NASCAR can take a lot of positives away from the 2022 Cup Series season. The last nine months of racing have produced some fantastic finishes and the rise of a few new stars. The Gen Seven car remains a work in progress, but it did create some great races on the intermediate tracks. It really feels like NASCAR took a step forward this year in terms of the week-by-week racing product.
However, the playoffs continue to hold back the growth of the sport. Much like the regular season, several of the playoff races themselves were fun, competitive events. But the season finale at Phoenix Raceway was neither of those things. After a year where fans became accustomed to drama around every corner, the four-way championship battle on Sunday featured very little intrigue. For a sport that has chosen to put so much emphasis on one final race to determine a season long championship, having the battle for the title end with such a clunker of a race is embarrassing.
Just how non-competitive was the Phoenix season finale? Joey Logano started from the pole, led 187 of 312 laps and captured his 31st Cup Series victory, along with his second title in NASCAR’s highest division. More significantly, he thoroughly dominated the other championship contenders. Nobody else who was still in the playoffs ever looked like they could match Logano purely on pace. The only moment when he appeared vulnerable was at the end of stage two when he and several other drivers were trying to stretch their fuel to the conclusion of the stage. Otherwise, the No. 22 team was unstoppable.
All the other title contenders either ran into trouble or out of time. Chase Elliott spun off the front bumper of fellow championship hopeful Ross Chastain just after a lap 200 restart. Elliott slid into the inside wall and the resulting suspension damage to the No. 9 took him out of contention. Christopher Bell was within striking distance of Logano late in the race, but a slow pit stop under caution on lap 272 ended the No. 20 team’s chances. Chastain came charging through the field during the final green flag run, but he was unable to make up enough ground to challenge Logano.
The only person who could really match Logano’s speed all day was Ryan Blaney. In fact, Blaney appeared to be faster than Logano over the last run, but the No. 12 wound up sitting behind the No. 22 while Chastain lurked a few seconds behind them. It was smart strategy by Team Penske, who could have used Blaney to block…
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