# 2022 M&M's Fan Appreciation 400

The 2022 M&M's Fan Appreciation 400 was a NASCAR Cup Series race that was held on July 24, 2022, at Pocono Raceway in Long Pond, Pennsylvania. Contested over 160 laps on the 2.5-mile (4.0 km) speedway, it was the 21st race of the 2022 NASCAR Cup Series season. Chase Elliott of Hendrick Motorsports would win the race after Denny Hamlin and Kyle Busch, who originally finished first and second respectively, were both disqualified for failing post-race technical inspection. Elliott became the first NASCAR driver to win a race after both the original first and second-place finishers were disqualified since 1955. Hamlin was also the first NASCAR Cup Series race winner to be disqualified since 1960, ending a 62-year streak. It was also the first disqualification of the Next Gen car since its debut earlier that year.
It was the final appearance of 2004 Cup Series champion Kurt Busch, who withdrew from the race after crashing in qualifying, eventually leading to his retirement the following year.

## Report
### Background

Pocono Raceway is a 2.5-mile (4.0 km) oval speedway located in Long Pond, Pennsylvania, which has hosted NASCAR racing annually since the early 1970s. Nicknamed "The Tricky Triangle", the speedway has three distinct corners and is known for high speeds along its lengthy straightaways.
From 1982 to 2019, the circuit had two race weekends. In 2020, the circuit was reduced to one race meeting of two races. The first race was moved to World Wide Technology Raceway near St. Louis starting in 2022.

#### 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 | Josh Bilicki (i) | Spire Motorsports | Chevrolet |
| 78 | B. J. McLeod (i) | Live Fast Motorsports | Ford |
| 99 | Daniel Suárez | Trackhouse Racing Team | Chevrolet |
| Official entry list ||||

## Practice

Ross Chastain was the fastest in the practice session with a time of 53.661 seconds and a speed of 167.720 mph (269.919 km/h).

### Practice results

| Pos | No. | Driver | Team | Manufacturer | Time | Speed |
| 1 | 1 | Ross Chastain | Trackhouse Racing Team | Chevrolet | 53.661 | 167.720 |
| 2 | 20 | Christopher Bell | Joe Gibbs Racing | Toyota | 53.688 | 167.635 |
| 3 | 99 | Daniel Suárez | Trackhouse Racing Team | Chevrolet | 53.781 | 167.345 |
| Official practice results |||||||

## Qualifying

Denny Hamlin scored the pole for the race with a time of 52.944 and a speed of 169.991 mph (273.574 km/h).
During the second round of qualifying, Kurt Busch spun and the car made tail to wall contact to the Turn 3 wall. After further checkups on Sunday morning, he was medically disqualified and thereby suspended under a medical suspension that resulted in what became a career-ending injury, announcing his formal retirement on August 26, 2023. Ty Gibbs took over the 45 car for the remainder of the regular season.

