers got a pole and 8 won a race. Since he was not in the playoffs this may have affected his performance in them, but nevertheless he was not good. Truex didn’t really have a bad style of track per say as his worst average finish, besides the Dirt track, was 17.83 on Road Courses and ranked 18th. He also didn’t have a good track really, but I’d say his best was Superspeedways as he got a Top 10 in half the races. This year Truex had a good average finish despite his low Top 5’s and mediocre Top 10’s, but overall was disappointing and definitely needs to be improved on next year.
Final Grade: D+
If you liked this article (or even if you didn’t) go check out the season reviews being done by Robert Cwik and Griffin Fuller on Pit Pass Network titled “2022 Season in Review: *team name*”. Compare and contrast between my numbers based review and their more eye test review with outlook for 2023 and overall team grade.
