2022 NASCAR Cup Series

The 2022 NASCAR Cup Series will be the 74th season for NASCAR professional stock car racing in the United States and the 51st season for the modern-era Cup Series. The season will start at the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum with the Busch Light Clash at The Coliseum. That race will be followed by the Bluegreen Vacations Duel qualifying races, and the 64th running of the Daytona 500 on February 20 at Daytona International Speedway, the first points race of the season. The NASCAR playoffs will end with the NASCAR Cup Series Championship Race at Phoenix Raceway on November 6. This season will mark the debut of the Next Gen Car, which was originally supposed to debut in 2021, but was postponed due to the COVID-19 pandemic. In addition, this will be the first season to have races covered by USA Network, which takes over for the now-defunct NBCSN.

This will mark the final season for Mars, Incorporated as a NASCAR sponsor, as the company announced on December 20, 2021 that it would leave NASCAR following the 2022 season. They have been the main sponsor for Kyle Busch's No. 18 car for Joe Gibbs Racing since the 2008 season, primarily through the M&M's brand. Prior to that, they sponsored the No. 36 MB2 Motorsports car from 1997 to 2002 and the No. 38 Robert Yates Racing car from 2003 to 2007. This will also be the final season for Aric Almirola, who retires after the 2022 season.

Teams and drivers

Chartered teams

Non-chartered teams

Limited schedule

Notes

News and updates

Confirmed changes

Teams

* On April 28, 2021, Kaulig Racing announced they would run at least one full-time Cup car in 2022. The team made their Cup Series debut in the 2020 Daytona 500 with their Xfinity Series driver Justin Haley driving the No. 16 car. They then entered the No. 16 in all superspeedways (with Kaz Grala) and road course races (with their Xfinity Series driver A. J. Allmendinger) in 2021. On June 18, the team announced that Haley would drive the No. 16 full-time in 2022. On June 5, team owner Matt Kaulig announced that Allmendinger would return to run the road courses and would also run the superspeedway races for the team in the Cup Series in 2022. Because Matt Kaulig also then announced that their full-time car will have one full-time driver, Allmendinger will drive a new second Cup Series car for Kaulig. On June 18, the team announced that they had purchased two charters from Spire Motorsports. On December 14, Kaulig announced that Allmendinger would instead drive the No. 16 and the other drivers sharing the car with him would be Noah Gragson and Daniel Hemric, with Haley driving Kaulig's other car. On December 15, it was announced that Haley's car number would be the No. 31.
* On May 14, 2021, Rick Ware Racing owner Rick Ware told ''NBC Sports'' that he may lease out one of his four charters in 2022. On October 10, RWR announced that they would form a technical alliance with Stewart-Haas Racing in 2022 and would field two full-time cars with the possibility of a third if sponsorship can be found.
* On May 29, 2021, Denny Hamlin hinted that 23XI Racing may expand to a two-car operation in 2022, with or without a charter. On August 14, Bob Pockrass of ''Fox Sports'' reported a potential deal between 23XI and Front Row Motorsports that would allow 23XI to lease or purchase one of FRM's charters. On August 27, 2021, Kurt Busch was officially announced as the driver of the No. 45 car. On October 3, Jordan Bianchi of ''The Athletic'' reported that Hamlin had secured a charter for the No. 45. On October 13, Pockrass reported that they had been working with FRM, but the deal had fallen through. On November 13, David Wilson from Toyota Racing Development revealed in an interview to Jenna Fryer from the ''Associated Press'' that 23XI had secured a charter for the No. 45 car. He did not announce which team they got it from and if they purchased it or are leasing it. On November 16, 23XI's president Steve Lauletta confirmed that the team has purchased StarCom Racing's charter for 13.5 million, the most expensive purchase of the charter since the implementation of the system in 2016.
