The 2023 Kansas Lottery 300 was the 26th stock car race of the 2023 NASCAR Xfinity Series, the final race of the regular season, and the 23rd iteration of the event. The race was held on Saturday, September 9, 2023, in Kansas City, Kansas at Kansas Speedway, a 1.5 miles (2.4 km) permanent quad-oval shaped racetrack. The race took the scheduled 200 laps to complete. John Hunter Nemechek, driving for Joe Gibbs Racing, would put on a blistering performance, winning both stages and leading a race-high 154 laps, earning his ninth career NASCAR Xfinity Series win, and his sixth of the season.[1] To fill out the podium, Brandon Jones, driving for JR Motorsports, and Sheldon Creed, driving for Richard Childress Racing, would finish 2nd and 3rd, respectively.
The race was noted with a battle for the final playoff spot between Riley Herbst and Parker Kligerman. Herbst and Kligerman entered the race with one point separating each other. After a series of issues for Herbst, he would fail to make the playoffs for the first time in his Xfinity Series career. Kligerman would have a strong day, finishing in fourth after running top ten for most of the race, earning a spot in the playoffs for the first time in his career, and the first for Big Machine Racing.[2]
The 12 drivers that would qualify for the playoffs are John Hunter Nemechek, Austin Hill, Justin Allgaier, Cole Custer, Sam Mayer, Chandler Smith, Sammy Smith, Jeb Burton, Josh Berry, Sheldon Creed, Daniel Hemric, and Parker Kligerman.[3] Following the race, Hill would claim the Regular Season Championship.
Background
Kansas Speedway is a 1.5-mile (2.4 km) tri-oval race track in Kansas City, Kansas. It was built in 2001 and it currently hosts two annual NASCAR race weekends. The IndyCar Series also raced at here until 2011. The speedway is owned and operated by the International Speedway Corporation.
Entry list
- (R) denotes rookie driver.
- (i) denotes driver who is ineligible for series driver points.
Notes
Practice
The first and only practice session was held on Saturday, September 9, at 9:05 AM CST, and would last for 20 minutes.[4] Daniel Hemric, driving for Kaulig Racing, would set the fastest time in the session, with a lap of 30.856, and an average speed of 175.006 mph (281.645 km/h).[5]
| Pos. | # | Driver | Team | Make | Time | Speed |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 10 | Daniel Hemric | Kaulig Racing | Chevrolet | 30.856 | 175.006 |
| 2 | 7 | Justin Allgaier | JR Motorsports | Chevrolet | 30.932 | 174.576 |
| 3 | 8 | Josh Berry | JR Motorsports | Chevrolet | 30.982 | 174.295 |
| Full practice results | ||||||
Qualifying
Qualifying was held on Saturday, September 9, at 9:35 AM CST.[4] Since Kansas 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.[6] Justin Allgaier, driving for JR Motorsports, would score the pole for the race, with a lap of 30.646, and an average speed of 176.206 mph (283.576 km/h).[7]
Race results
Stage 1 Laps: 45
| Pos. | # | Driver | Team | Make | Pts |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 20 | John Hunter Nemechek | Joe Gibbs Racing | Toyota | 10 |
