The 2023 SpeedyCash.com 250 was the 5th stock car race of the 2023 NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series, and the 25th iteration of the event. The race was held on Saturday, April 1, 2023, in Fort Worth, Texas at Texas Motor Speedway, a 1.5 miles (2.4 km) permanent tri-oval shaped racetrack. The race was increased from 167 to 172 laps, due to numerous NASCAR overtime attempts. In a wild finish, Carson Hocevar, driving for Niece Motorsports, would win the race after the leaders of Nick Sanchez and Zane Smith crashed on the final lap. This was Hocevar's first career NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series win.[1] Sanchez would dominate the entire race, winning both stages and leading 168 of the 172 laps. To fill out the podium, Chase Purdy, driving for Kyle Busch Motorsports, and Stewart Friesen, driving for Halmar Friesen Racing, would finish 2nd and 3rd, respectively.
| Race details | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Race 5 of 23 of the 2023 NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series | |||
 | |||
| Date | April 1, 2023 | ||
| Official name | 25th Annual SpeedyCash.com 250 | ||
| Location | Texas Motor Speedway, Fort Worth, Texas | ||
| Course |
Permanent racing facility 1.5 mi (2.4 km) | ||
| Distance | 172 laps, 258 mi (415 km) | ||
| Scheduled Distance | 167 laps, 250 mi (403 km) | ||
| Average speed | 99.390 mph (159.953 km/h) | ||
| Pole position | |||
| Driver | Rev Racing | ||
| Time | 29.109 | ||
| Most laps led | |||
| Driver | Nick Sanchez | Rev Racing | |
| Laps | 168 | ||
| Winner | |||
| No. 42 | Carson Hocevar | Niece Motorsports | |
| Television in the United States | |||
| Network | FS1 | ||
| Announcers | Jamie Little, Phil Parsons, and Michael Waltrip | ||
| Radio in the United States | |||
| Radio | MRN | ||
The race was marred by a wreck on lap 146. Dean Thompson would spin coming off of turn four, and after the caution came out, he would get t-boned by Matt Mills and Trey Hutchens at nearly full speed, causing significant damage to his truck. Thompson was able to climb out of the truck under his own power but required medical assistance shortly after. He was later taken to Baylor Scott & White Medical Center for further evaluation.[2]
Background
editTexas Motor Speedway is a speedway located in the northernmost portion of the U.S. city of Fort Worth, Texas – the portion located in Denton County, Texas. The track measures 1.5 miles (2.4 km) around and is banked 24 degrees in the turns, and is of the oval design, where the front straightaway juts outward slightly. The track layout is similar to Atlanta Motor Speedway and Charlotte Motor Speedway (formerly Lowe's Motor Speedway). The track is owned by Speedway Motorsports, Inc., the same company that owns Atlanta and Charlotte Motor Speedway, as well as the short-track Bristol Motor Speedway.
Entry list
edit- (R) denotes rookie driver.
Practice
editThe first and only practice session was held on Saturday, April 1, at 9:35 AM CST, and would last for 30 minutes.[3] Christian Eckes, driving for McAnally-Hilgemann Racing, would set the fastest time in the session, with a lap of 29.259, and an average speed of 184.559 mph (297.019 km/h).[4]
| Pos. | # | Driver | Team | Make | Time | Speed |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 19 | Christian Eckes | McAnally-Hilgemann Racing | Chevrolet | 29.259 | 184.559 |
| 2 | 98 | Ty Majeski | ThorSport Racing | Ford | 29.301 | 184.294 |
| 3 | 4 | Chase Purdy | Kyle Busch Motorsports | Chevrolet | 29.318 | 184.187 |
| Full practice results | ||||||
Qualifying
editQualifying was held on Saturday, April 1, at 10:05 AM CST.[3] Since Texas Motor Speedway is an intermediate racetrack, 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] Nick Sanchez, driving for Rev Racing, would score the pole for the race, with a lap of 29.109, and an average speed of 185.510 mph (298.549 km/h).[6]
Race results
editPole Sitter Nick Sanchez dominated the racing, sweeping Stages 1 and 2. However the race came to a halt on Lap 146 when Dean Thompson spun off of Turn 4 and hit the wall. Thompson's truck was then T-boned by Matt Mills and hit again by Trey Hutchens. Thompson was able to walk out of his truck under his own power but was ultimately taken to a local hospital for further medical evaluations. The race came under the Red flag as track personnel cleared the track of the wreckage and debris. The race resumed and the end came down to double-overtime. On the second overtime, Sanchez and Zane Smith were side-by-side battling for the lead with Christian Eckes and Carson Hocevar following behind. Just after the white flag waved, Sanchez and Smith made contact with one another which led to Hocevar unintentionally bumping Sanchez from behind. The resulting spin from the bump caused a wreck between Sanchez, Smith and Eckes, which allowed Hocevar to take the lead as the caution flag came out. As a result of the white flag waving before the caution, the race ended with Hocevar winning his first career Truck Series race.
