The 2022 NextEra Energy 250 was the first stock car race of the 2022 NASCAR Camping World Truck Series season and was the 23rd iteration of the event. The race was held on Friday, February 18, 2022, in Daytona Beach, Florida, at Daytona International Speedway, a 2.5 mile (4 km) permanent asphalt superspeedway. The race was extended from 100 laps to 106 laps due to a NASCAR overtime finish. At race's end, the race was won by Zane Smith under caution after a wreck had occurred on the final lap.[1] The win was Smith's fourth career NASCAR Camping World Truck Series win and his first win of the season. To fill out the podium, Ben Rhodes and Christian Eckes of ThorSport Racing would finish second and third, respectively.
Background
Daytona International Speedway is one of three superspeedways to hold NASCAR races, the other two being Indianapolis Motor Speedway and Talladega Superspeedway.[2] The standard track at Daytona International Speedway is a four-turn superspeedway that is 2.5 miles (4.0 km) long. The track's turns are banked at 31 degrees, while the front stretch, the location of the finish line, is banked at 18 degrees.[3]
Entry list
*Withdrew due to wrecking in the practice session.[4]
Practice
The only 50-minute practice session was held on Thursday, February 17, at 4:35 PM EST.[5] Grant Enfinger was fastest in the session, with a time of 48.117 seconds and a speed of 187.044 mph (301.018 km/h).[6]
| Pos. | # | Driver | Team | Make | Time | Speed |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 23 | Grant Enfinger | GMS Racing | Chevrolet | 48.117 | 187.044 |
| 2 | 19 | Derek Kraus | McAnally-Hilgemann Racing | Chevrolet | 48.131 | 186.990 |
| 3 | 38 | Zane Smith | Front Row Motorsports | Ford | 48.136 | 186.970 |
| Full practice results | ||||||
Qualifying
Qualifying was held on Friday, February 18, at 3:00 PM EST.[5] Since Daytona International Speedway is a superspeedway, the qualifying system used is a single-car, single-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.[7]
Ty Majeski of ThorSport Racing would win the pole, setting a lap of 50.245 and an average speed of 179.122 miles per hour (288.269 km/h) in the second round.[8]
Five drivers would fail to qualify: Jordan Anderson, Jennifer Jo Cobb, Matt Jaskol, Chase Purdy, and Clay Greenfield.
Full qualifying results
Race results
Stage 1 Laps: 20
| Pos. | # | Driver | Team | Make | Pts |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 4 | John Hunter Nemechek | Kyle Busch Motorsports | Toyota | 10 |
| 2 | 18 | Chandler Smith | Kyle Busch Motorsports | Toyota | 9 |
| 3 | 52 | Stewart Friesen | Halmar Friesen Racing | Toyota | 8 |
| 4 | 51 | Corey Heim (R) | Kyle Busch Motorsports | Toyota | 7 |
| 5 | 38 | Zane Smith | Front Row Motorsports | Ford | 6 |
| 6 | 23 | Grant Enfigner | GMS Racing | Chevrolet | 5 |
| 7 | 66 | Ty Majeski | ThorSport Racing | Toyota | 4 |
| 8 | 15 | Tanner Gray | David Gilliland Racing | Ford | 3 |
| 9 | 32 | Bret Holmes | Bret Holmes Racing | Chevrolet | 2 |
| 10 | 16 | Tyler Ankrum | Hattori Racing Enterprises | Toyota | 1 |
Stage 2 Laps: 20
| Pos. | # | Driver | Team | Make | Pts |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 4 | John Hunter Nemechek | Kyle Busch Motorsports | Toyota | 10 |
| 2 | 99 | Ben Rhodes | ThorSport Racing | Toyota | 9 |
| 3 | 18 | Chandler Smith | Kyle Busch Motorsports | Toyota | 8 |
| 4 | 98 | Christian Eckes | ThorSport Racing | Toyota | 7 |
| 5 | 88 | Matt Crafton | ThorSport Racing | Toyota | 6 |
| 6 | 22 | Austin Wayne Self | AM Racing | Chevrolet | 5 |
| 7 | 16 | Tyler Ankrum | Hattori Racing Enterprises | Toyota | 4 |
| 8 | 19 | Derek Kraus | McAnally-Hilgemann Racing | Chevrolet | 3 |
| 9 | 7 | Austin Hill (i) | Spire Motorsports | Chevrolet | 0 |
| 10 | 66 | Ty Majeski | ThorSport Racing | Toyota | 1 |
Stage 3 Laps: 66
Standings after the race
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References
- ^ "Zane Smith wins in overtime in Truck Series opener at Daytona". Official Site Of NASCAR. February 19, 2022. Retrieved February 19, 2022.
- ^ "NASCAR.COM : Tracks". August 11, 2010. Archived from the original on August 11, 2010. Retrieved November 1, 2021.
- ^ "Daytona International Speedway: The World Center of Racing". August 30, 2010. Archived from the original on August 30, 2010. Retrieved November 1, 2021.
- ^ "Jason Kitzmiller, No. 97 CR7 Motorsports Team Done For Speedweeks After Practice Crash". TobyChristie.com. February 17, 2022. Retrieved February 18, 2022.
- ^ a b "2022 NASCAR Camping World Truck Series Daytona Race Page". Jayski's NASCAR Silly Season Site. Retrieved February 14, 2022.
- ^ "Practice 1 Results: 2022 NASCAR Camping World Truck Series NextEra Energy 250 at Daytona". February 17, 2022.
- ^ "NASCAR announces practice, qualifying return in 2022". Official Site Of NASCAR. November 19, 2021. Retrieved February 14, 2022.
- ^ "Ty Majeski Storms to Pole Position at Daytona, Toyota Sweeps Top-Six Positions". TobyChristie.com. February 18, 2022. Retrieved February 19, 2022.
- ^ "2022 NextEra Energy 250 - The Third Turn". www.thethirdturn.com. Retrieved February 19, 2022.