| 2 | 00 | Cole Custer | Stewart-Haas Racing | Ford | 9 |
| 3 | 7 | Justin Allgaier | JR Motorsports | Chevrolet | 8 |
| 4 | 9 | Brandon Jones | JR Motorsports | Chevrolet | 7 |
| 5 | 18 | Sammy Smith (R) | Joe Gibbs Racing | Toyota | 6 |
| 6 | 48 | Parker Kligerman | Big Machine Racing | Chevrolet | 5 |
| 7 | 21 | Austin Hill | Richard Childress Racing | Chevrolet | 4 |
| 8 | 2 | Sheldon Creed | Richard Childress Racing | Chevrolet | 3 |
| 9 | 98 | Riley Herbst | Stewart-Haas Racing | Ford | 2 |
| 10 | 11 | Derek Kraus | Kaulig Racing | Chevrolet | 1 |
Stage 2 Laps: 45
| Pos. | # | Driver | Team | Make | Pts |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 20 | John Hunter Nemechek | Joe Gibbs Racing | Toyota | 10 |
| 2 | 18 | Sammy Smith (R) | Joe Gibbs Racing | Toyota | 9 |
| 3 | 7 | Justin Allgaier | JR Motorsports | Chevrolet | 8 |
| 4 | 8 | Josh Berry | JR Motorsports | Chevrolet | 7 |
| 5 | 21 | Austin Hill | Richard Childress Racing | Chevrolet | 6 |
| 6 | 2 | Sheldon Creed | Richard Childress Racing | Chevrolet | 5 |
| 7 | 48 | Parker Kligerman | Big Machine Racing | Chevrolet | 4 |
| 8 | 11 | Derek Kraus | Kaulig Racing | Chevrolet | 3 |
| 9 | 31 | Parker Retzlaff (R) | Jordan Anderson Racing | Chevrolet | 2 |
| 10 | 25 | Brett Moffitt | AM Racing | Ford | 1 |
Stage 3 Laps: 110
| Pos.[8] | St | # | Driver | Team | Make | Laps | Led | Status | Pts |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 7 | 20 | John Hunter Nemechek | Joe Gibbs Racing | Toyota | 200 | 154 | Running | 60 |
| 2 | 4 | 9 | Brandon Jones | JR Motorsports | Chevrolet | 200 | 2 | Running | 42 |
| 3 | 16 | 2 | Sheldon Creed | Richard Childress Racing | Chevrolet | 200 | 0 | Running | 42 |
| 4 | 15 | 48 | Parker Kligerman | Big Machine Racing | Chevrolet | 200 | 0 | Running | 42 |
| 5 | 9 | 21 | Austin Hill | Richard Childress Racing | Chevrolet | 200 | 0 | Running | 42 |
| 6 | 6 | 8 | Josh Berry | JR Motorsports | Chevrolet | 200 | 0 | Running | 38 |
| 7 | 10 | 25 | Brett Moffitt | AM Racing | Ford | 200 | 0 | Running | 31 |
| 8 | 18 | 11 | Derek Kraus | Kaulig Racing | Chevrolet | 200 | 0 | Running | 33 |
| 9 | 11 | 19 | Joe Graf Jr. | Joe Gibbs Racing | Toyota | 200 | 0 | Running | 28 |
| 10 | 31 | 26 | Kaz Grala | Sam Hunt Racing | Toyota | 200 | 0 | Running | 27 |
| 11 | 26 | 31 | Parker Retzlaff (R) | Jordan Anderson Racing | Chevrolet | 200 | 0 | Running | 28 |
| 12 | 17 | 27 | Jeb Burton | Jordan Anderson Racing | Chevrolet | 199 | 0 | Running | 25 |
| 13 | 24 | 92 | Josh Williams | DGM Racing | Chevrolet | 199 | 0 | Running | 24 |
| 14 | 20 | 24 | Connor Mosack (R) | Sam Hunt Racing | Toyota | 199 | 0 | Running | 23 |
| 15 | 21 | 51 | Jeremy Clements | Jeremy Clements Racing | Chevrolet | 199 | 0 | Running | 22 |
| 16 | 37 | 08 | Mason Massey | SS-Green Light Racing | Ford | 199 | 0 | Running | 21 |
| 17 | 23 | 43 | Ryan Ellis | Alpha Prime Racing | Chevrolet | 199 | 0 | Running | 20 |
| 18 | 1 | 7 | Justin Allgaier | JR Motorsports | Chevrolet | 199 | 40 | Running | 35 |