* On June 10, 2021, Justin Marks stated on ''Sirius XM NASCAR Radio'' that his Trackhouse Racing Team may expand to a two-car operation in 2022. On June 30, the team announced that they had purchased the entirety of Chip Ganassi Racing's NASCAR operations, effective at the end of the 2021 season.
* On June 17, 2021, it was announced that the Truck Series team GMS Racing would debut in the Cup Series in 2022. They did not announce whether the team would run full-time or part-time and their car number at the time. On October 10, GMS announced that they would run full-time with Ty Dillon driving the No. 94 car. The team will also have a technical alliance with Richard Childress Racing, the team owned by Dillon's grandfather, Richard Childress. On December 1, GMS purchased a majority interest in Richard Petty Motorsports for 19 million. The deal includes both of RPM's charters; the No. 43 will continue to operate with its charter while the second charter, which was leased to Rick Ware Racing for the No. 51 from 2019 to 2021, will be transferred to GMS' No. 94. On December 7, the team was renamed Petty GMS Motorsports, with the No. 94 renumbered to the No. 42, a former Petty Enterprises number which became available after Chip Ganassi Racing closed down.
* On June 18, 2021, Spire Motorsports announced the sale of two of its three charters to Kaulig Racing. The team will only have one charter in 2022 for Corey LaJoie's No. 7 car. Plans for the team's No. 77 car, which now does not have a charter for 2022, have yet to be determined.
* On August 31, 2021, JTG Daugherty Racing announced that it will scale down to one full-time team (the No. 47) in 2022. This means that the No. 37, which is running full-time without a charter in 2021, would be shut down at the end of the season.
* On September 1, 2021, ''Catchfence.com'' reported that StarCom Racing would be selling its charter after the 2021 season. The purchasing team has yet to be announced. On September 15, StarCom Racing's shop foreman and mechanical director Charlie Langenstein prematurely revealed in a since-deleted tweet that the team would shut down at the end of the 2021 season. On November 5, StarCom itself confirmed that they would be closing down. StarCom was in talks to sell its charter to Spire Motorsports, but the deal ultimately fell through. The charter was sold to 23XI Racing for the No. 45 car on November 16.
* On September 7, 2021, Beard Motorsports announced that the team will enter their No. 62 car in the Daytona 500 as well as the other three superspeedway races in 2022. The team only attempted the Daytona 500 in 2021 after previously attempting all Cup Series superspeedway races from 2017 to 2020.
* On October 9, 2021, NASCAR Whelen Euro Series driver Loris Hezemans and Reaume Brothers Racing announced that they would form a new Cup Series team, Team Hezeberg, that will field the No. 27 car part-time in 2022 for Hezemans and fellow Euro Series driver Jacques Villeneuve. Hezemans, who drove part-time in the Xfinity Series for Reaume in partnerships with other teams in 2021, will run all of the road course races with the possibility of some short track races. Villeneuve, whose races in the car have yet to be announced, will make his first Cup Series and NASCAR national series start since 2013. The team hopes to compete in the Cup Series full-time in 2023.
* On November 16, 2021, Roush Fenway Racing announced their rebrand to RFK Racing (Roush Fenway Keselowski Racing) due to Brad Keselowski joining the team as a co-owner.
* On January 19, 2022, Adam Stern from ''Sports Business Journal'' reported that The Money Team Racing, a team co-owned by or affiliated with boxer Floyd Mayweather Jr. that has unsuccessfully tried to enter the series since 2019, had secured a car and a sponsor and was finalizing a deal to attempt to qualify for the Daytona 500 with Kaz Grala as the driver of their No. 50 car. On February 1, the team officially announced these plans.

