# 2022 Food City Dirt Race

The 2022 Food City Dirt Race was a NASCAR Cup Series race held on April 17, 2022, at Bristol Motor Speedway in Bristol, Tennessee. Contested over 250 laps on the 0.533 miles (0.858 km) short track, it was the ninth race of the 2022 NASCAR Cup Series season. Kyle Busch won the race in a last lap pass from 3rd after both Tyler Reddick and Chase Briscoe both spun battling for the lead. This would turn out to be Busch's last win for Joe Gibbs Racing and the last appearance of the 18 car in victory lane.

## Report
### Background

Bristol Motor Speedway, formerly known as Bristol International Raceway and Bristol Raceway, is a NASCAR short track venue located in Bristol, Tennessee. Constructed in 1960, it held its first NASCAR race on July 30, 1961. Bristol is among the most popular tracks on the NASCAR schedule because of its distinct features, which include extraordinarily steep banking combined with short length, an all concrete surface, two pit roads, and stadium-like seating.
In 2021, the race shifted to a dirt surface version of the track and was renamed the Food City Dirt Race.

#### 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 | J. J. Yeley (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 | 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 | Justin Allgaier (i) | Spire Motorsports | Chevrolet |
| 78 | Josh Williams (i) | Live Fast Motorsports | Ford |
| 99 | Daniel Suárez | Trackhouse Racing Team | Chevrolet |
| Official entry list ||||

## Practice
### First practice

Tyler Reddick was the fastest in the first practice session with a time of 20.017 seconds and a speed of 89.924 mph (144.719 km/h).
| Pos | No. | Driver | Team | Manufacturer | Time | Speed |
| 1 | 8 | Tyler Reddick | Richard Childress Racing | Chevrolet | 20.017 | 89.924 |
| 2 | 14 | Chase Briscoe | Stewart-Haas Racing | Ford | 20.055 | 89.753 |
| 3 | 18 | Kyle Busch | Joe Gibbs Racing | Toyota | 20.068 | 89.695 |
| Official first practice results |||||||

### Final practice

Denny Hamlin was the fastest in the final practice session with a time of 20.638 seconds and a speed of 87.218 mph (140.364 km/h).
| Pos | No. | Driver | Team | Manufacturer | Time | Speed |
| 1 | 11 | Denny Hamlin | Joe Gibbs Racing | Toyota | 20.638 | 87.218 |
| 2 | 18 | Kyle Busch | Joe Gibbs Racing | Toyota | 20.668 | 87.091 |
| 3 | 38 | Todd Gilliland (R) | Front Row Motorsports | Ford | 20.683 | 87.028 |
| Official final practice results |||||||

## Qualifying heat races

Qualifying race procedure similar to that used by the Chili Bowl qualifying nights and Bryan Clauson Classic. Starting order for heat races based on random draw. Grid determined by a combination of passing points and finishing points. Ties broken by owner points.

### Race 1

| Pos | Grid | No | Driver | Team | Manufacturer | Laps |
| 1 | 4 | 8 | Tyler Reddick | Richard Childress Racing | Chevrolet | 15 |
| 2 | 9 | 41 | Cole Custer | Stewart-Haas Racing | Ford | 15 |
| 3 | 5 | 48 | Alex Bowman | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | 15 |
| 4 | 3 | 6 | Brad Keselowski | RFK Racing | Ford | 15 |
| 5 | 1 | 38 | Todd Gilliland (R) | Front Row Motorsports | Ford | 15 |
| 6 | 6 | 12 | Ryan Blaney | Team Penske | Ford | 15 |
| 7 | 8 | 7 | Corey LaJoie | Spire Motorsports | Chevrolet | 15 |
| 8 | 7 | 19 | Martin Truex Jr. | Joe Gibbs Racing | Toyota | 15 |
| 9 | 2 | 1 | Ross Chastain | Trackhouse Racing Team | Chevrolet | 15 |
| Official race one results |||||||

