The 2023 Atlas 200 was the 19th stock car race of the 2023 ARCA Menards Series season, and the 26th iteration of the event. The race was held on Saturday, September 30, 2023, in Salem, Indiana at Salem Speedway, a 0.555 miles (0.893 km) permanent oval shaped racetrack. The race took the scheduled 200 laps to complete. In a wild race, Jesse Love, driving for Venturini Motorsports, would put on a blistering performance, leading every lap from the pole to earn his 12th career ARCA Menards Series win, and his tenth of the season.[4] To fill out the podium, Andrés Pérez de Lara, driving for Rev Racing, and Christian Rose, driving for AM Racing, would finish 2nd and 3rd, respectively.
| Race details[1][2][3] | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Race 19 of 20 of the 2023 ARCA Menards Series | |||
 | |||
| Date | September 30, 2023 | ||
| Official name | 27th Annual Atlas 200 | ||
| Location | Salem Speedway, Salem, Indiana | ||
| Course |
Permanent racing facility 0.555 mi (0.893 km) | ||
| Distance | 200 laps, 111 mi (178 km) | ||
| Scheduled Distance | 200 laps, 111 mi (178 km) | ||
| Average speed | 74.678 mph (120.183 km/h) | ||
| Pole position | |||
| Driver | Venturini Motorsports | ||
| Time | 17.106 | ||
| Most laps led | |||
| Driver | Jesse Love | Venturini Motorsports | |
| Laps | 200 | ||
| Winner | |||
| No. 20 | Jesse Love | Venturini Motorsports | |
| Television in the United States | |||
| Network | FS2 | ||
| Announcers | Eric Brennan and Phil Parsons | ||
| Radio in the United States | |||
| Radio | ARCA Racing Network | ||
In addition to winning, Love would ultimately clinch the 2023 ARCA Menards Series championship one race early by taking the green flag.[5][6]
Background
editSalem Speedway is a .555-mile (0.893 km) long paved oval racetrack in Washington Township, Washington County, near Salem, Indiana, United States, approximately 100 miles (160 km) south of Indianapolis. The track has 33° degrees of banking in the corners. Major auto racing series that run at Salem are ARCA and USAC.
Entry list
edit- (R) denotes rookie driver.
Practice
editThe first and only practice session was held on Saturday, September 30, at 3:45 PM EST, and would last for 45 minutes.[7] William Sawalich, driving for Joe Gibbs Racing, would set the fastest time in the session, with a lap of 17.232, and an average speed of 115.947 mph (186.599 km/h).[8]
| Pos. | # | Driver | Team | Make | Time | Speed |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 18 | William Sawalich | Joe Gibbs Racing | Toyota | 17.232 | 115.947 |
| 2 | 69 | Will Kimmel | Kimmel Racing | Ford | 17.608 | 113.471 |
| 3 | 2 | Andrés Pérez de Lara (R) | Rev Racing | Chevrolet | 17.672 | 113.060 |
| Full practice results | ||||||
Qualifying
editQualifying was held on Saturday, September 30, at 5:15 PM EST. The qualifying system used is a single-car, two-lap system with only one round. Whoever sets the fastest time in that round will win the pole.[7] Jesse Love, driving for Venturini Motorsports, would score the pole for the race, with a lap of 17.106, and an average speed of 116.801 mph (187.973 km/h).[9]
Race results
edit| Fin[10] | St | # | Driver | Team | Make | Laps | Led | Status | Pts |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 1 | 20 | Jesse Love | Venturini Motorsports | Toyota | 200 | 200 | Running | 49 |
| 2 | 5 | 2 | Andrés Pérez de Lara (R) | Rev Racing | Chevrolet | 200 | 0 | Running | 42 |
| 3 | 4 | 32 | Christian Rose (R) | AM Racing | Ford | 200 | 0 | Running | 41 |
| 4 | 7 | 15 | Toni Breidinger | Venturini Motorsports | Toyota | 199 | 0 | Running | 40 |
| 5 | 8 | 95 | Conner Popplewell | MAN Motorsports | Toyota | 198 | 0 | Running | 39 |
| 6 | 2 | 18 | William Sawalich | Joe Gibbs Racing | Toyota | 195 | 0 | Running | 38 |
| 7 | 10 | 66 | Jon Garrett (R) | Veer Motorsports | Chevrolet | 192 | 0 | Running | 37 |
| 8 | 13 | 12 | Ed Pompa | Fast Track Racing | Ford | 187 | 0 | Running | 36 |
| 9 | 11 | 31 | Brayton Laster | Rise Motorsports | Chevrolet | 180 | 0 | Running | 35 |
| 10 | 6 | 30 | Frankie Muniz (R) | Rette Jones Racing | Ford | 119 | 0 | Running | 34 |
| 11 | 9 | 11 | Zachary Tinkle | Fast Track Racing | Toyota | 116 | 0 | Engine | 33 |
| 12 | 19 | 25 | Brent Crews | Venturini Motorsports | Toyota | 104 | 0 | Running | 32 |
| 13 | 3 | 69 | Will Kimmel | Kimmel Racing | Ford | 103 | 0 | Suspension | 31 |
| 14 | 17 | 06 | Kevin Hinckle | Wayne Peterson Racing | Ford | 88 | 0 | Mechanical | 30 |
| 15 | 15 | 03 | Alex Clubb | Clubb Racing Inc. | Ford | 45 | 0 | Drive Train | 29 |
| 16 | 14 | 48 | Brad Smith | Brad Smith Motorsports | Ford | 19 | 0 | Oil Pressure | 28 |
| 17 | 16 | 10 | Tim Monroe | Fast Track Racing | Ford | 9 | 0 | Handling | 27 |
| 18 | 12 | 68 | Mike Basham | Kimmel Racing | Ford | 5 | 0 | Mechanical | 26 |
| 19 | 18 | 0 | Nate Moeller | Wayne Peterson Racing | Toyota | 4 | 0 | Handling | 25 |
| Official race results | |||||||||
Standings after the race
edit
|
References
edit- ^ "Entry list: Atlas 200 at Salem Speedway". ARCA. September 27, 2023. Retrieved September 27, 2023.
- ^ "Qualifying results: Atlas 200 at Salem Speedway". ARCA. September 30, 2023. Retrieved September 30, 2023.
- ^ "Race results: Atlas 200 at Salem Speedway". ARCA. September 30, 2023. Retrieved October 1, 2023.
- ^ Calloni, Josh (September 30, 2023). "Jesse Love Wins at Salem, Locks Up 2023 ARCA Championship". Frontstretch. Retrieved October 1, 2023.
- ^ Fenwick, Adam (September 26, 2023). "PIT BOX: Champion-crowning moment looms as ARCA Menards Series reaches Salem Speedway for season's penultimate race". ARCA. Retrieved September 27, 2023.
- ^ Haislop, Tadd (September 30, 2023). "Jesse Love wins 2023 ARCA Menards Series championship". ARCA. Retrieved October 1, 2023.
- ^ a b "Schedule of events: Atlas 200 at Salem Speedway". ARCA. July 27, 2023. Retrieved September 27, 2023.
- ^ "Practice results: Atlas 200 at Salem Speedway". ARCA. September 30, 2023. Retrieved September 30, 2023.
- ^ Kristl, Mark (September 30, 2023). "Jesse Love Scores ARCA Pole at Salem". Frontstretch. Retrieved September 30, 2023.
- ^ "2023 Atlas 200 - The Third Turn". The Third Turn. Retrieved October 1, 2023.