Drivers

* On May 18, 2021, Jim Utter from '' Motorsport.com'' reported that Brad Keselowski, whose contract with Team Penske ends after the 2021 season, was offered a full-time Cup Series ride with Roush Fenway Racing in 2022, with a partial ownership stake in the team. Later the same day, Bob Pockrass from ''Fox Sports'' reported that it was a "done deal, according to multiple industry sources with knowledge of the situation." Keselowski declined to comment on the matter when asked about it in an interview. On July 15, Keselowski released a statement confirming his decision to part ways with Team Penske at the end of the season. On July 20, Roush Fenway Racing officially announced that Keselowski would join the team as a driver/co-owner starting in 2022 and would replace Ryan Newman as the driver of the No. 6 car.
* On May 30, 2021, Jordan Bianchi from ''The Athletic'' reported that Kurt Busch, whose contract with Chip Ganassi Racing ends after the 2021 season, was the top candidate for 23XI Racing should they open a second team in 2022. After months of speculation that this would happen, particularly after Trackhouse's purchase of CGR's NASCAR team for 2022, on August 27, 2021, 23XI officially announced that Kurt Busch would drive their new second car, which would be the No. 45, one of team co-owner Michael Jordan's other numbers during his legendary basketball career.
* On July 15, 2021, Team Penske confirmed that 2020 NASCAR Xfinity Series champion Austin Cindric would replace Brad Keselowski in the No. 2 car in 2022. Cindric drove Team Penske's No. 22 car in the Xfinity Series full-time from 2019 to 2021. He also drove a part-time fourth Team Penske Cup Series car, the No. 33, part-time in 2021.
* On July 15, 2021, Wood Brothers Racing announced that Xfinity Series driver Harrison Burton would drive the No. 21 in 2022. Austin Cindric was originally signed to drive the Penske-affiliated team, but Brad Keselowski's departure from Team Penske resulted in Cindric's move to the No. 2. This driver change made Matt DiBenedetto a free agent in 2022. On August 8, DiBenedetto stated in an interview that he would "entertain anything" when it comes to his 2022 plans, meaning that he was open to moving down to the Xfinity or Truck Series full-time. On January 6, 2022, it was announced that DiBenedetto would move down to the Truck Series and would drive Rackley WAR's No. 25 truck full-time in 2022.
* On August 3, 2021, Trackhouse Racing Team announced that Ross Chastain would drive their second car, the No. 1, in 2022.
* On September 1, 2021, Ryan Preece confirmed on ''Sirius XM NASCAR Radio'' that he would not be returning to JTG Daugherty Racing, following the announcement that JTG will scale back to a single-team operation in 2022. On January 6, 2022, Stewart-Haas Racing announced that it has hired Preece as a reserve driver in case any of the team's full-time drivers are unable to compete due to COVID-19, an injury, or other unforeseen circumstances. Preece will also be a simulator driver for Ford and run two Cup Series races with Rick Ware Racing in the No. 15 at Dover and the Coca-Cola 600. He will also run three Xfinity Series races for SHR or another Ford team as well as seven Truck Series races for David Gilliland Racing in 2022.
* On October 1, 2021, Bob Pockrass from ''Fox'' reported that Ty Dillon was the frontrunner to drive GMS Racing's Cup Series car in 2022. On October 10, GMS announced that he would be their Cup Series driver and would drive the No. 94 full-time in 2022. On December 7, after GMS purchased the majority of Richard Petty Motorsports, it was announced that Dillon would instead drive a second car for the renamed Petty GMS Motorsports, the No. 42, instead of the GMS No. 94.
* On November 9, 2021, Front Row Motorsports announced that Anthony Alfredo would not return to the No. 38 car in 2022. On November 30, FRM's Truck Series driver Todd Gilliland was announced as Alfredo's replacement.
* On November 16, 2021, Beard Motorsports announced that Noah Gragson would return to the No. 62 to attempt to qualify for the 2022 Daytona 500.
* On December 8, 2021, an MBM Motorsports No. 66 Next Gen car featuring Boris Said's name on it was on display at the Performance Racing Industry Trade Show, indicating that he would run select races for the team in 2022. On December 16, MBM owner Carl Long revealed to TobyChristie.com that Said would drive for the team in some of the road course races if sponsorship could be found.
* On December 14, 2021, Kaulig Racing announced that Daniel Hemric (one of their full-time Xfinity Series drivers) and Noah Gragson (who drives full-time for JR Motorsports in the Xfinity Series) would share the No. 16 with A. J. Allmendinger.
* On December 29, 2021, TobyChristie.com reported that Josh Bilicki was likely to leave Rick Ware Racing to take a ride with another Cup Series team and that he was a candidate for the Spire Motorsports No. 77 car. On January 10, 2022, Spire announced that Bilicki would drive the No. 77 for most of the 2022 season starting at California.
* On January 12, 2022, Rick Ware Racing announced that David Ragan would drive their No. 15 car in multiple races in 2022, including the Daytona 500. On January 27, it was announced that road course ringer Joey Hand, who made his NASCAR debut with RWR in 2021 in their No. 52 car at the Charlotte Roval, would return to the team to run all six road course races in the No. 15 car.
* On January 25, 2022, it was revealed in a podcast interview that J. J. Yeley would drive the No. 13 car for MBM Motorsports in the Daytona 500. On January 27, MBM owner Carl Long confirmed that this deal was in the works to Bob Pockrass from Fox.

