Welcome, this is the third post of a week and a half or so series reviewing and rating how each driver in the NASCAR Xfinity 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 Xfinity Playoffs started in 2016. 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 and superspeedway (drafting tracks). Then I will give a brief summary/review, finally ending with a grade A+ thru F-.
Next up is the team that is making the jump to 2 full-time Cup drivers next year, Kaulig Racing drivers.
Kaulig Racing Drivers
A.J. Allmendinger – 5th in points
| Category | Statistic | 2022 Rank | ªRank Thru 33 Races |
| Avg. Fin.¹ | 6.61 | 1st of 31 | 4th of 238 |
| Wins | 5 | 3rd of 107 | T10th of 753 |
| Poles | 5 | T1st of 107 | T7th of 753 |
| Top 2’s | 7 | 3rd of 107 | T15th of 753 |
| Top 3’s | 13 | 3rd of 107 | T11th of 753 |
| Top 5’s | 17 | 2nd of 107 | T9th of 753 |
| Top 10’s | 28 | 1st of 107 | 2nd of 753 |
| DNF’s¹ | 0 | 1st of 31 | T1st of 238 |
| Stage Wins | 4 | 5th of 107 | T26th of 628* |
| Stage T10s | 53 | T2nd of 107 | T6th of 628* |
| Stage Pts | 314 | 4th of 107 | T17th of 628* |
| Playoff Pts² | 29 | 3rd of 107 | 11th of 628* |
ªSince Playoffs started in 2016
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, 72 drivers, Avg. Finish and DNF ranks among drivers with 3+ playoff starts, 41 drivers)
- 7 Races, Avg. Finish 7.43(3rd), 2 Wins(T1st), 2 Poles(T1st), 2 Top 2’s(3rd), 3 Top 3’s(3rd), 5 Top 5’s(3rd), 5 Top 10’s(T3rd), 0 DNF’s(T1st), 2 Stage Wins(T3rd), 13 Stage Top 10’s(T1st), 74 Stage Points(T1st), 12 Playoff Points earned in a race(3rd)
- Notable Streaks this year
- 2 straight Wins (ranks T15th longest all-time)
- 2 straight Poles (ranks T10th longest all-time)
- 3 straight Top 3 finishes
- 5 straight Top 5 finishes
- 12 straight Top 10 finishes (ranks T20th longest all-time)
- 2022 Short Track Stats (Avg. Fin. rank among drivers with 1+ Short Track start, 57 drivers)
- 4 Races, Avg. Finish 7.25(5th), Best 3rd, Worst 16th, Led 0.00% of laps run, 0 Win, 0 Poles, 0 Top 2’s, 1 Top 3, 2 Top 5’s, 3 Top 10’s, 3 Top 15’s, 0 Finishes out of Top 20, 0 DNF’s, 0 Stage Wins, 5.38 Stage Pts Per Stage
- 2022 Small Track Stats (Avg. Fin. rank among drivers with 1+ Small Track start, 57 drivers)
- 4 Races, Avg. Finish 9.5(6th), Best 5th, Worst 20th, Led 0.00% of laps run, 0 Wins, 0 Poles, 0 Top 2’s, 0 Top 3’s, 1 Top 5, 3 Top 10’s, 3 Top 15’s, 0 Finishes out of Top 20, 0 DNF’s, 0 Stage Wins, 4.88 Stage Pts Per Stage
- 2022 Intermediate Track Stats (Avg. Fin. rank among drivers with 1+ Intermediate Track start, 72 drivers)
- 10 Races, Avg. Finish 9.9(13th), Best 3rd, Worst 22nd, Led 7.31% of laps run, 0 Wins, 2 Poles, 0 Top 2’s, 2 Top 3’s, 3 Top 5’s, 7 Top 10’s, 7 Top 15’s, 1 Finish out of Top 20, 0 DNF’s, 1 Stage Win, 4.3 Stage Pts Per Stage
- 2022 Big Track Stats (Avg. Fin. rank among drivers with 1+ Big Track start, 53 drivers)
- 3 Races, Avg. Finish 6.0(7th), Best 4th, Worst 7th, Led 5.26% of laps run, 0 Wins, 1 Pole, 0 Top 2’s, 0 Top 3’s, 1 Top 5, 3 Top 10’s, 3 Top 15’s, 0 Finishes out of Top 20, 0 DNF’s, 0 Stage Wins, 6.17 Stage Pts Per Stage
- 2022 Road Course Stats (Avg. Fin. rank among drivers with 1+ Road Course start, 69 drivers)
