The 2023 Contender Boats 300 was the 31st stock car race of the 2023 NASCAR Xfinity Series, the second race of the Round of 8, and the 29th iteration of the event. The race washeld on Saturday, October 21, 2023, in Homestead, Florida at Homestead–Miami Speedway, a 1.5 miles (2.4 km) permanent oval shaped racetrack. The race took the scheduled 200 laps to complete. In a wild finish, Sam Mayer, driving for JR Motorsports, would take the lead in the late stages of the race, and held off a fast-charging Riley Herbst in the closing laps to earn his fourth career NASCAR Xfinity Series win, his fourth of the season, and his first win on an oval track. He would also earn a spot in the Championship 4.[1] Cole Custer would dominate the majority of the race, winning the first stage and leading a race-high 114 laps, until hitting the wall and blowing a tire in the late stages. To fill out the podium, Herbst, driving for Stewart–Haas Racing, and John Hunter Nemechek, driving for Joe Gibbs Racing, would finish 2nd and 3rd, respectively.
Background
Homestead–Miami Speedway is a motor racing track located in Homestead, Florida. The track, which has several configurations, has promoted several series of racing, including NASCAR, the NTT IndyCar Series and the Grand-Am Rolex Sports Car Series.
From 2002 to 2019, Homestead-Miami Speedway has hosted the final race of the season in all three of NASCAR's series: the NASCAR Cup Series, Xfinity Series and Craftsman Truck Series. The track has since held races on different dates in 2020 (June) and 2021 (February), which were both effected by the COVID-19 pandemic, before being moved back into the Playoffs as the second race of the Round of 8 in 2022, with the date being kept for 2023.
Entry list
- (R) denotes rookie driver.
- (i) denotes driver who is ineligible for series driver points.
- (P) denotes playoff driver.
- (OP) denotes owner's playoffs car.
Practice
The first and only practice session was held on Friday, October 20, at 6:05 PM EST, and would last for 20 minutes.[2] Cole Custer, driving for Stewart–Haas Racing, would set the fastest time in the session, with a lap of 32.964, and an average speed of 163.815 mph (263.635 km/h).[3]
| Pos. | # | Driver | Team | Make | Time | Speed |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 00 | Cole Custer (P) | Stewart–Haas Racing | Ford | 32.964 | 163.815 |
| 2 | 20 | John Hunter Nemechek (P) | Joe Gibbs Racing | Toyota | 33.261 | 162.352 |
| 3 | 48 | Parker Kligerman | Big Machine Racing | Chevrolet | 33.387 | 161.740 |
| Full practice results | ||||||
Qualifying
Qualifying was held on Friday, October 20, at 6:35 PM EST.[2] Since Homestead–Miami Speedway is an intermediate racetrack, the qualifying system used is a single-car, one-lap system with only one round. In that round, whoever sets the fastest time will win the pole.[4] Cole Custer, driving for Stewart–Haas Racing, would score the pole for the race, with a lap of 32.608, and an average speed of 165.604 mph (266.514 km/h)[5]