| 19 | 27 | 53 | Matt Mills (i) | Emerling-Gase Motorsports | Chevrolet | 198 | 0 | Running | 0 |
| 20 | 29 | 29 | Kyle Sieg | RSS Racing | Ford | 198 | 0 | Running | 17 |
| 21 | 25 | 07 | Dawson Cram | SS-Green Light Racing | Chevrolet | 198 | 0 | Running | 16 |
| 22 | 38 | 28 | C. J. McLaughlin | RSS Racing | Ford | 198 | 0 | Running | 15 |
| 23 | 8 | 98 | Riley Herbst | Stewart-Haas Racing | Ford | 198 | 0 | Running | 16 |
| 24 | 36 | 35 | Joey Gase | Emerling-Gase Motorsports | Toyota | 198 | 0 | Running | 13 |
| 25 | 34 | 4 | Garrett Smithley | JD Motorsports | Chevrolet | 198 | 0 | Running | 12 |
| 26 | 28 | 66 | Leland Honeyman | MBM Motorsports | Ford | 197 | 0 | Running | 11 |
| 27 | 32 | 78 | Anthony Alfredo | B. J. McLeod Motorsports | Chevrolet | 197 | 0 | Running | 10 |
| 28 | 33 | 6 | Brennan Poole | JD Motorsports | Chevrolet | 197 | 0 | Running | 9 |
| 29 | 22 | 45 | Rajah Caruth (i) | Alpha Prime Racing | Chevrolet | 197 | 0 | Running | 0 |
| 30 | 14 | 39 | Ryan Sieg | RSS Racing | Ford | 196 | 0 | Running | 7 |
| 31 | 30 | 38 | Nick Leitz (i) | RSS Racing | Ford | 194 | 0 | Running | 0 |
| 32 | 12 | 16 | Chandler Smith (R) | Kaulig Racing | Chevrolet | 186 | 0 | Running | 5 |
| 33 | 35 | 02 | Blaine Perkins (R) | Our Motorsports | Chevrolet | 140 | 0 | Brakes | 4 |
| 34 | 5 | 10 | Daniel Hemric | Kaulig Racing | Chevrolet | 120 | 0 | Running | 3 |
| 35 | 2 | 18 | Sammy Smith (R) | Joe Gibbs Racing | Toyota | 97 | 1 | Accident | 17 |
| 36 | 3 | 00 | Cole Custer | Stewart-Haas Racing | Ford | 60 | 3 | Accident | 10 |
| 37 | 13 | 1 | Sam Mayer | JR Motorsports | Chevrolet | 20 | 0 | Accident | 1 |
| 38 | 19 | 91 | Kyle Weatherman | DGM Racing | Chevrolet | 19 | 0 | Accident | 1 |
| Official race results | |||||||||
Standings after the race
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Notes
- ^ Driver changed to Leland Honeyman for the race after Honeyman failed to qualify.
References
- ^ Barnes, Caleb (September 9, 2023). "John Hunter Nemechek Dominates to Win at Kansas". Frontstretch. Retrieved September 9, 2023.
- ^ Christie, Toby (September 9, 2023). "Parker Kligerman Secures Playoff Berth With Fourth-Place Finish; Jones and Herbst Fall Short". TobyChristie.com. Retrieved September 9, 2023.
- ^ Spencer, Reid (September 9, 2023). "John Hunter Nemechek rolls to Kansas victory; Xfinity Playoffs field set". NASCAR.com. NASCAR Wire Service. Retrieved September 9, 2023.
- ^ a b "2023 NASCAR Xfinity Series Kansas Speedway Race Page". Jayski's NASCAR Silly Season Site. Retrieved September 5, 2023.
- ^ "Practice Results: NASCAR Xfinity Series Kansas Lottery 300 at Kansas". TobyChristie.com. September 9, 2023. Retrieved September 9, 2023.
- ^ "2023 NASCAR Qualifying Procedures". Jayski's NASCAR Silly Season Site. Retrieved September 5, 2023.
- ^ Barnes, Caleb (September 9, 2023). "Justin Allgaier Wins Xfinity Series Pole at Kansas". Frontstretch. Retrieved September 9, 2023.
- ^ "2023 Kansas Lottery 300 - Racing Reference". Racing-Reference.info. Retrieved September 9, 2023.