2022 Phoenix NASCAR Championship Weekend Driver Ratings
Joey Logano - 10
A perfect ten for Logano and Team Penske as they dominated the entire weekend. Logano and teammate Ryan Blaney qualified 1st and 2nd on Saturday then led the most laps and finished 1st and 2nd in the race. The victory propelled Logano to his second Cup Series title and put a bow on their outstanding season.
Ross Chastain - 8
Considering where they began the weekend on Friday in practice, Chastain and the Trackhouse Racing team made considerable gains over the rest of the field. They were able to get the car dialed in to chase down the two Penske cars up front, but simply ran out of laps at the end. It was a dream season for Ross and the organization, but they ultimately came up one spot short.
Christopher Bell - 7
Bell will be thinking about that final pit stop over and over throughout the offseason. They were in contention until that final mistake on pit road cost them dearly. It was another reminder of how much of a team sport this is, and that one small mistake can have massive consequences. Overall, Bell had a great weekend when factoring in where they started the race.
Chase Elliott - 3
Who knows what would have transpired had Elliott not gotten wrecked on the restart by Chastain. The move was risky, but it was one that he felt he needed to make in order to maintain his position up front. The Hendrick Motorsports team did a marvelous job of repairing his wrecked race car, but it was just too big of a hole for them to climb out of. He was the regular season champion, but his playoff performances were lackluster at best.
Ryan Blaney – 9
The end of the race played out just the way Blaney’s 2022 season went. He was a bridesmaid once again, unable to come up with a win despite leading multiple statistical categories throughout the year. He had a car capable of winning the race, but instead chose to help his teammate win the championship. Blaney did the same thing to start this season, helping Austin Cindric win the Daytona 500.
Kevin Harvick – 9
Some drivers just always seem to run good at certain tracks. For Harvick, that is clearly Phoenix, where he has won nine times in his career. Another top-five finish today extended his streak of top-ten finishes to 19, which breaks the all-time record he shared with Dale Earnhardt and Richard Petty.
Kyle Busch – 7
In his final start with Joe Gibbs Racing, Busch produced a solid 7th place finish. After 56 Cup wins and two championships, Kyle is leaving the organization for Richard Childress Racing next season. It wasn’t the season that he had hoped for, but today’s race ended on a positive note.
Kyle Larson – 6
A 9th place finish today wasn’t horrible by any means but considering that he was running for the Owner’s Championship, Larson was not able to deliver the goods. The 2021 champion had a roller coaster season but still had an opportunity to take home some hardware for the Hendrick organization, but it never materialized as he was not a serious factor in the race.
Tyler Reddick – 4
Tyler’s 23rd place finish today was not the way he wanted to exit the RCR organization. He got caught up in an accident midway through the race, which certainly didn’t help. Reddick was not sure he would even be able to race today, as he dealt with concussion-like symptoms after a crash last weekend.
Alex Bowman – 3
Bowman’s return after missing the last five races with a concussion did not go the way he had hoped. He never made it towards the front of the field and was then blindsided by Michael McDowell later in the race. His 34th place result was a disappointing way to end his season, and crew chief Greg Ives’ career.
