The 2023 United Rentals 200 was the 4th stock car race of the 2023 NASCAR Xfinity Series, and the 19th iteration of the event. The race was held on Saturday, March 11, 2023, in Avondale, Arizona at Phoenix Raceway, a 1 mile (1.6 km) permanent tri-oval shaped racetrack. The race took the scheduled 200 laps to complete. Sammy Smith, driving for Joe Gibbs Racing, would score the win after holding off Ryan Truex in the closing stages of the race. This was Smith's first career NASCAR Xfinity Series win. He would dominate the race as well, leading 92 laps.[1] To fill out the podium, Truex, driving for Joe Gibbs Racing, and Sheldon Creed, driving for Richard Childress Racing, would finish 2nd and 3rd, respectively.
| Race details | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Race 4 of 33 of the 2023 NASCAR Xfinity Series | |||
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| Date | March 11, 2023 | ||
| Official name | 19th Annual United Rentals 200 | ||
| Location | Phoenix Raceway, Avondale, Arizona | ||
| Course |
Permanent racing facility 1 mi (1.6 km) | ||
| Distance | 200 laps, 200 mi (320 km) | ||
| Scheduled Distance | 200 laps, 200 mi (320 km) | ||
| Average speed | 82.079 mph (132.093 km/h) | ||
| Pole position | |||
| Driver | Stewart-Haas Racing | ||
| Time | 27.701 | ||
| Most laps led | |||
| Driver | Sammy Smith | Joe Gibbs Racing | |
| Laps | 92 | ||
| Winner | |||
| No. 18 | Sammy Smith | Joe Gibbs Racing | |
| Television in the United States | |||
| Network | FS1 | ||
| Announcers | Adam Alexander, Kevin Harvick, and Joey Logano | ||
| Radio in the United States | |||
| Radio | MRN | ||
With his win, Smith became the youngest driver to win at Phoenix Raceway in the Xfinity Series.[2]
Background
editPhoenix Raceway is a 1-mile, low-banked tri-oval race track located in Avondale, Arizona, near Phoenix. The motorsport track opened in 1964 and currently hosts two NASCAR race weekends annually including the final championship race since 2020. Phoenix Raceway has also hosted the CART, IndyCar Series, USAC and the WeatherTech SportsCar Championship. The raceway is currently owned and operated by NASCAR.
Entry list
edit- (R) denotes rookie driver.
- (i) denotes driver who is ineligible for series driver points.
Practice
editThe first and only practice session was held on Saturday, March 11, at 9:30 AM MST, and would last for 20 minutes.[3] Cole Custer, driving for Stewart-Haas Racing, would set the fastest time in the session, with a lap of 27.947, and an average speed of 128.815 mph (207.308 km/h).[4]
| Pos. | # | Driver | Team | Make | Time | Speed |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 00 | Cole Custer | Stewart-Haas Racing | Ford | 27.947 | 128.815 |
| 2 | 10 | Kyle Busch (i) | Kaulig Racing | Chevrolet | 27.992 | 128.608 |
| 3 | 16 | Chandler Smith (R) | Kaulig Racing | Chevrolet | 28.003 | 128.558 |
| Full practice results | ||||||
Qualifying
