The 2023 Craftsman 150 was the 23rd and final stock car race of the 2023 NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series, the Championship 4 race, and the 29th iteration of the event. The first stages of the race were held on Friday, November 3, 2023, and the final stages were held on Saturday, November 4. The race was held in Avondale, Arizona at Phoenix Raceway, a 1 mile (1.6 km) permanent tri-oval shaped racetrack. The race was originally scheduled to be contested over 150 laps, but was extended to 179 laps, due to numerous NASCAR overtime restarts. In one of the wildest and wreck-filled Truck Series races in history, Christian Eckes, driving for McAnally-Hilgemann Racing, would survive four overtime restart attempts, and held off the field to earn his fifth career NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series win, and his fourth of the season.[1] Championship driver Corey Heim would dominate the early stages of the race, leading 47 laps until getting spun by Carson Hocevar with 30 laps to go.[2] To fill out the podium, Jake Garcia, driving for McAnally-Hilgemann Racing, and Chase Purdy, driving for Kyle Busch Motorsports, would finish 2nd and 3rd, respectively.

2023 Craftsman 150
Race details
Race 23 of 23 of the 2023 NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series
Date November 3–4, 2023
Official name 29th Annual Craftsman 150
Location Phoenix Raceway, Avondale, Arizona
Course Permanent racing facility
1 mi (1.6 km)
Distance 179 laps, 179 mi (288 km)
Scheduled Distance 150 laps, 150 mi (241 km)
Average speed 72.797 mph (117.155 km/h)
Pole position
Driver Tricon Garage
Time 26.344
Most laps led
Driver Ty Majeski ThorSport Racing
Laps 48
Winner
No. 19 Christian Eckes McAnally-Hilgemann Racing
Television in the United States
Network FS1
Announcers Jamie Little, Phil Parsons, and Michael Waltrip
Radio in the United States
Radio MRN

Meanwhile, ThorSport Racing driver Ben Rhodes, who finished in fifth, would claim the 2023 NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series championship, finishing in just one position ahead of Grant Enfinger. He would become the fifth driver to win repeat championships in the Truck Series.[3]

The race would be heavily criticized by the fans and drivers, specifically the final 50 laps. Fans had noted that drivers had no respect on the track, which contributed to the amount of wrecks and overtime restarts in the final laps. They would also criticize the way NASCAR had handled the event, as the race would end up finishing around 1 AM EST, one of the latest that a NASCAR race has finished. With a race time of 2 hours, 27 minutes, and 32 seconds, it is also one of the longest Truck Series races in history.[4] Corey Heim would be deducted 25 points (drivers only) and fined $12,500 for the title deciding collision against Carson Hocevar during the race.[5]

Background

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Phoenix Raceway – also known as PIR – is a one-mile, low-banked tri-oval race track located in Avondale, Arizona. It is named after the nearby metropolitan area of Phoenix. The motorsport track opened in 1964 and currently hosts two NASCAR race weekends annually. PIR has also hosted the IndyCar Series, CART, USAC and the Rolex Sports Car Series. The raceway is currently owned and operated by International Speedway Corporation.

The raceway was originally constructed with a 2.5 mi (4.0 km) road course that ran both inside and outside of the main tri-oval. In 1991 the track was reconfigured with the current 1.51 mi (2.43 km) interior layout. PIR has an estimated grandstand seating capacity of around 67,000. Lights were installed around the track in 2004 following the addition of a second annual NASCAR race weekend.

Phoenix Raceway is home to two annual NASCAR race weekends, one of 13 facilities on the NASCAR schedule to host more than one race weekend a year. The track is both the first and last stop in the western United States, as well as the fourth and the last track on the schedule.