- 6 Races, Avg. Finish 2.0(T2nd), Best 1st, Worst 6th, Led 27.01% of laps run, 4 Wins, 2 Poles, 5 Top 2’s, 5 Top 3’s, 5 Top 5’s, 6 Top 10’s, 6 Top 15’s, 0 Finishes out of Top 20, 0 DNF’s, 2 Stage Wins, 3.92 Stage Pts Per Stage
- 2022 Superspeedway Stats (Avg. Fin. rank among drivers with 1+ Superspeedway start, 63 drivers)
- 6 Races, Avg. Finish 3.67(1st), Best 1st, Worst 10th, Led 11.98% of laps run, 1 Win, 0 Poles, 2 Top 2’s, 5 Top 3’s, 5 Top 5’s, 6 Top 10’s, 6 Top 15’s, 0 Finishes out of Top 20, 0 DNF’s, 1 Stage Win, 5.17 Stage Pts Per Stage
Summary
A.J. Allmendinger was the only driver in the Cup Series or Xfinity Series to have 15+ starts and 0 DNF’s in that series, that’s darn impressive. He also had the 4th best average finish of any Xfinity Series driver since 2016 at 6.61. If that’s not enough he also had the 2nd most Top 10’s in a season since 2016, needless to say Allmendinger had one heck of a season. In the playoffs Allmendinger was impressive again as he ranked either 1st or 3rd in every category above. He had a 7.43 average finish, 2 Wins, 5 Top 5’s and 74 Stage Points in 7 playoff race, but also only 5 Top 10’s. Allmendinger put together some impressive streaks this year as well getting 12 straight Top 10’s which tied for 20th longest all-time. As far as tracks go he wasn’t bad on any as his worst average finishes was 9.9. However, his best were Road Courses and Superspeedways (no shock haha). At these tracks he had a 2.0 and 3.67 average finish respectively, both of which were best for a full-time driver. He also had 10 Top 5’s and 12 Top 10’s in the 12 races at these tracks. His worst tracks were Intermediates where he had a 9.9 average finish and only 3 Top 5’s in 10 races. This year was really good for Allmendinger and showed his prowess on Road Courses and Superspeedways, if he performs like this in the Cup Series next year I see him making a deep playoff run at worst.
A.J. Allmendinger was the only driver in the Cup Series or Xfinity Series to have 15+ starts and 0 DNF’s in that series, that’s darn impressive. He also had the 4th best average finish of any Xfinity Series driver since 2016 at 6.61. If that’s not enough he also had the 2nd most Top 10’s in a season since 2016, needless to say Allmendinger had one heck of a season. In the playoffs Allmendinger was impressive again as he ranked either 1st or 3rd in every category above. He had a 7.43 average finish, 2 Wins, 5 Top 5’s and 74 Stage Points in 7 playoff race, but also only 5 Top 10’s. Allmendinger put together some impressive streaks this year as well getting 12 straight Top 10’s which tied for 20th longest all-time. As far as tracks go he wasn’t bad on any as his worst average finishes was 9.9. However, his best were Road Courses and Superspeedways (no shock haha). At these tracks he had a 2.0 and 3.67 average finish respectively, both of which were best for a full-time driver. He also had 10 Top 5’s and 12 Top 10’s in the 12 races at these tracks. His worst tracks were Intermediates where he had a 9.9 average finish and only 3 Top 5’s in 10 races. This year was really good for Allmendinger and showed his prowess on Road Courses and Superspeedways, if he performs like this in the Cup Series next year I see him making a deep playoff run at worst.
