Getty Joe Graf Jr. prepares for qualifying at Daytona International Speedway.
A NASCAR Xfinity Series driver has just teased an announcement that will kick-off 2022. Joe Graf Jr., who has 65 career Xfinity Series starts, has set the date for what appears to be a contract reveal.
The New Jersey native teased the announcement on Monday, December 27. He tweeted out the pen emoji, which multiple drivers have used in the past to indicate that they had signed a contract. Graf also added the date of January 7, 2022, setting a time frame for when he will provide this announcement.
🖊COMING SOON…🖊
01/07/2022
Graf spent the 2021 season driving for SS GreenLight Racing in the Xfinity Series. He started 26 of the 33 races in the No. 07 Chevrolet, and he posted a career-best 10th-place finish at Talladega Superspeedway on October 2. He added three more starts in the No. 17 that SS GreenLight Racing operates with Rick Ware Racing.
Graf did not qualify for the Memorial Day Weekend race at Charlotte Motor Speedway. Ross Chastain also replaced him at Circuit of the Americas due to a left knee strain that limited him during practice sessions.
Graf Made His Xfinity Series Debut in 2019
GettyJoe Graf Jr. has two full seasons of experience in the Xfinity Series.
A former full-time driver in the ARCA Menards Series with 39 starts and one win, Graf made limited starts in the Xfinity Series in 2019. He joined Richard Childress Racing for three races while working in the driver development program and turned in a season-best finish of 14th at Richmond Raceway on September 20, 2019.
Graf moved to a full-time Xfinity Series schedule in 2020 after joining SS GreenLight Racing. He replaced Gray Gaulding in the No. 08 entry and started all 33 races on the COVID-altered schedule. Graf’s best runs were a trio of 13th-place finishes — Bristol Motor Speedway, Kentucky Speedway, and Homestead-Miami Speedway. He then returned to the organization for the 2021 campaign.
While Graf has spent two seasons with a small team, he has continued to finish within reach of the top-10 on occasion. For example, his 11th-place run at Daytona International Speedway kicked off the 2021 season. He then added more top-20s at Las Vegas Motor Speedway, Darlington Raceway, Bristol Motor Speedway, and Martinsville Speedway.
NASCAR Drivers Have Continued to Make Big Announcements
The offseason schedule and the holiday season have done little to disrupt the announcements from various drivers and organizations. Multiple have broken news about their plans for the 2022 season.
Jesse Little provided a big update on December 22 to kick off the week of Christmas. He revealed that he will join Young’s Motorsports for the 2022 Camping World Truck Series season. The announcement marked his return to the Truck Series after two seasons in the Xfinity Series.
Similarly, CR7 Motorsports revealed on December 23 that Blaine Perkins will move to the Truck Series on a full-time basis and drive the No. 9 Chevrolet Silverado. Like Little, Perkins returns to the Truck Series after primarily focusing on the Xfinity Series. Though he drove for Our Motorsports during his part-time season in 2021.
The announcements continued with Parker Kligerman confirming that he will run eight to 12 races for Henderson Motorsports during the 2022 Truck Series season and JD Motorsports with Gary Keller bringing Bayley Currey back for his first full-time Xfinity Series season after he made limited starts in 2021.
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