The 2022 Camping World SRX Series was the second season of the Superstar Racing Experience. The six-race season began at Five Flags Speedway on June 18 and ended at Sharon Speedway on July 23. Tony Stewart entered the season as the defending series champion, having won the inaugural season in 2021. Marco Andretti won the championship by two points over Ryan Newman despite having no wins on the season.[1]

Marco Andretti, the 2022 series champion.
Ryan Newman finished second in the championship.
Bobby Labonte finished third in the championship.

Drivers

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Full-time drivers

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No. Driver Primary series Accomplishments Ref
1   Ryan Hunter-Reay IndyCar Series 2012 IndyCar Series champion
2014 Indianapolis 500 winner
[2]
3   Paul Tracy IndyCar Series 1990 American Racing Series champion
2003 Champ Car World Series champion
[2]
14   Tony Stewart NASCAR Cup Series 1996–97 IndyCar Series champion
2002, 2005, and 2011 NASCAR Cup Series champion
[3]
15   Michael Waltrip NASCAR Cup Series 1983 NASCAR Darlington Dash Series champion
2001 and 2003 Daytona 500 winner
[2]
18   Bobby Labonte NASCAR Cup Series 1991 NASCAR Busch Series champion
2000 NASCAR Cup Series champion
[2]
39   Ryan Newman NASCAR Cup Series 26 NASCAR national series wins
2008 Daytona 500 winner
[2]
69   Greg Biffle NASCAR Cup Series 56 NASCAR national series wins
2000 NASCAR Truck Series champion
2002 NASCAR Busch Series champion
[2]
98   Marco Andretti IndyCar Series 2003 Barber Formula Dodge Eastern class champion
2004 Barber Formula Dodge Barber National class and Southern class champion
Two-time IndyCar race winner
[2]

Part-time drivers

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No. Driver Primary series Track Accomplishments Ref
06   Hélio Castroneves IndyCar Series Five Flags, South Boston, Nashville 2001, 2002, 2009, and 2021 Indianapolis 500 winner
2020 WeatherTech SportsCar Championship champion
2021 and 2022 24 Hours of Daytona winner
[2]
2   Josef Newgarden IndyCar Series Nashville 2017 and 2019 IndyCar Series champion [2]
5
99
  Ernie Francis Jr. Trans-Am Series
Indy Lights
Five Flags, South Boston, I-55 Seven-time consecutive Trans-Am Series champion (2014–2020) [2]
5
38
  Hailie Deegan NASCAR Camping World Truck Series Stafford, I-55 2020 ARCA Menards Series Rookie of the Year
First female winner in the ARCA Menards Series West
[3]
5   Matt Kenseth NASCAR Cup Series Nashville, I-55, Sharon 2003 NASCAR Cup Series champion
2009 and 2012 Daytona 500 winner
[3]
6   Tony Kanaan IndyCar Series Five Flags, South Boston, Nashville, I-55, Sharon 2004 IndyCar Series champion
2013 Indianapolis 500 winner
[2]
9   Bill Elliott NASCAR Cup Series Five Flags, Stafford 1985 and 1987 Daytona 500 winner
1988 NASCAR Cup Series champion
45 NASCAR national series wins
[4]
  Chase Elliott NASCAR Cup Series Sharon 2020 NASCAR Cup Series champion
2014 NASCAR Nationwide Series champion
NASCAR Cup Series Most Popular Driver (2018–2021)
24 NASCAR national series wins
[5]
12   Ryan Blaney NASCAR Cup Series Sharon 18 NASCAR national series wins [6]
99   Justin Marks Rolex Sports Car Series/IMSA
NASCAR
Stafford 8 Rolex Sports Car Series wins
1 IMSA win
1 NASCAR Xfinity Series win
3 wins as a NASCAR Cup Series team owner
[7]

Guest drivers

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No. Driver Primary series Track Accomplishments Ref
10   Dave Blaney USAC
World of Outlaws
NASCAR Cup Series
Sharon Speedway 1984 USAC champion
1995 World of Outlaws champion
1 NASCAR national series win
[6]
26   Bubba Pollard Deep South Crane Blizzard Series Five Flags Speedway Best average finish in the PepperJack Kennels Twins on April 8–9 [8][9]
  Peyton Sellers NASCAR Weekly Series South Boston Speedway 6 South Boston track championships
2005 and 2021 NASCAR Weekly Series national champion
36 NASCAR Xfinity Series and Camping World Truck Series starts (2006–2015)
[10]
46   Cole Williams Late model racing Nashville Fairgrounds Speedway Winner of a fan vote among six track regulars (the other drivers in the vote were Dylan Fetcho, Michael House, Stephen Nasse, Bubba Pollard and Brittney Zamora)[11] [12]
52   Ken Schrader NASCAR Cup Series I-55 Raceway 7 NASCAR national series wins [13]
60   Matt Hirschman NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour Stafford Motor Speedway Winner of the Spring Sizzler (April 23–24) [11][14]

