# 2022 WISE Power 400

The 2022 WISE Power 400 was the second stock car race of the 2022 NASCAR Cup Series and the 25th running of the event. The race was held on Sunday, in Fontana, California, at Auto Club Speedway, a 2 miles (3.2 km) permanent D-shaped oval racetrack. The race took the scheduled 200 laps to complete. At race's end, Kyle Larson, driving for Hendrick Motorsports, would win a drama-filled race after a controversial block on teammate Chase Elliott within the closing laps of the race had put Elliott in the wall. Larson would defend the field on the final restart to win his 17th career NASCAR Cup Series race and his first of the season. To fill out the top 3, Austin Dillon of Richard Childress Racing and Erik Jones of Petty GMS Motorsports would finish second and third, respectively.

## Report
### Background

Auto Club Speedway (previously California Speedway) was a two-mile (3.2 km), low-banked, D-shaped oval superspeedway in Fontana, California which hosted NASCAR racing annually from 1997 to 2023. It was also used for open wheel racing events. The racetrack was located near the former locations of Ontario Motor Speedway and Riverside International Raceway. The track was owned and operated by International Speedway Corporation and was the only track owned by ISC to have its naming rights sold. The speedway was served by the nearby Interstate 10 and Interstate 15 freeways as well as a Metrolink station located behind the backstretch.

#### 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 | Rick Ware Racing | Ford |
| 16 | Daniel Hemric (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 | Bubba Wallace | 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 | Kurt Busch | 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 | Josh Bilicki (i) | Spire Motorsports | Chevrolet |
| 78 | B. J. McLeod | Live Fast Motorsports | Ford |
| 99 | Daniel Suárez | Trackhouse Racing Team | Chevrolet |
| Official entry list ||||

## Practice

Denny Hamlin was the fastest in the practice session with a time of 41.519 seconds and a speed of 173.415 mph (279.084 km/h).

### Practice results

| Pos | No. | Driver | Team | Manufacturer | Time | Speed |
| 1 | 11 | Denny Hamlin | Joe Gibbs Racing | Toyota | 41.519 | 173.415 |
| 2 | 18 | Kyle Busch | Joe Gibbs Racing | Toyota | 41.580 | 173.160 |
| 3 | 8 | Tyler Reddick | Richard Childress Racing | Chevrolet | 41.746 | 172.472 |
| Official practice results |||||||

## Qualifying

Austin Cindric scored the pole for the race with a time of 41.226 and a speed of 174.647 mph (281.067 km/h).

