The 2022 Food City Dirt Race was a NASCAR Cup Series race held on April 17, 2022, at Bristol Motor Speedway in Bristol, Tennessee. Contested over 250 laps on the short track, it was the ninth race of the 2022 NASCAR Cup Series season. Kyle Busch won the race in a last lap pass from 3rd after both Tyler Reddick and Chase Briscoe both spun battling for the lead. This would turn out to be Busch's last win for Joe Gibbs Racing and the last appearance of the 18 car in victory lane.
Report
Background Bristol Motor Speedway, formerly known as Bristol International Raceway and Bristol Raceway, is a NASCAR short track venue located in Bristol, Tennessee. Constructed in 1960, it held its first NASCAR race on July 30, 1961. Bristol is among the most popular tracks on the NASCAR schedule because of its distinct features, which include extraordinarily steep banking combined with short length, an all concrete surface, two pit roads, and stadium-like seating.
In 2021, the race shifted to a dirt surface version of the track and was renamed the Food City Dirt Race.
Entry list (R) denotes rookie driver. (i) denotes driver who is ineligible for series driver points.
Driver Team Manufacturer 1 Ross Chastain Trackhouse Racing Team Chevrolet 2 Austin Cindric (R) Team Penske Ford 3 Austin Dillon Richard Childress Racing Chevrolet 4 Kevin Harvick Stewart-Haas Racing Ford 5 Kyle Larson Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet 6 Brad Keselowski RFK Racing Ford 7 Corey LaJoie Spire Motorsports Chevrolet 8 Tyler Reddick Richard Childress Racing Chevrolet 9 Chase Elliott Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet 10 Aric Almirola Stewart-Haas Racing Ford 11 Denny Hamlin Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota 12 Ryan Blaney Team Penske Ford 14 Chase Briscoe Stewart-Haas Racing Ford 15 J. J. Yeley (i) Rick Ware Racing Ford 16 Noah Gragson (i) Kaulig Racing Chevrolet 17 Chris Buescher RFK Racing Ford 18 Kyle Busch Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota 19 Martin Truex Jr. Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota 20 Christopher Bell Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota 21 Harrison Burton (R) Wood Brothers Racing Ford 22 Joey Logano Team Penske Ford 23 Bubba Wallace 23XI Racing Toyota 24 William Byron Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet 31 Justin Haley Kaulig Racing Chevrolet 34 Michael McDowell Front Row Motorsports Ford 38 Todd Gilliland (R) Front Row Motorsports Ford 41 Cole Custer Stewart-Haas Racing Ford 42 Ty Dillon Petty GMS Motorsports Chevrolet 43 Erik Jones Petty GMS Motorsports Chevrolet 45 Kurt Busch 23XI Racing Toyota 47 Ricky Stenhouse Jr. JTG Daugherty Racing Chevrolet 48 Alex Bowman Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet 51 Cody Ware Rick Ware Racing Ford 77 Justin Allgaier (i) Spire Motorsports Chevrolet 78 Josh Williams (i) Live Fast Motorsports Ford 99 Daniel Suárez Trackhouse Racing Team ChevroletOfficial entry list
Practice
First practice Tyler Reddick was the fastest in the first practice session with a time of 20.017 seconds and a speed of .
Pos Driver Team Manufacturer Time 1 8 Tyler Reddick Richard Childress Racing Chevrolet 20.017 89.924 2 14 Chase Briscoe Stewart-Haas Racing Ford 20.055 89.753 3 18 Kyle Busch Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota 20.068 89.695 Official first practice results
Final practice Denny Hamlin was the fastest in the final practice session with a time of 20.638 seconds and a speed of .
Pos Driver Team Manufacturer Time 1 11 Denny Hamlin Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota 20.638 87.218 2 18 Kyle Busch Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota 20.668 87.091 3 38 Todd Gilliland (R) Front Row Motorsports Ford 20.683 87.028Official final practice results
Qualifying heat races
Qualifying race procedure similar to that used by the Chili Bowl qualifying nights and Bryan Clauson Classic. Starting order for heat races based on random draw. Grid determined by a combination of passing points and finishing points. Ties broken by owner points.
