2022 Ag-Pro 300
{{short description|Ninth race of the 2022 NASCAR Xfinity Series}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=February 2025}}
{{Infobox NASCAR race report|Type=NASXFIN|Pole_Driver=Jeffrey Earnhardt|Most_laps=67|Most_Driver=Austin Hill|Car=9|First_Team=JR Motorsports|First_Driver=Noah Gragson|Avg={{Convert|123.024|mph|km/h|abbr=on}}|Distance_km=530.82|Distance_laps=124|Distance_mi=329.84|Announcers=Adam Alexander, Kurt Busch, Austin Dillon|Pole_Time=52.454|Pole_Team=Richard Childress Racing|Scheduled_km=483.74|Location=Lincoln, Alabama, Talladega Superspeedway|Date=April 23|Season_No=33|Scheduled_laps=113|Race_No=9|Official_name=31st Annual Ag-Pro 300|Race_Name=Ag-Pro 300|Course_km=0.847|Course_mi=2.66|Scheduled_mi=300.58|Network=Fox|Radio=Motor Racing Network|Year=2022|Image=Talladega Superspeedway.svg|Most_Team=Richard Childress Racing}}
The 2022 Ag-Pro 300 was the ninth stock car race of the 2022 NASCAR Xfinity Series, the 31st iteration of the event, and the third race of the Dash 4 Cash. The race was held on Saturday, April 23, 2022, in Lincoln, Alabama at Talladega Superspeedway, a 2.66 mile (4.28 km) permanent triangle-shaped superspeedway. The Dash 4 Cash in this race is consisted of Brandon Jones, Landon Cassill, A. J. Allmendinger, and Austin Hill, since they were the highest finishing Xfinity regulars after Martinsville Speedway. The race was extended from 113 laps to 124 laps, due to three NASCAR overtime attempts. At race's end, Noah Gragson of JR Motorsports would grab the win, after being able to take the lead on the final restart.{{cite web|url=https://www.nascar.com/news-media/2022/04/23/xfinity-series-2022-talladega-superspeedway-race-recap/|title=Noah Gragson holds off Earnhardt, wins in Talladega overtime; Dash 4 Cash to Allmendinger|last=Spencer|first=Reid|website=NASCAR.com|publisher=NASCAR Digital Media, LLC.|date=April 23, 2022}} This was Gragson's seventh career Xfinity Series win, and his second of the season. To fill out the podium, Jeffrey Earnhardt of Richard Childress Racing and A. J. Allmendinger of Kaulig Racing would finish 2nd and 3rd, respectively. Allmendinger would win the Dash 4 Cash, after finishing ahead of Cassill, Jones, and Hill.
This was the debut race for Chandler Smith.{{cite web|url=https://tobychristie.com/2022/04/14/chandler-smith-joins-sam-hunt-racing-for-three-races-xfinity-debut-set-for-talladega/|title=Chandler Smith Joins Sam Hunt Racing for Three Races, Xfinity Debut Set for Talladega|last=Srigley|first=Joseph|website=TobyChristie.com|date=April 23, 2022}}
Background
Talladega Superspeedway, nicknamed “Dega”, and formerly named Alabama International Motor Speedway (AIMS), is a motorsports complex located north of Talladega, Alabama. It is located on the former Anniston Air Force Base in the small city of Lincoln. A tri-oval, the track was constructed in 1969 by the International Speedway Corporation, a business controlled by the France Family. As of 2021, the track hosts the NASCAR Cup Series, NASCAR Xfinity Series, NASCAR Camping World Truck Series, and ARCA Menards Series. Talladega is the longest NASCAR oval, with a length of 2.66 miles (4.281 km), compared to the Daytona International Speedway, which is 2.5 miles (4.0 km) long. The total peak capacity of Talladega is around 175,000 spectators,{{Cite web |date=April 19, 2019 |title=Talladega is known for speed, but slow down and take in what the Alabama city offers |url=https://alabamanewscenter.com/2019/04/19/talladega-is-known-for-speed-but-slow-down-and-take-in-what-the-alabama-city-offers/}}{{Cite web |date=December 31, 2017 |title=Talladega Superspeedway |url=https://autoracingfacts.com/talladega-superspeedway |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210226235704/https://autoracingfacts.com/talladega-superspeedway |archive-date=February 26, 2021 |access-date=October 17, 2019}}{{cite web |title=Track Facts |url=http://www.talladegasuperspeedway.com/This-Is-Talladega/Track-Facts.aspx |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100416072410/http://www.talladegasuperspeedway.com/Inside-Dega/Contact-Us.aspx |archive-date=April 16, 2010 |access-date=March 27, 2010 |publisher=Talladega Superspeedway}} with the main grandstand capacity being about 80,000.{{cite news |last=Utter |first=Jim |date=November 27, 2013 |title=Talladega Superspeedway to reduce seating to 80,000 |work=The Charlotte Observer |publisher=The McClatchy Company |url=http://www.charlotteobserver.com/2013/11/27/4502677/talladega-superspeedway-to-reduce.html |access-date=November 28, 2013 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131203001445/http://www.charlotteobserver.com/2013/11/27/4502677/talladega-superspeedway-to-reduce.html#.Vh5rCrSprzI |archive-date=December 3, 2013}}
= Entry list =
- (R) denotes rookie driver.