Crew chiefs

* On June 28, 2021, Team Penske crew chief Todd Gordon announced that 2021 would be his final season as a crew chief. On September 29, it was announced that Jonathan Hassler, who was the crew chief for Matt DiBenedetto and the Wood Brothers Racing No. 21 for part of 2021, would replace Gordon as crew chief of the No. 12 driven by Ryan Blaney. On November 11, 2021, WBR announced that Brian Wilson, who was the crew chief for the No. 22 Team Penske Xfinity Series car from 2018 to 2021, would replace Hassler as the crew chief for the No. 21 car of Harrison Burton in 2022. Wilson won the 2020 Xfinity Series championship with Austin Cindric.
* On October 25, 2021, Chip Ganassi Racing crew chief Phil Surgen, who crew chiefed the team's No. 42 car driven by Ross Chastain in 2021, announced on ''Sirius XM NASCAR Radio'' that he would move with Chastain to the Trackhouse Racing Team No. 1 car in 2022.
* On November 2, 2021, it was announced that Matt McCall, who was previously the crew chief for Kurt Busch and the No. 1 car for Chip Ganassi Racing, would be moving to RFK Racing to be the crew chief for Brad Keselowski and the No. 6 car.
* On November 5, 2021, Richard Petty Motorsports announced that Dave Elenz, who was Noah Gragson's crew chief in the NASCAR Xfinity Series, will move to the Cup Series to be the crew chief of Erik Jones, replacing Jerry Baxter. Baxter will move to David Gilliland Racing to crew chief Tanner Gray's No. 15 in the Truck Series in 2022.
* On November 16, 2021, GMS Racing announced that former Chip Ganassi Racing engineer Jerame Donley will be the crew chief for Ty Dillon and the No. 94 car. When GMS bought the majority of Richard Petty Motorsports and the team was renamed Petty GMS Motorsports, it was announced that Dillon and Donley would instead drive and crew chief a second Petty GMS car, the No. 42, instead of the GMS No. 94.
* On December 17, 2021, Front Row Motorsports announced that Drew Blickensderfer would not return to the team in 2022. He was the crew chief for their No. 34 car and Michael McDowell since 2018 and they won the 2021 Daytona 500. On January 4, 2022, Stewart-Haas Racing announced that Blickensderfer would become the crew chief of the No. 10 driven by Aric Almirola, with Mike Bugarewicz promoted to performance director.
* On January 6, 2022, Front Row Motorsports announced that Blake Harris would replace Drew Blickensderfer as the crew chief for Michael McDowell in the No. 34 in 2022. He was previously the car chief for Martin Truex Jr.'s No. 19 car for Joe Gibbs Racing.
* On January 8, 2022, Kaulig Racing announced its crew chief lineup, with Matt Swiderski chiefing the No. 16 and Trent Owens assigned to the No. 31.
* On February 1, 2022, it was announced that Tony Eury Jr. would return to NASCAR to be the crew chief for The Money Team Racing and their No. 50 car. It will be his first time crew chiefing in the Cup Series since 2018 when he was the crew chief for Danica Patrick's final NASCAR race in the 2018 Daytona 500 with Premium Motorsports.

