Date: 11-6-2022.

Name of the race: NASCAR Cup Series Championship.

Track: Phoenix Raceway.

Laps: 312.

Pole winner: Joey Logano.

Outside pole: Ryan Blaney.

Stage 1 winner: Joey Logano. 

Stage 2 winner: Ryan Blaney.

Stage 3 winner (won the race): Joey Logano.

Top 5: Joey Logano, Ryan Blaney, Ross Chastain, Chase Briscoe, and Kevin Harvick.

FYI: Thirty-six races have been the stepping stones to get us where we are right now: Phoenix Raceway for the season's final race. This one-mile track is located in the heart of the desert and was known for being the final race and deciding who the championship four would be back when this new and improved Chase format came about. That all changed back in the weird year of 2020 when the whole schedule was rearranged after the sport was shut down for two months, but what came out of it was Phoenix hosting the final race of the season since it added pressure to the drivers because they knew what was at stake. The championship is on the line for the four drivers who made it into the final four, and they know what must be done to finish the highest out of their three competitors. You do not necessarily have to win the race but finish the highest out of the three other drivers. There was not a clear favorite of who the champion would be, yes people made their picks on who they think would win but no one would truly know until the checkered flag flew on lap 312 since you have two veterans and two rookies in their first championship appearance.. To start the championship weekend, the Truck series champion was decided and up and coming driver  Zane Smith stole the title and the next day the Xfinity series champion was decided which was the rising star of Ty Gibbs who happens to also be the grandson of owner and former football coach Joe Gibbs. Sadly going into Sunday’s race, news broke that Ty’s father Coy passed away in his sleep after seeing his son win the title the previous night, so championship four contender Christopher Bell was not only racing for a title for himself but also the whole Joe Gibbs Racing organization too. Back in the Cup Series, Joey Logano started his weekend of dominance by winning the pole for Sunday's race and his fellow teammate who was eliminated from the playoffs the weekend before started on the outside pole which is Ryan Blaney. The green flag flew at 3:00 pm Eastern Standard Time and right from the get-go, Joey took a strong and dominant lead and earned the stage one victory where not much happened. During stage two, not much happened then either, except Ryan Blaney won, but stage three is where all the drama unfolded since the final stage will determine who the 2022 champion will be. On lap 205 contact between the two Chevrolet championship drivers of Chase Elliott and Ross Chastain ended the hopes of a second title for Elliott after he spun off the nose of the #1 car causing him to slam sideways into the interior safer barrier located at the dogleg of the track. Everyone has different opinions on whether Chastain’s move was intentional, if Elliott misjudged what would happen on the restart, or if this was purely a racing incident. Later in the race on lap 271 Christopher Bell came in for his last pit stop of the race in hopes of being on a different strategy than his three other competitors, but things turned disastrous during the pit stop and ended his title hopes too. The restart on lap 280 after hard contact between the drivers of Alex Bowman and Michael McDowell helped Joey Logano gain the lead back after starting third on the final restart and looked like the dominant performance he has put on all day would continue, but don’t be fooled Chastain clearly had the faster car but not enough time to catch the twenty-two car plagued his hopes of earning his first championship for Trackhouse Racing. In the end, Joey won the title for the 2022 season, his second championship after the one in 2018, and ended the season like how he started it, which is by winning the race at the Clash back in February at the Los Angeles Coliseum and now winning the Championship race victory. That wraps up for the 2022 NASCAR Cup Series season until next year! Enjoy the needed off-season, everyone!

2022 Champion: Joey Logano.

Next race: Clash at the Los Angeles Coliseum on February 5th, 2023. 

Thank You Note: Hello new and returning readers, thank you all for the continued support of my blog not only this season but in 2020 and 2021 as well. You guys keep me writing this blog and will keep me doing this for years to come. As we close the chapter of the 2022 season and anticipate the start of the 2023 season in February, things will be looking a little different in how I write my blogs which is getting rid of the FYI section and replacing it with a fun fact of the driver who won the race, fun fact about the track we are at that weekend, and a fun fact about the state the track is in that race weekend. I decided to make this change to spice up things with this blog to attract new readers and keep my current readers. Let’s enjoy this off-season, relax, and take it easy by celebrating holidays like Thanksgiving, Christmas, and New Year’s with our friends and families. Before you know it, the series will return to LA Coliseum in February, and the 2023 season will begin. Until then, have a happy off-season everybody, and continue to tune into this blog next year. Tell your friends and family to subscribe, and let’s grow this into something bigger next year. Take care, and have a safe and happy break, everyone!