Logano Tangles with Byron En-Route to Darlington Victory
The Goodyear 400 marked the 122nd Cup race hosted by Darlington Raceway in the series’ history. With 3 degrees on the frontstretch and 2 degrees on the backstretch, this track has unique characteristics that require drivers to race against the wall and, as a result, drivers earn their “Darlington Stripes” from grazing the wall through the infamous turns. Occationally, tempers will flare and they will earn the stripe by being forced into the wall, just like we saw at the conclusion of this wild race.
LAP 1: Joey Logano started from pole position but was passed on the first lap but the second-place starter, Kyle Larson.
CAUTION – LAP 3: While coming out of Turn 2, the #7 of Corey Lajoie made contact with the rear of Denny Hamlin in the #11 Toyota Camry, making Hamlin slide up the track. Brad Keselowski slowed down to avoid the #11 but was tagged from behind by Chase Elliott. This caused Keselowski to spin into the outside wall and bring out the first caution of the day.
CAUTION – LAP 30: The yellow flag waved for the scheduled competition caution so teams could check tire wear and make adjustments. Joey Logano retook the lead on pit road and held it following the restart.
CAUTION – LAP 54: While racing for the second position, Kyle Larson and Kyle Busch battled side-by-side for several laps until Larson got loose in Turn 4 and spun. Larson did not sustain any damage because he managed to stay on track and not hit the wall, but still had to pit due to flat-spotted tires. Busch took the lead from Logano on the restart.
STAGE 1 END – LAP 90: Joey Logano passed Busch to take the lead just 10 laps prior to the end of the stage and held on to win the playoff point despite a charging Ross Chastain in hot pursuit. Behind Logano and Chastain, Christopher Bell, Kyle Busch, and Martin Truex completed the Top 5 running order.
LAP 112: Kyle Larson in the #5 Chevrolet Camaro came down pit road after radioing to his team that he thought his engine was blowing up. The car was pushed to the garage where he retired from the race.
CAUTION – LAP 166: Brad Keselowski in the #6 Ford Mustang triggered the fifth caution of the day when he blew the right-front tire and collided head-on with the outside wall in Turn 2. As Keselowski spun, he hit Kyle Busch in the #18 which resulted in a broken tire rod for Busch and both drivers were out of the race after the incident.
STAGE 2 – LAP 185: Ross Chastain won the stage and collected the playoff point. Behind him, Martin Truex Jr, Joey Logano, Denny Hamlin, and William Byron rounded out the Top 5 and collected points as well.
CAUTION – LAP 194: On the restart, Chastain and Hamlin battled side-by-side for the top spot. Chastain eventually spun when he got loose while side drafting and hit the inside wall head-on, which ended his day due to severe damage.
CAUTION – LAP 255: The caution was brought out by Alex Bowman in the #48 Chevrolet Camaro when he suffered an apparent mechanical failure in Turn 2. Bowman came down pit road, where his car erupted in flames and his day came to an end.
CAUTION – LAP 260: The #19 of Martin Truex Jr lost speed in Turn 2 and back sliding back through the field. He got loose as cars went by him, causing him to spin on the backstretch and collect several other cars. This included the #45 of Kurt Busch, the #23 of Bubba Wallace, the #41 of Cole Custer, and the #43 of Erik Jones, all of whom retired from the race. Denny Hamlin and Chase Briscoe were also involved and sustained damage, but managed to continue racing.
On the final restart, William Byron pushed Joey Logano in an attempt to gain the lead. Byron started to pull away, but with 3 laps to go, Logano caught up and was within 0.3 seconds.
CHECKERED FLAG – LAP 293: Coming to the checkered flag, Logano bumped Byron in Turn 4, moving him out of the racing line while Logano sailed past and crossed the line to win his first race of 2022, which snapped a 40-race winless streak (regular-season points were not earned during The Clash exhibition race in February).
RESULTS:
- Joey Logano
- Tyler Reddick
- Justin Haley
- Kevin Harvick
- Chase Elliott
- Christopher Bell
- Michael McDowell
- Rick Stenhouse Jr
- Austin Dillon
- Daniel Suarez
- Aric Almirola
- Ty Dillon
- William Byron
- Harrison Burton
- Todd Gilliland
- Chris Buescher
- Ryan Blaney
- Austin Cindric
- Cody Ware
- Chase Briscoe
- Denny Hamlin
- Landon Cassill
- JJ Yeley
- Martin Truex Jr
- Erik Jones
- Cole Custer
- Bubba Wallace
- Kurt Busch
- Alex Bowman
- Ross Chastain
- Daniel Hemric
- BJ McLeod
- Kyle Busch
- Brad Keselowski
- Corey Lajoie
- Kyle Larson