editQualifying was held on Saturday, March 11, at 10:00 AM MST.[3] Since Phoenix Raceway is a mile oval, the qualifying system used is a single-car, single-lap system with only one round. In that round, whoever sets the fastest time will win the pole.[5] Cole Custer, driving for Stewart-Haas Racing, would score the pole for the race, with a lap of 27.701, and an average speed of 129.959 mph (209.149 km/h).[6]
Race results
editStage 1 Laps: 45
| Pos. | # | Driver | Team | Make | Pts |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 7 | Justin Allgaier | JR Motorsports | Chevrolet | 10 |
| 2 | 2 | Sheldon Creed | Richard Childress Racing | Chevrolet | 9 |
| 3 | 18 | Sammy Smith (R) | Joe Gibbs Racing | Toyota | 8 |
| 4 | 98 | Riley Herbst | Stewart-Haas Racing | Ford | 7 |
| 5 | 11 | Daniel Hemric | Kaulig Racing | Chevrolet | 6 |
| 6 | 00 | Cole Custer | Stewart-Haas Racing | Ford | 5 |
| 7 | 10 | Kyle Busch (i) | Kaulig Racing | Chevrolet | 0 |
| 8 | 1 | Sam Mayer | JR Motorsports | Chevrolet | 3 |
| 9 | 20 | John Hunter Nemechek | Joe Gibbs Racing | Toyota | 2 |
| 10 | 16 | Chandler Smith (R) | Kaulig Racing | Chevrolet | 1 |
Stage 2 Laps: 45
| Pos. | # | Driver | Team | Make | Pts |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 7 | Justin Allgaier | JR Motorsports | Chevrolet | 10 |
| 2 | 21 | Austin Hill | Richard Childress Racing | Chevrolet | 9 |
| 3 | 11 | Daniel Hemric | Kaulig Racing | Chevrolet | 8 |
| 4 | 18 | Sammy Smith (R) | Joe Gibbs Racing | Toyota | 7 |
| 5 | 10 | Kyle Busch (i) | Kaulig Racing | Chevrolet | 0 |
| 6 | 78 | Anthony Alfredo | B. J. McLeod Motorsports | Chevrolet | 5 |
| 7 | 1 | Sam Mayer | JR Motorsports | Chevrolet | 4 |
| 8 | 98 | Riley Herbst | Stewart-Haas Racing | Ford | 3 |
| 9 | 26 | Kaz Grala | Sam Hunt Racing | Toyota | 2 |
| 10 | 2 | Sheldon Creed | Richard Childress Racing | Chevrolet | 1 |
Stage 3 Laps: 110
| Fin[7] | St | # | Driver | Team | Make | Laps | Led | Status | Pts |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 11 | 18 | Sammy Smith (R) | Joe Gibbs Racing | Toyota | 200 | 92 | Running | 55 |
| 2 | 12 | 19 | Ryan Truex | Joe Gibbs Racing | Toyota | 200 | 0 | Running | 35 |
| 3 | 5 | 2 | Sheldon Creed | Richard Childress Racing | Chevrolet | 200 | 0 | Running | 44 |
| 4 | 10 | 98 | Riley Herbst | Stewart-Haas Racing | Ford | 200 | 0 | Running | 43 |
| 5 | 6 | 16 | Chandler Smith (R) | Kaulig Racing | Chevrolet | 200 | 2 | Running | 33 |
| 6 | 4 | 20 | John Hunter Nemechek | Joe Gibbs Racing | Toyota | 200 | 19 | Running | 33 |
| 7 | 8 | 21 | Austin Hill | Richard Childress Racing | Chevrolet | 200 | 22 | Running | 39 |
| 8 | 7 | 8 | Josh Berry | JR Motorsports | Chevrolet | 200 | 0 | Running | 29 |
| 9 | 38 | 10 | Kyle Busch (i) | Kaulig Racing | Chevrolet | 200 | 3 | Running | 0 |
| 10 | 3 | 11 | Daniel Hemric | Kaulig Racing | Chevrolet | 200 | 0 | Running | 41 |
| 11 | 14 | 1 | Sam Mayer | JR Motorsports | Chevrolet | 200 | 4 | Running | 33 |
| 12 | 1 | 00 | Cole Custer | Stewart-Haas Racing | Ford | 200 | 38 | Running | 30 |
| 13 | 17 | 25 | Brett Moffitt | AM Racing | Ford | 200 | 0 | Running | 24 |
| 14 | 25 | 78 | Anthony Alfredo | B. J. McLeod Motorsports | Chevrolet | 200 | 0 | Running | 28 |