Final Grade: A
Daniel Hemric – 9th in points
| Category | Statistic | 2022 Rank | ªRank Thru 33 Races |
| Avg. Fin.¹ | 15.58 | 10th of 31 | T78th of 238 |
| Wins | 0 | T12th of 107 | T94th of 753 |
| Poles | 1 | T6th of 107 | T28th of 753 |
| Top 2’s | 0 | T22nd of 107 | T146th of 753 |
| Top 3’s | 1 | T15th of 107 | T108th of 753 |
| Top 5’s | 3 | T13th of 107 | T98th of 753 |
| Top 10’s | 14 | 9th of 107 | T62nd of 753 |
| DNF’s¹ | 7 | T24th of 31 | T171st of 238 |
| Stage Wins | 3 | T6th of 107 | T37th of 628* |
| Stage T10s | 30 | 9th of 107 | T53rd of 628* |
| Stage Pts | 148 | 9th of 107 | 51st of 628* |
| Playoff Pts² | 3 | 9th of 107 | T57th of 628* |
ªSince Playoffs started in 2016
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, 72 drivers, Avg. Finish and DNF ranks among drivers with 3+ playoff starts, 41 drivers)
- 7 Races, Avg. Finish 11.86(9th), 0 Wins(T5th), 0 Poles(T6th), 0 Top 2’s(T8th), 0 Top 3’s(T11th), 1 Top 5(T9th), 5 Top 10’s(T3rd), 1 DNF(T19th), 1 Stage Win(6th), 8 Stage Top 10’s(9th), 41 Stage Points(8th), 1 Playoff Point earned in a race(7th)
- Notable Streaks this year
- 4 straight Top 10 finishes (active streak)
- 2022 Short Track Stats (Avg. Fin. rank among drivers with 1+ Short Track start, 57 drivers)
- 4 Races, Avg. Finish 11.75(13th), Best 6th, Worst 20th, Led 0.00% 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, 1.5 Stage Pts Per Stage
- 2022 Small Track Stats (Avg. Fin. rank among drivers with 1+ Small Track start, 57 drivers)
- 4 Races, Avg. Finish 15.5(T14th), Best 8th, Worst 35th, Led 0.71% 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, 1 Finish out of Top 20, 1 DNF, 0 Stage Wins, 1.88 Stage Pts Per Stage
- 2022 Intermediate Track Stats (Avg. Fin. rank among drivers with 1+ Intermediate Track start, 72 drivers)
- 10 Races, Avg. Finish 11.7(16th), Best 3rd, Worst 30th, Led 0.72% of laps run, 0 Wins, 0 Poles, 0 Top 2’s, 1 Top 3, 2 Top 5’s, 5 Top 10’s, 6 Top 15’s, 1 Finish out of Top 20, 1 DNF, 1 Stage Win, 2.2 Stage Pts Per Stage
- 2022 Big Track Stats (Avg. Fin. rank among drivers with 1+ Big Track start, 53 drivers)
- 3 Races, Avg. Finish 9.67(8th), Best 8th, Worst 12th, Led 2.63% 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, 2.5 Stage Pts Per Stage
- 2022 Road Course Stats (Avg. Fin. rank among drivers with 1+ Road Course start, 69 drivers)
- 6 Races, Avg. Finish 21.67(39th), Best 6th, Worst 31st, 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’s, 1 Top 15, 4 Finishes out of Top 20, 2 DNF’s, 0 Stage Wins, 1.67 Stage Pts Per Stage
- 2022 Superspeedway Stats (Avg. Fin. rank among drivers with 1+ Superspeedway start, 63 drivers)
- 6 Races, Avg. Finish 21.5(32nd), Best 5th, Worst 35th, Led 5.59% of laps run, 0 Wins, 1 Pole, 0 Top 2’s, 0 Top 3’s, 1 Top 5, 2 Top 10’s, 2 Top 15’s, 3 Finishes out of Top 20, 3 DNF’s, 2 Stage Wins, 3.5 Stage Pts Per Stage
Summary
Daniel Hemric being the reigning Xfinity champion brought expectations for this year, he did not live up to those expectations. Hemric had a 15.58 average finish this year with only 3 Top 5’s. What really hurt him though was his 7 DNF’s this year and lack of Stage Points, only having 148 in 66 stages. When looking at the 2022 ranks everything is 6th or worse which is not championship contending. The good news for Hemric is his playoffs were not bad as he ended the season on a 4 race Top 10 streak, but he only had 1 Top 5 in the 7 races. His average finish of 11.86 in the playoffs ranks 9th which is not bad but also not good. When looking at tracks stats it’s clear to see why Hemric struggled this year, he had 3 Top 15’s in 12 Road Course/Superspeedway races with average finishes of 21.67 and 21.5 respectively. This is not ideal as these tracks made up 36% of the Xfinity schedule. Unfortunately for Hemric his good tracks were Big tracks (which make up only 9% of the schedule) where he had 2 Top 10’s and an average finish of 9.67. Overall this year was a disappointment for Hemric, but if he can improve his DNF’s and be more consistent I see him having a much better year in 2023.
