2022 Sport Clips Haircuts VFW 200
# 2022 Sport Clips Haircuts VFW 200

The 2022 Sport Clips Haircuts VFW Help a Hero 200 was the 24th stock car race of the 2022 NASCAR Xfinity Series, and the 30th iteration of the event. The race was held on Saturday, September 3, 2022, in Darlington, South Carolina at Darlington Raceway, a 1.366 miles (2.198 km) permanent tri-oval shaped racetrack. The race took the scheduled 147 laps to complete. In an exciting battle for the finish, Noah Gragson, driving for JR Motorsports, took advantage of the lead on the last lap, and earned his ninth career NASCAR Xfinity Series win, along with his fourth of the season. To fill out the podium, Sheldon Creed, driving for Richard Childress Racing, and A. J. Allmendinger, driving for Kaulig Racing, finished 2nd and 3rd, respectively.

On the final lap of the race, Sheldon Creed and Kyle Larson were side by side, battling for the win. Creed and Larson made big contact coming through turns one and two. Noah Gragson went to the inside lane through the straightaway, causing it to be three wide. Creed would eventually get loose, causing him to hit the outside wall. He continued to ride the wall through turns three and four, trying to stay in front of the leader, Gragson. It would be unsuccessful, and Gragson was able to steal the win. Creed ultimately finished 2nd, and Larson fell back to finish 5th. Gragson dominated the race in general, leading 82 laps.

## Background

Darlington Raceway is a race track built for NASCAR racing located in Darlington, South Carolina. It is nicknamed "The Lady in Black" and "The Track Too Tough to Tame" by many NASCAR fans and drivers and advertised as "A NASCAR Tradition." It is of a unique, somewhat egg-shaped design, an oval with the ends of very different configurations, a condition which supposedly arose from the proximity of one end of the track to a minnow pond the owner refused to relocate. This situation makes it very challenging for the crews to set up their cars' handling in a way that will be effective at both ends.

### Entry list

* (R) denotes rookie driver.
* (i) denotes driver who are ineligible for series driver points.

| # | Driver | Team | Make | Sponsor |
| - | - | - | - | - |
| 1 | Sam Mayer | JR Motorsports | Chevrolet | AcceleratePros.com |
| 02 | Ty Dillon (i) | Our Motorsports | Chevrolet | Our Motorsports |
| 2 | Sheldon Creed (R) | Richard Childress Racing | Chevrolet | Whelen |
| 4 | Bayley Currey | JD Motorsports | Chevrolet | Hy-Vee |
| 5 | Tommy Joe Martins | B. J. McLeod Motorsports | Ford | Capital City Towing |
| 6 | Ryan Vargas | JD Motorsports | Chevrolet | Native Sons |
| 07 | Joe Graf Jr. | SS-Green Light Racing | Ford | G Coin |
| 7 | Justin Allgaier | JR Motorsports | Chevrolet | Hellmann's |
| 08 | David Starr | SS-Green Light Racing | Ford | TicketSmarter, Special Report |
| 8 | Josh Berry | JR Motorsports | Chevrolet | Harrison's USA Back to School |
| 9 | Noah Gragson | JR Motorsports | Chevrolet | Bass Pro Shops, Black Rifle Coffee Company |
| 10 | Landon Cassill | Kaulig Racing | Chevrolet | Voyager: Crypto for All |
| 11 | Daniel Hemric | Kaulig Racing | Chevrolet | AG1 - Athletic Greens |
| 13 | Chad Finchum | MBM Motorsports | Ford | Ted Russell Ford Lincoln |
| 16 | A. J. Allmendinger | Kaulig Racing | Chevrolet | Action Industries |
| 17 | Kyle Larson (i) | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | HendrickCars.com |
| 18 | Christopher Bell (i) | Joe Gibbs Racing | Toyota | Sport Clips |
| 19 | Brandon Jones | Joe Gibbs Racing | Toyota | Atlas, Menards |
| 21 | Austin Hill (R) | Richard Childress Racing | Chevrolet | Bennett Transportation & Logistics |
| 23 | Anthony Alfredo | Our Motorsports | Chevrolet | Carolina Cowboys |
| 26 | John Hunter Nemechek (i) | Sam Hunt Racing | Toyota | Freedom 13 |
| 27 | Jeb Burton | Our Motorsports | Chevrolet | Rush Energy |
| 31 | Myatt Snider | Jordan Anderson Racing | Chevrolet | Capital City Towing |
| 34 | Kyle Weatherman | Jesse Iwuji Motorsports | Chevrolet | eRacing Association |
| 35 | Dawson Cram | Emerling-Gase Motorsports | Toyota | BE. Water |
| 36 | Josh Williams | DGM Racing | Chevrolet | Alloy Employment Services |
| 38 | Kyle Sieg (R) | RSS Racing | Ford | H&W Electrical |
| 39 | Ryan Sieg | RSS Racing | Ford | CMR Construction & Roofing, A-GAME |
| 44 | Ryan Ellis | Alpha Prime Racing | Chevrolet | Keen Parts |
| 45 | Stefan Parsons (i) | Alpha Prime Racing | Chevrolet | Pops Mart |
| 47 | Brennan Poole (i) | Mike Harmon Racing | Chevrolet | Inspire Real Change |
| 48 | Ross Chastain (i) | Big Machine Racing | Chevrolet | Big Machine Spiked Coolers |
| 51 | Jeremy Clements | Jeremy Clements Racing | Chevrolet | Booze Pops |
| 54 | Ty Gibbs | Joe Gibbs Racing | Toyota | Shriner's Children's 100th Anniversary |
| 66 | J. J. Yeley | MBM Motorsports | Chevrolet | Wild Willies |
| 68 | Kris Wright | Brandonbilt Motorsports | Chevrolet | FNB Corporation |
| 78 | Brandon Brown | B. J. McLeod Motorsports | Chevrolet | Jabs Construction |
| 91 | Mason Massey | DGM Racing | Chevrolet | Anderson Power Services |
| 98 | Riley Herbst | Stewart-Haas Racing | Ford | Monster Energy |
| Official entry list |||||

