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The 2022 NASCAR Cup Series season seems to have blown past at incredible speed. Not long ago, fans were talking about Kyle Larson and Chase Elliott's run-in at the Auto Club Speedway, and here we are, with Joey Logano crowned as the 2022 champion.
The introduction of a brand-new car this season brought with itself a certain level of parity in the sport. This parity has led to 19 different winners throughout the season, with the year being deemed a success for NASCAR by the governing body itself.
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Out of the 19 different winners, the sport saw five first-time winners take a trip to Victory Lane this year, a feat that has set the record for the most new winners in the sport since 1972. The quality of racing seems to have improved as well, with the 2022 season also setting the record for the most green flag passes ever, at 1544.
Stats such as the ones above portray the Next Gen car in a better light than it has been recently. With the car being developed further as the teams and drivers gain experience, things should be looking up even more in the future.
On the other hand, fans seem to be taking to the sport even more as well, with TV ratings for NASCAR going up by 4% across all networks since 2021. Fans have also flocked in to attend race weekends in person more than last year, with the number seeing an 11% rise in footfall compared to last year's maximum capacity venues.
A combination of several storylines and on-track drama witnessed throughout the year, coupled with the ups and downs of the Next Gen car, NASCAR seems to have found its groove once again as one of America's premier motorsports series.
Not all is well going into the 2023 NASCAR Cup Series season
One of the biggest issues the governing body faced during the 2022 season of the sport was the safety issues linked to Next Gen NASCAR. The seventh generation of stock cars racing in the highest echelon of the sport saw drastic changes to the formula and construction this year. With changes such as 18-inch wheels and single lugnuts to under-body aero and independent rear suspension, the new car has been a learning process for teams as well as drivers throughout the year.
One of the biggest flaws in the new formula comes in the form of rear crash protection with the car, which is now known to transmit severe forces onto the driver. As a result, two drivers this season in the form of Kurt Busch and Alex Bowman have missed several races due to concussions sustained in the car, with several others also highlighting the intensity of crashes in the new car.
The governing body has ensured a fix to the safety issues of the new car for next year, with development and testing going on this year as well. The 2023 season goes live from the LA Memorial Coliseum in February next year.
