The 2023 Love's RV Stop 250 was the 21st stock car race of the 2023 NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series, the second race of the Round of 8, and the 18th iteration of the event. The race was held on Saturday, September 30, 2023, in Lincoln, Alabama at Talladega Superspeedway, a 2.66 miles (4.28 km) permanent tri-oval shaped superspeedway. The race was originally scheduled to be contested over 94 laps, but was extended to 99 laps due to a NASCAR overtime finish. In a wreck-filled race with numerous cautions, Brett Moffitt, driving in a one-off race for Front Row Motorsports, would steal the win after making an aggressive move on Christian Eckes for the lead on the final lap. This was Moffitt's 13th career NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series win, and his first of the season.[1] Moffitt and Nick Sanchez would dominate the majority of the race, leading 22 and 25 laps, respectively. To fill out the podium, Ben Rhodes, driving for ThorSport Racing, and Dean Thompson, driving for Tricon Garage, would finish 2nd and 3rd, respectively.
| Race details | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Race 21 of 23 of the 2023 NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series | |||
 | |||
| Date | September 30, 2023 | ||
| Official name | 18th Annual Love's RV Stop 250 | ||
| Location | Talladega Superspeedway, Lincoln, Alabama | ||
| Course |
Permanent racing facility 2.66 mi (4.28 km) | ||
| Distance | 99 laps, 263 mi (423 km) | ||
| Scheduled Distance | 94 laps, 250 mi (402 km) | ||
| Pole position | |||
| Driver | Kyle Busch Motorsports | ||
| Time | 53.368 | ||
| Most laps led | |||
| Driver | Nick Sanchez | Rev Racing | |
| Laps | 25 | ||
| Winner | |||
| No. 34 | Brett Moffitt | Front Row Motorsports | |
| Television in the United States | |||
| Network | FS1 | ||
| Announcers | Jamie Little, Phil Parsons, and Michael Waltrip | ||
| Radio in the United States | |||
| Radio | MRN | ||
Background
editTalladega Superspeedway, originally known as Alabama International Motor Superspeedway (AIMS), is a motorsports complex located north of Talladega, Alabama. It is located on the former Anniston Air Force Base in the small city of Lincoln. The track is a tri-oval and was constructed in the 1960s by the International Speedway Corporation, a business controlled by the France family. Talladega is most known for its steep banking and the unique location of the start/finish line that's located just past the exit to pit road. The track currently hosts the NASCAR series such as the NASCAR Cup Series, Xfinity Series and the Craftsman Truck Series. Talladega is the longest NASCAR oval with a length of 2.66-mile-long (4.28 km) tri-oval like the Daytona International Speedway, which also is a 2.5-mile-long (4 km) tri-oval.
Entry list
edit- (R) denotes rookie driver.
- (i) denotes driver who is ineligible for series driver points.
- (P) denotes playoff driver.
Qualifying
editQualifying was held on Saturday, September 30, at 8:30 AM CST.[2] Since Talladega Superspeedway is a superspeedway, the qualifying system used is a single-car, single-lap system with two rounds. In the first round, drivers have one lap to set a time. The fastest ten drivers from the first round move on to the second round. Whoever sets the fastest time in Round 2 wins the pole.[3]
Chase Purdy, driving for Kyle Busch Motorsports, would win the pole after advancing from the preliminary round and setting the fastest time in Round 2, with a lap of 53.368, and an average speed of 179.433 mph (288.769 km/h).[4]
Spencer Boyd, Jennifer Jo Cobb, Keith McGee, and Clay Greenfield failed to qualify.
