Welcome, this is the seventh 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 with an unfortunate early retirement from full-time racing, 23XI Racing.
23XI Racing Drivers
Bubba Wallace – 19th in points
*Only ran 35 races this season due to suspension.
| Category | Statistic | 2022 Rank | ªRank Thru 36 Races |
| Avg. Fin.¹ | 18.29 | 24th of 39 | T331st of 790 |
| Wins | 1 | T10th of 62 | T146th of 1366 |
| Poles | 1 | T8th of 62 | T135th of 1366 |
| Top 2’s | 3 | T9th of 62 | T142nd of 1366 |
| Top 3’s | 4 | T10th of 62 | T179th of 1366 |
| Top 5’s | 5 | T13th of 62 | T242nd of 1366 |
| Top 10’s | 10 | T18th of 62 | T300th of 1366 |
| DNF’s¹ | 7 | T28th of 39 | T642nd of 790 |
| Stage Wins | 2 | T12th of 62 | T60th of 388* |
| Stage T10s | 22 | 16th of 62 | T93rd of 388* |
| Stage Pts | 99 | T16th of 62 | T93rd 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)
- 9 Races, Avg. Finish 17.0(T15th), 1 Win(T3rd), 0 Poles(T8th), 1 Top 2(T8th), 1 Top 3(T10th), 1 Top 5(T14th), 4 Top 10’s(T9th), 1 DNF(T13th), 1 Stage Win(T6th), 5 Stage Top 10’s(T15th), 25 Stage Points(16th), 6 Playoff Points earned in a race(T4th)
- Notable Streaks this year
- 2 straight Top 5 finishes
- 4 straight Top 10 finishes
- 2022 Short Track Stats (Avg. Fin. rank among drivers with 1+ Short Track start, 40 drivers)
- 5 Races, Avg. Finish 18.4(18th), Best 8th, Worst 29th, 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, 2 Finishes out of Top 20, 0 DNF’s, 0 Stage Wins, 0.1 Stage Pts Per Stage
- 2022 Small Track Stats (Avg. Fin. rank among drivers with 1+ Small Track start, 42 drivers)
- 5 Races, Avg. Finish 17.8(T20th), Best 3rd, Worst 26th, Led 0.00% of laps run, 0 Wins, 0 Poles, 0 Top 2’s, 1 Top 3, 1 Top 5, 1 Top 10, 1 Top 15, 3 Finishes out of Top 20, 0 DNF’s, 0 Stage Wins, 1.0 Stage Pts Per Stage
- 2022 Intermediate Track Stats (Avg. Fin. rank among drivers with 1+ Intermediate Track start, 45 drivers)
- 9 Races, Avg. Finish 19.22(24th), Best 1st, Worst 36th, Led 3.9% of laps run, 1 Win, 0 Poles, 1 Top 2, 1 Top 3, 1 Top 5, 3 Top 10’s, 4 Top 15’s, 5 Finishes out of Top 20, 3 DNF’s, 1 Stage Win, 2.16 Stage Pts Per Stage
- 2022 Big Track Stats (Avg. Fin. rank among drivers with 1+ Big Track start, 40 drivers)
- 3 Races, Avg. Finish 9.67(T7th), Best 2nd, Worst 19th, Led 4.64% of laps run, 0 Wins, 1 Pole, 1 Top 2, 1 Top 3, 1 Top 5, 2 Top 10’s, 2 Top 15’s, 0 Finishes out of Top 20, 0 DNF’s, 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 26.0(T34th), Best 5th, Worst 38th, Led 0.00% 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, 4 Finishes out of Top 20, 4 DNF’s, 0 Stage Wins, 1.33 Stage Pts Per Stage
- 2022 Superspeedway Stats (Avg. Fin. rank among drivers with 1+ Superspeedway start, 45 drivers)
- 6 Races, Avg. Finish 12.17(5th), Best 2nd, Worst 17th, Led 2.42% of laps run, 0 Wins, 0 Poles, 1 Top 2, 1 Top 3, 1 Top 5, 1 Top 10, 4 Top 15’s, 0 Finishes out of Top 20, 0 DNF’s, 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 28.0(28th), Best 28th, Worst 28th, 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
Bubba Wallace had a pretty good season in his sophomore year with 23XI Racing. Even though he didn’t make the playoffs the team put him in the 45 car for the owner playoff and Wallace got a win and brought that car home 10th in the standings. For his stats they were okay as most of his 2022 ranks above are between 8th and 18th which shows some consistency even though he had an 18.29 average finish. In the playoffs Wallace got a Win and 4 Top 10’s, but unfortunately he will be remembered for his actions, that were unacceptable, against Kyle Larson at Las Vegas in which he should have been suspended for the rest of the season. In terms of tracks this year Wallace had his good and bad tracks. The good tracks for Wallace were Big tracks where he had a 2nd place finish and 2 Top 10’s in 3 races. The worst tracks were no shock as he is not known as a good Road Course racer, he had 2 Top 10’s in 6 races but also 4 DNF’s and an average finish of 26.0. Overall for Wallace this year was an improvement from last year but it will be stained by his wrecking and pushing of Kyle Larson at Las Vegas.