Championship drivers

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Entry list

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  • (R) denotes rookie driver.
  • (CC) denotes championship contender.
# Driver Team Make Sponsor
1 Jesse Love Tricon Garage Toyota HomeSmiles
02 Kaden Honeycutt Young's Motorsports Chevrolet RANDCO Industries
2 Nick Sanchez (R) Rev Racing Chevrolet Gainbridge
04 Spencer Davis Roper Racing Chevrolet Fly Alliance, Carquest
4 Chase Purdy Kyle Busch Motorsports Chevrolet Bama Buggies
5 Dean Thompson Tricon Garage Toyota Thompson Pipe Group
7 Marco Andretti Spire Motorsports Chevrolet Gainbridge
9 Colby Howard CR7 Motorsports Chevrolet Grant County Mulch
11 Corey Heim (CC) Tricon Garage Toyota Safelite
12 Spencer Boyd Young's Motorsports Chevrolet King of the Hammers
13 Hailie Deegan ThorSport Racing Ford Pit Boss Grills
15 Tanner Gray Tricon Garage Toyota Cometic, Factory Canopies
16 Tyler Ankrum Hattori Racing Enterprises Toyota LiUNA!
17 Taylor Gray (R) Tricon Garage Toyota Dead On Tools
19 Christian Eckes McAnally-Hilgemann Racing Chevrolet NAPA Auto Care
20 Nick Leitz Young's Motorsports Chevrolet Precision Measurements
22 Christian Rose AM Racing Ford Disability Opportunity Fund
23 Grant Enfinger (CC) GMS Racing Chevrolet Champion Power Equipment
24 Rajah Caruth (R) GMS Racing Chevrolet Wendell Scott Foundation
25 Stefan Parsons Rackley WAR Chevrolet Rackley Roofing, Millennium
30 Chris Hacker On Point Motorsports Toyota On Point Motorsports
33 Keith McGee Reaume Brothers Racing Ford More Core
35 Jake Garcia (R) McAnally-Hilgemann Racing Chevrolet Quanta Services
38 Zane Smith Front Row Motorsports Ford Speedco, Delo
41 Bayley Currey Niece Motorsports Chevrolet GlobalTranz
42 Carson Hocevar (CC) Niece Motorsports Chevrolet Worldwide Express
43 Daniel Dye (R) GMS Racing Chevrolet GMS Racing
45 Lawless Alan Niece Motorsports Chevrolet AUTOParkIt
51 Jack Wood Kyle Busch Motorsports Chevrolet Rubbin' is Racing
52 Stewart Friesen Halmar Friesen Racing Toyota Halmar International
56 Tyler Hill Hill Motorsports Toyota Consolidation Coach, UNITS
61 Jake Drew Hattori Racing Enterprises Toyota Cyclum Truck Stops
66 Conner Jones ThorSport Racing Ford Lung Cancer Awareness
75 Sean Hingorani Henderson Motorsports Chevrolet Fidelity Capital
77 Derek Kraus Spire Motorsports Chevrolet Western States Flooring
88 Matt Crafton ThorSport Racing Ford Ideal Door, Menards
98 Ty Majeski ThorSport Racing Ford Farm Paint, Curb Records
99 Ben Rhodes (CC) ThorSport Racing Ford Kubota
Official entry list

Practice

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The first and only practice session was held on Thursday, November 2, at 5:00 PM MST, and would last for 50 minutes.[6] Nick Sanchez, driving for Rev Racing, would set the fastest time in the session, with a lap of 26.678, and an average speed of 134.943 mph (217.170 km/h).[7]

Pos. # Driver Team Make Time Speed
1 2 Nick Sanchez (R) Rev Racing Chevrolet 26.678 134.943
2 11 Corey Heim (CC) Tricon Garage Toyota 26.757 134.544
3 98 Ty Majeski ThorSport Racing Ford 26.803 134.313
Full practice results

Qualifying

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Qualifying was held on Friday, November 3, at 3:05 PM MST.[6] Since Phoenix Raceway 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.[8] Corey Heim, driving for Tricon Garage, would score the pole for the race, with a lap of 26.344, and an average speed of 136.654 mph (219.923 km/h).[9]

