YellaWood 500
Talladega Superspeedway — October 2, 2022
Chase Elliott
Winner
188
Laps
25
Entries
17
Leaders
Chase Elliott won the 2022 YellaWood 500 at Talladega Superspeedway on October 2, 2022, leading 10 of 188 laps. Ryan Blaney finished second; Michael McDowell rounded out the podium. The race featured 17 different leaders.
Race Details
Date
Sunday, October 2, 2022
Track
Season
2022
Winner
Leaders
17 drivers
| Pos | Start | +/- | Driver |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 19 | +18 | Chase Elliott |
| 2 | 1 | -1 | Ryan Blaney |
| 3 | 22 | +19 | Michael McDowell |
| 4 | 17 | +13 | Ross Chastain |
| 5 | 2 | -3 | Denny Hamlin |
| 6 | 14 | +8 | Erik Jones |
| 7 | 33 | +26 | Todd Gilliland |
| 8 | 23 | +15 | Daniel Suarez |
| 9 | 8 | -1 | Austin Cindric |
| 10 | 6 | -4 | Chase Briscoe |
| 11 | 31 | +20 | Landon Cassill |
| 12 | 3 | -9 | William Byron |
| 13 | 13 | — | Austin Dillon |
| 14 | 5 | -9 | Aric Almirola |
| 15 | 28 | +13 | Justin Haley |
| 16 | 27 | +11 | Bubba Wallace |
| 17 | 4 | -13 | Christopher Bell |
| 18 | 7 | -11 | Kyle Larson |
| 19 | — | — | Noah Gragson |
| 20 | 11 | -9 | Kyle Busch |
| 21 | 25 | +4 | Cole Custer |
| 25 | 26 | +1 | Chris Buescher |
| 26 | 20 | -6 | Martin Truex, Jr. |
| 28 | 12 | -16 | Tyler Reddick |
| 35 | 30 | -5 | Corey LaJoie |
Stage Results
| Driver | Stage 1 | Stage 2 | Stage 3 | Stage Pts |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Chase Elliott | 3 | 2 | — | 17 |
| William Byron | 1 | 4 | — | 17 |
| Chase Briscoe | 2 | 8 | — | 12 |
| Tyler Reddick | 4 | 6 | — | 12 |
| Ryan Blaney | 13 | 1 | — | 10 |
| Kyle Larson | 7 | 5 | — | 10 |
| Christopher Bell | 6 | 29 | — | 5 |
| Ross Chastain | 18 | 7 | — | 4 |
| Austin Dillon | 10 | 9 | — | 3 |
| Noah Gragson | — | — | — | — |
Model Performance
How well did the NR-Rating model predict this race? Across 23 matched drivers, the model averaged 8.6 positions off — close to the season average of 8.5. Average
| Pos | Driver | Predicted | Actual | Delta |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Chase Elliott | 10.4 | 1 | +9.4 |
| 2 | Ryan Blaney | 13.9 | 2 | +11.9 |
| 3 | Michael McDowell | 20.0 | 3 | +17.0 |
| 4 | Ross Chastain | 17.4 | 4 | +13.4 |
| 5 | Denny Hamlin | 16.0 | 5 | +11.0 |
| 6 | Erik Jones | 18.5 | 6 | +12.5 |
| 7 | Todd Gilliland | 22.9 | 7 | +15.9 |
| 8 | Daniel Suarez | 15.1 | 8 | +7.1 |
| 9 | Austin Cindric | 20.1 | 9 | +11.1 |
| 10 | Chase Briscoe | 21.7 | 10 | +11.7 |
| 12 | William Byron | 13.9 | 12 | +1.9 |
| 13 | Austin Dillon | 23.4 | 13 | +10.4 |
| 15 | Justin Haley | 23.4 | 15 | +8.4 |
| 16 | Bubba Wallace | 16.0 | 16 | 0.0 |
| 17 | Christopher Bell | 17.4 | 17 | +0.4 |
| 18 | Kyle Larson | 18.5 | 18 | +0.5 |
| 19 | Noah Gragson | 24.0 | 19 | +5.0 |
| 20 | Kyle Busch | 15.1 | 20 | -4.9 |
| 21 | Cole Custer | 23.4 | 21 | +2.4 |
| 25 | Chris Buescher | 13.6 | 25 | -11.4 |
(showing top 20 finishers)
Predicted finish from NR-Rating model. Delta = predicted − actual (positive = driver beat prediction). Confidence: High Confidence = low variance (stdDev ≤ 9), Moderate = medium variance, Coinflip = high variance.
Historical Context
- Chase Elliott: has 22 career starts at Talladega Superspeedway with a 14.3 avg finish (2 wins) — the model correctly identified this strength.
- Michael McDowell: was the biggest surprise, finishing P3 vs predicted P20. Track history: 27 starts, 23.3 avg finish.
Explore More
Frequently Asked Questions
Who won the 2022 YellaWood 500?
Chase Elliott won the 2022 YellaWood 500 at Talladega Superspeedway driving for Hendrick Motorsports.
Where was the 2022 YellaWood 500 held?
The 2022 YellaWood 500 was held at Talladega Superspeedway on October 2, 2022.