### Race 2

| Pos | Grid | No | Driver | Team | Manufacturer | Laps |
| 1 | 5 | 20 | Christopher Bell | Joe Gibbs Racing | Toyota | 15 |
| 2 | 2 | 18 | Kyle Busch | Joe Gibbs Racing | Toyota | 15 |
| 3 | 7 | 14 | Chase Briscoe | Stewart-Haas Racing | Ford | 15 |
| 4 | 3 | 34 | Michael McDowell | Front Row Motorsports | Ford | 15 |
| 5 | 8 | 43 | Erik Jones | Petty GMS Motorsports | Chevrolet | 15 |
| 6 | 4 | 77 | Justin Allgaier (i) | Spire Motorsports | Chevrolet | 15 |
| 7 | 9 | 99 | Daniel Suárez | Trackhouse Racing Team | Chevrolet | 15 |
| 8 | 1 | 4 | Kevin Harvick | Stewart-Haas Racing | Ford | 15 |
| 9 | 6 | 78 | Josh Williams (i) | Live Fast Motorsports | Ford | 15 |
| Official race two results |||||||

### Race 3

| Pos | Grid | No | Driver | Team | Manufacturer | Laps |
| 1 | 2 | 31 | Justin Haley | Kaulig Racing | Chevrolet | 15 |
| 2 | 1 | 22 | Joey Logano | Team Penske | Ford | 15 |
| 3 | 4 | 17 | Chris Buescher | RFK Racing | Ford | 15 |
| 4 | 6 | 45 | Kurt Busch | 23XI Racing | Toyota | 15 |
| 5 | 8 | 3 | Austin Dillon | Richard Childress Racing | Chevrolet | 15 |
| 6 | 7 | 23 | Bubba Wallace | 23XI Racing | Toyota | 15 |
| 7 | 3 | 15 | J. J. Yeley (i) | Rick Ware Racing | Ford | 15 |
| 8 | 9 | 16 | Noah Gragson (i) | Kaulig Racing | Chevrolet | 15 |
| 9 | 5 | 11 | Denny Hamlin | Joe Gibbs Racing | Toyota | 15 |
| Official race three results |||||||

### Race 4

| Pos | Grid | No | Driver | Team | Manufacturer | Laps |
| 1 | 2 | 42 | Ty Dillon | Petty GMS Motorsports | Chevrolet | 15 |
| 2 | 1 | 9 | Chase Elliott | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | 15 |
| 3 | 6 | 5 | Kyle Larson | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | 15 |
| 4 | 5 | 47 | Ricky Stenhouse Jr. | JTG Daugherty Racing | Chevrolet | 15 |
| 5 | 4 | 24 | William Byron | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | 15 |
| 6 | 7 | 2 | Austin Cindric (R) | Team Penske | Ford | 15 |
| 7 | 9 | 21 | Harrison Burton (R) | Wood Brothers Racing | Ford | 15 |
| 8 | 3 | 10 | Aric Almirola | Stewart-Haas Racing | Ford | 15 |
| 9 | 8 | 51 | Cody Ware | Rick Ware Racing | Ford | 15 |
| Official race four results |||||||

### Starting Lineup

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

## Race
### Final lap

During the closing laps of the race, Tyler Reddick was leading with Chase Briscoe right behind him looking to challenge for the win. Reddick was looking for his first Cup Series win in his 83rd start while Briscoe was looking for his 2nd win of the season and of his career after Briscoe won at Phoenix a month ago. On the final lap, Briscoe was almost at Reddick's rear bumper. Briscoe tried to pass in turns 1 and 2 but couldn't get alongside Reddick. In turn 3, Briscoe sent it in as fast and deep as he could and got alongside Reddick. Briscoe slid up and got into Reddick causing both to get sideways. Both tried to save it but both spun out in turn 4. Reddick did a full 360 degree spin and got his car rolling trying to chug it across the finish line. But just before he got there, Kyle Busch, who was in 3rd almost 4 seconds back during the final lap, got to the finish line first and stole the win while Reddick finished in 2nd. Briscoe would finish in 22nd. This would be Busch's 60th win of his Cup Series career and his last for Joe Gibbs Racing.