- (i) denotes driver who is ineligible for series driver points.
| class="wikitable" style="font-size:95%"
!# !Driver !Team !Make !Sponsor |
| 1 |
| 02 |
| 2
|Sheldon Creed (R) |
| 3 |
| 4 |
| 5 |
| 6 |
| 07
|Ford |
| 7 |
| 08
|Ford |
| 8 |
| 9 |
| 10 |
| 11 |
| 13
|Ford |
| 16 |
| 18 |
| 19 |
| 21
|Austin Hill (R) |
| 23 |
| 26
|Chandler Smith (i) |
| 27 |
| 28
|Ford |
| 31 |
| 34
|Jesse Iwuji (R) |
| 35
|Ford |
| 36 |
| 38
|Ford |
| 39
|Ford |
| 44 |
| 45 |
| 47 |
| 48
|Kaz Grala (i) |
| 51 |
| 53
|Ford |
| 54 |
| 66 |
| 68 |
| 78 |
| 91 |
| 98
|Ford |
| colspan="5" |[https://www.jayski.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/31/2022/4/18/22209_PREENTNUM.pdf Official entry list] |
|---|
Qualifying
Qualifying was held on Friday, April 22, at 4:30 PM CST.{{Cite web |title=2022 NASCAR Xfinity Series Talladega Spring Race Page |url=https://www.jayski.com/xfinity-series/2022-nascar-xfinity-series-talladega-spring-race-page/ |access-date=April 17, 2022 |website=Jayski's NASCAR Silly Season Site |language=en-US}} Since Talladega Superspeedway is a superspeedway, the qualifying system used is a single-car, one-lap system with two rounds. In the first round, drivers have one lap to set a time. The fastest ten drivers from the first round move on to the second round. Whoever sets the fastest time in Round 2 wins the pole.{{Cite web |date=2021-11-19 |title=NASCAR announces practice, qualifying return in 2022 |url=https://www.nascar.com/news-media/2021/11/19/nascar-announces-practice-qualifying-return-in-2022-with-knockout-style-format/ |access-date=2022-02-21 |website=Official Site Of NASCAR |language=en-US}}{{cbignore}}
Jeffrey Earnhardt, driving the iconic No. 3 for Richard Childress Racing, scored the pole for the race with a time of 52.454 seconds and a speed of {{Convert|182.560|mph|km/h|abbr=on}}. It was Earnhardt's first career pole in NASCAR, along with his first at Talladega. It was also the first pole for Larry McReynolds as a crew chief since 2000.{{cite web|url=https://tobychristie.com/2022/04/22/jeffrey-earnhardt-larry-mcreynolds-put-richard-childress-racing-no-3-on-pole-at-talladega/|title=Jeffrey Earnhardt, Larry McReynolds Put Richard Childress Racing No. 3 on Pole at Talladega|last=Srigley|first=Joseph|website=TobyChristie.com|date=April 22, 2022}}
= Full qualifying results =
| class="wikitable" style="font-size:95%"
!Pos. !# !Driver !Team !Make !Time ({{Tooltip|R1|Best Time in Round 1}}) !Speed ({{Tooltip|R1|Best Speed in Round 1}}) !Time ({{Tooltip|R2|Best Time in Round 2}}) !Speed ({{Tooltip|R2|Best Speed in Round 2}}) |
| 1
|3 |52.604 |182.039 |52.454 |182.560 |
|---|
| 2
|21 |Austin Hill (R) |52.591 |182.084 |52.514 |182.351 |
| 3
|54 |52.567 |182.168 |52.551 |182.223 |
| 4
