FORT WORTH, Tex. – Alex Bowman led the way for Hendrick Motorsports in the 2022 NASCAR All-Star Race at Texas Motor Speedway.
Bowman would finish the 140-lap exhibition in sixth in his No. 48 Ally Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 to grab his fourth straight top-eight finish in the annual event.
He had started the night at the rear of the field for unapproved adjustments and had to come from the back again after a miscue on the mandatory pit stop between stages two and three.
"The team showed a lot of heart," Bowman said. "We started the weekend with a car that wasn't where we wanted, and the crew did everything they could to get me the changes I needed to drive to the front. I am super proud of their effort all weekend."
William Byron placed 11th in the all-star event and was one of four drivers to lead laps on the night as he paced the field for two circuits.
Chase Elliott, who won the 2020 All-Star Race, was caught up in a lap 48 incident involving Kyle Busch and Ross Chastain. Busch had slowed due to tire going down and Chastain’s contact with him, eventually led to the two-time winner in 2022 getting into the left rear of Elliott’s car. That contact sent Elliott into the wall in turn one and ended his night with a 23rd-place finish.
"I just kind of misjudged it," Elliott said of the incident. "It was really avoidable on my end. I just kind of messed up and didn’t get the gap shot quick enough."
Defending All-Star Race winner Kyle Larson blew a right front tire on lap 36 and that brought his night to an end with a 24th-place finish. He had won his last two all-star starts in 2019 and 2021.
Ryan Blaney earned the victory and the $1 million check at the 1.5-mile track.
The points-paying portion of the Cup Series schedule resumes next Sunday, May 29, at Charlotte Motor Speedway for the annual Memorial Day weekend 600-mile race. Coverage for that event will be at 6 p.m. ET on FOX, PRN and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio.
Alex Bowman, No. 48 Ally Chevrolet Camaro ZL1
Where he finished: Sixth
Race notes
Stage 1: Bowman was slated to take the grid from the 20th position but became the lone car to drop to the rear for unapproved adjustments. He picked off five spots in the opening eight laps. A late stage pass on Kevin Harvick moved the driver of the No. 48 Ally Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 up to 18th, where he would finish the stage. Bowman described the car as a "little loose because of the bumps."
Stage 2: The Tucson, Arizona, native pitted prior to the beginning of stage two for fuel, four tires and an air pressure adjustment before restarting 23rd. Early in the run, the winner this season at Las Vegas Motor Speedway was able to make some moves after the restart and jumped up to 16th. Crew chief Greg Ives elected to keep Bowman out in 15th under the lap 36 caution. When the red flag came out for a lap 48 incident, he was scored in 13th. On the green-white-checkered finish to the stage, Bowman jumped into the top 10 for the first time on the night.
Stage 3: On the mandatory stop between stages two and three, Bowman ran through the box and had to come back a second time for adjustments to free up the No. 48. That put him in 20th to restart stage three on lap 55. In the early going, Bowman again wasted no time picking off spots as he was up to 15th on lap 59. At the lap 75 caution, he was scored in 12th. Bowman would pit under yellow for four tires to restart 13th for the green-white-checkered stage finish. He would finish the stage in 15th.
Stage 4: Bowman stayed out during the stage break – having just pitted under yellow towards the end of the stage three – and would restart 14th. The 29-year-old driver would grab two spots early in the run and settle into 12th before the caution came out on lap 105. Under yellow, Bowman pitted for four tires and fuel to restart 12th on lap 112 – the top seven for the restart stayed out. Fresh tires made an immediate difference as Bowman rejoined the top 10 one lap after the restart and then was up to eighth a lap later. The seven-time Cup race winner could quite get the pass done on Brad Keselowski for seventh in the closing laps prior to the overtime finish. Under caution, Bowman stayed out in eighth for the restart on lap 139 for the green-white-checkered finish. He was able to get up to sixth on the second-to-last lap and that would be where he would end the race.