### Qualifying results

| Pos | No. | Driver | Team | Manufacturer | R1 | R2 |
| 1 | 2 | Austin Cindric (R) | Team Penske | Ford | 41.310 | 41.226 |
| 2 | 43 | Erik Jones | Petty GMS Motorsports | Chevrolet | 41.316 | 41.342 |
| 3 | 18 | Kyle Busch | Joe Gibbs Racing | Toyota | 41.628 | 41.437 |
| 4 | 11 | Denny Hamlin | Joe Gibbs Racing | Toyota | 41.566 | 41.529 |
| 5 | 16 | Daniel Hemric (i) | Kaulig Racing | Chevrolet | 41.405 | 41.585 |
| 6 | 12 | Ryan Blaney | Team Penske | Ford | 41.271 | 41.588 |
| 7 | 22 | Joey Logano | Team Penske | Ford | 41.358 | 42.197 |
| 8 | 9 | Chase Elliott | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | 41.177 | 0.000 |
| 9 | 6 | Brad Keselowski | RFK Racing | Ford | 41.403 | 0.000 |
| 10 | 24 | William Byron | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | 41.478 | 0.000 |
| 11 | 8 | Tyler Reddick | Richard Childress Racing | Chevrolet | 41.516 | — |
| 12 | 19 | Martin Truex Jr. | Joe Gibbs Racing | Toyota | 41.517 | — |
| 13 | 5 | Kyle Larson | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | 41.594 | — |
| 14 | 48 | Alex Bowman | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | 41.634 | — |
| 15 | 99 | Daniel Suárez | Trackhouse Racing Team | Chevrolet | 41.636 | — |
| 16 | 3 | Austin Dillon | Richard Childress Racing | Chevrolet | 41.678 | — |
| 17 | 47 | Ricky Stenhouse Jr. | JTG Daugherty Racing | Chevrolet | 41.688 | — |
| 18 | 42 | Ty Dillon | Petty GMS Motorsports | Chevrolet | 41.777 | — |
| 19 | 20 | Christopher Bell | Joe Gibbs Racing | Toyota | 41.888 | — |
| 20 | 17 | Chris Buescher | RFK Racing | Ford | 41.888 | — |
| 21 | 41 | Cole Custer | Stewart-Haas Racing | Ford | 41.940 | — |
| 22 | 21 | Harrison Burton (R) | Wood Brothers Racing | Ford | 41.989 | — |
| 23 | 34 | Michael McDowell | Front Row Motorsports | Ford | 42.056 | — |
| 24 | 14 | Chase Briscoe | Stewart-Haas Racing | Ford | 42.140 | — |
| 25 | 7 | Corey LaJoie | Spire Motorsports | Chevrolet | 42.188 | — |
| 26 | 38 | Todd Gilliland (R) | Front Row Motorsports | Ford | 42.505 | — |
| 27 | 51 | Cody Ware | Rick Ware Racing | Ford | 42.634 | — |
| 28 | 77 | Josh Bilicki (i) | Spire Motorsports | Chevrolet | 42.957 | — |
| 29 | 15 | Garrett Smithley | Rick Ware Racing | Ford | 43.953 | — |
| 30 | 78 | B. J. McLeod | Live Fast Motorsports | Ford | 44.103 | — |
| 31 | 10 | Aric Almirola | Stewart-Haas Racing | Ford | 0.000 | — |
| 32 | 4 | Kevin Harvick | Stewart-Haas Racing | Ford | 0.000 | — |
| 33 | 1 | Ross Chastain | Trackhouse Racing Team | Chevrolet | 0.000 | — |
| 34 | 23 | Bubba Wallace | 23XI Racing | Toyota | 0.000 | — |
| 35 | 31 | Justin Haley | Kaulig Racing | Chevrolet | 0.000 | — |
| 36 | 45 | Kurt Busch | 23XI Racing | Toyota | 0.000 | — |
| Official qualifying results |||||||

## Race
### Stage Results

Stage One Laps: 65
| Pos | No | Driver | Team | Manufacturer | Points |
| 1 | 8 | Tyler Reddick | Richard Childress Racing | Chevrolet | 10 |
| 2 | 43 | Erik Jones | Petty GMS Motorsports | Chevrolet | 9 |
| 3 | 24 | William Byron | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | 8 |
| 4 | 14 | Chase Briscoe | Stewart-Haas Racing | Ford | 7 |
| 5 | 5 | Kyle Larson | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | 6 |
| 6 | 48 | Alex Bowman | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | 5 |
| 7 | 22 | Joey Logano | Team Penske | Ford | 4 |
| 8 | 12 | Ryan Blaney | Team Penske | Ford | 3 |
| 9 | 2 | Austin Cindric (R) | Team Penske | Ford | 2 |
| 10 | 47 | Ricky Stenhouse Jr. | JTG Daugherty Racing | Chevrolet | 1 |
| Official stage one results ||||||
Stage Two Laps: 65
| Pos | No | Driver | Team | Manufacturer | Points |
| 1 | 8 | Tyler Reddick | Richard Childress Racing | Chevrolet | 10 |
| 2 | 43 | Erik Jones | Petty GMS Motorsports | Chevrolet | 9 |
| 3 | 22 | Joey Logano | Team Penske | Ford | 8 |
| 4 | 12 | Ryan Blaney | Team Penske | Ford | 7 |
| 5 | 5 | Kyle Larson | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | 6 |
| 6 | 41 | Cole Custer | Stewart-Haas Racing | Ford | 5 |
| 7 | 2 | Austin Cindric (R) | Team Penske | Ford | 4 |
| 8 | 10 | Aric Almirola | Stewart-Haas Racing | Ford | 3 |
| 9 | 24 | William Byron | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | 2 |
| 10 | 11 | Denny Hamlin | Joe Gibbs Racing | Toyota | 1 |
| Official stage two results ||||||

