# 2022 Autotrader EchoPark Automotive 500

The 2022 Autotrader EchoPark Automotive 500 was a NASCAR Cup Series race held on September 25, 2022, at Texas Motor Speedway in Fort Worth, Texas. Contested over 334 laps on the 1.5 mile (2.4 km) intermediate quad-oval, it was the 30th race of the 2022 NASCAR Cup Series season, fourth race of the Playoffs and first race of the Round of 12.

## Report
### Background

Texas Motor Speedway is a speedway located in the northernmost portion of the U.S. city of Fort Worth, Texas – the portion located in Denton County, Texas. The track measures 1.5 miles (2.4 km) around and is banked 24 degrees in the turns, and is of the oval design, where the front straightaway juts outward slightly. The track layout is similar to Atlanta Motor Speedway and Charlotte Motor Speedway (formerly Lowe's Motor Speedway). The track is owned by Speedway Motorsports, Inc., the same company that owns Atlanta and Charlotte Motor Speedway, as well as the short-track Bristol Motor Speedway.

#### Entry list

* (R) denotes rookie driver.
* (i) denotes driver who is ineligible for series driver points.
| No. | Driver | Team | Manufacturer |
| 1 | Ross Chastain | Trackhouse Racing Team | Chevrolet |
| 2 | Austin Cindric (R) | Team Penske | Ford |
| 3 | Austin Dillon | Richard Childress Racing | Chevrolet |
| 4 | Kevin Harvick | Stewart-Haas Racing | Ford |
| 5 | Kyle Larson | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet |
| 6 | Brad Keselowski | RFK Racing | Ford |
| 7 | Corey LaJoie | Spire Motorsports | Chevrolet |
| 8 | Tyler Reddick | Richard Childress Racing | Chevrolet |
| 9 | Chase Elliott | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet |
| 10 | Aric Almirola | Stewart-Haas Racing | Ford |
| 11 | Denny Hamlin | Joe Gibbs Racing | Toyota |
| 12 | Ryan Blaney | Team Penske | Ford |
| 14 | Chase Briscoe | Stewart-Haas Racing | Ford |
| 15 | Garrett Smithley (i) | Rick Ware Racing | Ford |
| 16 | Noah Gragson (i) | Kaulig Racing | Chevrolet |
| 17 | Chris Buescher | RFK Racing | Ford |
| 18 | Kyle Busch | Joe Gibbs Racing | Toyota |
| 19 | Martin Truex Jr. | Joe Gibbs Racing | Toyota |
| 20 | Christopher Bell | Joe Gibbs Racing | Toyota |
| 21 | Harrison Burton (R) | Wood Brothers Racing | Ford |
| 22 | Joey Logano | Team Penske | Ford |
| 23 | Ty Gibbs (i) | 23XI Racing | Toyota |
| 24 | William Byron | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet |
| 31 | Justin Haley | Kaulig Racing | Chevrolet |
| 34 | Michael McDowell | Front Row Motorsports | Ford |
| 38 | Todd Gilliland (R) | Front Row Motorsports | Ford |
| 41 | Cole Custer | Stewart-Haas Racing | Ford |
| 42 | Ty Dillon | Petty GMS Motorsports | Chevrolet |
| 43 | Erik Jones | Petty GMS Motorsports | Chevrolet |
| 45 | Bubba Wallace | 23XI Racing | Toyota |
| 47 | Ricky Stenhouse Jr. | JTG Daugherty Racing | Chevrolet |
| 48 | Alex Bowman | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet |
| 51 | Cody Ware | Rick Ware Racing | Ford |
| 77 | Landon Cassill (i) | Spire Motorsports | Chevrolet |
| 78 | B. J. McLeod (i) | Live Fast Motorsports | Ford |
| 99 | Daniel Suárez | Trackhouse Racing Team | Chevrolet |
| Official entry list ||||

## Practice

Austin Dillon was the fastest in the practice session with a time of 28.778 seconds and a speed of 187.643 mph (301.982 km/h).