Daniel Hemric being the reigning Xfinity champion brought expectations for this year, he did not live up to those expectations. Hemric had a 15.58 average finish this year with only 3 Top 5’s. What really hurt him though was his 7 DNF’s this year and lack of Stage Points, only having 148 in 66 stages. When looking at the 2022 ranks everything is 6th or worse which is not championship contending. The good news for Hemric is his playoffs were not bad as he ended the season on a 4 race Top 10 streak, but he only had 1 Top 5 in the 7 races. His average finish of 11.86 in the playoffs ranks 9th which is not bad but also not good. When looking at tracks stats it’s clear to see why Hemric struggled this year, he had 3 Top 15’s in 12 Road Course/Superspeedway races with average finishes of 21.67 and 21.5 respectively. This is not ideal as these tracks made up 36% of the Xfinity schedule. Unfortunately for Hemric his good tracks were Big tracks (which make up only 9% of the schedule) where he had 2 Top 10’s and an average finish of 9.67. Overall this year was a disappointment for Hemric, but if he can improve his DNF’s and be more consistent I see him having a much better year in 2023.
Final Grade: C
Landon Cassill – 13th in points
| Category | Statistic | 2022 Rank | ªRank Thru 33 Races |
| Avg. Fin.¹ | 16.15 | 11th of 31 | 87th of 238 |
| Wins | 0 | T12th of 107 | T94th of 753 |
| Poles | 0 | T16th of 107 | T79th of 753 |
| Top 2’s | 1 | T11th of 107 | T77th of 753 |
| Top 3’s | 2 | T11th of 107 | T80th of 753 |
| Top 5’s | 5 | T10th of 107 | T73rd of 753 |
| Top 10’s | 12 | T13th of 107 | T72nd of 753 |
| DNF’s¹ | 5 | T13th of 31 | T113th of 238 |
| Stage Wins | 0 | T18th of 107 | T112th of 628* |
| Stage T10s | 19 | 12th of 107 | T73rd of 628* |
| Stage Pts | 87 | 13th of 107 | 69th of 628* |
| Playoff Pts² | 0 | T15th of 107 | T84th of 628* |
ªSince Playoffs started in 2016
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, 72 drivers, Avg. Finish and DNF ranks among drivers with 3+ playoff starts, 41 drivers)
- 7 Races, Avg. Finish 15.71(15th), 0 Wins(T5th), 0 Poles(T6th), 0 Top 2’s(T8th), 1 Top 3(T5th), 2 Top 5’s(T5th), 3 Top 10’s(T10th), 2 DNF’s(T34th), 0 Stage Wins(T7th), 5 Stage Top 10’s(T10th), 28 Stage Points(11th), 0 Playoff Points earned in a race(T8th)
- Notable Streaks this year
- 2 straight Top 5 finishes
- 3 straight Top 10 finishes
- 2022 Short Track Stats (Avg. Fin. rank among drivers with 1+ Short Track start, 57 drivers)
- 4 Races, Avg. Finish 22.25(29th), Best 2nd, Worst 37th, Led 0.00% of laps run, 0 Wins, 0 Poles, 1 Top 2, 1 Top 3, 1 Top 5, 1 Top 10, 2 Top 15’s, 2 Finishes out of Top 20, 1 DNF, 0 Stage Wins, 2.25 Stage Pts Per Stage
- 2022 Small Track Stats (Avg. Fin. rank among drivers with 1+ Small Track start, 57 drivers)
- 4 Races, Avg. Finish 15.5(T14th), Best 4th, Worst 37th, Led 2.13% of laps run, 0 Wins, 0 Poles, 0 Top 2’s, 0 Top 3’s, 1 Top 5, 2 Top 10’s, 3 Top 15’s, 1 Finish out of Top 20, 0 DNF’s, 0 Stage Wins, 2.25 Stage Pts Per Stage
- 2022 Intermediate Track Stats (Avg. Fin. rank among drivers with 1+ Intermediate Track start, 72 drivers)
- 10 Races, Avg. Finish 15.0(22nd), Best 6th, Worst 33rd, Led 0.38% of laps run, 0 Wins, 0 Poles, 0 Top 2’s, 0 Top 3’s, 0 Top 5’s, 3 Top 10’s, 7 Top 15’s, 2 Finishes out of Top 20, 1 DNF, 0 Stage Wins, 0.8 Stage Pts Per Stage
- 2022 Big Track Stats (Avg. Fin. rank among drivers with 1+ Big Track start, 53 drivers)
- 3 Races, Avg. Finish 19.67(22nd), Best 10th, Worst 38th, 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, 1 Finish out of Top 20, 1 DNF, 0 Stage Wins, 2.0 Stage Pts Per Stage