## Practice

The only 30-minute practice session was held on Saturday, September 3, at 10:00 AM EST. Justin Allgaier, driving for JR Motorsports, was the fastest in the session, with a lap of 29.632, and an average speed of 165.956 mph (267.080 km/h).

| Pos. | # | Driver | Team | Make | Time | Speed |
| - | - | - | - | - | - | - |
| 1 | 7 | Justin Allgaier | JR Motorsports | Chevrolet | 29.632 | 165.956 |
| 2 | 9 | Noah Gragson | JR Motorsports | Chevrolet | 29.770 | 165.186 |
| 3 | 2 | Sheldon Creed (R) | Richard Childress Racing | Chevrolet | 29.785 | 165.103 |
| Full practice results |||||||

## Qualifying

Qualifying was held on Saturday, September 3, at 10:30 AM EST. Since Darlington Raceway is a tri-oval track, the qualifying system used is a single-car, single-lap system with only one round. Whoever sets the fastest time in the round wins the pole. Brandon Jones, driving for Joe Gibbs Racing, scored the pole for the race, with a lap of 29.722, and an average speed of 165.453 mph (266.271 km/h).

| Pos. | # | Driver | Team | Make | Time | Speed |
| - | - | - | - | - | - | - |
| 1 | 19 | Brandon Jones | Joe Gibbs Racing | Toyota | 29.722 | 165.453 |
| 2 | 9 | Noah Gragson | JR Motorsports | Chevrolet | 29.762 | 165.231 |
| 3 | 2 | Sheldon Creed (R) | Richard Childress Racing | Chevrolet | 29.916 | 164.380 |
| 4 | 21 | Austin Hill (R) | Richard Childress Racing | Chevrolet | 29.942 | 164.238 |
| 5 | 54 | Ty Gibbs | Joe Gibbs Racing | Toyota | 29.965 | 164.111 |
| 6 | 7 | Justin Allgaier | JR Motorsports | Chevrolet | 29.987 | 163.991 |
| 7 | 17 | Kyle Larson (i) | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | 29.988 | 163.986 |
| 8 | 98 | Riley Herbst | Stewart-Haas Racing | Ford | 29.996 | 163.942 |
| 9 | 10 | Landon Cassill | Kaulig Racing | Chevrolet | 30.021 | 163.805 |
| 10 | 11 | Daniel Hemric | Kaulig Racing | Chevrolet | 30.061 | 163.587 |
| 11 | 48 | Ross Chastain (i) | Big Machine Racing | Chevrolet | 30.074 | 163.517 |
| 12 | 1 | Sam Mayer | JR Motorsports | Chevrolet | 30.107 | 163.337 |
| 13 | 51 | Jeremy Clements | Jeremy Clements Racing | Chevrolet | 30.132 | 163.202 |
| 14 | 45 | Stefan Parsons (i) | Alpha Prime Racing | Chevrolet | 30.137 | 163.175 |
| 15 | 8 | Josh Berry | JR Motorsports | Chevrolet | 30.184 | 162.921 |
| 16 | 34 | Kyle Weatherman | Jesse Iwuji Motorsports | Chevrolet | 30.227 | 162.689 |
| 17 | 26 | John Hunter Nemechek (i) | Sam Hunt Racing | Toyota | 30.249 | 162.571 |
| 18 | 27 | Jeb Burton | Our Motorsports | Chevrolet | 30.283 | 162.388 |
| 19 | 16 | A. J. Allmendinger | Kaulig Racing | Chevrolet | 30.304 | 162.276 |
| 20 | 07 | Joe Graf Jr. | SS-Green Light Racing | Ford | 30.352 | 162.019 |
| 21 | 31 | Myatt Snider | Jordan Anderson Racing | Chevrolet | 30.404 | 161.742 |
| 22 | 4 | Bayley Currey | JD Motorsports | Chevrolet | 30.431 | 161.598 |
| 23 | 66 | J. J. Yeley | MBM Motorsports | Toyota | 30.439 | 161.556 |
| 24 | 02 | Ty Dillon (i) | Our Motorsports | Chevrolet | 30.445 | 161.524 |
| 25 | 39 | Ryan Sieg | RSS Racing | Ford | 30.460 | 161.445 |
| 26 | 6 | Ryan Vargas | JD Motorsports | Chevrolet | 30.566 | 160.885 |
| 27 | 91 | Mason Massey | DGM Racing | Chevrolet | 30.621 | 160.596 |
| 28 | 47 | Brennan Poole (i) | Mike Harmon Racing | Chevrolet | 30.820 | 159.559 |
| 29 | 36 | Alex Labbé | DGM Racing | Chevrolet | 30.853 | 159.388 |
| 30 | 08 | David Starr | SS-Green Light Racing | Ford | 30.937 | 158.955 |
| 31 | 44 | Ryan Ellis | Alpha Prime Racing | Chevrolet | 30.958 | 158.847 |
| 32 | 78 | Brandon Brown | B. J. McLeod Motorsports | Chevrolet | 30.979 | 158.740 |
| 33 | 5 | Tommy Joe Martins | B. J. McLeod Motorsports | Chevrolet | 31.091 | 158.168 |
| Qualified by owner's points |||||||
| 34 | 68 | Kris Wright | Brandonbilt Motorsports | Chevrolet | 31.298 | 157.122 |
| 35 | 35 | Dawson Cram | Emerling-Gase Motorsports | Ford | 31.576 | 155.739 |
| 36 | 18 | Christopher Bell (i) | Joe Gibbs Racing | Toyota | - | - |
| 37 | 23 | Anthony Alfredo | Our Motorsports | Chevrolet | - | - |
| 38 | 38 | Kyle Sieg | RSS Racing | Ford | - | - |
| Failed to qualify |||||||
| 39 | 13 | Chad Finchum | MBM Motorsports | Toyota | - | - |
| Official qualifying results |||||||
| Official starting lineup |||||||