### Qualifying results

| Pos | No. | Driver | Team | Manufacturer | R1 | R2 |
| 1 | 11 | Denny Hamlin | Joe Gibbs Racing | Toyota | 53.145 | 52.944 |
| 2 | 18 | Kyle Busch | Joe Gibbs Racing | Toyota | 53.173 | 53.098 |
| 3 | 9 | Chase Elliott | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | 53.237 | 53.140 |
| 4 | 5 | Kyle Larson | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | 53.532 | 53.250 |
| 5 | 17 | Chris Buescher | RFK Racing | Ford | 53.522 | 53.279 |
| 6 | 12 | Ryan Blaney | Team Penske | Ford | 53.601 | 53.457 |
| 7 | 23 | Bubba Wallace | 23XI Racing | Toyota | 53.410 | 53.472 |
| 8 | 19 | Martin Truex Jr. | Joe Gibbs Racing | Toyota | 53.577 | 53.579 |
| 9 | 99 | Daniel Suárez | Trackhouse Racing Team | Chevrolet | 53.473 | 53.590 |
| 10 | 45 | Kurt Busch | 23XI Racing | Toyota | 53.444 | 0.000 |
| 11 | 20 | Christopher Bell | Joe Gibbs Racing | Toyota | 53.550 | — |
| 12 | 10 | Aric Almirola | Stewart-Haas Racing | Ford | 53.620 | — |
| 13 | 14 | Chase Briscoe | Stewart-Haas Racing | Ford | 53.655 | — |
| 14 | 22 | Joey Logano | Team Penske | Ford | 53.669 | — |
| 15 | 3 | Austin Dillon | Richard Childress Racing | Chevrolet | 53.678 | — |
| 16 | 8 | Tyler Reddick | Richard Childress Racing | Chevrolet | 53.708 | — |
| 17 | 48 | Alex Bowman | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | 53.834 | — |
| 18 | 24 | William Byron | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | 53.835 | — |
| 19 | 47 | Ricky Stenhouse Jr. | JTG Daugherty Racing | Chevrolet | 53.878 | — |
| 20 | 2 | Austin Cindric (R) | Team Penske | Ford | 53.921 | — |
| 21 | 1 | Ross Chastain | Trackhouse Racing Team | Chevrolet | 53.984 | — |
| 22 | 16 | Noah Gragson (R) | Kaulig Racing | Chevrolet | 54.000 | — |
| 23 | 7 | Corey LaJoie | Spire Motorsports | Chevrolet | 54.009 | — |
| 24 | 4 | Kevin Harvick | Stewart-Haas Racing | Ford | 54.020 | — |
| 25 | 34 | Michael McDowell | Front Row Motorsports | Ford | 54.049 | — |
| 26 | 6 | Brad Keselowski | RFK Racing | Ford | 54.061 | — |
| 27 | 42 | Ty Dillon | Petty GMS Motorsports | Chevrolet | 54.140 | — |
| 28 | 21 | Harrison Burton (R) | Wood Brothers Racing | Ford | 54.197 | — |
| 29 | 38 | Todd Gilliland (R) | Front Row Motorsports | Ford | 54.221 | — |
| 30 | 31 | Justin Haley | Kaulig Racing | Chevrolet | 54.440 | — |
| 31 | 77 | Josh Bilicki (i) | Spire Motorsports | Chevrolet | 54.639 | — |
| 32 | 41 | Cole Custer | Stewart-Haas Racing | Ford | 54.763 | — |
| 33 | 15 | J. J. Yeley (i) | Rick Ware Racing | Ford | 54.769 | — |
| 34 | 43 | Erik Jones | Petty GMS Motorsports | Chevrolet | 54.816 | — |
| 35 | 78 | B. J. McLeod (i) | Live Fast Motorsports | Ford | 55.625 | — |
| 36 | 51 | Cody Ware | Rick Ware Racing | Ford | 56.166 | — |
| Official qualifying results |||||||

## Race
### Stage Results

Stage One Laps: 30
| Pos | No | Driver | Team | Manufacturer | Points |
| 1 | 5 | Kyle Larson | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | 10 |
| 2 | 9 | Chase Elliott | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | 9 |
| 3 | 99 | Daniel Suárez | Trackhouse Racing Team | Chevrolet | 8 |
| 4 | 12 | Ryan Blaney | Team Penske | Ford | 7 |
| 5 | 43 | Erik Jones | Petty GMS Motorsports | Chevrolet | 6 |
| 6 | 24 | William Byron | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | 5 |
| 7 | 19 | Martin Truex Jr. | Joe Gibbs Racing | Toyota | 4 |
| 8 | 4 | Kevin Harvick | Stewart-Haas Racing | Ford | 3 |
| 9 | 7 | Corey LaJoie | Spire Motorsports | Chevrolet | 2 |
| 10 | 34 | Michael McDowell | Front Row Motorsports | Ford | 1 |
| Official stage one results ||||||
Stage Two Laps: 65
| Pos | No | Driver | Team | Manufacturer | Points |
| 1 | 1 | Ross Chastain | Trackhouse Racing Team | Chevrolet | 10 |
| 2 | 12 | Ryan Blaney | Team Penske | Ford | 9 |
| 3 | 43 | Erik Jones | Petty GMS Motorsports | Chevrolet | 8 |
| 4 | 4 | Kevin Harvick | Stewart-Haas Racing | Ford | 7 |
| 5 | 24 | William Byron | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | 6 |
| 6 | 99 | Daniel Suárez | Trackhouse Racing Team | Chevrolet | 5 |
| 7 | 9 | Chase Elliott | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | 4 |
| 8 | 5 | Kyle Larson | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | 3 |
| 9 | 20 | Christopher Bell | Joe Gibbs Racing | Toyota | 2 |
| 10 | 19 | Martin Truex Jr. | Joe Gibbs Racing | Toyota | 1 |
| Official stage two results ||||||