Bubba Wallace had a pretty good season in his sophomore year with 23XI Racing. Even though he didn’t make the playoffs the team put him in the 45 car for the owner playoff and Wallace got a win and brought that car home 10th in the standings. For his stats they were okay as most of his 2022 ranks above are between 8th and 18th which shows some consistency even though he had an 18.29 average finish. In the playoffs Wallace got a Win and 4 Top 10’s, but unfortunately he will be remembered for his actions, that were unacceptable, against Kyle Larson at Las Vegas in which he should have been suspended for the rest of the season. In terms of tracks this year Wallace had his good and bad tracks. The good tracks for Wallace were Big tracks where he had a 2nd place finish and 2 Top 10’s in 3 races. The worst tracks were no shock as he is not known as a good Road Course racer, he had 2 Top 10’s in 6 races but also 4 DNF’s and an average finish of 26.0. Overall for Wallace this year was an improvement from last year but it will be stained by his wrecking and pushing of Kyle Larson at Las Vegas.
Final Grade: D+
Kurt Busch – 30th in points/10th in owner points
*Only ran 20 races this season due to a concussion.
| Category | Statistic | 2022 Rank | ªRank Thru 36 Races |
| Avg. Fin.¹ | 16.9 | 19th of 39 | 288th of 790 |
| Wins | 1 | T10th of 62 | T146th of 1366 |
| Poles | 0 | T17th of 62 | T267th of 1366 |
| Top 2’s | 2 | T12th of 62 | T183rd of 1366 |
| Top 3’s | 4 | T10th of 62 | T179th of 1366 |
| Top 5’s | 5 | T13th of 62 | T242nd of 1366 |
| Top 10’s | 8 | T22nd of 62 | T344th of 1366 |
| DNF’s¹ | 4 | T7th of 39 | T346th of 790 |
| Stage Wins | 2 | T12th of 62 | T60th of 388* |
| Stage T10s | 16 | T19th of 62 | T98th of 388* |
| Stage Pts | 77 | T18th of 62 | T97th 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)
- 0 Races
- Notable Streaks this year
- 2 straight Top 5 finishes
- 2022 Short Track Stats (Avg. Fin. rank among drivers with 1+ Short Track start, 40 drivers)
- 2 Races, Avg. Finish 20.5(24th), Best 6th, Worst 35th, 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, 1 Finish out of Top 20, 0 DNF’s, 0 Stage Wins, 0.25 Stage Pts Per Stage
- 2022 Small Track Stats (Avg. Fin. rank among drivers with 1+ Small Track start, 42 drivers)
- 4 Races, Avg. Finish 12.25(7th), Best 3rd, Worst 31st, Led 4.17% of laps run, 0 Wins, 0 Poles, 0 Top 2’s, 1 Top 3, 2 Top 5’s, 3 Top 10’s, 3 Top 15’s, 1 Finish out of Top 20, 0 DNF’s, 1 Stage Win, 2.38 Stage Pts Per Stage
- 2022 Intermediate Track Stats (Avg. Fin. rank among drivers with 1+ Intermediate Track start, 45 drivers)
- 5 Races, Avg. Finish 15.0(11th), Best 1st, Worst 31st, Led 9.67% of laps run, 1 Win, 0 Poles, 2 Top 2’s, 2 Top 3’s, 2 Top 5’s, 2 Top 10’s, 3 Top 15’s, 2 Finishes out of Top 20, 2 DNF’s, 1 Stage Win, 1.55 Stage Pts Per Stage
- 2022 Big Track Stats (Avg. Fin. rank among drivers with 1+ Big Track start, 40 drivers)
