2022 Daytona 400

The **2022 Daytona 400** is a 400 mile (643.74 kilometer) stock car racing event scheduled for 6 February 2022. It will be the first points paying event of the 2022 GTPlanet Fandom Series season, and also its premier event. Pre-race festivities are scheduled to begin two weeks prior, with practice for the 2022 Budweiser Shootout beginning on 28 January. Pre-race festivities include practice and the Bud Shootout itself, practice, initial time trials, the Gatorade Duels, the first ever IROC race, and the Daytona 400 itself. For the first time in modern history, more than 50 cars are expected to be entered for the event, with one-off appearances being made by drivers from Champ Car, and other series.

## Race Background

The 2022 Daytona 400 saw numerous changes take place from the end of the 2021 season.

### Introduction of Seventh Generation Cars

The 7th generation of top level American stock cars made their official debut in the pre-season of the 2022 season. The new generation cars introduced more robust safety features, following a few high profile accidents through the 2020 and 2021 seasons. The cars were shorter, with the space at the rear of the car being diminished substantially, as well as an increased fuel capacity from 17.75 gallons (67 liters) to 20 gallons (~76 liters) to compensate for the series moving from E15 to E98 ethanol, which has produces a slightly lower fuel mileage at the exchange of being cleaner for the environment. Engines were permitted to be re-formulated, but kept power regulations steady at 900 brake horsepower.

The 7th generation also featured a modernization of maintenance, with single lug wheels replacing the archaic five lugnut setup the wheels used for the better part of 50 years. The body composition was also changed, with composite bodies being introduced to make repairs cheaper, and easier to make during races themselves. The new car also featured limited ground effects, thanks to a rear diffuser and undertray, but a majority of the downforce would still be contributed by the overhead surfaces, including the rear spoilers, which increased dramatically from 3.75 inches in 2021 to 8 inches in 2022. The 7th generation car, with all of the changes introduced, was predicted to be incomparable to the older, 6th generation models.

Chevrolet, Honda, Toyota, Ford, and SRT all made purpose-built models of their road going cars for the series, with Chevrolet bringing the Camaro name to the series to replace the retired Chevy SS/Holden Commodore. Ford brought the Mustang to the series, replacing the Fusion model, which had competed in top level stock car racing since 2006. Toyota brought a revised model of their Camry, while Honda did a similar act with the Accord. SRT, after being represented in 2021 as a privateer only effort, will begin supplying factory cars in 2022, replacing the privateer Dart with the purpose built SRT8 Challenger. Pontiac, after falling to just one entry for 2022, will not be making a brand new car for 2022. Instead, the Chinese-owned marque will refit the G8 model to fit within the 7th gen frame for the Greek Phaesphoria Racing team.

### Schedule Alterations

The Daytona 400, similar to the Indianapolis 500, will have two weeks dedicated to festivities around the event in 2022. Festivities will begin on the 27th of January where the Budweiser Shootout grid will be determined by random draw. Practice for the exhibition event will take place on the following day, with the Shootout itself taking place on Saturday, 29 January. Initial time trials will mark the beginning of race week, with time trials taking place on Sunday, 30 January. Practice will occur on Monday, 31 January, Tuesday, 1 February, and Wednesday, 2 February, before the Gatorade Duels determines the starting grid on Thursday, 3 February. Cars will be impounded following the Gatorade Duels, with Friday and Saturday, the 4th and 5th of February, being dedicated to the first ever IROC event. The race itself is scheduled to begin around 12:00 local time on Sunday, 6 February.

Due to the enlarged entry list for the 2022 event, qualifying will take priority should weather become a factor. Practice days between time trial Sunday and the Gatorade duels can be cancelled if need be for qualifying to be concluded. If weather makes initial time trials completely impossible, the Gatorade Duels themselves will be set based on 2021 entrant points, with new entries being set by random draw.

## Entry List

A groundbreaking 47 entries are currently registered for the 2022 Daytona 400. Fantasy Promotions has stated it expects 50 entries by the time the entry deadline arrive, but could see more than that. The 2022 event rookie class is expected to be the largest in the event's history. **(R)** denotes 2022 Rookie of the Year candidate, while **(W)** denotes a former winner of the Daytona 400. **(C)** denotes former GTPFS champions.

### Entry List Statistics

* 29 rookies are registered for the event, the largest rookie class in premier level American motorsports to date.
* Honda will be represented by 12 entries for the event, which is the most of all manufacturers present for the 2022 season. Ford, SRT, and Toyota will be represented by 9 entries each, while Chevrolet will be represented by 7 entries. Pontiac will be represented by only 1 entry as a privateer effort.
* Three active Champ Car drivers will be participating in the Daytona 400. Camyron Jackson for Eastern Atlantic Motorsports, Sakura Ishibashi for Striker Motorsports, and Keisha Fox for Arrowhead Racing.
* One active IndyCar driver will be participating in the event, with Seth Smith, Jr. driving for Arrowhead Racing.