### Final Stage Results

Stage Three Laps: 70
| Pos | Grid | No | Driver | Team | Manufacturer | Laps | Points |
| 1 | 13 | 5 | Kyle Larson | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | 200 | 52 |
| 2 | 16 | 3 | Austin Dillon | Richard Childress Racing | Chevrolet | 200 | 35 |
| 3 | 2 | 43 | Erik Jones | Petty GMS Motorsports | Chevrolet | 200 | 52 |
| 4 | 15 | 99 | Daniel Suárez | Trackhouse Racing Team | Chevrolet | 200 | 33 |
| 5 | 7 | 22 | Joey Logano | Team Penske | Ford | 200 | 44 |
| 6 | 31 | 10 | Aric Almirola | Stewart-Haas Racing | Ford | 200 | 34 |
| 7 | 32 | 4 | Kevin Harvick | Stewart-Haas Racing | Ford | 200 | 30 |
| 8 | 36 | 45 | Kurt Busch | 23XI Racing | Toyota | 200 | 29 |
| 9 | 5 | 16 | Daniel Hemric (i) | Kaulig Racing | Chevrolet | 200 | 0 |
| 10 | 17 | 47 | Ricky Stenhouse Jr. | JTG Daugherty Racing | Chevrolet | 200 | 28 |
| 11 | 21 | 41 | Cole Custer | Stewart-Haas Racing | Ford | 200 | 31 |
| 12 | 1 | 2 | Austin Cindric (R) | Team Penske | Ford | 200 | 31 |
| 13 | 12 | 19 | Martin Truex Jr. | Joe Gibbs Racing | Toyota | 200 | 24 |
| 14 | 3 | 18 | Kyle Busch | Joe Gibbs Racing | Toyota | 200 | 23 |
| 15 | 4 | 11 | Denny Hamlin | Joe Gibbs Racing | Toyota | 200 | 23 |
| 16 | 24 | 14 | Chase Briscoe | Stewart-Haas Racing | Ford | 200 | 28 |
| 17 | 18 | 42 | Ty Dillon | Petty GMS Motorsports | Chevrolet | 200 | 20 |
| 18 | 6 | 12 | Ryan Blaney | Team Penske | Ford | 200 | 29 |
| 19 | 34 | 23 | Bubba Wallace | 23XI Racing | Toyota | 200 | 18 |
| 20 | 26 | 38 | Todd Gilliland (R) | Front Row Motorsports | Ford | 200 | 17 |
| 21 | 29 | 15 | Garrett Smithley | Rick Ware Racing | Ford | 200 | 16 |
| 22 | 30 | 78 | B. J. McLeod | Live Fast Motorsports | Ford | 200 | 15 |
| 23 | 35 | 31 | Justin Haley | Kaulig Racing | Chevrolet | 200 | 14 |
| 24 | 11 | 8 | Tyler Reddick | Richard Childress Racing | Chevrolet | 199 | 33 |
| 25 | 14 | 48 | Alex Bowman | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | 199 | 17 |
| 26 | 8 | 9 | Chase Elliott | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | 198 | 11 |
| 27 | 9 | 6 | Brad Keselowski | RFK Racing | Ford | 198 | 10 |
| 28 | 25 | 7 | Corey LaJoie | Spire Motorsports | Chevrolet | 198 | 9 |
| 29 | 33 | 1 | Ross Chastain | Trackhouse Racing Team | Chevrolet | 198 | 8 |
| 30 | 28 | 77 | Josh Bilicki (i) | Spire Motorsports | Chevrolet | 198 | 7 |
| 31 | 23 | 34 | Michael McDowell | Front Row Motorsports | Ford | 193 | 6 |
| 32 | 27 | 51 | Cody Ware | Rick Ware Racing | Ford | 187 | 5 |
| 33 | 22 | 21 | Harrison Burton (R) | Wood Brothers Racing | Ford | 157 | 4 |
| 34 | 10 | 24 | William Byron | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | 151 | 13 |
| 35 | 20 | 17 | Chris Buescher | RFK Racing | Ford | 111 | 2 |
| 36 | 19 | 20 | Christopher Bell | Joe Gibbs Racing | Toyota | 94 | 1 |
| Official race results ||||||||

