Hendrick Motorsports - Inside the Numbers

Fast Facts and Stats from the 2022 Season

 

With the end of championship weekend at Phoenix Raceway, another season of NASCAR Cup Series racing has come to a close. While the bid for a third straight title did not materialize for Hendrick Motorsports, the season did bring about several notable stat lines for the organization and their four entries.

 

Check out these statistical highlights from the year in racing action with the 14-time Cup Series champions.

Hendrick Motorsports' 2022 highlights

• With 11 wins in 2022, Hendrick Motorsports posted the most wins or was tied for the most wins in a season among Cup teams for the 17th season.
• The ninth time in history that the organization has won at least 11 races (second consecutive season as well).
• The Darlington Raceway playoff opener marked the team's 1,300th Cup Series event. Hendrick Motorsports is the fourth team to hit that mark and ended the season at 1,309 races.
• At Sonoma Raceway in June, the organization surpassed 100,000 miles led in the Cup Series. Overall, the company has led 101,623.9 miles.
• This was the fifth season that all four drivers made the playoffs, the most of any four-car operation. All four entries advanced to the Round of 12 as well.
• The second straight season Hendrick Motorsports has won the regular season championship (as shown with Chase Elliott in the photo below).

 

Kyle Larson

• With 13 top-five finishes, the No. 5 team ranked second in the Cup Series in this category.
• Since the start of 2021, Larson and crew chief Cliff Daniels have visited victory lane 13 times. Their 13 wins together are the fourth-most of any active driver/crew chief pairing.
• Larson's 19 top-10 finishes in 2022 were the fourth-most of any driver in the field.
• The No. 5 team reached the Championship 4 for the owner's championship with their win at Homestead-Miami Speedway - their third of win of the season.

 

Chase Elliott

• The driver of the No. 9 was first wins with five and in laps lead with 857 circuits out front.
• His 12.47 average finish was the best in the Cup Series.
• For the third straight season, Elliott earned a spot in the driver’s Championship 4. He is the only driver to finish in the top four in points in the last three seasons.
• Elliott finished as the highest running driver from Hendrick Motorsports in 14 of the 36 races during the 2022 season. This was highlighted by a two-top streak of five races from Nashville Superspeedway in June to Pocono Raceway in July.

 

William Byron

• His 746 laps led were the third-best in the Cup Series and the most he's led in a single season.
• Byron's two-win season marked his first multi-win campaign in the sport's top series.
• The No. 24 pit crew's average four-tire pit stop time of 11.879 seconds was the sixth-best in the field.
• Byron's Round of 8 appearance is his deepest playoff run to date.

 

Alex Bowman

• Bowman's win at Las Vegas Motor Speedway in March was his fifth win since the start of 2021, which is the third-best of any driver in the field.
• For the fifth straight year, he started on the front row for the DAYTONA 500.
• Bowman has reached the Round of 12 every year he has been at Hendrick Motorsports - five seasons.
• Ives and Bowman’s time together ends with seven wins - sixth-best on the active driver/crew chief pairing list.

 

Thank you to all who have served our country. pic.twitter.com/jfWU3K45EA

— Hendrick Motorsports (@TeamHendrick) November 11, 2022

 

source: Hendrick Motorsports

Coy Gibbs Obituary

James Funeral Home of Huntersville is Serving the Family.

 

 

OBITUARY: On Sunday, November 6th, Coy Randall Gibbs died peacefully in his sleep, hours after celebrating the Xfinity Championship won by his oldest son Ty. It was a happy day and Coy’s last moments on earth were filled with joy and laughter. Though grief-stricken, the Gibbs family rests in the knowledge that Coy now knows joy that far exceeds any earthly experience.

 

Coy is survived by his wife of nearly 24 years, Heather, and their four children, Ty (20), Elle (18), Case (16), and Jett (14). He is also survived by parents, Joe and Pat Gibbs along with 9 nieces and nephews. Coy was 49 years old and joins his brother JD in heaven, who preceded him in death in 2019, also at the age of 49.