### Final Stage Results

Stage Three Laps: 65
| Pos | Grid | No | Driver | Team | Manufacturer | Laps | Points |
| 1 | 3 | 9 | Chase Elliott | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | 160 | 53 |
| 2 | 16 | 8 | Tyler Reddick | Richard Childress Racing | Chevrolet | 160 | 35 |
| 3 | 9 | 99 | Daniel Suárez | Trackhouse Racing Team | Chevrolet | 160 | 47 |
| 4 | 11 | 20 | Christopher Bell | Joe Gibbs Racing | Toyota | 160 | 35 |
| 5 | 4 | 5 | Kyle Larson | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | 160 | 45 |
| 6 | 25 | 34 | Michael McDowell | Front Row Motorsports | Ford | 160 | -68 |
| 7 | 8 | 19 | Martin Truex Jr. | Joe Gibbs Racing | Toyota | 160 | 35 |
| 8 | 7 | 23 | Bubba Wallace | 23XI Racing | Toyota | 160 | 29 |
| 9 | 34 | 43 | Erik Jones | Petty GMS Motorsports | Chevrolet | 160 | 7 |
| 10 | 15 | 3 | Austin Dillon | Richard Childress Racing | Chevrolet | 160 | 27 |
| 11 | 17 | 48 | Alex Bowman | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | 160 | 26 |
| 12 | 18 | 24 | William Byron | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | 160 | 36 |
| 13 | 12 | 10 | Aric Almirola | Stewart-Haas Racing | Ford | 160 | 24 |
| 14 | 26 | 6 | Brad Keselowski | RFK Racing | Ford | 160 | 23 |
| 15 | 13 | 14 | Chase Briscoe | Stewart-Haas Racing | Ford | 160 | 22 |
| 16 | 10 | 45 | Ty Gibbs (i) | 23XI Racing | Toyota | 160 | 0 |
| 17 | 32 | 41 | Cole Custer | Stewart-Haas Racing | Ford | 160 | 20 |
| 18 | 19 | 47 | Ricky Stenhouse Jr. | JTG Daugherty Racing | Chevrolet | 160 | 19 |
| 19 | 23 | 7 | Corey LaJoie | Spire Motorsports | Chevrolet | 160 | 20 |
| 20 | 14 | 22 | Joey Logano | Team Penske | Ford | 160 | 17 |
| 21 | 30 | 31 | Justin Haley | Kaulig Racing | Chevrolet | 160 | 16 |
| 22 | 27 | 42 | Ty Dillon | Petty GMS Motorsports | Chevrolet | 160 | -20 |
| 23 | 28 | 21 | Harrison Burton (R) | Wood Brothers Racing | Ford | 160 | 14 |
| 24 | 22 | 16 | Noah Gragson (i) | Kaulig Racing | Chevrolet | 160 | 0 |
| 25 | 29 | 38 | Todd Gilliland (R) | Front Row Motorsports | Ford | 160 | 12 |
| 26 | 36 | 51 | Cody Ware | Rick Ware Racing | Ford | 160 | 11 |
| 27 | 24 | 4 | Kevin Harvick | Stewart-Haas Racing | Ford | 160 | 20 |
| 28 | 33 | 15 | J. J. Yeley (i) | Rick Ware Racing | Ford | 159 | 0 |
| 29 | 5 | 17 | Chris Buescher | RFK Racing | Ford | 158 | 8 |
| 30 | 35 | 78 | B. J. McLeod (i) | Live Fast Motorsports | Ford | 158 | 0 |
| 31 | 20 | 2 | Austin Cindric (R) | Team Penske | Ford | 154 | 6 |
| 32 | 21 | 1 | Ross Chastain | Trackhouse Racing Team | Chevrolet | 142 | 15 |
| 33 | 6 | 12 | Ryan Blaney | Team Penske | Ford | 135 | 20 |
| 34 | 31 | 77 | Josh Bilicki (i) | Spire Motorsports | Chevrolet | 35 | 0 |
| DSQ (35) | 1 | 11 | Denny Hamlin | Joe Gibbs Racing | Toyota | 160 | 2 |
| DSQ (36) | 2 | 18 | Kyle Busch | Joe Gibbs Racing | Toyota | 160 | 1 |
| Official race results ||||||||