### Practice results

| Pos | No. | Driver | Team | Manufacturer | Time | Speed |
| 1 | 3 | Austin Dillon | Richard Childress Racing | Chevrolet | 28.778 | 187.643 |
| 2 | 8 | Tyler Reddick | Richard Childress Racing | Chevrolet | 28.796 | 187.526 |
| 3 | 48 | Alex Bowman | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | 28.881 | 186.974 |
| Official practice results |||||||

## Qualifying

Brad Keselowski scored the pole for the race with a time of 28.573 and a speed of 188.990 mph (304.150 km/h).

### Qualifying results

| Pos | No. | Driver | Team | Manufacturer | R1 | R2 |
| 1 | 6 | Brad Keselowski | RFK Racing | Ford | 28.698 | 28.573 |
| 2 | 22 | Joey Logano | Team Penske | Ford | 28.674 | 28.601 |
| 3 | 24 | William Byron | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | 28.588 | 28.601 |
| 4 | 8 | Tyler Reddick | Richard Childress Racing | Chevrolet | 28.593 | 28.664 |
| 5 | 34 | Michael McDowell | Front Row Motorsports | Ford | 28.723 | 28.719 |
| 6 | 9 | Chase Elliott | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | 28.719 | 28.731 |
| 7 | 3 | Austin Dillon | Richard Childress Racing | Chevrolet | 28.716 | 28.793 |
| 8 | 11 | Denny Hamlin | Joe Gibbs Racing | Toyota | 28.723 | 28.879 |
| 9 | 5 | Kyle Larson | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | 28.665 | 28.996 |
| 10 | 99 | Daniel Suárez | Trackhouse Racing Team | Chevrolet | 28.719 | 29.126 |
| 11 | 2 | Austin Cindric (R) | Team Penske | Ford | 28.751 | — |
| 12 | 1 | Ross Chastain | Trackhouse Racing Team | Chevrolet | 28.753 | — |
| 13 | 17 | Chris Buescher | RFK Racing | Ford | 28.763 | — |
| 14 | 12 | Ryan Blaney | Team Penske | Ford | 28.768 | — |
| 15 | 19 | Martin Truex Jr. | Joe Gibbs Racing | Toyota | 28.826 | — |
| 16 | 23 | Ty Gibbs (i) | 23XI Racing | Toyota | 28.836 | — |
| 17 | 48 | Alex Bowman | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | 28.837 | — |
| 18 | 18 | Kyle Busch | Joe Gibbs Racing | Toyota | 28.840 | — |
| 19 | 45 | Bubba Wallace | 23XI Racing | Toyota | 28.851 | — |
| 20 | 21 | Harrison Burton (R) | Wood Brothers Racing | Ford | 28.851 | — |
| 21 | 47 | Ricky Stenhouse Jr. | JTG Daugherty Racing | Chevrolet | 28.944 | — |
| 22 | 20 | Christopher Bell | Joe Gibbs Racing | Toyota | 28.963 | — |
| 23 | 4 | Kevin Harvick | Stewart-Haas Racing | Ford | 28.994 | — |
| 24 | 41 | Cole Custer | Stewart-Haas Racing | Ford | 29.051 | — |
| 25 | 10 | Aric Almirola | Stewart-Haas Racing | Ford | 29.084 | — |
| 26 | 16 | Noah Gragson (i) | Kaulig Racing | Chevrolet | 29.103 | — |
| 27 | 43 | Erik Jones | Petty GMS Motorsports | Chevrolet | 29.137 | — |
| 28 | 38 | Todd Gilliland (R) | Front Row Motorsports | Ford | 29.170 | — |
| 29 | 7 | Corey LaJoie | Spire Motorsports | Chevrolet | 29.170 | — |
| 30 | 14 | Chase Briscoe | Stewart-Haas Racing | Ford | 29.181 | — |
| 31 | 31 | Justin Haley | Kaulig Racing | Chevrolet | 29.261 | — |
| 32 | 42 | Ty Dillon | Petty GMS Motorsports | Chevrolet | 29.305 | — |
| 33 | 15 | Garrett Smithley (i) | Rick Ware Racing | Ford | 29.501 | — |
| 34 | 78 | B. J. McLeod (i) | Live Fast Motorsports | Ford | 29.744 | — |
| 35 | 77 | Landon Cassill (i) | Spire Motorsports | Chevrolet | 30.380 | — |
| 36 | 51 | Cody Ware | Rick Ware Racing | Ford | 0.000 | — |
| Official qualifying results |||||||