 

An accomplished athlete, Coy played 4-years as a starting linebacker at Stanford and competed as a driver in the NASCAR Late-Model, All-Pro, and Truck series, earning Rookie of the Year in All-Pro. His professional life was spent coaching alongside his father in the NFL, founding the JGR Motocross team he ran for over a decade, and serving most recently serving as the Vice Chairman and COO of Joe Gibbs Racing.

 

Coy would not care to be remembered for any of these accomplishments and made that clear in his remarks in the media center after Saturday’s championship win. What mattered most to Coy on Saturday was not his title at JGR but his role as Ty’s dad. Similarly, he was an advocate for Elle, encouraging her to pursue college admission at the highest levels and proud of her drive and determination. He coached Case and Jett in numerous sports and enjoyed watching them compete and excel.

 

Coy was never comfortable in the spotlight and preferred to support those he loved from the background. He was a passionate entrepreneur and loved setting others up for success, whether his own children, his late brother’s sons, the JGR family, the ministries of JGR, and the Pop Warner players he coached for 8 seasons. He was fiercely loyal, quietly generous, mercilessly sarcastic, and tender-hearted in ways he rarely allowed others to see. These people and these moments were his treasures. And heaven is now his reward.

 

In lieu of flowers, memorials may be made to:

 

Fidelity Charitable
Memo: Account #1194015
Coy Gibbs Memorial
US Mail Address
PO Box 770001
Cincinnati, OH
45277-0053

 

This is the ministry giving account of Joe Gibbs Racing.

 

Funeral arrangements will be announced through Joe Gibbs Racing social media outlets and on this site when details become available.

 

James Funeral Home of Huntersville is serving the family. 

 

 

 

source: Jayski.com

Everyone at Mars is devastated to hear of the passing of Coy Gibbs. Our thoughts are with Coach, the Gibbs family and the entire JGR organization during this difficult time.

— M&M'S (@mmschocolate) November 6, 2022

An emotional Kyle Busch on his final race with Joe Gibbs Racing and what he will remember about Coy Gibbs: pic.twitter.com/nZM1ZPFxwl

— Bob Pockrass (@bobpockrass) November 7, 2022

A statement from NASCAR Chairman and CEO Jim France on the passing of Coy Gibbs. pic.twitter.com/Ja94LfO5C8

— NASCAR (@NASCAR) November 6, 2022

Jackson Gibbs, the nephew of Coy Gibbs, is still changing tires for Christopher Bell today. Here's his helmet for today's race: pic.twitter.com/Q6aC0fgwrs

— Clara Goodwin (@ClaraGoodwinTV) November 6, 2022

A moment of silence in honor of Coy Gibbs is held at Phoenix Raceway. pic.twitter.com/OeXHBMG71O

— NASCAR (@NASCAR) November 6, 2022

The racing world reacts to the unfortunate news of Coy Gibbs’ passing.

Gibbs, father of Ty Gibbs, died at the age of 49. pic.twitter.com/AO3Capy3Io

— NASCAR on NBC (@NASCARonNBC) November 6, 2022

Cannot stop thinking about Coy Gibbs. Thinking through memories of him, this is my favorite. We raced against each other in the @ToyotaRacing Pro Celeb race. We were so competitive against each other! Fun yet heartbreaking to reflect. pic.twitter.com/YIxNZ558pd

— Jamie Little (@JamieLittleTV) November 8, 2022

Zane Smith Proves Third Time is Charm

Wins Truck Series Title

 

Nothing short of an upward trajectory has defined Zane Smith through his first three seasons as a full-time driver in the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series.

 

Smith — the Rookie of the Year in 2020 and a two-time Championship 4 driver heading into 2022 — certainly brought a winning pedigree to the table. After all, Smith had already amassed three wins, 10 top-five and 27 top-10 finishes before the 2022 calendar season was a forethought.

 

But that pedigree was missing one thing, and a big one at that.

 

A championship.