William Byron, No. 24 Liberty University Chevrolet Camaro ZL1
Where he finished: 11th
Race notes
Stage 1: The two-time winner in 2022 lined up third and lost the spot to his teammate Larson in the early going. While maintaining and ultimately finishing fourth over the course of the opening run, he described his car as a little free.
Stage 2: Byron was the first car to pit under the stage break and he took four tires, fuel and an air pressure adjustment. The driver of the No. 24 Liberty University Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 was the first driver to restart on four fresh tires from 12th. He wasted no time moving up with fresh rubber as he got into the top five just four laps into the 25-lap stage and was running third at the lap 36 caution. Crew chief Rudy Fugle called for Byron to stay out. On the ensuing restart, he lost momentum on the restart and dropped back to seventh. Under the lap 48 red flag, Byron was scored in fourth. In the green-white-checkered finish to the stage, he lined up behind Austin Cindric on the inside, would battle Ryan Blaney for second and finish the stage in third.
Stage 3: Byron grabbed the lead following the mandatory four-tire stop in between stages two and three. The No. 24’s stop was for four tires, fuel and an air pressure adjustment. Byron had the lead for two laps before Blaney took it from him on lap 57. He would drop to third as he was fighting the handling on his car during the stage. At the caution on lap 75, Byron was scored in second following an incident for then-second-place driver Christopher Bell. Under caution, the team elected to pit for four tires, fuel and a chassis adjustment. He would restart in sixth for the green-white-checkered stage finish. A pass on Denny Hamlin in the two-lap shootout to finish the stage would see Byron finish the stage in sixth.
Stage 4: Byron stayed out during the stage break and that lined him up to restart fifth before ceding the spot to Denny Hamlin just after the race resumed. He would fall back another spot to seventh when Martin Truex Jr. got by him on the inside. The Charlotte, North Carolina, native was running at that spot when the caution came out on lap 105. Under yellow, Byron pitted from seventh for two right-side tires, fuel and a chassis adjustment to restart 10th on lap 112 – the top seven for the restart stayed out. After one lap, he was up to eighth before being passed by teammate Alex Bowman for the position. The 24-year-old driver would drop out of the top 10 on lap 118. Byron would stay out under caution to restart 10th on lap 139 for the green-white-checkered finish and would go on to finish in 11th.
Chase Elliott, No. 9 NAPA AUTO PARTS Chevrolet Camaro ZL1
Where he finished: 23rd
Race notes
Stage 1: Elliott lined up 13th for the opening 25-lap stage. The 2020 all-star winner gained two spots quickly before settling into the 11th position. He joined the top 10 on lap 20 with a pass on the inside of AJ Allmendinger for the position and that is where he would finish the stage.
Stage 2: Elliott pitted under red prior to the start of the stage two for four tires and an air pressure adjustment before restarting 15th. On lap 35, Elliott passed Christopher Bell to jump back into the top 10. Crew chief Alan Gustafson kept the Dawsonville, Georgia, native out in ninth following the lap 36 caution. Elliott was a mover on the lap 44 restart as he jumped into the top five. On lap 48, Elliott got caught in an accident off of turn one with Kyle Busch and Ross Chastain. Busch, who was the race leader at the time, slowed due to a flat tire and Chastain made contact with Busch just past the start-finish line and then got into the left rear of Elliott’s No. 9 NAPA AUTO PARTS Chevrolet Camaro ZL1. The contact sent Elliott into the wall and ended his race.
Kyle Larson, No. 5 HendrickCars.com Chevrolet Camaro ZL1
Where he finished: 24th
Race notes
Stage 1: Larson started fourth for the all-star event and passed his teammate William Byron for third on lap two. The reigning Cup Series champion would maintain that position throughout the remainder of stage one and described his car as "tight when I get to six to eight cars back."
Stage 2: The driver to win the last two All-Star Races stayed out to restart third in stage two and grabbed second early in the run. He then set his sights on tracking down stage one winner Kyle Busch for the lead. While running second on lap 36, Larson blew a right front tire at the exit of turn four, hitting the wall to bring out the caution and ending his bid to win his last three all-star starts.