## Race

Throughout the race, several drivers suffered from tire failures; Corey LaJoie and Kevin Harvick's crew chief Rodney Childers suggested the issue was due to practice of teams running lower tire pressures than Goodyear suggested in pursuit of speed due to restrictions on suspension shock travel on the Next Gen car, with Childers suggesting that the track's configuration worsened the issue. One tire failure in particular, Alex Bowman's on lap 98, resulted in Bowman being diagnosed for concussion-like symptoms after a rear impact crash for which Bowman was forced to sit out the rest of Round of 12 and Round of 8 races.
On lap 168, Cody Ware suffered from a hard crash, colliding with the turn 4 wall before violently hitting the pit wall, sustaining an impaction fracture on his ankle from the crash. Despite the wreck, Ware was cleared to compete for the next race.

### Stage Results

Stage One Laps: 105
| Pos | No | Driver | Team | Manufacturer | Points |
| 1 | 5 | Kyle Larson | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | 10 |
| 2 | 11 | Denny Hamlin | Joe Gibbs Racing | Toyota | 9 |
| 3 | 22 | Joey Logano | Team Penske | Ford | 8 |
| 4 | 99 | Daniel Suárez | Trackhouse Racing Team | Chevrolet | 7 |
| 5 | 1 | Ross Chastain | Trackhouse Racing Team | Chevrolet | 6 |
| 6 | 24 | William Byron | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | 5 |
| 7 | 47 | Ricky Stenhouse Jr. | JTG Daugherty Racing | Chevrolet | 4 |
| 8 | 6 | Brad Keselowski | RFK Racing | Ford | 3 |
| 9 | 2 | Austin Cindric (R) | Team Penske | Ford | 2 |
| 10 | 34 | Michael McDowell | Front Row Motorsports | Ford | 1 |
| Official stage one results ||||||
Stage Two Laps: 105
| Pos | No | Driver | Team | Manufacturer | Points |
| 1 | 12 | Ryan Blaney | Team Penske | Ford | 10 |
| 2 | 1 | Ross Chastain | Trackhouse Racing Team | Chevrolet | 9 |
| 3 | 24 | William Byron | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | 8 |
| 4 | 6 | Brad Keselowski | RFK Racing | Ford | 7 |
| 5 | 99 | Daniel Suárez | Trackhouse Racing Team | Chevrolet | 6 |
| 6 | 3 | Austin Dillon | Richard Childress Racing | Chevrolet | 5 |
| 7 | 2 | Austin Cindric (R) | Team Penske | Ford | 4 |
| 8 | 22 | Joey Logano | Team Penske | Ford | 3 |
| 9 | 19 | Martin Truex Jr. | Joe Gibbs Racing | Toyota | 2 |
| 10 | 34 | Michael McDowell | Front Row Motorsports | Ford | 1 |
| Official stage two results ||||||