 

Champions. pic.twitter.com/fT7z24Xt8L

— Zane Smith (@zanesmith77) November 5, 2022

Not to worry, however. This pedigree soared to new heights following the season’s 2022 title race in Phoenix as the No. 38 Front Row Motorsports Ford driver toppled the triple-Toyota threat of Ty Majeski, Ben Rhodes  and Chandler Smith to net the 23-year-old his first truck title in his already-blossomed racing career.

 

Rewinding the clocks to 2020 might have established Smith’s precedent right away, considering he concluded his rookie year spectacle with three straight top-three finishes, branching between the Round of 8 and Championship 4 (third at Texas, third at Martinsville and second at Phoenix). But his 2021 campaign would have painted the picture more succinctly, considering how close Smith came to claiming the title that season. After finishing outside the top 25 through the first two Round of 8 playoff races (29th at Las Vegas and 33rd at Talladega), Smith needed to win if he wished to keep fate in his own hands. And he did just that. After winning a frantic overtime finish at Martinsville in late October, Smith’s 2021 Championship 4 berth was set in stone. But while his top-five finish at Phoenix a week later certainly wasn’t too shabby of a result, Smith finished runner-up in the championship behind Rhodes.

 

Oh, so close. Yet so far, still.

 

For Smith, 2022 would be different. While his first and second Championship 4 appearances certainly brought some glamour, 2022 needed to take another step forward toward a potential title. Third time’s the charm, so the saying goes.

 

Winning the 2022 season-opener on Feb. 18 at Daytona established the tone, and while a second place finish a week later at Vegas was disqualified following post-race inspection, Smith didn’t falter.

 

Instead, he continued to drive and thrive.

 

Winning three races (Daytona, Circuit of The Americas and Kansas) and finishing inside the top 10 in all but the disqualification within the first eight races to begin the season cemented Smith’s place as a title contender. Having a career season certainly helped his case, too — heading into the title race at Phoenix, Smith’s 2022 season included three wins, 13 top-five and 18 top-10 finishes, with the latter two marks leading the field. Maintaining a net-positive average finish (8.0) compared to his average start (10.1) only made the resume that much more impressive.

 

But a strong regular season — and a just-as-sturdy playoff run, where Smith finished inside the top 10 in five of six postseason races heading into the championship — would be almost all for naught without that championship trophy. Sure, the campaign would have arguably still been a success, but falling just short once again would have left a sour taste in the mouth of an otherwise sweet season.

 

But not this time. Instead of falling just short of the title mark, Smith soared above the rest and delivered what he was oh, so close to achieving almost a year to the day.

 

Moving the clocks back to 2020 and 2021 might have shown Smith’s talent in racing an entire season. But his 2022 emphasized tenacity in starting strong and building momentum toward the truck circuit’s premier prize. And so, claiming the championship came into being.

 

Smith’s trajectory has again leaped forward. And consider the pedigree enhanced, too.

 

Quotes

Holding off defending champion Ben Rhodes by .236 seconds at the end of a wild final two laps of Friday night’s Lucas Oil 150, Smith put it succinctly after a celebratory burnout at Phoenix Raceway.

 

“The third time’s the charm,” exulted an emotional Smith, who said he was crying throughout the final lap after wresting the lead from Rhodes one circuit earlier.

 

“I’m going to win this,” Zane Smith said of his mind-set in overtime. “There was no other option. I was either backing it in the fence wrecking, or I was leaving tonight with a championship trophy. There were no other options, and when I saw the 18 (Chandler Smith) get underneath me I was worried that I got him too loose underneath me.

 

“Fortunately, he stayed off of me. I have a lot of respect for all three of (the other title competitors). It’s pretty impressive for some of the racing we’ve seen lately for us three to go at it that hard and that clean.”

 

Zane will return to Front Row Motorsports next season, where he’ll defend his championship and compete in selected NASCAR Cup Series races, starting with the Daytona 500.

 

Photo Gallery

Zane Smith, driver of the #38 Michael Roberts Construction Ford, celebrates after winning the 2022 NASCAR Camping World Truck Series Championship and the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series Lucas Oil 150 at Phoenix Raceway on November 04, 2022 in Avondale, Arizona.

 

 

 

source: NASCAR Media - By John Crane, NASCAR.com