|2 |Sheldon Creed (R) |52.684 |181.763 |52.589 |182.091 |
| 5
|11 |52.754 |181.522 |52.699 |181.711 |
| 6
|10 |52.797 |181.374 |52.709 |181.677 |
| 7
|6 |52.737 |181.580 |52.713 |181.663 |
| 8
|48 |Kaz Grala (i) |52.799 |181.367 |52.798 |181.371 |
| 9
|18 |52.810 |181.329 |52.807 |181.340 |
| 10
|38 |Ford |52.777 |181.443 |52.993 |180.703 |
| colspan="9" |Eliminated in Round 1 |
| 11
|7 |52.912 |180.980 | — |— |
| 12
|23 |52.912 |180.980 | — |— |
| 13
|16 |52.957 |180.826 | — |— |
| 14
|1 |52.979 |180.751 | — |— |
| 15
|19 |52.988 |180.720 | — |— |
| 16
|8 |52.994 |180.700 | — |— |
| 17
|68 |53.001 |180.676 | — |— |
| 18
|02 |53.003 |180.669 | — |— |
| 19
|9 |53.087 |180.383 | — |— |
| 20
|98 |Ford |53.125 |180.254 | — |— |
| 21
|36 |53.137 |180.213 | — |— |
| 22
|27 |53.193 |180.024 | — |— |
| 23
|45 |53.212 |179.959 | — |— |
| 24
|07 |Ford |53.242 |179.858 | — |— |
| 25
|91 |53.258 |179.804 | — |— |
| 26
|78 |53.301 |179.659 | — |— |
| 27
|5 |53.364 |179.447 | — |— |
| 28
|66 |53.483 |179.048 | — |— |
| 29
|4 |53.496 |179.004 | — |— |
| 30
|26 |Chandler Smith (i) |53.527 |178.900 | — |— |
| 31
|31 |53.628 |178.563 | — |— |
| 32
|53 |Ford |53.630 |178.557 | — |— |
| 33
|47 |53.641 |178.520 | — |— |
| colspan="9" |Qualified by owner's points |
| 34
|51 |53.691 |178.354 | — |— |
| 35
|08 |Ford |53.727 |178.234 | — |— |
| 36
|35 |Ford |52.727 |178.234 | — |— |
| 37
|39 |Ford |53.749 |178.161 | — |— |
| 38
|44 |53.765 |178.108 | — |— |
| colspan="9" |Failed to qualify |
| 39
|13 |Ford |53.695 |178.341 | — |— |
| 40
|34 |Jesse Iwuji (R) |53.701 |178.321 | — |— |
| 41
|28 |Ford |61.818 |154.906 | — |— |
| colspan="9" |[https://www.jayski.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/31/2022/4/22/22209_QUALRES.pdf Official qualifying results] |
| colspan="9" | [https://www.jayski.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/31/2022/4/22/22209_STARTROW.pdf Official starting lineup] |
Race results
Stage 1 Laps: 25
| class="wikitable" style="font-size:95%"
!Pos. !# !Driver !Team !Make !Pts |
| 1
|8 |Josh Berry |JR Motorsports |Chevrolet |10 |
|---|
| 2
|54 |Ty Gibbs |Joe Gibbs Racing |Toyota |9 |
| 3
|16 |A. J. Allmendinger |Kaulig Racing |Chevrolet |8 |
| 4
|10 |Landon Cassill |Kaulig Racing |Chevrolet |7 |
| 5
|21 |Austin Hill (R) |Richard Childress Racing |Chevrolet |6 |
| 6
|7 |Justin Allgaier |JR Motorsports |Chevrolet |5 |
| 7
|9 |Noah Gragson |JR Motorsports |Chevrolet |4 |
| 8
|23 |Anthony Alfredo |Our Motorsports |Chevrolet |3 |
| 9
|1 |Sam Mayer |JR Motorsports |Chevrolet |2 |
| 10
|02 |Brett Moffitt |Our Motorsports |Chevrolet |1 |
Stage 2 Laps: 25
| class="wikitable" style="font-size:95%"
!Pos. !# !Driver !Team !Make !Pts |
| 1
|7 |Justin Allgaier |JR Motorsports |Chevrolet |10 |
|---|
| 2
|1 |Sam Mayer |JR Motorsports |Chevrolet |9 |
| 3
