NASCAR Has Its 2022 Cup Series Manufacturer’s Champion

NASCAR

Getty The NASCAR manufacturer's championship has been decided.

There are two races remaining in the 2022 Cup Series season, but one battle has already been decided. Chevrolet has won the 2022 Cup Series Manufacturer’s Championship.

Chevrolet Motorsports announced the news on October 28. The manufacturer confirmed that it has won the championship for the 41st time in Cup Series history. This is also the second consecutive year after a dominant season by Kyle Larson helped clinch the title in 2021.

“We set goals of winning championships at the beginning of every season, and the NASCAR Cup Series Manufacturer’s Championship is one that’s a high priority,” said Jim Campbell, U.S. vice president of performance and motorsports.

“This championship is a result of a one-team effort from Hendrick Motorsports, Richard Childress Racing, Trackhouse Racing, Petty GMS, Kaulig Racing, JTG Daugherty, and Spire Motorsports. We’d also like to thank the Chevrolet engineers, drivers, crew chiefs, and owners who are part of this championship.”

Chevrolet went back-to-back in 2021 and 2022 after winning 13 consecutive manufacturer’s championships between 2003 and 2015. However, the manufacturer briefly took a backseat to its competition. Ford won in 2018 and 2020. Toyota won the manufacturer’s championship in 2016, 2017, and 2019.


Chevrolet Drivers Have Led the Way in Wins

Ross Chastain

GettyKyle Larson (rear) & Ross Chastain (front) helped clinch the manufacturer’s championship.

Chevrolet drivers helped clinch the title after the first 34 races. They combined to win 19 Cup Series races, which is more than Ford Performance and Toyota Racing combined.

Regular-season champion Chase Elliott has led the way. He has five trips to Victory Lane, which is the most in the Cup Series. Tyler Reddick and Kyle Larson each have three Cup Series wins. Ross Chastain and William Byron each have two wins.

There are several drivers that round out the list with one win each. This list includes Alex Bowman, Erik Jones, Austin Dillon, and Daniel Suarez. Chevrolet also noted that AJ Allmendinger helped clinch the championship with some strong points days. The Kaulig Racing driver is currently on a streak featuring six top-10 finishes and three top-fives.


Chevrolet Clinched Another Manufacturer’s Championship

Noah Gragson

GettyNoah Gragson does a burnout after his fourth consecutive win.

The Cup Series manufacturer’s championship is the second in 2022 for Chevrolet Motorsports. Back on October 15, Josh Berry secured his spot in the Xfinity Series championship four with a win at Las Vegas Motor Speedway. He captured the 500th win for Chevrolet and clinched the Xfinity Series manufacturer’s championship.

There have been 31 races in the Xfinity Series season. Chevrolet drivers have combined to win 24 of these races. This includes the current 10-race streak that has featured wins by Kyle Larson, Jeremy Clements, Noah Gragson (five wins), AJ Allmendinger (two wins), and Berry.

While Chevrolet Motorsports has clinched the titles in the Cup Series and Xfinity Series, the manufacturer will not go three-for-three. One of its competitors has already clinched the Camping World Truck Series manufacturer’s championship.

On October 22, Ty Majeski won his second career Truck Series race at Homestead-Miami Speedway. He also helped Toyota Racing clinch the 2022 Truck Series manufacturer’s championship for the 13th time.

The Toyota Racing drivers have combined to win 12 of the first 22 races in the Truck Series season while putting three drivers in the championship four. This includes eight wins by Kyle Busch Motorsports drivers, one by Halmar Friesen Racing, and three by ThorSport Racing drivers. KBM driver Corey Heim also won Rookie of the Year.

 

Read More