The 2023 Ambetter Health 200 was the 18th stock car race of the 2023 NASCAR Xfinity Series, and the 29th iteration of the event. The race was held on Saturday, July 15, 2023, in Loudon, New Hampshire at New Hampshire Motor Speedway, a 1.058 miles (1.703 km) permanent oval shaped racetrack. The race was originally scheduled to be contested over 200 laps, but was extended to 206 laps due to a NASCAR overtime finish. John Hunter Nemechek, driving for Joe Gibbs Racing, would put on a dominating performance, leading a race-high 137 laps, and winning the race after leading when the caution came out on the final lap. This was Nemechek's sixth career NASCAR Xfinity Series win, and his fourth of the season.[1] To fill out the podium, Chandler Smith, driving for Kaulig Racing, and Austin Hill, driving for Richard Childress Racing, would finish 2nd and 3rd, respectively.
| Race details | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Race 18 of 33 of the 2023 NASCAR Xfinity Series | |||
 | |||
| Date | July 15, 2023 | ||
| Official name | 29th Annual Ambetter Health 200 | ||
| Location | New Hampshire Motor Speedway, Loudon, New Hampshire | ||
| Course |
Permanent racing facility 1.058 mi (1.703 km) | ||
| Distance | 206 laps, 218 mi (350 km) | ||
| Scheduled Distance | 200 laps, 211 mi (340 km) | ||
| Average speed | 82.417 mph (132.637 km/h) | ||
| Pole position | |||
| Driver | Kaulig Racing | ||
| Time | 30.159 | ||
| Most laps led | |||
| Driver | John Hunter Nemechek | Joe Gibbs Racing | |
| Laps | 137 | ||
| Winner | |||
| No. 20 | John Hunter Nemechek | Joe Gibbs Racing | |
| Television in the United States | |||
| Network | USA | ||
| Announcers | Rick Allen, Jeff Burton and Steve Letarte | ||
| Radio in the United States | |||
| Radio | PRN | ||
Background
editNew Hampshire Motor Speedway is a 1.058-mile (1.703 km) oval speedway located in Loudon, New Hampshire, which America, the Loudon Classic. Nicknamed "The Magic Mile", the speedway is often converted into a 1.6-mile (2.6 km) road has hosted NASCAR racing annually since the early 1990s, as well as the longest-running motorcycle race in North course, which includes much of the oval.
The track was originally the site of Bryar Motorsports Park before being purchased and redeveloped by Bob Bahre. The track is currently one of eight major NASCAR tracks owned and operated by Speedway Motorsports.
Entry list
edit- (R) denotes rookie driver.
- (i) denotes driver who is ineligible for series driver points.
Practice
editThe first and only practice session was held on Friday, July 14, at 5:05 PM EST, and would last for 20 minutes.[2] Sammy Smith, driving for Joe Gibbs Racing, would set the fastest time in the session, with a lap of 30.834, and an average speed of 123.526 mph (198.796 km/h).[3]
| Pos. | # | Driver | Team | Make | Time | Speed |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 18 | Sammy Smith (R) | Joe Gibbs Racing | Toyota | 30.834 | 123.526 |
| 2 | 00 | Cole Custer | Stewart-Haas Racing | Ford | 30.879 | 123.346 |
| 3 | 19 | Joe Graf Jr. | Joe Gibbs Racing | Toyota | 30.895 | 123.282 |