|21 |Austin Hill (R) |Richard Childress Racing |Chevrolet |8 |
| 4
|19 |Brandon Jones |Joe Gibbs Racing |Toyota |7 |
| 5
|54 |Ty Gibbs |Joe Gibbs Racing |Toyota |6 |
| 6
|18 |Drew Dollar |Joe Gibbs Racing |Toyota |5 |
| 7
|68 |Brandon Brown |Brandonbilt Motorsports |Chevrolet |4 |
| 8
|3 |Jeffrey Earnhardt |Richard Childress Racing |Chevrolet |3 |
| 9
|31 |Myatt Snider |Jordan Anderson Racing |Chevrolet |2 |
| 10
|27 |Jeb Burton |Our Motorsports |Chevrolet |1 |
Stage 3 Laps: 74
| class="wikitable" style="font-size:95%"
!Fin. !St !# !Driver !Team !Make !Laps !Led !Status !Points |
| 1
|19 |9 |Noah Gragson |JR Motorsports |Chevrolet |124 |7 |Running |44 |
|---|
| 2
|1 |3 |Jeffrey Earnhardt |Richard Childress Racing |Chevrolet |124 |10 |Running |38 |
| 3
|13 |16 |A. J. Allmendinger |Kaulig Racing |Chevrolet |124 |6 |Running |42 |
| 4
|10 |38 |Ryan Sieg |RSS Racing |Ford |124 |0 |Running |33 |
| 5
|6 |10 |Landon Cassill |Kaulig Racing |Chevrolet |124 |0 |Running |39 |
| 6
|12 |23 |Anthony Alfredo |Our Motorsports |Chevrolet |124 |3 |Running |34 |
| 7
|20 |98 |Riley Herbst |Stewart-Haas Racing |Ford |124 |0 |Running |30 |
| 8
|24 |07 |Joe Graf Jr. |SS-Green Light Racing |Ford |124 |0 |Running |29 |
| 9
|31 |31 |Myatt Snider |Jordan Anderson Racing |Chevrolet |124 |0 |Running |30 |
| 10
|18 |02 |Brett Moffitt |Our Motorsports |Chevrolet |124 |0 |Running |28 |
| 11
|16 |8 |Josh Berry |JR Motorsports |Chevrolet |124 |5 |Running |36 |
| 12
|21 |36 |Alex Labbé |DGM Racing |Chevrolet |124 |0 |Running |25 |
| 13
|9 |18 |Drew Dollar |Joe Gibbs Racing |Toyota |124 |1 |Running |29 |
| 14
|32 |53 |Shane Lee |Emerling-Gase Motorsports |Ford |124 |0 |Running |23 |
| 15
|22 |27 |Jeb Burton |Our Motorsports |Chevrolet |124 |0 |Running |23 |
| 16
|36 |35 |Joey Gase |Emerling-Gase Motorsports |Ford |124 |0 |Running |21 |
| 17
|29 |4 |Bayley Currey |JD Motorsports |Chevrolet |124 |0 |Running |20 |
| 18
|37 |39 |Kyle Sieg |RSS Racing |Ford |124 |0 |Running |19 |
| 19
|26 |78 |Josh Williams |B. J. McLeod Motorsports |Chevrolet |124 |0 |Running |18 |
| 20
|7 |6 |Ryan Vargas |JD Motorsports |Chevrolet |124 |0 |Running |17 |
| 21
|33 |47 |Gray Gaulding |Mike Harmon Racing |Chevrolet |123 |0 |Running |16 |
| 22
|11 |7 |Justin Allgaier |JR Motorsports |Chevrolet |122 |13 |Fuel Pressure |30 |
| 23
|34 |51 |Jeremy Clements |Jeremy Clements Racing |Chevrolet |122 |0 |Running |14 |
| 24
|4 |2 |Sheldon Creed (R) |Richard Childress Racing |Chevrolet |113 |1 |Accident |13 |
| 25
|23 |45 |Caesar Bacarella |Alpha Prime Racing |Chevrolet |113 |0 |Accident |12 |
| 26
|15 |19 |Brandon Jones |Joe Gibbs Racing |Toyota |110 |0 |DVP |18 |
| 27
|2 |21 |Austin Hill (R) |Richard Childress Racing |Chevrolet |110 |67 |Accident |24 |
| 28
|14 |1 |Sam Mayer |JR Motorsports |Chevrolet |109 |2 |Accident |20 |