## Race results

Stage 1 Laps: 45

| Pos. | # | Driver | Team | Make | Pts |
| - | - | - | - | - | - |
| 1 | 9 | Noah Gragson | JR Motorsports | Chevrolet | 10 |
| 2 | 19 | Brandon Jones | Joe Gibbs Racing | Toyota | 9 |
| 3 | 54 | Ty Gibbs | Joe Gibbs Racing | Toyota | 8 |
| 4 | 7 | Justin Allgaier | JR Motorsports | Chevrolet | 7 |
| 5 | 2 | Sheldon Creed (R) | Richard Childress Racing | Chevrolet | 6 |
| 6 | 98 | Riley Herbst | Stewart-Haas Racing | Ford | 5 |
| 7 | 21 | Austin Hill (R) | Richard Childress Racing | Chevrolet | 4 |
| 8 | 18 | Christopher Bell (i) | Joe Gibbs Racing | Toyota | 0 |
| 9 | 34 | Kyle Weatherman | Jesse Iwuji Motorsports | Chevrolet | 2 |
| 10 | 48 | Ross Chastain (i) | Big Machine Racing | Chevrolet | 0 |

Stage 2 Laps: 45

| Pos. | # | Driver | Team | Make | Pts |
| - | - | - | - | - | - |
| 1 | 7 | Justin Allgaier | JR Motorsports | Chevrolet | 10 |
| 2 | 9 | Noah Gragson | JR Motorsports | Chevrolet | 9 |
| 3 | 18 | Christopher Bell (i) | Joe Gibbs Racing | Toyota | 0 |
| 4 | 19 | Brandon Jones | Joe Gibbs Racing | Toyota | 7 |
| 5 | 21 | Austin Hill (R) | Richard Childress Racing | Chevrolet | 6 |
| 6 | 2 | Sheldon Creed (R) | Richard Childress Racing | Chevrolet | 5 |
| 7 | 54 | Ty Gibbs | Joe Gibbs Racing | Toyota | 4 |
| 8 | 26 | John Hunter Nemechek (i) | Sam Hunt Racing | Toyota | 0 |
| 9 | 16 | A. J. Allmendinger | Kaulig Racing | Chevrolet | 2 |
| 10 | 8 | Josh Berry | JR Motorsports | Chevrolet | 1 |