Race results
editStage 1 Laps: 20
| Pos. | # | Driver | Team | Make | Pts |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 2 | Nick Sanchez (R) (P) | Rev Racing | Chevrolet | 10 |
| 2 | 42 | Carson Hocevar (P) | Niece Motorsports | Chevrolet | 9 |
| 3 | 11 | Corey Heim (P) | Tricon Garage | Toyota | 8 |
| 4 | 98 | Ty Majeski (P) | ThorSport Racing | Ford | 7 |
| 5 | 32 | Bret Holmes (R) | Bret Holmes Racing | Chevrolet | 6 |
| 6 | 9 | Colby Howard | CR7 Motorsports | Chevrolet | 5 |
| 7 | 75 | Parker Kligerman (i) | Henderson Motorsports | Chevrolet | 0 |
| 8 | 15 | Tanner Gray | Tricon Garage | Toyota | 3 |
| 9 | 1 | David Gilliland | Tricon Garage | Toyota | 2 |
| 10 | 5 | Dean Thompson | Tricon Garage | Toyota | 1 |
Stage 2 Laps: 20
| Pos. | # | Driver | Team | Make | Pts |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 75 | Parker Kligerman (i) | Henderson Motorsports | Chevrolet | 0 |
| 2 | 2 | Nick Sanchez (R) (P) | Rev Racing | Chevrolet | 9 |
| 3 | 42 | Carson Hocevar (P) | Niece Motorsports | Chevrolet | 8 |
| 4 | 98 | Ty Majeski (P) | ThorSport Racing | Ford | 7 |
| 5 | 99 | Ben Rhodes (P) | ThorSport Racing | Ford | 6 |
| 6 | 15 | Tanner Gray | Tricon Garage | Toyota | 5 |
| 7 | 17 | Taylor Gray (R) | Tricon Garage | Toyota | 4 |
| 8 | 32 | Bret Holmes (R) | Bret Holmes Racing | Chevrolet | 3 |
| 9 | 5 | Dean Thompson | Tricon Garage | Toyota | 2 |
| 10 | 11 | Corey Heim (P) | Tricon Garage | Toyota | 1 |
Stage 3 Laps: 59
| Fin[6] | St | # | Driver | Team | Make | Laps | Led | Status | Pts |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 31 | 34 | Brett Moffitt (i) | Front Row Motorsports | Ford | 99 | 22 | Running | 0 |
| 2 | 8 | 99 | Ben Rhodes (P) | ThorSport Racing | Ford | 99 | 0 | Running | 41 |
| 3 | 4 | 5 | Dean Thompson | Tricon Garage | Toyota | 99 | 0 | Running | 37 |
| 4 | 28 | 25 | Chandler Smith (i) | Rackley WAR | Chevrolet | 99 | 0 | Running | 0 |
| 5 | 9 | 11 | Corey Heim (P) | Tricon Garage | Toyota | 99 | 0 | Running | 41 |
| 6 | 29 | 43 | Daniel Dye (R) | GMS Racing | Chevrolet | 99 | 0 | Running | 31 |
| 7 | 2 | 2 | Nick Sanchez (R) (P) | Rev Racing | Chevrolet | 99 | 25 | Running | 49 |
| 8 | 23 | 13 | Hailie Deegan | ThorSport Racing | Ford | 99 | 0 | Running | 29 |
| 9 | 13 | 75 | Parker Kligerman (i) | Henderson Motorsports | Chevrolet | 99 | 10 | Running | 0 |
| 10 | 21 | 45 | Lawless Alan | Niece Motorsports | Chevrolet | 99 | 0 | Running | 27 |
| 11 | 7 | 42 | Carson Hocevar (P) | Niece Motorsports | Chevrolet | 99 | 5 | Running | 43 |
| 12 | 14 | 24 | Rajah Caruth (R) | GMS Racing | Chevrolet | 99 | 0 | Running | 25 |
| 13 | 25 | 23 | Grant Enfinger (P) | GMS Racing | Chevrolet | 99 | 0 | Running | 24 |
| 14 | 6 | 51 | Jack Wood | Kyle Busch Motorsports | Chevrolet | 99 | 0 | Running | 23 |
| 15 | 32 | 02 | Garrett Smithley (i) | Young's Motorsports | Chevrolet | 99 | 0 | Running | 0 |
| 16 | 15 | 32 | Bret Holmes (R) | Bret Holmes Racing | Chevrolet | 99 | 3 | Running | 30 |
| 17 | 33 | 30 | Ryan Vargas | On Point Motorsports | Toyota | 99 | 0 | Running | 20 |
| 18 | 24 | 17 | Taylor Gray (R) | Tricon Garage | Toyota | 99 | 1 | Running | 23 |
| 19 | 16 | 19 | Christian Eckes (P) | McAnally-Hilgemann Racing | Chevrolet | 99 | 8 | Running | 18 |
| 20 | 10 | 61 | Jake Drew | Hattori Racing Enterprises | Toyota | 98 | 0 | Running | 17 |
| 21 | 5 | 98 | Ty Majeski (P) | ThorSport Racing | Ford | 93 | 0 | Accident | 30 |
| 22 | 35 | 04 | Cory Roper | Roper Racing | Ford | 93 | 0 | DVP | 15 |
| 23 | 17 | 9 | Colby Howard | CR7 Motorsports | Chevrolet | 92 | 0 | Accident | 19 |
