Welcome, this is the tenth 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 a team that had high hopes heading into the season, but fell short, Spire Motorsports.
Spire Motorsports Drivers
Corey Lajoie – 31st in points
| Category | Statistic | 2022 Rank | ªRank Thru 36 Races |
| Avg. Fin.¹ | 24.28 | 35th of 39 | T520th 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 | 1 | T26th of 62 | T421st of 1366 |
| Top 10’s | 1 | T32nd of 62 | T575th of 1366 |
| DNF’s¹ | 8 | T35th of 39 | T681st of 790 |
| Stage Wins | 0 | T19th of 62 | T96th of 388* |
| Stage T10s | 3 | 32nd of 62 | T158th of 388* |
| Stage Pts | 8 | 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)
- 10 Races, Avg. Finish 21.9(28th), 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(T26th), 2 DNF’s(T24th), 0 Stage Wins(T13th), 0 Stage Top 10’s(T32nd), 0 Stage Points(T28th), 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)
- 5 Races, Avg. Finish 25.4(32nd), Best 15th, 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, 1 Top 15, 4 Finishes out of Top 20, 0 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)
- 5 Races, Avg. Finish 28.0(35th), Best 18th, 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, 3 Finishes out of Top 20, 3 DNF’s, 0 Stage Wins, 0.00 Stage Pts Per Stage
- 2022 Intermediate Track Stats (Avg. Fin. rank among drivers with 1+ Intermediate Track start, 45 drivers)
- 10 Races, Avg. Finish 24.2(34th), Best 14th, Worst 35th, Led 0.17% 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, 6 Finishes out of Top 20, 3 DNF’s, 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)
- 3 Races, Avg. Finish 22.0(T28th), Best 19th, 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, 0.33 Stage Pts Per Stage
- 2022 Road Course Stats (Avg. Fin. rank among drivers with 1+ Road Course start, 49 drivers)
- 6 Races, Avg. Finish 26.83(36th), Best 12th, 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, 1 Top 15, 4 Finishes out of Top 20, 1 DNF, 0 Stage Wins, 0.00 Stage Pts Per Stage
- 2022 Superspeedway Stats (Avg. Fin. rank among drivers with 1+ Superspeedway start, 45 drivers)
- 6 Races, Avg. Finish 19.83(20th), Best 5th, Worst 35th, Led 2.34% of laps run, 0 Wins, 0 Poles, 0 Top 2’s, 0 Top 3’s, 1 Top 5, 1 Top 10, 3 Top 15’s, 3 Finishes out of Top 20, 1 DNF, 0 Stage Wins, 0.5 Stage Pts Per Stage
- 2022 Dirt Track Stats (Avg. Fin. rank among drivers with 1+ Dirt Track start, 36 drivers)
- 1 Race, Avg. Finish 19.0(19th), Best 19th, Worst 19th, 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, 0 Finishes out of Top 20, 0 DNF’s, 0 Stage Wins, 0.00 Stage Pts Per Stage
Summary
The Next Gen car was supposed to be the great equalizer and it was for some teams, Spire Motorsports and Corey Lajoie was not one of those teams. Lajoie struggled this season recording only 1 Top 5/ Top 10, coming at the Atlanta spring race. To illustrate how bad this season was, if Lajoie won at the summer Atlanta race he still wouldn’t have made the playoffs because he was outside the Top 30 in points. Part of the reason for the struggle was his 8 DNF’s which led to a 24.28 average finish. In the playoffs Lajoie’s average was better though at 21.9, but he had 0 Top 10’s and 0 Stage T10’s as well. Lajoie’s best tracks this year were Superspeedways, which is no shock. He got his only Top 5 there and that was the only style where he had an average finish under 20.0, other than the Dirt race. Lajoie also had a Top 15 in half the Superspeedway races. His worst tracks were Small tracks as he had a 28.0 average finish, 0 Top 15’s and 3 finishes outside the Top 20 in 5 races. I think most people expected a little more from Lajoie this year and so the grade below will match the struggle, but maybe things will turn around for him in 2023.