### Stage Results

Stage One Laps: 75
| Pos | No | Driver | Team | Manufacturer | Points |
| 1 | 5 | Kyle Larson | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | 10 |
| 2 | 42 | Ty Dillon | Petty GMS Motorsports | Chevrolet | 9 |
| 3 | 20 | Christopher Bell | Joe Gibbs Racing | Toyota | 8 |
| 4 | 3 | Austin Dillon | Richard Childress Racing | Chevrolet | 7 |
| 5 | 18 | Kyle Busch | Joe Gibbs Racing | Toyota | 6 |
| 6 | 48 | Alex Bowman | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | 5 |
| 7 | 22 | Joey Logano | Team Penske | Ford | 4 |
| 8 | 8 | Tyler Reddick | Richard Childress Racing | Chevrolet | 3 |
| 9 | 12 | Ryan Blaney | Team Penske | Ford | 2 |
| 10 | 47 | Ricky Stenhouse Jr. | JTG Daugherty Racing | Chevrolet | 1 |
| Official stage one results ||||||
Stage Two Laps: 75
| Pos | No | Driver | Team | Manufacturer | Points |
| 1 | 14 | Chase Briscoe | Stewart-Haas Racing | Ford | 10 |
| 2 | 20 | Christopher Bell | Joe Gibbs Racing | Toyota | 9 |
| 3 | 99 | Daniel Suárez | Trackhouse Racing Team | Chevrolet | 8 |
| 4 | 9 | Chase Elliott | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | 7 |
| 5 | 18 | Kyle Busch | Joe Gibbs Racing | Toyota | 6 |
| 6 | 5 | Kyle Larson | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | 5 |
| 7 | 22 | Joey Logano | Team Penske | Ford | 4 |
| 8 | 34 | Michael McDowell | Front Row Motorsports | Ford | 3 |
| 9 | 12 | Ryan Blaney | Team Penske | Ford | 2 |
| 10 | 8 | Tyler Reddick | Richard Childress Racing | Chevrolet | 1 |
| Official stage two results ||||||

### Final Stage Results

Stage Three Laps: 100
| Pos | Grid | No | Driver | Team | Manufacturer | Laps | Points |
| 1 | 11 | 18 | Kyle Busch | Joe Gibbs Racing | Toyota | 250 | 52 |
| 2 | 3 | 8 | Tyler Reddick | Richard Childress Racing | Chevrolet | 250 | 39 |
| 3 | 10 | 22 | Joey Logano | Team Penske | Ford | 250 | 42 |
| 4 | 5 | 5 | Kyle Larson | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | 250 | 48 |
| 5 | 25 | 12 | Ryan Blaney | Team Penske | Ford | 250 | 36 |
| 6 | 8 | 48 | Alex Bowman | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | 250 | 36 |
| 7 | 2 | 20 | Christopher Bell | Joe Gibbs Racing | Toyota | 250 | 47 |
| 8 | 9 | 9 | Chase Elliott | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | 250 | 36 |
| 9 | 17 | 34 | Michael McDowell | Front Row Motorsports | Ford | 250 | 31 |
| 10 | 7 | 42 | Ty Dillon | Petty GMS Motorsports | Chevrolet | 250 | 36 |
| 11 | 18 | 6 | Brad Keselowski | RFK Racing | Ford | 250 | 26 |
| 12 | 21 | 99 | Daniel Suárez | Trackhouse Racing Team | Chevrolet | 250 | 33 |
| 13 | 1 | 41 | Cole Custer | Stewart-Haas Racing | Ford | 250 | 24 |
| 14 | 6 | 31 | Justin Haley | Kaulig Racing | Chevrolet | 250 | 23 |
| 15 | 15 | 17 | Chris Buescher | RFK Racing | Ford | 250 | 22 |
| 16 | 20 | 2 | Austin Cindric (R) | Team Penske | Ford | 250 | 21 |
| 17 | 23 | 38 | Todd Gilliland (R) | Front Row Motorsports | Ford | 250 | 20 |
| 18 | 19 | 24 | William Byron | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | 250 | 19 |
| 19 | 26 | 7 | Corey LaJoie | Spire Motorsports | Chevrolet | 250 | 18 |
| 20 | 24 | 21 | Harrison Burton (R) | Wood Brothers Racing | Ford | 250 | 17 |
| 21 | 30 | 19 | Martin Truex Jr. | Joe Gibbs Racing | Toyota | 250 | 16 |
| 22 | 4 | 14 | Chase Briscoe | Stewart-Haas Racing | Ford | 250 | 25 |
| 23 | 31 | 10 | Aric Almirola | Stewart-Haas Racing | Ford | 250 | 14 |
| 24 | 14 | 43 | Erik Jones | Petty GMS Motorsports | Chevrolet | 250 | 13 |
| 25 | 36 | 78 | Josh Williams (i) | Live Fast Motorsports | Ford | 250 | 0 |
| 26 | 35 | 51 | Cody Ware | Rick Ware Racing | Ford | 250 | 11 |
| 27 | 28 | 16 | Noah Gragson (i) | Kaulig Racing | Chevrolet | 248 | 0 |
| 28 | 22 | 23 | Bubba Wallace | 23XI Racing | Toyota | 245 | 9 |
| 29 | 16 | 47 | Ricky Stenhouse Jr. | JTG Daugherty Racing | Chevrolet | 240 | 9 |
| 30 | 29 | 15 | J. J. Yeley (i) | Rick Ware Racing | Ford | 221 | 0 |
| 31 | 12 | 3 | Austin Dillon | Richard Childress Racing | Chevrolet | 211 | 13 |
| 32 | 13 | 45 | Kurt Busch | 23XI Racing | Toyota | 211 | 5 |
| 33 | 33 | 1 | Ross Chastain | Trackhouse Racing Team | Chevrolet | 150 | 4 |
| 34 | 32 | 4 | Kevin Harvick | Stewart-Haas Racing | Ford | 100 | 3 |
| 35 | 34 | 11 | Denny Hamlin | Joe Gibbs Racing | Toyota | 91 | 2 |
| 36 | 27 | 77 | Justin Allgaier (i) | Spire Motorsports | Chevrolet | 74 | 0 |
| Official race results ||||||||