- 2022 Road Course Stats (Avg. Fin. rank among drivers with 1+ Road Course start, 69 drivers)
- 6 Races, Avg. Finish 19.17(27th), Best 10th, Worst 32nd, 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, 3 Top 15’s, 2 Finishes out of Top 20, 1 DNF, 0 Stage Wins, 1.08 Stage Pts Per Stage
- 2022 Superspeedway Stats (Avg. Fin. rank among drivers with 1+ Superspeedway start, 63 drivers)
- 6 Races, Avg. Finish 9.67(7th), Best 3rd, Worst 23rd, Led 0.00% of laps run, 0 Wins, 0 Poles, 0 Top 2’s, 1 Top 3, 3 Top 5’s, 4 Top 10’s, 5 Top 15’s, 1 Finish out of Top 20, 1 DNF, 0 Stage Wins, 0.83 Stage Pts Per Stage
Summary
I expected more things from Landon Cassill since he was in a Kaulig car, but he struggled as did Kaulig, except for Allmendinger. Not making the playoffs had to be a major disappointment for him and the 10 team. When you look at the stats for him you can see why he didn’t make them though, all of his 2022 ranks above are 10th or worse and his stage stats are awful only have 87 Stage Points on the season. In the playoffs Cassill wasn’t bad having a 15.71 average finish, 2 Top 5’s and 3 Top 10’s in 7 races but still wasn’t that good. His best tracks this year were Superspeedways and they were his only good tracks. This was his only track style with a 15.0 average finish or better at 9.67 and he scored 3 of his 5 Top 5’s on Superspeedways. At these tracks Cassill also had 5 Top 15’s in 6 races, and his only finish outside the Top 15 was a DNF. The rest of the tracks were just bad for Cassill, but his worst was Short tracks where in 4 races he had only 1 Top 10 and 2 Top 15’s. His average finish of 22.25 was worse than the likes of Alex Labbe, Jeb Burton and Derek Griffith. In general this season was a disappointment for Cassill and needs to be improved upon next year if he wants to keep his Kaulig ride.
I expected more things from Landon Cassill since he was in a Kaulig car, but he struggled as did Kaulig, except for Allmendinger. Not making the playoffs had to be a major disappointment for him and the 10 team. When you look at the stats for him you can see why he didn’t make them though, all of his 2022 ranks above are 10th or worse and his stage stats are awful only have 87 Stage Points on the season. In the playoffs Cassill wasn’t bad having a 15.71 average finish, 2 Top 5’s and 3 Top 10’s in 7 races but still wasn’t that good. His best tracks this year were Superspeedways and they were his only good tracks. This was his only track style with a 15.0 average finish or better at 9.67 and he scored 3 of his 5 Top 5’s on Superspeedways. At these tracks Cassill also had 5 Top 15’s in 6 races, and his only finish outside the Top 15 was a DNF. The rest of the tracks were just bad for Cassill, but his worst was Short tracks where in 4 races he had only 1 Top 10 and 2 Top 15’s. His average finish of 22.25 was worse than the likes of Alex Labbe, Jeb Burton and Derek Griffith. In general this season was a disappointment for Cassill and needs to be improved upon next year if he wants to keep his Kaulig ride.
Final Grade: C (barely above C-)
If you liked this article (or even if you didn’t) go check out the season reviews for Cup being done by Robert Cwik and Griffin Fuller on Pit Pass Network titled “2022 Season in Review: *team name*”. Also keep a lookout for their Xfinity reviews that will be coming soon. Compare and contrast between my numbers based review and their more eye test review with outlook for 2023 and overall team grade.