The Next Gen car was supposed to be the great equalizer and it was for some teams, Spire Motorsports and Corey Lajoie was not one of those teams. Lajoie struggled this season recording only 1 Top 5/ Top 10, coming at the Atlanta spring race. To illustrate how bad this season was, if Lajoie won at the summer Atlanta race he still wouldn’t have made the playoffs because he was outside the Top 30 in points. Part of the reason for the struggle was his 8 DNF’s which led to a 24.28 average finish. In the playoffs Lajoie’s average was better though at 21.9, but he had 0 Top 10’s and 0 Stage T10’s as well. Lajoie’s best tracks this year were Superspeedways, which is no shock. He got his only Top 5 there and that was the only style where he had an average finish under 20.0, other than the Dirt race. Lajoie also had a Top 15 in half the Superspeedway races. His worst tracks were Small tracks as he had a 28.0 average finish, 0 Top 15’s and 3 finishes outside the Top 20 in 5 races. I think most people expected a little more from Lajoie this year and so the grade below will match the struggle, but maybe things will turn around for him in 2023.
Final Grade: F+
Landon Cassill – 33rd in owner points
*Only ran 17 races this season, sharing the 77 car.
| Category | Statistic | 2022 Rank | ªRank Thru 36 Races |
| Avg. Fin.¹ | 24.0 | 34th of 39 | 514th 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 | 1 | T26th of 62 | T421st of 1366 |
| Top 10’s | 1 | T32nd of 62 | T575th of 1366 |
| DNF’s¹ | 2 | T2nd of 39 | T95th of 790 |
| Stage Wins | 0 | T19th of 62 | T96th of 388* |
| Stage T10s | 1 | T35th of 62 | T183rd 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 25.89(34th), 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), 2 DNF’s(T24th), 0 Stage Wins(T13th), 1 Stage Top 10(T26th), 0 Stage Points(T28th), 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)
- 4 Races, Avg. Finish 29.0(34th), Best 22nd, 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, 4 Finishes out of Top 20, 1 DNF, 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)
- 2 Races, Avg. Finish 33.0(T41st), Best 30th, 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, 0 DNF’s, 0 Stage Wins, 0.00 Stage Pts Per Stage
- 2022 Intermediate Track Stats (Avg. Fin. rank among drivers with 1+ Intermediate Track start, 45 drivers)
- 6 Races, Avg. Finish 25.67(37th), Best 22nd, Worst 32nd, Led 0.06% of laps run, 0 Wins, 0 Poles, 2 Top 2’s, 0 Top 3’s, 0 Top 5’s, 0 Top 10’s, 0 Top 15’s, 6 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)
- 0 Races
- 2022 Road Course Stats (Avg. Fin. rank among drivers with 1+ Road Course start, 49 drivers)
- 0 Races
- 2022 Superspeedway Stats (Avg. Fin. rank among drivers with 1+ Superspeedway start, 45 drivers)
- 5 Races, Avg. Finish 14.6(9th), Best 4th, Worst 24th, Led 0.1% of laps run, 0 Wins, 0 Poles, 0 Top 2’s, 0 Top 3’s, 1 Top 5, 1 Top 10, 3 Top 15’s, 1 Finish out of Top 20, 0 DNF’s, 0 Stage Wins, 0.00 Stage Pts Per Stage
- 2022 Dirt Track Stats (Avg. Fin. rank among drivers with1+ Dirt Track start, 36 drivers)
- 0 Races
Summary
Landon Cassill ran only 17 races this year and had the same amount of Top 5’s and Top 10’s as his teammate Corey Lajoie above. He also had a better average finish with his being 24.0, however most of the success came on Superspeedways. This being said, in the playoffs Cassill ran 9 of the 10 races and had a 25.89 average finish which is worse than Lajoie. There really isn’t much else to say about Cassill except track stats and there isn’t much there either. Cassill’s best tracks (no shock) were Superspeedways where he had an astounding 14.6 average finish in 5 starts, good for 9th best this year. In those 5 starts Cassill had 3 Top 15’s and only 1 finish outside the Top 20 with 0 DNF’s. His worst tracks were Small tracks as in his 2 starts he had an average finish of 33.0 tied B.J. McLeod for last this year. There isn’t too much to say about Cassill in the Cup series this year except that he was good at Superspeedways, next year I think Cassill should focus only on Xfinity as I see him having a good shot to make a deep run there.