Stage 1 Laps: 77
| Pos. | # | Driver | Team | Make | Pts |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 2 | Nick Sanchez (R) | Rev Racing | Chevrolet | 10 |
| 2 | 99 | Ben Rhodes | ThorSport Racing | Ford | 9 |
| 3 | 19 | Christian Eckes | McAnally-Hilgemann Racing | Chevrolet | 8 |
| 4 | 98 | Ty Majeski | ThorSport Racing | Ford | 7 |
| 5 | 38 | Zane Smith | Front Row Motorsports | Ford | 6 |
| 6 | 5 | Dean Thompson | Tricon Garage | Toyota | 5 |
| 7 | 11 | Corey Heim | Tricon Garage | Toyota | 4 |
| 8 | 4 | Chase Purdy | Kyle Busch Motorsports | Chevrolet | 3 |
| 9 | 52 | Stewart Friesen | Halmar Friesen Racing | Toyota | 2 |
| 10 | 23 | Grant Enfinger | GMS Racing | Chevrolet | 1 |
Stage 2 Laps: 45
| Pos. | # | Driver | Team | Make | Pts |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 2 | Nick Sanchez (R) | Rev Racing | Chevrolet | 10 |
| 2 | 19 | Christian Eckes | McAnally-Hilgemann Racing | Chevrolet | 9 |
| 3 | 99 | Ben Rhodes | ThorSport Racing | Ford | 8 |
| 4 | 5 | Dean Thompson | Tricon Garage | Toyota | 7 |
| 5 | 38 | Zane Smith | Front Row Motorsports | Ford | 6 |
| 6 | 15 | Tanner Gray | Tricon Garage | Toyota | 5 |
| 7 | 11 | Corey Heim | Tricon Garage | Toyota | 4 |
| 8 | 4 | Chase Purdy | Kyle Busch Motorsports | Chevrolet | 3 |
| 9 | 17 | Taylor Gray (R) | Tricon Garage | Toyota | 2 |
| 10 | 88 | Matt Crafton | ThorSport Racing | Ford | 1 |
Stage 3 Laps: 50
| Fin[7] | St | # | Driver | Team | Make | Laps | Led | Status | Pts |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 5 | 42 | Carson Hocevar | Niece Motorsports | Chevrolet | 172 | 1 | Running | 40 |
| 2 | 14 | 4 | Chase Purdy | Kyle Busch Motorsports | Chevrolet | 172 | 0 | Running | 41 |
| 3 | 7 | 52 | Stewart Friesen | Halmar Friesen Racing | Toyota | 172 | 0 | Running | 36 |
| 4 | 3 | 98 | Ty Majeski | ThorSport Racing | Ford | 172 | 0 | Running | 40 |
| 5 | 9 | 35 | Jake Garcia (R) | McAnally-Hilgemann Racing | Chevrolet | 172 | 0 | Running | 32 |
| 6 | 25 | 13 | Hailie Deegan | ThorSport Racing | Ford | 172 | 0 | Running | 31 |
| 7 | 4 | 11 | Corey Heim | Tricon Garage | Toyota | 172 | 0 | Running | 38 |
| 8 | 26 | 30 | Ryan Vargas | On Point Motorsports | Toyota | 172 | 0 | Running | 29 |
| 9 | 2 | 51 | Jack Wood | Kyle Busch Motorsports | Chevrolet | 172 | 0 | Running | 28 |
| 10 | 10 | 99 | Ben Rhodes | ThorSport Racing | Ford | 172 | 1 | Running | 44 |
| 11 | 27 | 33 | Mason Massey | Reaume Brothers Racing | Ford | 172 | 0 | Running | 26 |
| 12 | 23 | 02 | Kris Wright | Young's Motorsports | Chevrolet | 172 | 0 | Running | 25 |
| 13 | 21 | 88 | Matt Crafton | ThorSport Racing | Ford | 172 | 0 | Running | 25 |
| 14 | 18 | 38 | Zane Smith | Front Row Motorsports | Ford | 172 | 0 | Running | 35 |