Schedule

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The 2022 schedule was announced on January 31, 2022. It features a return to Stafford Motor Speedway and Nashville Fairgrounds Speedway after visiting those tracks in 2021, along with the addition of four new tracks to the series.[15]

No. Track Location Type Date TV Ratings (Mil)
1 Five Flags Speedway Pensacola, Florida 0.5 mile, paved June 18 CBS 0.95
2 South Boston Speedway South Boston, Virginia 0.4 mile, paved June 25 CBS 0.98
3 Stafford Motor Speedway Stafford Springs, Connecticut 0.5 mile, paved July 2 CBS 0.98
4 Nashville Fairgrounds Speedway Nashville, Tennessee 0.596 mile, paved July 9 CBS 0.98
5 I-55 Raceway Pevely, Missouri 0.333 mile, dirt July 16 CBS 1.06
6 Sharon Speedway Hartford Township, Ohio 0.375 mile, dirt July 23 CBS 1.06

Broadcasting

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All six races were broadcast live in the United States on CBS and Paramount+.

Allen Bestwick returned as the play-by-play announcer, Lindsay Czarniak returned as the host, and Matt Yocum returned as a pit reporter. After competing in the series as a driver in 2021, Willy T. Ribbs joined the SRX broadcast team in 2022 as the roving reporter, replacing Brad Daugherty. However, for the races at Stafford and I-55, Ribbs was instead a color commentator. As was the case in 2021, there was a rotating color commentator in the booth with Bestwick, with Ribbs at Stafford and I–55[16] and IndyCar Series driver Conor Daly at Five Flags, South Boston and the Nashville Fairgrounds. NASCAR Cup Series driver Joey Logano was the color commentator for the season-finale at Sharon Speedway.[17]

Season summary

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Race reports

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All events consist of two heat races, with the lineup for Heat 1 being determined by a random draw. The results of Heat 1 are inverted to determine the lineup for Heat 2.[18][19] The average finish of both heats is used to determine the lineup for the feature race.

The heat races are 12 minutes each in length. At Five Flags, the feature length was 75 laps with the final 10 laps having to be run under green flag conditions.

Five Flags Speedway

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Prior to the event, Hélio Castroneves was announced as a last minute entrant after not being originally scheduled to compete.[20] Bubba Pollard was awarded pole for Heat 1 based on a random draw. Paul Tracy snatched the lead at the start until Pollard retook it with slightly over eight minutes remaining. With under a minute left, Castroneves spun Ernie Francis Jr. while making a pass attempt but the race stayed green. Pollard proceeded to hold off Tony Kanaan to win the heat. Francis was the polesitter for Heat 2 because of the inversion, however the damage he sustained in the previous heat caused him to drop backwards immediately and forced him into a backup car for the feature. Second place starter Castroneves would win after leading the entire heat.

Due to their successful heat performances, Pollard and Kanaan would bring the field to green for the feature, with Pollard gaining the initial advantage and leading until being passed on lap 7 by Ryan Newman. Pollard retook the lead on lap 12, however it would be short lived as Kanaan surpassed him for first on lap 17. Under the first fun flag caution on lap 21, Pollard was forced to pit due to a flat left rear tire, relegating him to the rear of the field from third position. Kanaan would maintain the lead on the restart and held it after the second fun flag yellow on lap 38. When the feature restarted after the final fun flag with 15 laps remaining, Kanaan and Castroneves would remain side by side for multiple laps before Castroneves eventually prevailed. Castroneves finished first, with Pollard moving Newman for second position on the last lap. In a post race interview, it was revealed that SRX chief executive Don Hawk promised Castroneves a NASCAR ride at Daytona if he won an event.

Results and standings

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Race results

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No. Track Heat 1 winner Heat 2 winner Most laps led
(feature)
Feature race winner Report
1 Five Flags Speedway Bubba Pollard Hélio Castroneves Tony Kanaan Hélio Castroneves Report
2 South Boston Speedway Greg Biffle Hélio Castroneves Tony Stewart Tony Stewart Report
3 Stafford Motor Speedway Ryan Hunter-Reay Bobby Labonte Marco Andretti Ryan Newman Report
4 Nashville Fairgrounds Speedway Josef Newgarden Cole Williams Bobby Labonte Bobby Labonte Report
5 I-55 Raceway Ken Schrader Tony Stewart Tony Stewart Tony Stewart Report
6 Sharon Speedway Ryan Newman Chase Elliott Chase Elliott Chase Elliott Report

Points are awarded for both heat races as well as the feature:

Points Position
1st 2nd 3rd 4th 5th 6th 7th 8th 9th 10th 11th 12th 13th
Heat 12 11 10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1 1
Feature 25 22 20 18 16 14 12 10 8 6 4 2 1

Drivers' championship

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(key* – Most laps led (feature). 1 – Heat 1 winner. 2 – Heat 2 winner. – Driver was ineligible for points in this race.