Race 1 Pos Grid Driver Team Manufacturer Laps1 4 8 Tyler Reddick Richard Childress Racing Chevrolet 15 2 9 41 Cole Custer Stewart-Haas Racing Ford 153 5 48 Alex Bowman Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet 154 3 6 Brad Keselowski RFK Racing Ford 155 1 38 Todd Gilliland (R) Front Row Motorsports Ford 156 6 12 Ryan Blaney Team Penske Ford 157 8 7 Corey LaJoie Spire Motorsports Chevrolet 158 7 19 Martin Truex Jr. Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota 159 2 1 Ross Chastain Trackhouse Racing Team Chevrolet 15Official race one results
Race 2 Pos Grid Driver Team Manufacturer Laps1 5 20 Christopher Bell Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota 152 2 18 Kyle Busch Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota 153 7 14 Chase Briscoe Stewart-Haas Racing Ford 154 3 34 Michael McDowell Front Row Motorsports Ford 155 8 43 Erik Jones Petty GMS Motorsports Chevrolet 156 4 77 Justin Allgaier (i) Spire Motorsports Chevrolet 157 9 99 Daniel Suárez Trackhouse Racing Team Chevrolet 158 1 4 Kevin Harvick Stewart-Haas Racing Ford 159 6 78 Josh Williams (i) Live Fast Motorsports Ford 15Official race two results
Race 3 Pos Grid Driver Team Manufacturer Laps1 2 31 Justin Haley Kaulig Racing Chevrolet 152 1 22 Joey Logano Team Penske Ford 153 4 17 Chris Buescher RFK Racing Ford 154 6 45 Kurt Busch 23XI Racing Toyota 155 8 3 Austin Dillon Richard Childress Racing Chevrolet 156 7 23 Bubba Wallace 23XI Racing Toyota 157 3 15 J. J. Yeley (i) Rick Ware Racing Ford 158 9 16 Noah Gragson (i) Kaulig Racing Chevrolet 159 5 11 Denny Hamlin Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota 15Official race three results
Race 4 Pos Grid Driver Team Manufacturer Laps1 2 42 Ty Dillon Petty GMS Motorsports Chevrolet 152 1 9 Chase Elliott Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet 153 6 5 Kyle Larson Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet 154 5 47 Ricky Stenhouse Jr. JTG Daugherty Racing Chevrolet 155 4 24 William Byron Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet 156 7 2 Austin Cindric (R) Team Penske Ford 157 9 21 Harrison Burton (R) Wood Brothers Racing Ford 158 3 10 Aric Almirola Stewart-Haas Racing Ford 159 8 51 Cody Ware Rick Ware Racing Ford 15Official race four results
Starting Lineup Pos Driver Team Manufacturer 1 41 Cole Custer Stewart-Haas Racing Ford 2 20 Christopher Bell Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota 3 8 Tyler Reddick Richard Childress Racing Chevrolet 4 14 Chase Briscoe Stewart-Haas Racing Ford 5 5 Kyle Larson Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet 6 31 Justin Haley Kaulig Racing Chevrolet 7 42 Ty Dillon Petty GMS Motorsports Chevrolet 8 48 Alex Bowman Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet 9 9 Chase Elliott Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet 10 22 Joey Logano Team Penske Ford 11 18 Kyle Busch Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota 12 3 Austin Dillon Richard Childress Racing Chevrolet 13 45 Kurt Busch 23XI Racing Toyota 14 43 Erik Jones Petty GMS Motorsports Chevrolet 15 17 Chris Buescher RFK Racing Ford 16 47 Ricky Stenhouse Jr. JTG Daugherty Racing Chevrolet 17 34 Michael McDowell Front Row Motorsports Ford 18 6 Brad Keselowski RFK Racing Ford 19 24 William Byron Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet 20 2 Austin Cindric (R) Team Penske Ford 21 99 Daniel Suárez Trackhouse Racing Team Chevrolet 22 23 Bubba Wallace 23XI Racing Toyota 23 38 Todd Gilliland (R) Front Row Motorsports Ford 24 21 Harrison Burton (R) Wood Brothers Racing Ford 25 12 Ryan Blaney Team Penske Ford 26 7 Corey LaJoie Spire Motorsports Chevrolet 27 77 Justin Allgaier (i) Spire Motorsports Chevrolet 28 16 Noah Gragson (i) Kaulig Racing Chevrolet 29 15 J. J. Yeley (i) Rick Ware Racing Ford 30 19 Martin Truex Jr. Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota 31 10 Aric Almirola Stewart-Haas Racing Ford 32 4 Kevin Harvick Stewart-Haas Racing Ford 33 1 Ross Chastain Trackhouse Racing Team Chevrolet 34 11 Denny Hamlin Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota 35 51 Cody Ware Rick Ware Racing Ford 36 78 Josh Williams (i) Live Fast Motorsports FordOfficial starting lineup
Race Final lap During the closing laps of the race, Tyler Reddick was leading with Chase Briscoe right behind him looking to challenge for the win. Reddick was looking for his first Cup Series win in his 83rd start while Briscoe was looking for his 2nd win of the season and of his career after Briscoe won at Phoenix a month ago. On the final lap, Briscoe was almost at Reddick's rear bumper. Briscoe tried to pass in turns 1 and 2 but couldn't get alongside Reddick. In turn 3, Briscoe sent it in as fast and deep as he could and got alongside Reddick. Briscoe slid up and got into Reddick causing both to get sideways. Both tried to save it but both spun out in turn 4. Reddick did a full 360 degree spin and got his car rolling trying to chug it across the finish line. But just before he got there, Kyle Busch, who was in 3rd almost 4 seconds back during the final lap, got to the finish line first and stole the win while Reddick finished in 2nd. Briscoe would finish in 22nd. This would be Busch's 60th win of his Cup Series career and his last for Joe Gibbs Racing.