| Full practice results | ||||||
Qualifying
editQualifying was held on Friday, July 14, at 5:35 PM EST.[2] Since New Hampshire Motor Speedway is a mile oval, 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] Chandler Smith, driving for Kaulig Racing, would score the pole for the race, with a lap of 30.159, and an average speed of 126.291 mph (203.246 km/h).[5]
Race results
editStage 1 Laps: 45
| Pos. | # | Driver | Team | Make | Pts |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 7 | Justin Allgaier | JR Motorsports | Chevrolet | 10 |
| 2 | 20 | John Hunter Nemechek | Joe Gibbs Racing | Toyota | 9 |
| 3 | 00 | Cole Custer | Stewart-Haas Racing | Ford | 8 |
| 4 | 16 | Chandler Smith (R) | Kaulig Racing | Chevrolet | 7 |
| 5 | 8 | Josh Berry | JR Motorsports | Chevrolet | 6 |
| 6 | 9 | Brandon Jones | JR Motorsports | Chevrolet | 5 |
| 7 | 10 | Austin Dillon (i) | Kaulig Racing | Chevrolet | 0 |
| 8 | 1 | Sam Mayer | JR Motorsports | Chevrolet | 3 |
| 9 | 11 | Daniel Hemric | Kaulig Racing | Chevrolet | 2 |
| 10 | 21 | Austin Hill | Richard Childress Racing | Chevrolet | 1 |
Stage 2 Laps: 45
| Pos. | # | Driver | Team | Make | Pts |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 18 | Sammy Smith (R) | Joe Gibbs Racing | Toyota | 10 |
| 2 | 31 | Parker Retzlaff (R) | Jordan Anderson Racing | Chevrolet | 9 |
| 3 | 2 | Sheldon Creed | Richard Childress Racing | Chevrolet | 8 |
| 4 | 9 | Brandon Jones | JR Motorsports | Chevrolet | 7 |
| 5 | 92 | Josh Williams | DGM Racing | Chevrolet | 6 |
| 6 | 7 | Justin Allgaier | JR Motorsports | Chevrolet | 5 |
| 7 | 19 | Joe Graf Jr. | Joe Gibbs Racing | Toyota | 4 |
| 8 | 20 | John Hunter Nemechek | Joe Gibbs Racing | Toyota | 3 |
| 9 | 10 | Austin Dillon (i) | Kaulig Racing | Chevrolet | 0 |
| 10 | 16 | Chandler Smith (R) | Kaulig Racing | Chevrolet | 1 |
Stage 3 Laps: 116
| Pos.[6] | St | # | Driver | Team | Make | Laps | Led | Status | Pts |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 2 | 20 | John Hunter Nemechek | Joe Gibbs Racing | Toyota | 206 | 137 | Running | 52 |
| 2 | 1 | 16 | Chandler Smith (R) | Kaulig Racing | Chevrolet | 206 | 10 | Running | 43 |
| 3 | 8 | 21 | Austin Hill | Richard Childress Racing | Chevrolet | 206 | 0 | Running | 35 |
| 4 | 11 | 11 | Daniel Hemric | Kaulig Racing | Chevrolet | 206 | 0 | Running | 35 |
| 5 | 7 | 18 | Sammy Smith (R) | Joe Gibbs Racing | Toyota | 206 | 18 | Running | 42 |
| 6 | 4 | 7 | Justin Allgaier | JR Motorsports | Chevrolet | 206 | 27 | Running | 46 |
| 7 | 20 | 27 | Jeb Burton | Jordan Anderson Racing | Chevrolet | 206 | 0 | Running | 30 |
| 8 | 22 | 92 | Josh Williams | DGM Racing | Chevrolet | 206 | 0 | Running | 35 |
| 9 | 12 | 25 | Brett Moffitt | AM Racing | Ford | 206 | 0 | Running | 28 |
| 10 | 33 | 08 | Mason Massey | SS-Green Light Racing | Ford | 206 | 0 | Running | 27 |
| 11 | 5 | 9 | Brandon Jones | JR Motorsports | Chevrolet | 206 | 0 | Running | 38 |
| 12 | 21 | 91 | Alex Labbé | DGM Racing | Chevrolet | 206 | 0 | Running | 25 |
| 13 | 38 | 26 | Kaz Grala | Sam Hunt Racing | Toyota | 206 | 0 | Running | 24 |