| 24 | 12 | 88 | Matt Crafton | ThorSport Racing | Ford | 91 | 1 | Accident | 13 |
| 25 | 19 | 15 | Tanner Gray | Tricon Garage | Toyota | 91 | 12 | Accident | 20 |
| 26 | 26 | 20 | Greg Van Alst | Young's Motorsports | Chevrolet | 91 | 0 | Accident | 11 |
| 27 | 36 | 22 | Jason M. White | AM Racing | Ford | 88 | 0 | Running | 10 |
| 28 | 1 | 4 | Chase Purdy | Kyle Busch Motorsports | Chevrolet | 84 | 11 | Accident | 9 |
| 29 | 3 | 35 | Jake Garcia (R) | McAnally-Hilgemann Racing | Chevrolet | 79 | 0 | Running | 8 |
| 30 | 34 | 56 | Tyler Hill | Hill Motorsports | Toyota | 59 | 0 | Accident | 7 |
| 31 | 27 | 41 | Bayley Currey | Niece Motorsports | Chevrolet | 58 | 1 | Accident | 6 |
| 32 | 18 | 38 | Zane Smith (P) | Front Row Motorsports | Ford | 55 | 0 | Running | 5 |
| 33 | 22 | 16 | Tyler Ankrum | Hattori Racing Enterprises | Toyota | 50 | 0 | Accident | 4 |
| 34 | 20 | 52 | Stewart Friesen | Halmar Friesen Racing | Toyota | 38 | 0 | Accident | 3 |
| 35 | 11 | 1 | David Gilliland | Tricon Garage | Toyota | 38 | 0 | Accident | 4 |
| 36 | 30 | 28 | Bryan Dauzat | FDNY Racing | Chevrolet | 5 | 0 | Handling | 1 |
| Official race results | |||||||||
Post-race conflict
editAfter the conclusion of the race, a post-race fight broke out near the garage area, between Rev Racing driver Nick Sanchez and ThorSport Racing driver Matt Crafton. During the late stages of the race, Sanchez would make an aggressive move on Crafton, which would ultimately trigger a 15 truck pileup on the frontstretch. While walking back to his hauler, Sanchez would be tapped on the back by Crafton, for which he would give Sanchez a sucker punch to the face when he turned around. Multiple crew members from McAnally-Hilgemann Racing and GMS Racing would jump in to break up the altercation. While Sanchez was being restrained by fellow driver Cory Roper, blood covering most of his face, he would ultimately yell "I'm going to fucking kill you at Homestead. You fucked with the wrong guy motherfucker. It's on now."[7] On October 3, Crafton was fined $25,000 and Sanchez was fined $5,000 for their involvement in the fight. In addition, Sanchez's father, Rene, was suspended for the remainder of the season for his involvement in the altercation.[8][9]
Standings after the race
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References
edit- ^ Barnes, Caleb (September 30, 2023). "Brett Moffitt Survives Carnage, Wins Talladega". Frontstretch. Retrieved September 30, 2023.
- ^ "2023 NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series Talladega Race Page". Jayski's NASCAR Silly Season Site. Retrieved September 25, 2023.
- ^ "2023 NASCAR Qualifying Procedures". Jayski's NASCAR Silly Season Site. Retrieved September 25, 2023.
- ^ Barnes, Caleb (September 30, 2023). "Chase Purdy Takes 2023 Truck Pole At Talladega". Frontstretch. Retrieved September 30, 2023.
- ^ "Qualifying Results: NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series Love's RV Stop 250 at Talladega". TobyChristie.com. September 30, 2023. Retrieved September 30, 2023.
- ^ "2023 Love's RV Stop 250 - Racing Reference". Racing-Reference.info. Retrieved September 30, 2023.
- ^ Srigley, Joseph (September 30, 2023). "Video: Nick Sanchez Gets 'Cheap Shot' from Matt Crafton in Post-Talladega Altercation". TobyChristie.com. Retrieved September 30, 2023.
- ^ Utter, Jim (September 30, 2023). "Nick Sanchez left bloodied in fight with Matt Crafton at Talladega". Motorsport.com. Retrieved September 30, 2023.
- ^ Utter, Jim (October 3, 2023). "NASCAR fines drivers Crafton and Sanchez for Talladega fight". Motorsport.com. Retrieved October 3, 2023.