- 1 Race, Avg. Finish 8.0(3rd), Best 8th, Worst 8th, 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, 0.00 Stage Pts Per Stage
- 2022 Road Course Stats (Avg. Fin. rank among drivers with 1+ Road Course start, 49 drivers)
- 3 Races, Avg. Finish 24.33(32nd), Best 18th, Worst 32nd, 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, 2 Finishes out of Top 20, 0 DNF’s, 0 Stage Wins, 2.67 Stage Pts Per Stage
- 2022 Superspeedway Stats (Avg. Fin. rank among drivers with 1+ Superspeedway start, 45 drivers)
- 4 Races, Avg. Finish 15.0(12th), Best 3rd, Worst 22nd, Led 0.51% of laps run, 0 Wins, 0 Poles, 0 Top 2’s, 1 Top 3, 1 Top 5, 1 Top 10, 1 Top 15, 1 Finish out of Top 20, 1 DNF, 0 Stage Wins, 3.0 Stage Pts Per Stage
- 2022 Dirt Track Stats (Avg. Fin. rank among drivers with1+ Dirt Track start, 36 drivers)
- 1 Race, Avg. Finish 32.0(32nd), Best 32nd, Worst 32nd, 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
Kurt Busch was having a really good season and probably would have at least made the Round of 12 if he had not gotten a concussion at Pocono. Busch had an average finish of 16.9, a Win, 2 Stage Wins, 5 Top 5’s and 8 Top 10’s in only 20 races which is incredible. What’s also incredible is despite missing half the races his 2022 ranks above are still 22nd or better in every category. As Busch missed the playoffs there is nothing to say there. For tracks though Busch’s best track I’d say was Small tracks as he raced in 4 races and 3 of them ended in a Top 10. His average finish of 12.25 was the 7th highest at Small tracks as well. The worse for him was definitely Road Courses as he had 3 races there and his best finish was only 18th. Overall there isn’t much to say about Busch’s season since it was cut short so soon, but based on how he did do it looked like he was on his way to a good season. I hope we get to see him race in the future as it seems he still has a lot left in the tank.
Kurt Busch was having a really good season and probably would have at least made the Round of 12 if he had not gotten a concussion at Pocono. Busch had an average finish of 16.9, a Win, 2 Stage Wins, 5 Top 5’s and 8 Top 10’s in only 20 races which is incredible. What’s also incredible is despite missing half the races his 2022 ranks above are still 22nd or better in every category. As Busch missed the playoffs there is nothing to say there. For tracks though Busch’s best track I’d say was Small tracks as he raced in 4 races and 3 of them ended in a Top 10. His average finish of 12.25 was the 7th highest at Small tracks as well. The worse for him was definitely Road Courses as he had 3 races there and his best finish was only 18th. Overall there isn’t much to say about Busch’s season since it was cut short so soon, but based on how he did do it looked like he was on his way to a good season. I hope we get to see him race in the future as it seems he still has a lot left in the tank.
Final Grade: B-
Ty Gibbs – 24th in owner points (more races in 23 than 45)
*Only ran 15 races this season filling in for Kurt Busch.