Race results
Stage 1 Laps: 40
| Pos. | # | Driver | Team | Make | Pts |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 00 | Cole Custer (P) | Stewart–Haas Racing | Ford | 10 |
| 2 | 1 | Sam Mayer (P) | JR Motorsports | Chevrolet | 9 |
| 3 | 20 | John Hunter Nemechek (P) | Joe Gibbs Racing | Toyota | 8 |
| 4 | 2 | Sheldon Creed (P) | Richard Childress Racing | Chevrolet | 7 |
| 5 | 25 | Brett Moffitt | AM Racing | Ford | 6 |
| 6 | 7 | Justin Allgaier (P) | JR Motorsports | Chevrolet | 5 |
| 7 | 98 | Riley Herbst | Stewart–Haas Racing | Ford | 4 |
| 8 | 21 | Austin Hill (P) | Richard Childress Racing | Chevrolet | 3 |
| 9 | 26 | Kaz Grala | Sam Hunt Racing | Toyota | 2 |
| 10 | 10 | Daniel Hemric (OP) | Kaulig Racing | Chevrolet | 1 |
Stage 2 Laps: 40
| Pos. | # | Driver | Team | Make | Pts |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 11 | Derek Kraus | Kaulig Racing | Chevrolet | 10 |
| 2 | 20 | John Hunter Nemechek (P) | Joe Gibbs Racing | Toyota | 9 |
| 3 | 00 | Cole Custer (P) | Stewart–Haas Racing | Ford | 8 |
| 4 | 1 | Sam Mayer (P) | JR Motorsports | Chevrolet | 7 |
| 5 | 7 | Justin Allgaier (P) | JR Motorsports | Chevrolet | 6 |
| 6 | 48 | Parker Kligerman | Big Machine Racing | Chevrolet | 5 |
| 7 | 38 | Kyle Sieg | RSS Racing | Ford | 4 |
| 8 | 98 | Riley Herbst | Stewart–Haas Racing | Ford | 3 |
| 9 | 21 | Austin Hill (P) | Richard Childress Racing | Chevrolet | 2 |
| 10 | 10 | Daniel Hemric (OP) | Kaulig Racing | Chevrolet | 1 |
Stage 3 Laps: 120
| Pos.[7] | St | # | Driver | Team | Make | Laps | Led | Status | Pts |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 13 | 1 | Sam Mayer (P) | JR Motorsports | Chevrolet | 200 | 46 | Running | 56 |
| 2 | 7 | 98 | Riley Herbst | Stewart–Haas Racing | Ford | 200 | 0 | Running | 42 |
| 3 | 2 | 20 | John Hunter Nemechek (P) | Joe Gibbs Racing | Toyota | 200 | 7 | Running | 51 |
| 4 | 4 | 21 | Austin Hill (P) | Richard Childress Racing | Chevrolet | 200 | 0 | Running | 38 |
| 5 | 23 | 88 | Dale Earnhardt Jr. | JR Motorsports | Chevrolet | 200 | 0 | Running | 32 |
| 6 | 15 | 10 | Daniel Hemric (OP) | Kaulig Racing | Chevrolet | 200 | 0 | Running | 33 |
| 7 | 10 | 48 | Parker Kligerman | Big Machine Racing | Chevrolet | 200 | 0 | Running | 35 |
| 8 | 17 | 9 | Brandon Jones | JR Motorsports | Chevrolet | 200 | 0 | Running | 29 |
| 9 | 5 | 18 | Sammy Smith (R) (P) | Joe Gibbs Racing | Toyota | 200 | 0 | Running | 28 |
| 10 | 11 | 19 | Joe Graf Jr. | Joe Gibbs Racing | Toyota | 200 | 0 | Running | 27 |
| 11 | 20 | 11 | Derek Kraus | Kaulig Racing | Chevrolet | 200 | 21 | Running | 36 |
| 12 | 16 | 31 | Parker Retzlaff (R) | Jordan Anderson Racing | Chevrolet | 200 | 0 | Running | 25 |
| 13 | 1 | 00 | Cole Custer (P) | Stewart–Haas Racing | Ford | 199 | 114 | Running | 42 |
| 14 | 14 | 39 | Ryan Sieg | RSS Racing | Ford | 199 | 0 | Running | 23 |
| 15 | 3 | 7 | Justin Allgaier (P) | JR Motorsports | Chevrolet | 199 | 8 | Running | 33 |