### Final Stage Results

Stage Three Laps: 124
| Pos | Grid | No | Driver | Team | Manufacturer | Laps | Points |
| 1 | 4 | 8 | Tyler Reddick | Richard Childress Racing | Chevrolet | 334 | 40 |
| 2 | 2 | 22 | Joey Logano | Team Penske | Ford | 334 | 46 |
| 3 | 31 | 31 | Justin Haley | Kaulig Racing | Chevrolet | 334 | 34 |
| 4 | 14 | 12 | Ryan Blaney | Team Penske | Ford | 334 | 43 |
| 5 | 30 | 14 | Chase Briscoe | Stewart-Haas Racing | Ford | 334 | 32 |
| 6 | 27 | 43 | Erik Jones | Petty GMS Motorsports | Chevrolet | 334 | 31 |
| 7 | 3 | 24 | William Byron | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | 334 | 43 |
| 8 | 1 | 6 | Brad Keselowski | RFK Racing | Ford | 334 | 39 |
| 9 | 9 | 5 | Kyle Larson | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | 334 | 38 |
| 10 | 8 | 11 | Denny Hamlin | Joe Gibbs Racing | Toyota | 334 | 36 |
| 11 | 5 | 34 | Michael McDowell | Front Row Motorsports | Ford | 334 | 28 |
| 12 | 10 | 99 | Daniel Suárez | Trackhouse Racing Team | Chevrolet | 334 | 38 |
| 13 | 12 | 1 | Ross Chastain | Trackhouse Racing Team | Chevrolet | 334 | 39 |
| 14 | 29 | 7 | Corey LaJoie | Spire Motorsports | Chevrolet | 334 | 23 |
| 15 | 11 | 2 | Austin Cindric (R) | Team Penske | Ford | 334 | 28 |
| 16 | 32 | 42 | Ty Dillon | Petty GMS Motorsports | Chevrolet | 334 | 21 |
| 17 | 7 | 3 | Austin Dillon | Richard Childress Racing | Chevrolet | 334 | 25 |
| 18 | 20 | 21 | Harrison Burton (R) | Wood Brothers Racing | Ford | 334 | 19 |
| 19 | 23 | 4 | Kevin Harvick | Stewart-Haas Racing | Ford | 334 | 18 |
| 20 | 16 | 23 | Ty Gibbs (i) | 23XI Racing | Toyota | 334 | 0 |
| 21 | 26 | 16 | Noah Gragson (i) | Kaulig Racing | Chevrolet | 334 | 0 |
| 22 | 35 | 77 | Landon Cassill (i) | Spire Motorsports | Chevrolet | 334 | 0 |
| 23 | 33 | 15 | Garrett Smithley (i) | Rick Ware Racing | Ford | 334 | 0 |
| 24 | 25 | 10 | Aric Almirola | Stewart-Haas Racing | Ford | 334 | 13 |
| 25 | 19 | 45 | Bubba Wallace | 23XI Racing | Toyota | 334 | 12 |
| 26 | 34 | 78 | B. J. McLeod (i) | Live Fast Motorsports | Ford | 333 | 0 |
| 27 | 21 | 47 | Ricky Stenhouse Jr. | JTG Daugherty Racing | Chevrolet | 333 | 14 |
| 28 | 28 | 38 | Todd Gilliland (R) | Front Row Motorsports | Ford | 333 | 9 |
| 29 | 17 | 48 | Alex Bowman | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | 329 | 8 |
| 30 | 13 | 17 | Chris Buescher | RFK Racing | Ford | 270 | 7 |
| 31 | 15 | 19 | Martin Truex Jr. | Joe Gibbs Racing | Toyota | 267 | 8 |
| 32 | 6 | 9 | Chase Elliott | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | 184 | 5 |
| 33 | 36 | 51 | Cody Ware | Rick Ware Racing | Ford | 166 | 4 |
| 34 | 22 | 20 | Christopher Bell | Joe Gibbs Racing | Toyota | 136 | 3 |
| 35 | 24 | 41 | Cole Custer | Stewart-Haas Racing | Ford | 77 | 2 |
| 36 | 18 | 18 | Kyle Busch | Joe Gibbs Racing | Toyota | 48 | 1 |
| Official race results ||||||||