Interim crew chiefs

* On November 7, 2021, NASCAR announced that Kyle Busch's crew chief Ben Beshore would be suspended for the Busch Light Clash at The Coliseum after the No. 18 had two loose lug nuts following the 2021 NASCAR Cup Series Championship Race at Phoenix.
* On December 3, 2021, NASCAR announced that MBM Motorsports crew chief Johnny Roten has been indefinitely suspended after violating the substance abuse policy in the NASCAR rulebook. MBM has yet to announce Roten's interim replacement and their entire 2022 driver and crew chief lineup.

Manufacturers

* On October 10, 2021, Rick Ware Racing announced that they will run only Fords in 2022 after forming a technical alliance with Stewart-Haas Racing. The team's Cup Series cars had previously been a mixture of used Fords and Chevrolets.

New sponsorship and sponsorship changes

* On July 23, 2021, JTG Daugherty Racing announced that Bimbo Bakeries would be a new primary sponsor for the team in 2022. On January 6, 2022, SweetLeaf was announced as a new primary sponsor for Ricky Stenhouse Jr's No. 47 car for an unspecified number of races.
* On August 27, 2021, when Kurt Busch was announced as the driver of the new No. 45 car for 23XI Racing, it was also announced that his primary sponsor Monster Energy would be moving with him from Chip Ganassi Racing to 23XI.
* On September 21, 2021, RFK Racing announced that Violet Defense would sponsor both Brad Keselowski and Chris Buescher in select races in 2022 and 2023. On December 7, 2021, Fastenal announced its partnership with the No. 6 as a primary sponsor for several races in 2022, starting with the 2022 Busch Light Clash at The Coliseum.
* On October 27, 2021, Stewart-Haas Racing announced that GearWrench would be the primary sponsor for Kevin Harvick's No. 4 car for five races and an associate sponsor for the rest of 2022. In addition, GearWrench would become the official tool partner of SHR and have the naming rights to the main assembly area of the team's race shop, renaming it GearWrench Garage. The company previously sponsored the closed Chip Ganassi Racing No. 1 car for about the same number of races each year from 2018 to 2021. On January 11, 2022, Rheem Manufacturing Company announced it would sponsor the No. 4 car for three races.
* On November 23, 2021, Richard Petty Motorsports announced that FOCUSfactor, a brain health supplement, would be the primary sponsor for the No. 43 car of Erik Jones for 26 races for multiple years starting in 2022. It is the company's first time as a NASCAR sponsor.
* On December 10, 2021, Stewart-Haas Racing announced that Mahindra Tractors would be the sponsor for Chase Briscoe and the No. 14 car for the majority of the 2022 season. The company was a NASCAR sponsor in 2009 and 2010 for Robert Richardson Jr. in the Cup, Xfinity and Truck Series for his R3 Motorsports team as well as other teams.
* On December 13, 2021, 23XI Racing announced that Wheaties will sponsor the No. 23 car at Fontana to celebrate the 100th anniversary of the cereal. On January 4, 2022, 23XI announced that Leidos would be a primary sponsor for Bubba Wallace's No. 23 in six races in 2022. The company was one of Wallace's sponsors when he drove for Roush in the Xfinity Series in 2016 and 2017.
* On January 11, 2022, Trackhouse Racing Team announced that AdventHealth signed a multiyear deal to sponsor Ross Chastain and the No. 1 car. AdventHealth previously sponsored Chastain when he drove for Chip Ganassi Racing.
* On January 11, 2022, MBM Motorsports announced that online car dealership website Bumper.com would be the primary sponsor for the No. 66 at the Daytona 500.
* On January 11, 2022, Richard Childress Racing announced that hemp-based company 3Chi would sponsor Tyler Reddick and the No. 8 in a multi-year deal, becoming the first team to have a hemp-based sponsor in NASCAR. On January 24, Guaranteed Rate signed on to sponsor the No. 8 for multiple races in 2022.
* On January 18, 2022, Richard Childress Racing announced that True Velocity Ammo would sponsor Austin Dillon and the No. 3 for multiple races in 2022, beginning with the Busch Light Clash.
* On January 25, 2022, Kaulig Racing announced that charity-based cryptocurrency CURE Token would sponsor the team at the second Kansas Speedway race.
* On January 25, 2022, it was revealed that the cryptocurrency Hex would sponsor J. J. Yeley and the No. 13 MBM Motorsports car in the Daytona 500.
* On February 1, 2022, it was announced that Pit Viper Sunglasses will sponsor The Money Team Racing's No. 50 car driven by Kaz Grala in the Daytona 500.