| 15 | 37 | 48 | Parker Kligerman | Big Machine Racing | Chevrolet | 200 | 0 | Running | 22 |
| 16 | 9 | 39 | Ryan Sieg | RSS Racing | Ford | 200 | 0 | Running | 21 |
| 17 | 18 | 02 | Kyle Weatherman | Our Motorsports | Chevrolet | 200 | 0 | Running | 20 |
| 18 | 15 | 31 | Parker Retzlaff (R) | Jordan Anderson Racing | Chevrolet | 200 | 0 | Running | 19 |
| 19 | 19 | 43 | Ryan Ellis | Alpha Prime Racing | Chevrolet | 200 | 0 | Running | 18 |
| 20 | 27 | 51 | Jeremy Clements | Jeremy Clements Racing | Chevrolet | 200 | 0 | Running | 17 |
| 21 | 20 | 92 | Josh Williams | DGM Racing | Chevrolet | 200 | 0 | Running | 16 |
| 22 | 16 | 27 | Jeb Burton | Jordan Anderson Racing | Chevrolet | 200 | 0 | Running | 15 |
| 23 | 21 | 9 | Brandon Jones | JR Motorsports | Chevrolet | 200 | 0 | Running | 14 |
| 24 | 36 | 24 | Connor Mosack (R) | Sam Hunt Racing | Toyota | 200 | 0 | Running | 13 |
| 25 | 22 | 28 | Kyle Sieg | RSS Racing | Ford | 200 | 0 | Running | 12 |
| 26 | 33 | 35 | Joey Gase | Emerling-Gase Motorsports | Toyota | 200 | 0 | Running | 11 |
| 27 | 23 | 45 | Leland Honeyman | Alpha Prime Racing | Chevrolet | 200 | 0 | Running | 10 |
| 28 | 32 | 4 | Bayley Currey | JD Motorsports | Chevrolet | 200 | 0 | Running | 9 |
| 29 | 28 | 6 | Brennan Poole | JD Motorsports | Chevrolet | 200 | 0 | Running | 8 |
| 30 | 34 | 53 | Patrick Emerling | Emerling-Gase Motorsports | Chevrolet | 200 | 0 | Running | 7 |
| 31 | 24 | 38 | Joe Graf Jr. | RSS Racing | Ford | 200 | 0 | Running | 6 |
| 32 | 30 | 91 | Garrett Smithley | DGM Racing | Chevrolet | 200 | 0 | Running | 5 |
| 33 | 31 | 44 | Jeffrey Earnhardt | Alpha Prime Racing | Chevrolet | 200 | 0 | Running | 4 |
| 34 | 13 | 26 | Kaz Grala | Sam Hunt Racing | Toyota | 199 | 0 | Running | 5 |
| 35 | 35 | 07 | Blaine Perkins (R) | SS-Green Light Racing | Chevrolet | 192 | 0 | Suspension | 2 |
| 36 | 2 | 7 | Justin Allgaier | JR Motorsports | Chevrolet | 178 | 20 | Accident | 21 |
| 37 | 26 | 08 | Gray Gaulding | SS-Green Light Racing | Ford | 137 | 0 | Accident | 1 |
| 38 | 29 | 74 | Dawson Cram | CHK Racing | Chevrolet | 99 | 0 | Fuel Pump | 1 |
| Official race results | |||||||||
Standings after the race
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References
edit- ^ Skala, Chris (March 11, 2023). "18-Year-Old Sammy Smith Dominates at Phoenix, Scores 1st Xfinity Win". Frontstretch. Retrieved March 11, 2023.
- ^ "Sammy Smith becomes youngest winner at Phoenix in Xfinity race". Jayski's NASCAR Silly Season Site. March 11, 2023. Retrieved March 11, 2023.
- ^ a b "2023 NASCAR Xfinity Series Phoenix Raceway Spring Race Page". Jayski's NASCAR Silly Season Site. Retrieved March 6, 2023.
- ^ "Practice Results: 2023 NASCAR Xfinity Series United Rentals 200 at Phoenix". TobyChristie.com. Retrieved March 11, 2023.
- ^ "2023 NASCAR Qualifying Procedures". Jayski's NASCAR Silly Season Site. Retrieved March 6, 2023.
- ^ Long, Dustin (March 11, 2023). "Phoenix Xfinity starting lineup: Cole Custer wins pole". NASCAR Talk | NBC Sports. Retrieved March 11, 2023.
- ^ "2023 United Rentals 200 - Racing Reference". Racing-Reference.info. Retrieved March 11, 2023.