### Race statistics

* Lead changes: 6 among 5 different drivers
* Cautions/Laps: 14 for 82
* Red flags: 1 for 16 minutes and 51 seconds
* Time of race: 3 hours, 34 minutes and 27 seconds
* Average speed: 34.973 miles per hour (56.284 km/h)

## Media
### Television

The Food City Dirt Race was carried by Fox in the United States. Mike Joy, Clint Bowyer and 12-time Bristol winner – and all-time Bristol race winner – Darrell Waltrip called the race from the broadcast booth, his first since the 2019 Toyota/Save Mart 350 when he retired from commentary duties. Jamie Little and Regan Smith handled pit road for the television side. Larry McReynolds provided insight also from pit road.
Fox :
| Booth announcers | Pit reporters | In-race analyst |
| Lap-by-lap: Mike Joy Color-commentator: Clint Bowyer Color-commentator: Darrell Waltrip | Jamie Little Regan Smith | Larry McReynolds |

### Radio

PRN had the radio call for the race which was simulcasted on Sirius XM NASCAR Radio. Doug Rice and Mark Garrow called the race in the booth when the field raced down the frontstretch. Rob Albright called the race from atop the turn 3 suites when the field raced down the backstretch. Brad Gillie, Brett McMillan, Lenny Batycki and Alan Cavanna covered the action on pit lane for PRN.
PRN :
| Booth announcers | Turn announcers | Pit reporters |
| Lead announcer: Doug Rice Announcer: Mark Garrow | Backstretch: Rob Albright | Brad Gillie Brett McMillan Lenny Batycki Alan Cavanna |

## Standings after the race

| | Pos | Driver | Points |
| | 1 | Chase Elliott | 324 |
| | 2 | Ryan Blaney | 321 (–3) |
| 1 | 3 | Joey Logano | 303 (–21) |
| 1 | 4 | William Byron | 295 (–29) |
| 1 | 5 | Alex Bowman | 273 (–51) |
| 4 | 6 | Kyle Busch | 273 (–51) |
| | 7 | Martin Truex Jr. | 253 (–71) |
| 3 | 8 | Ross Chastain | 250 (–74) |
| 4 | 9 | Kyle Larson | 249 (–75) |
| 1 | 10 | Chase Briscoe | 245 (–79) |
| 1 | 11 | Tyler Reddick | 241 (–83) |
| 4 | 12 | Aric Almirola | 237 (–87) |
| 4 | 13 | Kevin Harvick | 225 (–99) |
| | 14 | Austin Cindric | 222 (–102) |
| 4 | 15 | Christopher Bell | 220 (–104) |
| 2 | 16 | Daniel Suárez | 212 (–112) |
| Official driver's standings ||||
| Pos | Manufacturer | Points |
| 1 | Chevrolet | 331 |
| 2 | Ford | 308 (–23) |
| 3 | Toyota | 308 (–23) |