Previewing the Kwik Trip 250 at Road America – Motorsports Tribune

By David Morgan, Associate Editor

Last season, the NASCAR Cup Series made its return to Road America, a 14-turn, 4.048-mile road course weaving through the Wisconsin countryside and once again will be the destination for Fourth of July weekend with Sunday’s running of the Kwik Trip 250.

As the third of six road course races on the 2022 schedule, the 62-lap event will be yet another test for the Next Gen car and could provide a chance for a driver not yet locked into the Playoffs to punch their ticket with just nine races remaining in the regular season.

Thus far, Trackhouse Racing has been the king on the road courses with Ross Chastain and Daniel Suarez winning at Circuit of the Americas and Sonoma, respectively. Will the new kid on the block continue to reign supreme on the road or will it be someone else’s turn to capture the checkered flag on Sunday?

Drivers and teams will have 50-minutes of practice on Saturday to get their cars dialed in before rolling right into qualifying to set the field for Sunday’s main event.

By the Numbers

What: Kwik Trip 250 Presented by Jockey Made in America, NASCAR Cup Series Race No. 18 of 36

Where: Road America – Elkhart Lake, Wisconsin (First race: 1956)

TV/Radio: USA Network, 3:00 pm ET / MRN and Sirius XM NASCAR Channel 90

Track Size: 14-turn, 4.048-mile road course

Race Length: 62 laps, 250 miles

Stage Lengths: Stage 1 and 2 – 15 laps each/Final stage – 32 laps

2021 Race Winner: Chase Elliott – No. 9 Chevrolet (Started 34^th, 24 laps led)

Track Qualifying Record: William Byron – Two minutes, 12.049 seconds, 110.359 mph

Top-10 Highest Driver Ratings at Road America:

1. Chase Elliott – No. 9 Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet – 139.0
2. Kyle Busch – No. 18 Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota – 122.5
3. Tyler Reddick – No. 8 Richard Childress Racing Chevrolet – 106.2
4. Christopher Bell – No. 20 Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota – 104.4
5. Denny Hamlin – No. 11 Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota – 103.4
6. Kurt Busch – No. 45 23XI Racing Toyota – 101.8
7. Ross Chastain – No. 1 Trackhouse Racing Chevrolet – 100.2
8. Kyle Larson – No. 5 Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet – 95.3
9. Martin Truex Jr. – No. 19 Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota – 91.9
10. Chase Briscoe – No. 14 Stewart Haas Racing Ford – 88.7

From the Driver’s Seat

“First of all, this is my favorite racetrack in all the world,” said Joey Hand. “I’ve been fortunate to race around the world in different cars and different…