The 2022 NASCAR Cup Series season has finally arrived and here are the top five organizations heading into the new campaign.
HENDRICK MOTORSPORTS
The reigning series champs are on top of the mountain to start the year and there’s no reason to think Rick Hendrick’s team will lose a step in 2022. Kyle Larson might not replicate his double-digit victory total that led him to last season’s title, but it would be foolish not to expect multiple visits to Victory Lane. Alex Bowman’s four wins in 2022 were somewhat of a surprise but he along with William Byron should continue their upward trajectory. Then there’s 2020 champion Chase Elliott, who despite not winning on an oval track last year is more than capable of taking the checkered flag nearly any week of the schedule.
JOE GIBBS RACING
There are some personnel shuffles at JGR as there usually are during an offseason, but the quartet of drivers remain intact with Martin Truex Jr., Kyle Busch, Denny Hamlin and Christopher Bell. Truex put four wins on the board last year while, by their lofty standards, Busch and Hamlin were short on victories, combining for four wins. Christopher Bell scored his first career Cup win to bring the team total to nine. The Gibbs stable figures to once again be a formidable foe to the rest of the Cup garage.
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TEAM PENSKE
A new look for the Penske trio in 2022 as Joey Logano and Ryan Blaney welcome rookie Austin Cindric to the Cup stable. The former Xfinity Series champion takes over the iconic No. 2 ride vacated by Brad Keselowski, who is now an owner-driver for what is now known as Roush Fenway Keselowski Racing. Logano has already won at last week’s Busch Light Clash at the Coliseum and is poised to continue his solid run of competitive seasons. Blaney had a breakthrough 2021 when he scored three wins but will have a new crew chief in Jonathan Hassler, replacing Todd Gordon who traded his headset for a microphone and a broadcasting career. How fast Cindric adapts to the top tier will be an interesting component to the Penske puzzle this season.
STEWART-HAAS RACING
One of last season’s biggest surprises was the significant drop in victories for SHR, specifically Kevin Harvick’s winless campaign after a series-best nine wins the year before. Only Aric Almirola, who begins his final full-time NASCAR season this year, was able to win in 2021. Needless to say, that has to change. Harvick ran better in the second half of the year, but Almirola, Cole Custer and now sophomore driver Chase Briscoe must take significant steps forward in order for SHR to return to prominence.
RICHARD CHILDRESS RACING
The two-car RCR stable had a decent 2021 but there was an inequity between the pair of drivers. Tyler Reddick led the team with three top-five and 16 top-10 finishes helping him to secure a playoff berth. While teammate Austin Dillon came close to also qualifying for the postseason, his numbers paled in comparison to Reddick’s with just one top-five to go along with eight top-10 runs. There is an opportunity for RCR to climb up the team pecking order this season if both drivers can perform.