| 16 | 18 | 91 | Kyle Weatherman | DGM Racing | Chevrolet | 199 | 0 | Running | 21 |
| 17 | 26 | 92 | Josh Williams | DGM Racing | Chevrolet | 199 | 0 | Running | 20 |
| 18 | 33 | 44 | Jeffrey Earnhardt | Alpha Prime Racing | Chevrolet | 199 | 0 | Running | 19 |
| 19 | 29 | 6 | Brennan Poole | JD Motorsports | Chevrolet | 199 | 0 | Running | 18 |
| 20 | 28 | 27 | Jeb Burton | Jordan Anderson Racing | Chevrolet | 199 | 0 | Running | 17 |
| 21 | 22 | 51 | Jeremy Clements | Jeremy Clements Racing | Chevrolet | 199 | 0 | Running | 16 |
| 22 | 25 | 38 | Kyle Sieg | RSS Racing | Ford | 199 | 0 | Running | 19 |
| 23 | 27 | 45 | Leland Honeyman | Alpha Prime Racing | Chevrolet | 199 | 0 | Running | 14 |
| 24 | 37 | 43 | Ryan Ellis | Alpha Prime Racing | Chevrolet | 199 | 0 | Running | 13 |
| 25 | 36 | 35 | Patrick Emerling | Emerling-Gase Motorsports | Chevrolet | 198 | 0 | Running | 12 |
| 26 | 9 | 2 | Sheldon Creed (P) | Richard Childress Racing | Chevrolet | 198 | 4 | Running | 18 |
| 27 | 35 | 08 | Mason Massey | SS-Green Light Racing | Ford | 198 | 0 | Running | 10 |
| 28 | 31 | 78 | Anthony Alfredo | B. J. McLeod Motorsports | Chevrolet | 197 | 0 | Running | 9 |
| 29 | 34 | 02 | Blaine Perkins (R) | Our Motorsports | Chevrolet | 196 | 0 | Running | 8 |
| 30 | 19 | 26 | Kaz Grala | Sam Hunt Racing | Toyota | 194 | 0 | Running | 9 |
| 31 | 21 | 24 | Connor Mosack (R) | Sam Hunt Racing | Toyota | 190 | 0 | Electrical | 6 |
| 32 | 8 | 8 | Josh Berry | JR Motorsports | Chevrolet | 171 | 0 | Accident | 5 |
| 33 | 30 | 29 | Mason Maggio (i) | RSS Racing | Ford | 153 | 0 | Electrical | 0 |
| 34 | 12 | 16 | Chandler Smith (R) (P) | Kaulig Racing | Chevrolet | 138 | 0 | Engine | 3 |
| 35 | 6 | 25 | Brett Moffitt | AM Racing | Ford | 97 | 0 | Accident | 8 |
| 36 | 32 | 74 | Dawson Cram | CHK Racing | Chevrolet | 65 | 0 | Accident | 1 |
| 37 | 38 | 28 | C. J. McLaughlin | RSS Racing | Ford | 37 | 0 | Carburetor | 1 |
| 38 | 24 | 66 | Ryan Newman | MBM Motorsports | Ford | 27 | 0 | Rear Gear | 1 |
| Official race results | |||||||||
Standings after the race
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References
- ^ Cook, Garrett (October 21, 2023). "Sam Mayer Locks Into Championship 4 With Homestead Win". Frontstretch. Retrieved October 21, 2023.
- ^ a b "2023 NASCAR Xfinity Series Homestead-Miami Speedway Race Page". Jayski's NASCAR Silly Season Site. Retrieved October 16, 2023.
- ^ "Practice Results: 2023 NASCAR Xfinity Series Contender Boats 300 at Homestead". TobyChristie.com. October 20, 2023. Retrieved October 20, 2023.
- ^ "2023 NASCAR Qualifying Procedures". Jayski's NASCAR Silly Season Site. Retrieved October 16, 2023.
- ^ Folsom, Chase (October 20, 2023). "Cole Custer Captures Homestead Xfinity Pole". Frontstretch. Retrieved October 20, 2023.
- ^ "Qualifying Results: 2023 NASCAR Xfinity Series Contender Boats 300 at Homestead". TobyChristie.com. October 20, 2023. Retrieved October 20, 2023.
- ^ "2023 Alsco Uniforms 302 - Racing Reference". Racing-Reference.info. Retrieved October 14, 2023.