Pos. Driver FIF SBO STA NSV I55 SHA Pts
1   Marco Andretti[a] 7 8 2* 2 2 9 195
2   Ryan Newman[a] 3 4 1 6 4 81 193
3   Bobby Labonte 5 3 52 1* 11 5 190
4   Tony Stewart 10 1* 4 11 1*2 2 188
5   Greg Biffle 6 21 10 9 5 6 150
6   Paul Tracy 12 12 3 4 8 10 118
7   Ryan Hunter-Reay 8 9 71 10 13 4 118
8   Tony Kanaan 4* 6 13 10 11 113
9   Michael Waltrip 13 11 12 8 7 13 95
10   Matt Kenseth 3 12 3 61
11   Ernie Francis Jr. 11 7 6 58
12   Hélio Castroneves 12† 52 5 45
13   Chase Elliott 1*2 43
14   Ken Schrader 31 36
15   Bill Elliott 9 11 31
16   Hailie Deegan 6 9 22
17   Cole Williams 122 15
18   Ryan Blaney 7 14
19   Dave Blaney 12 13
20   Peyton Sellers 10 10
Drivers Ineligible for points
  Bubba Pollard 21
  Josef Newgarden 71
  Matt Hirschman 8
  Justin Marks 9

Notes

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  1. ^ a b During the first race of the year at Five Flags Speedway, Marco Andretti was given a late order to pit. Due to this, Andretti started 12th in Heat #2, instead of 9th. Andretti was awarded 3 additional points, to make up the three positions and address this late call. This issue ended up playing a major part in deciding who won the 2022 SRX Series Season Championship without this solution, Marco Andretti would've finished with 192 points, 1 behind Ryan Newman who finished with 193 points. [21]

See also

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References

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  1. ^ Taranto, Steven (July 23, 2022). "SRX at Sharon Speedway results: Marco Andretti wins championship as Chase Elliott takes race". cbssports.com. CBS Interactive. Retrieved July 23, 2022.
  2. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k Taranto, Steven (February 24, 2022). "Ryan Newman, Greg Biffle among NASCAR drivers joining full-time SRX driver lineup for 2022". CBS Sports. CBS.
  3. ^ a b c Christie, Toby (March 2, 2022). "SRX: Tony Stewart Returns For Full 2022 Season, Deegan, Kenseth Among Part-Timers". TobyChristie.com.
  4. ^ Taranto, Steven (April 22, 2022). "NASCAR legend Bill Elliott to return to SRX for two races in 2022". CBS Sports. CBS.
  5. ^ "Chase Elliott Running SRX Season Finale". Jayski's Silly Season Site. NASCAR Digital Media, LLC. May 9, 2022.
  6. ^ a b Glover, Luken (March 8, 2022). "SRX Sets Up Dave Vs. Ryan Blaney Finale at Sharon". Frontstretch.
  7. ^ Tomlinson, Joy (June 25, 2022). "Justin Marks Filling in for Helio Castroneves at Stafford in SRX". Frontstretch. Retrieved June 26, 2022.
  8. ^ Taranto, Steven (February 25, 2022). "Five Flags Speedway puts spot in track's SRX race up for grabs during upcoming race weekend". CBS Sports. CBS. Retrieved March 4, 2022.
  9. ^ Finley, Michael (April 9, 2022). "Bubba Pollard Wins SRX Seat For Five Flags at Five Flags". Frontstretch. Retrieved April 22, 2022.
  10. ^ Nebbia, Michael (April 2, 2022). "SRX Signs Former NASCAR Weekly Series Champ Peyton Sellers". Frontstretch.
  11. ^ a b Taranto, Steven (March 23, 2022). "Nashville Fairgrounds Speedway will hold fan vote to put late model driver in SRX race". CBS Sports. CBS. Retrieved April 4, 2022.
  12. ^ Kristl, Mark (May 7, 2022). "Cole Williams Wins Nashville SRX Fan Vote Berth". Frontstretch. Retrieved May 8, 2022.
  13. ^ Hopkins, Dalton (May 3, 2022). "Ken Schrader to Compete in SRX Race at I-55". Frontstretch. Retrieved May 4, 2022.
  14. ^ Finley, Michael (April 24, 2022). "Matt Hirschman Wins Spring Sizzler, Earns SRX Ride at Stafford Speedway". Frontstretch. Retrieved May 8, 2022.
  15. ^ "2022 Schedule". Superstar Racing Experience. Retrieved March 3, 2022.
  16. ^ Hopkins, Dalton (April 26, 2022). "Willy T. Ribbs, Conor Daly Join SRX Broadcast Team". Frontstretch. Retrieved May 8, 2022.
  17. ^ "(Twitter post)". Twitter. Joey Logano. July 7, 2022.
  18. ^ "Stewart, Evernham to re-create IROC as SRX". ESPN. July 13, 2020. Retrieved March 3, 2022.
  19. ^ "SRX reveals race format". Racer. WordPress. May 6, 2021.
  20. ^ Srigley, Joseph (June 19, 2022). "Helio Castroneves Makes Last-Minute Entry, Wins SRX Opener at Five Flags Speedway". TobyChristie.com. Retrieved June 20, 2022.
  21. ^ "Marco Andretti Called in to pits". Retrieved 1 August 2023.
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