Stage 3 Laps: 57

| Fin. | St | # | Driver | Team | Make | Laps | Led | Status | Pts |
| - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - |
| 1 | 2 | 9 | Noah Gragson | JR Motorsports | Chevrolet | 147 | 82 | Running | 59 |
| 2 | 3 | 2 | Sheldon Creed (R) | Richard Childress Racing | Chevrolet | 147 | 47 | Running | 46 |
| 3 | 19 | 16 | A. J. Allmendinger | Kaulig Racing | Chevrolet | 147 | 0 | Running | 36 |
| 4 | 6 | 7 | Justin Allgaier | JR Motorsports | Chevrolet | 147 | 12 | Running | 50 |
| 5 | 7 | 17 | Kyle Larson (i) | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | 147 | 1 | Running | 0 |
| 6 | 5 | 54 | Ty Gibbs | Joe Gibbs Racing | Toyota | 147 | 0 | Running | 43 |
| 7 | 36 | 18 | Christopher Bell (i) | Joe Gibbs Racing | Toyota | 147 | 0 | Running | 0 |
| 8 | 15 | 8 | Josh Berry | JR Motorsports | Chevrolet | 147 | 0 | Running | 30 |
| 9 | 17 | 26 | John Hunter Nemechek (i) | Sam Hunt Racing | Toyota | 147 | 0 | Running | 0 |
| 10 | 4 | 21 | Austin Hill (R) | Richard Childress Racing | Chevrolet | 147 | 2 | Running | 37 |
| 11 | 12 | 1 | Sam Mayer | JR Motorsports | Chevrolet | 147 | 0 | Running | 26 |
| 12 | 9 | 10 | Landon Cassill | Kaulig Racing | Chevrolet | 147 | 0 | Running | 25 |
| 13 | 10 | 11 | Daniel Hemric | Kaulig Racing | Chevrolet | 147 | 0 | Running | 24 |
| 14 | 1 | 19 | Brandon Jones | Joe Gibbs Racing | Toyota | 147 | 3 | Running | 39 |
| 15 | 11 | 48 | Ross Chastain (i) | Big Machine Racing | Chevrolet | 147 | 0 | Running | 0 |
| 16 | 16 | 34 | Kyle Weatherman | Jesse Iwuji Motorsports | Chevrolet | 147 | 0 | Running | 23 |
| 17 | 14 | 45 | Stefan Parsons (i) | Alpha Prime Racing | Chevrolet | 147 | 0 | Running | 0 |
| 18 | 25 | 39 | Ryan Sieg | RSS Racing | Ford | 147 | 0 | Running | 19 |
| 19 | 22 | 4 | Bayley Currey | JD Motorsports | Chevrolet | 147 | 0 | Running | 18 |
| 20 | 27 | 91 | Mason Massey | DGM Racing | Chevrolet | 147 | 0 | Running | 17 |
| 21 | 13 | 51 | Jeremy Clements | Jeremy Clements Racing | Chevrolet | 147 | 0 | Running | 16 |