| 14 | 28 | 35 | Patrick Emerling | Emerling-Gase Motorsports | Chevrolet | 206 | 0 | Running | 23 |
| 15 | 16 | 51 | Jeremy Clements | Jeremy Clements Racing | Chevrolet | 206 | 0 | Running | 22 |
| 16 | 9 | 10 | Austin Dillon (i) | Kaulig Racing | Chevrolet | 206 | 4 | Running | 0 |
| 17 | 3 | 8 | Josh Berry | JR Motorsports | Chevrolet | 206 | 0 | Running | 26 |
| 18 | 10 | 1 | Sam Mayer | JR Motorsports | Chevrolet | 206 | 0 | Running | 22 |
| 19 | 29 | 43 | Ryan Ellis | Alpha Prime Racing | Chevrolet | 206 | 0 | Running | 18 |
| 20 | 14 | 98 | Riley Herbst | Stewart-Haas Racing | Ford | 206 | 0 | Running | 17 |
| 21 | 17 | 2 | Sheldon Creed | Richard Childress Racing | Chevrolet | 205 | 0 | Running | 24 |
| 22 | 6 | 00 | Cole Custer | Stewart-Haas Racing | Ford | 205 | 0 | Running | 23 |
| 23 | 26 | 28 | Kyle Sieg | RSS Racing | Ford | 205 | 0 | Running | 14 |
| 24 | 24 | 6 | Brennan Poole | JD Motorsports | Chevrolet | 204 | 0 | Running | 13 |
| 25 | 32 | 02 | Blaine Perkins (R) | Our Motorsports | Chevrolet | 203 | 0 | Running | 12 |
| 26 | 25 | 24 | Connor Mosack (R) | Sam Hunt Racing | Toyota | 203 | 0 | Running | 11 |
| 27 | 23 | 4 | Kyle Weatherman | JD Motorsports | Chevrolet | 202 | 0 | Running | 10 |
| 28 | 35 | 53 | C. J. McLaughlin | Emerling-Gase Motorsports | Chevrolet | 201 | 0 | Running | 9 |
| 29 | 19 | 19 | Joe Graf Jr. | Joe Gibbs Racing | Toyota | 196 | 8 | Accident | 12 |
| 30 | 31 | 38 | Chris Hacker (i) | RSS Racing | Ford | 195 | 0 | Running | 0 |
| 31 | 13 | 31 | Parker Retzlaff (R) | Jordan Anderson Racing | Chevrolet | 190 | 2 | Accident | 15 |
| 32 | 15 | 48 | Parker Kligerman | Big Machine Racing | Chevrolet | 70 | 0 | Accident | 5 |
| 33 | 37 | 39 | Ryan Sieg | RSS Racing | Ford | 70 | 0 | Accident | 4 |
| 34 | 18 | 78 | Anthony Alfredo | B. J. McLeod Motorsports | Chevrolet | 70 | 0 | Accident | 3 |
| 35 | 34 | 66 | Chad Finchum | MBM Motorsports | Ford | 60 | 0 | Suspension | 2 |
| 36 | 30 | 07 | Stefan Parsons | SS-Green Light Racing | Chevrolet | 48 | 0 | Suspension | 1 |
| 37 | 27 | 44 | Rajah Caruth (i) | Alpha Prime Racing | Chevrolet | 47 | 0 | Oil Line | 0 |
| 38 | 36 | 45 | Greg Van Alst | Alpha Prime Racing | Chevrolet | 17 | 0 | Brakes | 1 |
| Official race results | |||||||||
Standings after the race
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References
edit- ^ Skala, Chris (July 15, 2023). "John Hunter Nemechek Dominates New Hampshire, Scores 4th Xfinity Win". Frontstretch. Retrieved July 15, 2023.
- ^ a b "2023 NASCAR Xfinity Series New Hampshire Motor Speedway Race Page". Jayski's NASCAR Silly Season Site. Retrieved July 10, 2023.
- ^ "Practice Results: NASCAR Xfinity Series Ambetter Health 200 at New Hampshire". TobyChristie.com. July 14, 2023. Retrieved July 14, 2023.
- ^ "2023 NASCAR Qualifying Procedures". Jayski's NASCAR Silly Season Site. Retrieved July 10, 2023.
- ^ Watson, Wyatt (July 14, 2023). "Chandler Smith on Pole for Xfinity Race at New Hampshire". Frontstretch. Retrieved July 14, 2023.
- ^ "2023 Ambetter Health 200 - Racing Reference". Racing-Reference.info. Retrieved July 15, 2023.