| 15 | 6 | 19 | Christian Eckes | McAnally-Hilgemann Racing | Chevrolet | 172 | 2 | Running | 39 |
| 16 | 1 | 2 | Nick Sanchez (R) | Rev Racing | Chevrolet | 171 | 168 | Accident | 41 |
| 17 | 13 | 23 | Grant Enfinger | GMS Racing | Chevrolet | 171 | 0 | Running | 21 |
| 18 | 19 | 45 | Lawless Alan | Niece Motorsports | Chevrolet | 170 | 0 | Running | 19 |
| 19 | 15 | 24 | Rajah Caruth (R) | GMS Racing | Chevrolet | 169 | 0 | Running | 18 |
| 20 | 24 | 9 | Colby Howard | CR7 Motorsports | Chevrolet | 169 | 0 | Running | 17 |
| 21 | 29 | 22 | Josh Reaume | AM Racing | Ford | 168 | 0 | Running | 16 |
| 22 | 34 | 12 | Spencer Boyd | Young's Motorsports | Chevrolet | 168 | 0 | Running | 15 |
| 23 | 12 | 32 | Bret Holmes (R) | Bret Holmes Racing | Chevrolet | 167 | 0 | Running | 14 |
| 24 | 17 | 17 | Taylor Gray (R) | Tricon Garage | Toyota | 166 | 0 | Running | 15 |
| 25 | 20 | 43 | Daniel Dye (R) | GMS Racing | Chevrolet | 165 | 0 | Running | 12 |
| 26 | 8 | 16 | Tyler Ankrum | Hattori Racing Enterprises | Toyota | 164 | 0 | Running | 11 |
| 27 | 11 | 15 | Tanner Gray | Tricon Garage | Toyota | 161 | 0 | Accident | 15 |
| 28 | 16 | 5 | Dean Thompson | Tricon Garage | Toyota | 143 | 0 | Accident | 21 |
| 29 | 32 | 46 | Armani Williams | G2G Racing | Toyota | 140 | 0 | Accident | 8 |
| 30 | 30 | 14 | Trey Hutchens | Trey Hutchens Racing | Chevrolet | 137 | 0 | Accident | 7 |
| 31 | 28 | 20 | Matt Mills | Young's Motorsports | Chevrolet | 134 | 0 | Accident | 6 |
| 32 | 33 | 25 | Matt DiBenedetto | Rackley WAR | Chevrolet | 122 | 0 | Vibration | 5 |
| 33 | 31 | 34 | Keith McGee | Reaume Brothers Racing | Ford | 39 | 0 | Vibration | 4 |
| 34 | 22 | 41 | Chad Chastain | Niece Motorsports | Chevrolet | 17 | 0 | Accident | 3 |
| Official race results | |||||||||
Standings after the race
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References
edit- ^ Skala, Chris (April 1, 2023). "Carson Hocevar Scores 1st Career Win at Texas, Leaders Wreck in Overtime". Frontstretch. Retrieved April 1, 2023.
- ^ Srigley, Joseph (April 1, 2023). "Dean Thompson Transported to Local Hospital for Further Evaluation After Vicious Crash at Texas". TobyChristie.com. Retrieved April 1, 2023.
- ^ a b "2023 NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series COTA Race Page". Jayski's NASCAR Silly Season Site. Retrieved March 27, 2023.
- ^ "Practice Results: NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series SpeedyCash 250 at Texas". TobyChristie.com. April 1, 2023. Retrieved April 1, 2023.
- ^ "2023 NASCAR Qualifying Procedures". Jayski's NASCAR Silly Season Site. Retrieved March 27, 2023.
- ^ Tomlinson, Joy (April 1, 2023). "Nick Sanchez Wins Truck Pole at Texas". Frontstretch. Retrieved April 1, 2023.
- ^ "2023 SpeedyCash.com 250 - Racing Reference". Racing-Reference.info. Retrieved April 1, 2023.