| 22 | 31 | 44 | Ryan Ellis | Alpha Prime Racing | Chevrolet | 147 | 0 | Running | 15 |
| 23 | 38 | 38 | Kyle Sieg | RSS Racing | Ford | 147 | 0 | Running | 14 |
| 24 | 18 | 27 | Jeb Burton | Our Motorsports | Chevrolet | 147 | 0 | Running | 13 |
| 25 | 30 | 08 | David Starr | SS-Green Light Racing | Ford | 147 | 0 | Running | 12 |
| 26 | 29 | 36 | Alex Labbé | DGM Racing | Chevrolet | 146 | 0 | Running | 11 |
| 27 | 26 | 6 | Ryan Vargas | JD Motorsports | Chevrolet | 146 | 0 | Running | 10 |
| 28 | 21 | 31 | Myatt Snider | Jordan Anderson Racing | Chevrolet | 145 | 0 | Running | 9 |
| 29 | 32 | 78 | Brandon Brown | B. J. McLeod Motorsports | Chevrolet | 145 | 0 | Running | 8 |
| 30 | 35 | 35 | Dawson Cram | Emerling-Gase Motorsports | Ford | 145 | 0 | Running | 7 |
| 31 | 28 | 47 | Brennan Poole (i) | Mike Harmon Racing | Chevrolet | 86 | 0 | Axle | 0 |
| 32 | 23 | 66 | J. J. Yeley | MBM Motorsports | Toyota | 83 | 0 | Engine | 5 |
| 33 | 20 | 07 | Joe Graf Jr. | SS-Green Light Racing | Ford | 61 | 0 | Accident | 4 |
| 34 | 8 | 98 | Riley Herbst | Stewart-Haas Racing | Ford | 56 | 0 | DVP | 3 |
| 35 | 24 | 02 | Ty Dillon (i) | Our Motorsports | Chevrolet | 55 | 0 | Electrical | 0 |
| 36 | 34 | 68 | Kris Wright | Brandonbilt Motorsports | Chevrolet | 55 | 0 | Accident | 1 |
| 37 | 37 | 23 | Anthony Alfredo | Our Motorsports | Chevrolet | 51 | 0 | Accident | 1 |
| 38 | 33 | 5 | Tommy Joe Martins | B. J. McLeod Motorsports | Chevrolet | 44 | 0 | Radiator | 1 |
| Official race results ||||||||||

## Standings after the race

| | Pos | Driver | Points |
| - | - | - | - |
| | 1 | A. J. Allmendinger | 964 |
| | 2 | Ty Gibbs | 913 (-51) |
| | 3 | Justin Allgaier | 898 (-66) |
| | 4 | Noah Gragson | 872 (-92) |
| | 5 | Josh Berry | 830 (-134) |
| | 6 | Austin Hill | 740 (-224) |
| | 7 | Brandon Jones | 708 (-256) |
| | 8 | Riley Herbst | 651 (-313) |
| | 9 | Sam Mayer | 648 (-316) |
| | 10 | Daniel Hemric | 593 (-371) |
| | 11 | Landon Cassill | 573 (-391) |
| | 12 | Ryan Sieg | 555 (-409) |
| Official driver's standings ||||