### Race statistics

* Lead changes: 15 among 10 different drivers
* Cautions/Laps: 9 for 37
* Red flags: 0
* Time of race: 3 hours, 15 minutes and 59 seconds
* Average speed: 122.459 miles per hour (197.079 km/h)

## Media
### Television

USA covered the race on the television side. Rick Allen, Jeff Burton, Steve Letarte, and Dale Earnhardt Jr. called the race from the broadcast booth. Kim Coon, Parker Kligerman, and Marty Snider served as pit reporters.
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

Radio coverage of the race was broadcast by Motor Racing Network (MRN) and was also simulcast on Sirius XM NASCAR Radio. Alex Hayden, Jeff Striegle, and Todd Gordon called the race in the booth when the field raced through the tri-oval. Dave Moody called the race from the Sunoco spotters stand outside turn 2 when the field raced through turns 1 and 2. Mike Bagley called the race from a platform inside the backstretch when the field raced down the backstretch. Kyle Rickey called the race from the Sunoco spotters stand outside turn 3. Steve Post and Chris Wilner worked pit road for MRN.
MRN Radio :
| Booth announcers | Turn announcers | Pit reporters |
| Lead announcer: Alex Hayden Announcer: Jeff Striegle Announcer: Todd Gordon | Turns 1 & 2: Dave Moody Backstretch: Mike Bagley Turn 3: Kyle Rickey | Steve Post Chris Wilner |

## Standings after the race

| | Pos | Driver | Points |
| | 1 | Chase Elliott | 787 |
| | 2 | Ross Chastain | 682 (–105) |
| | 3 | Ryan Blaney | 676 (–111) |
| 1 | 4 | Kyle Larson | 661 (–126) |
| 1 | 5 | Martin Truex Jr. | 654 (–133) |
| 2 | 6 | Christopher Bell | 605 (–182) |
| | 7 | Joey Logano | 599 (–188) |
| 2 | 8 | Kyle Busch | 595 (–192) |
| 1 | 9 | William Byron | 572 (–215) |
| 1 | 10 | Kevin Harvick | 571 (–216) |
| | 11 | Alex Bowman | 536 (–251) |
| 3 | 12 | Daniel Suárez | 526 (–261) |
| 1 | 13 | Aric Almirola | 514 (–273) |
| 2 | 14 | Tyler Reddick | 509 (–278) |
| 2 | 15 | Austin Cindric | 495 (–292) |
| 1 | 16 | Chase Briscoe | 487 (–300) |
| Official driver's standings ||||
| Pos | Manufacturer | Points |
| 1 | Chevrolet | 777 |
| 2 | Ford | 703 (–74) |
| 3 | Toyota | 698 (–79) |