NASCAR: 3 most disappointing teams of 2022
By Asher Fair
Through the halfway mark of the 2022 NASCAR Cup Series season, which three teams have been the most disappointing this year?
The 2022 NASCAR Cup Series season reached its halfway mark this past Sunday afternoon at Road America. Eight races remain on the 26-race regular season schedule, prior to the four-round, 10-race postseason.
Several teams have been performing far better than many expected them to prior to the 2022 season. Others have performed just about as expected, but others have struggled to meet expectations.
Here are the three most disappointing teams of 2022 thus far.
Most disappointing teams of 2022: No. 1 – Stewart-Haas Racing
The start of the Gen 7 era looked promising for Stewart-Haas Racing, especially after a 2021 season in which they struggled mightily throughout. Aric Almirola started the year with three straight top six finishes (no other driver even had two top 10 finishes in the first two races), and Chase Briscoe earned his first career victory in the fourth race at Phoenix Raceway.
But skip ahead a few months, and the 2022 season has been arguably more disastrous than the team’s disastrous 2021 campaign.
Kevin Harvick is still seeking his first win since September 2020, Cole Custer is still seeking his first top 10 finish since May 2021, and Almirola has fallen out of the provisional playoff picture.
In fact, if the regular season ended today, Briscoe would be the only one of the team’s four drivers in the playoffs, with Harvick missing out for the first time since 2009. None of the team’s four drivers are in the top 10 in the point standings.