### Race statistics

* Lead changes: 32 among 9 different drivers
* Cautions/Laps: 12 for 59 laps
* Red flags: 0
* Time of race: 3 hours, 3 minutes and 7 seconds
* Average speed: 114.222 miles per hour (183.822 km/h)

## Media
### Television

The race was the 21st race Fox Sports covered at the Auto Club Speedway. Mike Joy, Clint Bowyer and three-time Auto Club winner Matt Kenseth called the race in the booth for Fox. Jamie Little and Regan Smith handled the pit road duties, and Larry McReynolds provided insight from the Fox Sports studio in Charlotte.
Fox :
| Booth announcers | Pit reporters | In-race analyst |
| Lap-by-lap: Mike Joy Color-commentator: Clint Bowyer Color-commentator: Matt Kenseth | Jamie Little Regan Smith | Larry McReynolds |

### Radio

MRN had the radio call for the race, which was also simulcast on Sirius XM NASCAR Radio. Alex Hayden, Jeff Striegle, and 2018 NASCAR Cup Championship crew chief Todd Gordon called the race from the booth when the field raced their way down the front stretch. Dan Hubbard called the race from a billboard outside turn 2 when the field raced their way through turns 1 and 2, and Kurt Becker called the race from a billboard outside turn 3 when the field raced their way through turns 3 and 4. Steve Post and Jason Toy had the pit road duties for MRN.
MRN :
| Booth announcers | Turn announcers | Pit reporters |
| Lead announcer: Alex Hayden Announcer: Jeff Striegle Announcer: Todd Gordon | Turns 1 & 2: Dan Hubbard Turns 3 & 4: Kurt Becker | Steve Post Jason Toy |

## Standings after the race

| | Pos | Driver | Points |
| | 1 | Austin Cindric | 85 |
| 9 | 2 | Joey Logano | 77 (–8) |
| | 3 | Martin Truex Jr. | 73 (–12) |
| 2 | 4 | Ryan Blaney | 70 (–15) |
| | 5 | Chase Briscoe | 69 (–16) |
| 16 | 6 | Erik Jones | 68 (–17) |
| 5 | 7 | Aric Almirola | 66 (–19) |
| 18 | 8 | Kyle Larson | 65 (–20) |
| 5 | 9 | Bubba Wallace | 65 (–20) |
| 8 | 10 | Brad Keselowski | 64 (–21) |
| 3 | 11 | Kyle Busch | 61 (–24) |
| 4 | 12 | Kurt Busch | 53 (–32) |
| 2 | 13 | Ricky Stenhouse Jr. | 53 (–32) |
| 7 | 14 | Austin Dillon | 52 (–33) |
| 4 | 15 | Daniel Suárez | 52 (–33) |
| 4 | 16 | Cole Custer | 48 (–37) |
| Official driver's standings ||||
| | Pos | Manufacturer | Points |
| | 1 | Ford | 72 |
| 1 | 2 | Chevrolet | 67 (–5) |
| 1 | 3 | Toyota | 64 (–8) |