Landon Cassill ran only 17 races this year and had the same amount of Top 5’s and Top 10’s as his teammate Corey Lajoie above. He also had a better average finish with his being 24.0, however most of the success came on Superspeedways. This being said, in the playoffs Cassill ran 9 of the 10 races and had a 25.89 average finish which is worse than Lajoie. There really isn’t much else to say about Cassill except track stats and there isn’t much there either. Cassill’s best tracks (no shock) were Superspeedways where he had an astounding 14.6 average finish in 5 starts, good for 9th best this year. In those 5 starts Cassill had 3 Top 15’s and only 1 finish outside the Top 20 with 0 DNF’s. His worst tracks were Small tracks as in his 2 starts he had an average finish of 33.0 tied B.J. McLeod for last this year. There isn’t too much to say about Cassill in the Cup series this year except that he was good at Superspeedways, next year I think Cassill should focus only on Xfinity as I see him having a good shot to make a deep run there.
Final Grade: F+
Josh Bilicki – 33rd in owner points
*Only ran 16 races this season sharing the 77 car
| Category | Statistic | 2022 Rank | ªRank Thru 36 Races |
| Avg. Fin.¹ | 29.06 | 37th of 39 | 646th 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 | 0 | T40th of 62 | T680th of 1366 |
| DNF’s¹ | 4 | T7th of 39 | T346th of 790 |
| Stage Wins | 0 | T19th of 62 | T96th of 388* |
| Stage T10s | 1 | T35th of 62 | T183rd 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)
- 0 Races
- Notable Streaks this year
- none
- 2022 Short Track Stats (Avg. Fin. rank among drivers with 1+ Short Track start, 40 drivers)
- 1 Race, Avg. Finish 35.0(39th), 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, 0 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)
- 3 Races, Avg. Finish 31.33(38th), Best 28th, 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, 0 Top 15’s, 3 Finishes out of Top 20, 1 DNF, 0 Stage Wins, 0.00 Stage Pts Per Stage
- 2022 Intermediate Track Stats (Avg. Fin. rank among drivers with 1+ Intermediate Track start, 45 drivers)
- 4 Races, Avg. Finish 31.5(43rd), Best 28th, 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, 4 Finishes out of Top 20, 2 DNF’s, 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)
- 3 Races, Avg. Finish 28.33(T36th), Best 21st, 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, 0 Top 15’s, 3 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)
- 4 Races, Avg. Finish 27.25(37th), Best 22nd, 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, 4 Finish 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)
- 1 Race, Avg. Finish 16.0(T15th), Best 16th, Worst 16th, 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, 0 Finishes out of Top 20, 0 DNF’s, 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
For Josh Bilicki there is really not much to say for his 2022 Cup season. Bilicki competed in 16 races and had a 29.06 average finish with 0 Top 10’s and 1 Stage T10. Granted Bilicki didn’t have as many Superspeedway races as his teammates above so that’s probably why his stats look much worse. He did not compete in the playoffs and his best tracks would be Superspeedways, although he only raced at one of them this year. In the one start he finished 16th, his best finish of the year. His worst tracks I would say were Intermediates as he had 4 races at these style tracks and he finished 28th or worst in every one leading to a 31.5 average finish. 2022 was very bad for Spire Motorsports as a whole and terrible for Bilicki and as I write this I have not heard plans for him next year, but if there is an announcement before this goes public then I will add it here.
For Josh Bilicki there is really not much to say for his 2022 Cup season. Bilicki competed in 16 races and had a 29.06 average finish with 0 Top 10’s and 1 Stage T10. Granted Bilicki didn’t have as many Superspeedway races as his teammates above so that’s probably why his stats look much worse. He did not compete in the playoffs and his best tracks would be Superspeedways, although he only raced at one of them this year. In the one start he finished 16th, his best finish of the year. His worst tracks I would say were Intermediates as he had 4 races at these style tracks and he finished 28th or worst in every one leading to a 31.5 average finish. 2022 was very bad for Spire Motorsports as a whole and terrible for Bilicki and as I write this I have not heard plans for him next year, but if there is an announcement before this goes public then I will add it here.
Final Grade: F-
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.