### Race statistics

* Lead changes: 36 among 19 different drivers
* Cautions/Laps: 16 for 91 (track high)
* Red flags: 1 for 56 minutes
* Time of race: 4 hours, 21 minutes and 53 seconds
* Average speed: 114.784 miles per hour (184.727 km/h)

### Penalties

William Byron was initially fined $50,000 and fined 25 driver and owner points for spinning Denny Hamlin during a late caution period. NASCAR initially did not notice the incident during the race, and the penalty was applied two days later. Ty Gibbs was also fined $75,000 and docked 25 owner points (as Gibbs competed for Xfinity Series points, he received no driver point penalties) for contact with Ty Dillon on the pit road. It was Gibbs' second penalty for dangerous driving on the pit road, as he had also been penalized for doing the same against Sam Mayer at the Call 811 Before You Dig 250 in the Xfinity Series that led to a fistfight after the aforementioned race.
On October 6, 2022, Byron's points penalty was overturned, but the fine was increased to $100,000. Subsequent to the appeal, NASCAR updated their rulebook so that further incidents like Byron's can result in both fines and point penalties, not just one of them.

## Media
### Television

USA covered the race on the television side. Rick Allen, Two–time Texas winner Jeff Burton, Steve Letarte and 2000 Texas winner Dale Earnhardt Jr. called the race from the broadcast booth. Kim Coon, Parker Kligerman and Marty Snider handled the pit road duties from pit lane.
USA :
| Booth announcers | Pit reporters |
| Lap-by-lap: Rick Allen Color-commentator: Jeff Burton Color-commentator: Steve Letarte Color-commentator: Dale Earnhardt Jr. | Kim Coon Parker Kligerman Marty Snider |

### Radio

PRN had the radio call for the race, which was also simulcast on Sirius XM NASCAR Radio. Doug Rice & Mark Garrow covered the action for PRN when the field raced down the front straightaway. Rob Albright covered the action for PRN from a platform outside of Turns 1 & 2, & Pat Patterson covered the action from a platform outside of Turns 3 & 4 for PRN. Brad Gillie, Brett McMillan and Wendy Venturini had the call from pit lane for PRN.
PRN :
| Booth announcers | Turn announcers | Pit reporters |
| Lead announcer: Doug Rice Announcer: Mark Garrow | Turns 1 & 2: Rob Albright Turns 3 & 4: Pat Patterson | Brad Gillie Brett McMillan Wendy Venturini |

## Standings after the race

| | Pos | Driver | Points |
| 1 | 1 | Joey Logano | 3,071 |
| 1 | 2 | Ross Chastain | 3,059 (–12) |
| 2 | 3 | William Byron | 3,058 (–13) |
| | 4 | Kyle Larson | 3,057 (–14) |
| 3 | 5 | Ryan Blaney | 3,056 (–15) |
| | 6 | Denny Hamlin | 3,049 (–22) |
| 6 | 7 | Chase Elliott | 3,045 (–26) |
| 3 | 8 | Daniel Suárez | 3,045 (–26) |
| | 9 | Chase Briscoe | 3,041 (–30) |
| 2 | 10 | Austin Cindric | 3,034 (–37) |
| 4 | 11 | Christopher Bell | 3,016 (–55) |
| 2 | 12 | Alex Bowman | 3,015 (–56) |
| | 13 | Tyler Reddick | 2,107 (–964) |
| 1 | 14 | Austin Dillon | 2,083 (–988) |
| 1 | 15 | Kyle Busch | 2,068 (–1,003) |
| | 16 | Kevin Harvick | 2,063 (–1,008) |
| Official driver's standings ||||
| Pos | Manufacturer | Points |
| 1 | Chevrolet | 1,107 |
| 2 | Ford | 1,034 (–73) |
| 3 | Toyota | 981 (–126) |