Stage Results
Stage One Laps: 75
Pos Driver Team Manufacturer Points1 5 Kyle Larson Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet 102 42 Ty Dillon Petty GMS Motorsports Chevrolet 93 20 Christopher Bell Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota 84 3 Austin Dillon Richard Childress Racing Chevrolet 75 18 Kyle Busch Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota 66 48 Alex Bowman Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet 57 22 Joey Logano Team Penske Ford 48 8 Tyler Reddick Richard Childress Racing Chevrolet 39 12 Ryan Blaney Team Penske Ford 210 47 Ricky Stenhouse Jr. JTG Daugherty Racing Chevrolet 1Official stage one results
Stage Two Laps: 75
Pos Driver Team Manufacturer Points1 14 Chase Briscoe Stewart-Haas Racing Ford 102 20 Christopher Bell Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota 93 99 Daniel Suárez Trackhouse Racing Team Chevrolet 84 9 Chase Elliott Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet 75 18 Kyle Busch Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota 66 5 Kyle Larson Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet 57 22 Joey Logano Team Penske Ford 48 34 Michael McDowell Front Row Motorsports Ford 39 12 Ryan Blaney Team Penske Ford 210 8 Tyler Reddick Richard Childress Racing Chevrolet 1Official stage two results
Final Stage Results
Stage Three Laps: 100
Pos Grid Driver Team Manufacturer Laps Points1 11 18 Kyle Busch Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota 250 522 3 8 Tyler Reddick Richard Childress Racing Chevrolet 250 393 10 22 Joey Logano Team Penske Ford 250 424 5 5 Kyle Larson Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet 250 485 25 12 Ryan Blaney Team Penske Ford 250 366 8 48 Alex Bowman Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet 250 367 2 20 Christopher Bell Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota 250 478 9 9 Chase Elliott Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet 250 369 17 34 Michael McDowell Front Row Motorsports Ford 250 3110 7 42 Ty Dillon Petty GMS Motorsports Chevrolet 250 3611 18 6 Brad Keselowski RFK Racing Ford 250 2612 21 99 Daniel Suárez Trackhouse Racing Team Chevrolet 250 3313 1 41 Cole Custer Stewart-Haas Racing Ford 250 2414 6 31 Justin Haley Kaulig Racing Chevrolet 250 2315 15 17 Chris Buescher RFK Racing Ford 250 2216 20 2 Austin Cindric (R) Team Penske Ford 250 2117 23 38 Todd Gilliland (R) Front Row Motorsports Ford 250 2018 19 24 William Byron Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet 250 1919 26 7 Corey LaJoie Spire Motorsports Chevrolet 250 1820 24 21 Harrison Burton (R) Wood Brothers Racing Ford 250 1721 30 19 Martin Truex Jr. Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota 250 1622 4 14 Chase Briscoe Stewart-Haas Racing Ford 250 2523 31 10 Aric Almirola Stewart-Haas Racing Ford 250 1424 14 43 Erik Jones Petty GMS Motorsports Chevrolet 250 1325 36 78 Josh Williams (i) Live Fast Motorsports Ford 250 026 35 51 Cody Ware Rick Ware Racing Ford 250 1127 28 16 Noah Gragson (i) Kaulig Racing Chevrolet 248 028 22 23 Bubba Wallace 23XI Racing Toyota 245 929 16 47 Ricky Stenhouse Jr. JTG Daugherty Racing Chevrolet 240 930 29 15 J. J. Yeley (i) Rick Ware Racing Ford 221 031 12 3 Austin Dillon Richard Childress Racing Chevrolet 211 1332 13 45 Kurt Busch 23XI Racing Toyota 211 533 33 1 Ross Chastain Trackhouse Racing Team Chevrolet 150 434 32 4 Kevin Harvick Stewart-Haas Racing Ford 100 335 34 11 Denny Hamlin Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota 91 236 27 77 Justin Allgaier (i) Spire Motorsports Chevrolet 74 0Official race results
Race statistics Lead changes: 6 among 5 different drivers Cautions/Laps: 14 for 82 Red flags: 1 for 16 minutes and 51 seconds