| 29
|8 |48 |Kaz Grala (i) |Big Machine Racing |Chevrolet |103 |0 |Accident |0 |
| 30
|17 |68 |Brandon Brown |Brandonbilt Motorsports |Chevrolet |103 |1 |Accident |11 |
| 31
|27 |5 |Matt Mills |B. J. McLeod Motorsports |Chevrolet |96 |0 |Accident |6 |
| 32
|38 |44 |Ryan Ellis |Alpha Prime Racing |Chevrolet |84 |0 |DVP |5 |
| 33
|35 |08 |David Starr |SS-Green Light Racing |Ford |83 |1 |DVP |4 |
| 34
|5 |11 |Daniel Hemric |Kaulig Racing |Chevrolet |79 |0 |DVP |3 |
| 35
|3 |54 |Ty Gibbs |Joe Gibbs Racing |Toyota |76 |5 |Accident |17 |
| 36
|28 |66 |J. J. Yeley |MBM Motorsports |Chevrolet |51 |2 |DVP |1 |
| 37
|25 |91 |Mason Massey |DGM Racing |Chevrolet |47 |0 |Accident |1 |
| 38
|30 |26 |Chandler Smith (i) |Sam Hunt Racing |Toyota |47 |0 |Accident |0 |
| colspan="10" |[https://www.jayski.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/31/2022/4/23/09-nxs-2022-results.pdf Official race results] |
Standings after the race
{{col-begin}}
{{col-2}}
;Drivers' Championship standings
| class="wikitable" style="font-size: 95%;" |
| ! Pos
! Driver ! Points |
|---|
| align="left"| 10px
| style="text-align:center;"| 1 | style="text-align:center;"| 384 |
| align="left"| 10px
| style="text-align:center;"| 2 | style="text-align:center;"| 344 (-40) |
| align="left"| 10px
| style="text-align:center;"| 3 | Ty Gibbs | style="text-align:center;"| 339 (-45) |
| align="left"| 10px
| style="text-align:center;"| 4 | style="text-align:center;"| 284 (-100) |
| align="left"| 10px
| style="text-align:center;"| 5 | style="text-align:center;"| 271 (-113) |
| align="left"| 10px
| style="text-align:center;"| 6 | style="text-align:center;"| 263 (-121) |
| align="left"| 10px
| style="text-align:center;"| 7 | style="text-align:center;"| 260 (-124) |
| align="left"| 10px
| style="text-align:center;"| 8 | style="text-align:center;"| 255 (-129) |
| align="left"| 10px
| style="text-align:center;"| 9 | style="text-align:center;"| 250 (-134) |
| align="left"| 10px
| style="text-align:center;"| 10 | style="text-align:center;"| 242 (-142) |
| align="left"| 10px
| style="text-align:center;"| 11 | style="text-align:center;"| 240 (-144) |
| align="left"| 10px
| style="text-align:center;"| 12 | style="text-align:center;"| 230 (-154) |
| class="sortbottom"
!colspan="9"|[https://www.jayski.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/31/2022/4/23/09-nxs-2022-driver-points.pdf Official driver's standings] |
- Note: Only the first 12 positions are included for the driver standings.
{{col-end}}
References
{{Reflist}}{{NASCAR next race|Previous_race=2022 Call 811 Before You Dig 250|Next_race=2022 A-GAME 200|Series=NASCAR Xfinity Series|Monsteryear=2022}}
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Category:2022 NASCAR Xfinity Series