Confirmed returning sponsorship

* On December 16, 2020, it was announced that Llumar Film will sponsor Chase Elliott in two races in 2021, 2022, and 2023. On January 22, 2021, It was announced that Kelley Blue Book extended its contract through 2022 for Elliott. On December 2, Hooters extended its partnership with Elliott with primary sponsorships at Gateway, Bristol Night Race, and fall Las Vegas in 2022.
* On February 1, 2021, Joe Gibbs Racing announced that FedEx will stay as the primary sponsor for Denny Hamlin.
* On April 27, 2021, Hendrick Motorsports announced that Valvoline will sponsor both Kyle Larson and William Byron in 2022.
* On May 19, 2021, Roush Fenway Racing announced that Fastenal will extend its sponsorship with Chris Buescher through 2024.
* On June 18, 2021, Hendrick Motorsports announced that Ally Financial will continue to sponsor Alex Bowman in 2022.
* On July 14, 2021, Hendrick Motorsports announced that HendrickCars.com will sponsor Kyle Larson in 2022, who will increase their primary sponsorship of the No. 5 car to 35 races in 2022 and 2023.
* On July 15, 2021, Team Penske announced that Discount Tire will sponsor both Austin Cindric and Ryan Blaney in 2022.
* On August 19, 2021, Joe Gibbs Racing announced that Auto-Owners Insurance has extended its contract with Martin Truex Jr.
* On August 28, 2021, Roush Fenway Racing announced that Fifth Third Bank will continue its sponsorship of the team's No. 17 car.
* On September 7, 2021, Richard Childress Racing tweeted leaked images of Austin Dillon's Next Gen car. The cars sponsor will see the return of Bass Pro Shops.
* On October 15, 2021, Hendrick Motorsports announced that Liberty University extended its partnership contract with William Byron through 2026.
* On October 15, 2021, Joe Gibbs Racing announced that Interstate Batteries extended its partnership with the team, serving as a primary sponsor of Kyle Busch in the Cup Series and Ty Gibbs in the NASCAR Xfinity Series. This extension marks the 30th anniversary of the partnership between JGR and Interstate.
* On November 27, 2021, Richard Petty Motorsports announced that the United States Air Force will return as a primary sponsor of the No. 43 for the Talladega spring race, Road America, and the Bristol playoff race. In addition, the Air Force held a contest for Airmen to design the car's paint schemes; the top three designs competed for the final paint scheme to be used for the three races. On January 15, 2022, TSGT Andrew J. Brockman’s B-29 scheme was announced as the winning paint scheme.
* On November 30, 2021, Menards announced that it would return to sponsor Ryan Blaney, Austin Cindric, and Harrison Burton during the 2022 season.
* On December 1, 2021, Tootsie's Orchid Lounge announced that it would return as a primary sponsor of the Trackhouse Racing Team No. 99 for six races in 2022.
* On December 7, 2021, McDonald's announced it will return as a primary sponsor of the 23XI Racing No. 23 for several races in 2022, including the 2022 Daytona 500. In addition, McDonald's will also sponsor the No. 45 in select races in 2022.
* On January 6, 2022, Joe Gibbs Racing announced that Rheem Manufacturing Company will return as a sponsor of the No. 20 and No. 18.
* On January 10, 2022,
* On January 11, 2022, Spire Motorsports announced that Built Bar renewed its sponsorship of the No. 7 for nine races in 2022, including the Daytona 500.
* According to ''Jayski's Silly Season Sites team/driver chart, NAPA Auto Parts is signed through 2022 with Chase Elliott, Shell/Pennzoil is signed through 2023 with Joey Logano, Axalta is signed with William Byron through 2022, and Adrenaline Shoc will return to sponsor Elliott.
* Kroger will return as the main sponsor of Ricky Stenhouse Jr.'s No. 47 car for JTG Daugherty Racing in 2022.