| Category | Statistic | 2022 Rank | ªRank Thru 36 Races |
| Avg. Fin.¹ | 22.93 | 31st of 39 | T490th of 790 |
| Wins | 0 | T20th of 62 | T273rd of 1366 |
| Poles | 0 | T17th of 62 | T267th 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 | 0 | T33rd of 62 | T533rd of 1366 |
| Top 10’s | 1 | T32nd of 62 | T575th of 1366 |
| DNF’s¹ | 4 | T7th of 39 | T346th of 790 |
| Stage Wins | 0 | T19th of 62 | T96th of 388* |
| Stage T10s | 0 | T39th of 62 | T196th of 388* |
| Stage Pts | 0 | T34th of 62 | T182nd of 388* |
| Playoff Pts² | 0 | T23rd of 62 | T115th 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)
- 9 Races, Avg. Finish 25.11(32nd), 0 Wins(T9th), 0 Poles(T8th), 0 Top 2’s(T13th), 0 Top 3’s(T18th), 0 Top 5’s(T23rd), 0 Top 10’s(T27th), 3 DNF’s(T33rd), 0 Stage Wins(T13th), 0 Stage Top 10’s(T32nd), 0 Stage Points(28th), 0 Playoff Points earned in a race(T16th)
- Notable Streaks this year
- none
- 2022 Short Track Stats (Avg. Fin. rank among drivers with 1+ Short Track start, 40 drivers)
- 3 Races, Avg. Finish 30.0(36th), Best 19th, Worst 36th, 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, 2 Finishes out of Top 20, 2 DNF’s, 0 Stage Wins, 0.00 Stage Pts Per Stage
- 2022 Small Track Stats (Avg. Fin. rank among drivers with 1+ Small Track start, 42 drivers)
- 0 Races
- 2022 Intermediate Track Stats (Avg. Fin. rank among drivers with 1+ Intermediate Track start, 45 drivers)
- 5 Races, Avg. Finish 22.6(31st), Best 15th, Worst 34th, 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, 1 Top 15, 3 Finishes out of Top 20, 1 DNF, 0 Stage Wins, 0.00 Stage Pts Per Stage
- 2022 Big Track Stats (Avg. Fin. rank among drivers with 1+ Big Track start, 40 drivers)
- 2 Races, Avg. Finish 13.0(12th), Best 10th, Worst 16th, Led 0.56% 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, 0.00 Stage Pts Per Stage
- 2022 Road Course Stats (Avg. Fin. rank among drivers with 1+ Road Course start, 49 drivers)
- 3 Races, Avg. Finish 21.67(26th), Best 17th, Worst 26th, 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, 2 Finishes out of Top 20, 0 DNF’s, 0 Stage Wins, 0.00 Stage Pts Per Stage
- 2022 Superspeedway Stats (Avg. Fin. rank among drivers with 1+ Superspeedway start, 45 drivers)
- 2 Races, Avg. Finish 25.0(35th), Best 13th, Worst 37th, 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, 1 Top 15, 1 Finish out of Top 20, 1 DNF, 0 Stage Wins, 0.00 Stage Pts Per Stage
- 2022 Dirt Track Stats (Avg. Fin. rank among drivers with 1+ Dirt Track start, 36 drivers)
- 0 Races
Summary
As I was doing Ty Gibbs’ stats it was announced he would be in the Cup Series next year in the 54. For Gibbs’ sake I hope his next year goes better than this year. Granted Gibbs wasn’t even supposed to race at all this year so I will give him that and that he was fighting for an Xfinity Series championship. That doesn’t change the fact that Gibb’s had only 1 Top 10, 0 Stage T10’s, 4 DNF’s and a 22.93 average finish this year. In the playoffs Gibbs had 3 DNF’s and an average finish of 25.11 in 9 races, which makes his year look even worse. At tracks this year Gibbs performed well on Big tracks as in his 2 starts he had an average finish of 13.0 with 1 Top 10 and a worst finish of 16th. Other than that he was below average at best and his worst track was Short tracks where he finished an average of 30.0 and had 2 DNF’s in 3 races. All in all when considering Gibbs’ wasn’t supposed to be racing at all he didn’t do too terrible, but his stats are very bad which makes it hard when figuring out his grade.
As I was doing Ty Gibbs’ stats it was announced he would be in the Cup Series next year in the 54. For Gibbs’ sake I hope his next year goes better than this year. Granted Gibbs wasn’t even supposed to race at all this year so I will give him that and that he was fighting for an Xfinity Series championship. That doesn’t change the fact that Gibb’s had only 1 Top 10, 0 Stage T10’s, 4 DNF’s and a 22.93 average finish this year. In the playoffs Gibbs had 3 DNF’s and an average finish of 25.11 in 9 races, which makes his year look even worse. At tracks this year Gibbs performed well on Big tracks as in his 2 starts he had an average finish of 13.0 with 1 Top 10 and a worst finish of 16th. Other than that he was below average at best and his worst track was Short tracks where he finished an average of 30.0 and had 2 DNF’s in 3 races. All in all when considering Gibbs’ wasn’t supposed to be racing at all he didn’t do too terrible, but his stats are very bad which makes it hard when figuring out his grade.
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.
