Tyler Reddick and the No. 8 Richard Childress Racing Camaro ZL1 team entered the Texas Motor Speedway race weekend with only winning on their minds. Coming off a heartbreaking finish at Bristol Motor Speedway that ultimately ended their championship title hopes in the NASCAR Cup Series (NCS) Playoff Round of 16 elimination race; Reddick proved that the No. 8 Camaro ZL1 team is still a team to beat by taking the victory in the AutoTrader EchoPark Automotive 500 at Texas Motor Speedway. The triumph was Reddick’s third victory of the 2022 season, but his first win in NASCAR’s premier series on an oval track.

“This will make that, the pain of not making it through, a little bit easier,” said Reddick. “Even though, yes, it would have locked us into the Round of 8, we're winning races. That's what we'll keep trying to do.”

Taking the green flag under the scorching Texas sun, the 500-mile race ended under the lights after drivers and teams endured a race filled with a record-breaking 16 cautions and 36 lead changes. Taking the lead from playoff contender Joey Logano with just 24 laps to go, Reddick retained control of the race all the way to the checkered flag to deliver Chevrolet its 17th win of 2022 in NASCAR’s premier series. The victory also marked Chevrolet’s 16th all-time NCS win at Texas Motor Speedway, bringing the Bowtie brand to the lead in wins among all manufacturers at the 1.5-mile Texas oval. 

Five Chevrolet drivers – from four different Chevrolet teams – took top-10 finishing positions in the opening round of the NCS Playoffs Round of 12. For the second time this season, Kaulig Racing’s Justin Haley took a podium result, driving his No. 31 LeafFilter Gutter Protection Camaro ZL1 to a third-place finish. Petty GMS’s Erik Jones and the No. 43 FOCUSfactor Camaro ZL1 brought their Chevrolet-powered machine home in sixth. Hendrick Motorsports teammates and Chevrolet playoff contenders William Byron, No. 24 RaptorTough.com Camaro ZL1, and Kyle Larson, No. 5 HendrickCars.com Camaro ZL1, recorded seventh- and ninth-place finishes, respectively. 

Up next is NASCAR’s longest oval and arguably one of biggest wildcard races of the 10-race playoff stretch: the 2.66-mile Talladega Superspeedway. Entering race two of the Round of 12, five Chevrolet playoff contenders remain above the playoff cutline. Leading the Bowtie brigade in the playoff standings is Talladega Superspeedway’s defending winner Ross Chastain in the second-position, with the No. 1 Trackhouse Racing Camaro ZL1 team 18-points ahead of the cutline. Joining Chastain in the top-eight of the playoff standings include Byron (3rd; +17 points), Larson (4th; +16 points), Daniel Suarez (7th; +4 points) and Chase Elliott (8th; +4 points). Alex Bowman and the No. 48 Hendrick Motorsports Camaro ZL1 team sits 12th in the playoff standings – 30 points below the cutline – after suffering damage in Stage One that ultimately resulted in a 29th-place finish.

Chevrolet also is one race closer to defending its NCS Manufacturer Championship title. Here is a look at where the winningest manufacturer in NCS history sits in the points standings, including its numbers at Talladega Superspeedway. 

Chevrolet at Talladega Superspeedway:

·       In 106 NCS races at Talladega Superspeedway, Chevrolet has amassed 42 wins to lead all manufacturers.

·       The most recent triumph came from Chastain and the No. 1 Trackhouse Racing Camaro ZL1 team, who recorded their second NCS win of 2022 in the April event.

·       Other victories by active Chevrolet drivers in the NCS at Talladega Superspeedway include:

        Chase Elliott, No. 9 Hendrick Motorsports Camaro ZL1 (April 2019); and 

        Ricky Stenhouse Jr., No. 47 JTG Daugherty Racing Camaro ZL1 (May 2017).

·       Chevrolet leads the NCS in consecutive wins at Talladega Superspeedway with 13 straight victories among five drivers from April 25, 1999 to May 1, 2005.

Race Two of the NCS Playoffs Round of 12 will get underway Sunday, October 2, at Talladega Superspeedway with the YellaWood 500 at 2 p.m. ET. Live coverage can be found on NBC, the NBCSports Gold App, MRN and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio Channel 90.

Chevrolet Drivers in the NASCAR Cup Series Playoff Standings: 

Ross Chastain, No. 1 Trackhouse Racing Camaro ZL1 – 2nd in Playoff Standings (+18 points above cutline)

Victories: 2

Top-Fives: 10; Top-10s: 16; Laps Led: 585

Average Finish: 14.2; Stage Wins: 5

Of Note:

- The 2022 season marks Chastain’s first career appearance in the NCS playoffs.

- Chastain has already scored a win at one of the Round of 12 tracks in 2022, with his second-career NCS win coming at Talladega Superspeedway in April.  

Kyle Larson, No. 5 Hendrick Motorsports Camaro ZL1 – 4th in Playoff Standings (+16 points above cutline)

2021 NASCAR Cup Series Champion

Victories: 2

Top-Fives: 11; Top-10s: 16; Laps Led: 360

Average Finish: 13.6; Stage Wins: 4

Of Note:

- The 2022 season marks Larson’s sixth appearance in the NCS playoffs, with 2021 bringing Larson his first trip to the Championship 4.

- During the playoff era (2004-present); Larson leads the series in ‘multiple playoff race wins in a single season’ with five in 2021 (Bristol, Charlotte ROVAL, Texas, Kansas, Phoenix).

- In 2021, Larson took the wins at two of the three tracks that are in the Round of 12, including both the playoff and All-Star races at Texas Motor Speedway; and the annual race at the Charlotte ROVAL.

Chase Elliott, No. 9 Hendrick Motorsports Camaro ZL1 – 8th in Playoff Standings (+4 points above cutline)

2022 NASCAR Cup Series Regular Season Champion

Victories: 4 (series-leading)

Top-Fives: 11; Top-10s: 18; Laps Led: 763

Average Finish: 11.8; Stage Wins: 5

Of Note:

- The 2022 season marks Elliott’s seventh consecutive appearance in the NCS playoffs.

- Elliott has advanced to the Championship 4 the past two seasons, winning his first career NCS Driver Championship in 2020.

- Six of his 17 career NCS wins have come in the playoffs.

- Elliott has won at two of the three tracks in the Round of 12, including Talladega Superspeedway (2019); and a two-time winner at the Charlotte ROVAL (2019 and 2020).