Rule changes

* On August 27, 2021, it was announced that the car numbers would be moved forward on the Cup Series cars beginning in 2022, coinciding with the debut of the Next-Gen car. NASCAR experimented with car number placement at the 2020 All-Star Race by moving the numbers back. Either of those movements results in more space for sponsor logos and therefore more revenue for the race teams.
* On November 19, 2021, NASCAR announced the new practice and qualifying formats across all three national series in 2022. The formats are as follows:
:* Oval races: After a 15-minute practice period, the field will be separated into two groups, each running one lap (two laps at Martinsville, Bristol, Richmond, and Dover). The top five of each group will advance to the final round of qualifying, with the fastest lap earning the Busch Pole.
:* Superspeedway races: All cars run one lap each, with the top 10 transferring to the final round.
:* Road courses: After a 20-minute practice period, the field will be separated into two groups, each running a 15-minute timed session. The top five of each group will advance to the final round, which consists of a 10-minute timed session.
:* Bristol dirt race: Four qualifying races will determine the starting lineup.
:* The Daytona 500, first Atlanta race, Bristol dirt, Gateway, Nashville, and the Phoenix season ending race will have one 50-minute practice session.
* On December 17, 2021, NASCAR announced that teams will be allowed to use chrome numbers in 2022.
* On January 24, 2022, NASCAR announced a more stringent penalty system structure for the Cup Series. The penalty system is structured in three tiers from L1 to L3, with L3 reserved for the tampering and counterfeiting of Next Gen single-source vendor parts. L3 violations will result in a deduction of owner and driver points (including playoff points), revocation of playoff eligibility, crew member suspensions, or postseason bans.

Schedule

The 2022 schedule was released on September 15, 2021.

Bolded races indicate a NASCAR Major, also known as a Crown Jewel race.

Note: Most race sponsors are placeholders from 2021.

Schedule changes

* Auto Club Speedway returns to the schedule for the first time since 2020 after state COVID-19 regulations in California forced the cancellation of the 2021 race. It is scheduled for the weekend after the Daytona 500 (February 25, 26, and 27), which would make it the second race of the season for the first time since 2010, replacing the Daytona Road Course. This will also be the last race at the track before its proposed reconfiguration into a short track for 2023 (which has yet to be approved).
* On August 21, 2021, ''Sports Business Journal'' reported that NASCAR was in talks to have World Wide Technology Raceway (Gateway) in Madison, Illinois host a Cup Series race in 2022. On September 8, Adam Stern of ''Sports Business Journal'' reported that the 2022 schedule to be announced in mid-September would add Gateway and remove one of the Pocono races. This was confirmed on September 14 by ''The Athletic'', with Gateway scheduled on June 5.
*On September 14, 2021, NASCAR announced that the Busch Clash will move to the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum. The Clash was moved because of a situation that developed with NFL league year changes (17-game season over 18 weeks moved Super Bowl LVI back one week) announced after the 2022 Daytona 500 date had been announced. They also announced that for the first time since 1989, there will be a Cup race on Easter Sunday. Only one off-week will be on the schedule in 2022.
* NASCAR also announced that the Dixie Vodka 400 at Homestead–Miami Speedway would be returning to the NASCAR Playoffs for 2022 but not as the final race of the season, as it had been from 2002 through 2019. Instead, Homestead joins Las Vegas and Martinsville as the tracks composing the Round of 8 in the quest for the championship.

Broadcast changes

NBC Sports' portion of the NASCAR Cup Series will feature races on USA Network instead of NBCSN, due to NBC Sports shutting down NBCSN at the end of 2021. Races on the NBC television network will remain the same.

See also

* 2022 NASCAR Xfinity Series
* 2022 NASCAR Camping World Truck Series
* 2022 ARCA Menards Series
* 2022 ARCA Menards Series East
* 2022 ARCA Menards Series West
* 2022 NASCAR Whelen Euro Series

References

{{NASCAR Cup Series Championship

NASCAR Cup Series seasons
NASCAR Cup
NASCAR Cup
NASCAR Cup