Pos.[10] # Driver Team Make Time Speed
1 11 Corey Heim (CC) Tricon Garage Toyota 26.344 136.654
2 98 Ty Majeski ThorSport Racing Ford 26.360 136.571
3 2 Nick Sanchez (R) Rev Racing Chevrolet 26.390 136.415
4 38 Zane Smith Front Row Motorsports Ford 26.432 136.199
5 4 Chase Purdy Kyle Busch Motorsports Chevrolet 26.484 135.931
6 99 Ben Rhodes (CC) ThorSport Racing Ford 26.505 135.823
7 51 Jack Wood Kyle Busch Motorsports Chevrolet 26.542 135.634
8 19 Christian Eckes McAnally-Hilgemann Racing Chevrolet 26.548 135.603
9 24 Rajah Caruth (R) GMS Racing Chevrolet 26.550 135.593
10 1 Jesse Love Tricon Garage Toyota 26.558 135.552
11 41 Bayley Currey Niece Motorsports Chevrolet 26.605 135.313
12 17 Taylor Gray (R) Tricon Garage Toyota 26.607 135.303
13 42 Carson Hocevar (CC) Niece Motorsports Chevrolet 26.631 135.181
14 35 Jake Garcia (R) McAnally-Hilgemann Racing Chevrolet 26.650 135.084
15 5 Dean Thompson Tricon Garage Toyota 26.728 134.690
16 77 Derek Kraus Spire Motorsports Chevrolet 26.762 134.519
17 23 Grant Enfinger (CC) GMS Racing Chevrolet 26.764 134.509
18 61 Jake Drew Hattori Racing Enterprises Toyota 26.787 134.394
19 16 Tyler Ankrum Hattori Racing Enterprises Toyota 26.790 134.378
20 52 Stewart Friesen Halmar Friesen Racing Toyota 26.802 134.318
21 75 Sean Hingorani Henderson Motorsports Chevrolet 26.807 134.293
22 43 Daniel Dye (R) GMS Racing Chevrolet 26.813 134.263
23 13 Hailie Deegan ThorSport Racing Ford 26.869 133.983
24 25 Stefan Parsons Rackley WAR Chevrolet 26.871 133.973
25 15 Tanner Gray Tricon Garage Toyota 26.897 133.844
26 9 Colby Howard CR7 Motorsports Chevrolet 26.900 133.829
27 02 Kaden Honeycutt Young's Motorsports Chevrolet 26.934 133.660
28 88 Matt Crafton ThorSport Racing Ford 26.938 133.640
29 66 Conner Jones ThorSport Racing Ford 27.057 133.052
30 30 Chris Hacker On Point Motorsports Toyota 27.158 132.558
31 45 Lawless Alan Niece Motorsports Chevrolet 27.178 132.460
Qualified by owner's points
32 22 Christian Rose AM Racing Ford 27.231 132.202
33 7 Marco Andretti Spire Motorsports Chevrolet 27.323 131.757
34 04 Spencer Davis Roper Racing Chevrolet 27.474 131.033
35 20 Nick Leitz Young's Motorsports Chevrolet 27.627 130.307
36 56 Tyler Hill Hill Motorsports Toyota 27.707 129.931
Failed to qualify
37 12 Spencer Boyd Young's Motorsports Chevrolet 27.735 129.800
38 33 Keith McGee Reaume Brothers Racing Ford 27.947 128.815
Official qualifying results
Official starting lineup

Race results

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Stage 1 Laps: 45

Pos. # Driver Team Make Pts
1 98 Ty Majeski ThorSport Racing Ford 10
2 11 Corey Heim (CC) Tricon Garage Toyota 9
3 38 Zane Smith Front Row Motorsports Ford 8
4 99 Ben Rhodes (CC) ThorSport Racing Ford 7
5 2 Nick Sanchez (R) Rev Racing Chevrolet 6
6 4 Chase Purdy Kyle Busch Motorsports Chevrolet 5
7 19 Christian Eckes McAnally-Hilgemann Racing Chevrolet 4
8 42 Carson Hocevar (CC) Niece Motorsports Chevrolet 3
9 23 Grant Enfinger (CC) GMS Racing Chevrolet 2
10 17 Taylor Gray (R) Tricon Garage Toyota 1

Stage 2 Laps: 45

Pos. # Driver Team Make Pts
1 11 Corey Heim (CC) Tricon Garage Toyota 10
2 38 Zane Smith Front Row Motorsports Ford 9
3 98 Ty Majeski ThorSport Racing Ford 8
4 19 Christian Eckes McAnally-Hilgemann Racing Chevrolet 7
5 17 Taylor Gray (R) Tricon Garage Toyota 6
6 99 Ben Rhodes (CC) ThorSport Racing Ford 5
7 4 Chase Purdy Kyle Busch Motorsports Chevrolet 4
8 23 Grant Enfinger (CC) GMS Racing Chevrolet 3
9 35 Jake Garcia (R) McAnally-Hilgemann Racing Chevrolet 2
10 42 Carson Hocevar (CC) Niece Motorsports Chevrolet 1

Stage 3 Laps: 89

Fin[11] St # Driver Team Make Laps Led Status Pts
1 8 19 Christian Eckes McAnally-Hilgemann Racing Chevrolet 179 36 Running 51
2 14 35 Jake Garcia (R) McAnally-Hilgemann Racing Chevrolet 179 0 Running 37
3 5 4 Chase Purdy Kyle Busch Motorsports Chevrolet 179 8 Running 43
4 10 1 Jesse Love Tricon Garage Toyota 179 0 Running 33
5 6 99 Ben Rhodes (CC) ThorSport Racing Ford 179 0 Running 32
6 17 23 Grant Enfinger (CC) GMS Racing Chevrolet 179 0 Running 31
7 15 5 Dean Thompson Tricon Garage Toyota 179 0 Running 30
8 27 02 Kaden Honeycutt Young's Motorsports Chevrolet 179 0 Running 29
9 25 15 Tanner Gray Tricon Garage Toyota 179 0 Running 28
10 3 2 Nick Sanchez (R) Rev Racing Chevrolet 179 5 Running 33
11 28 88 Matt Crafton ThorSport Racing Ford 179 0 Running 26
12 9 24 Rajah Caruth (R) GMS Racing Chevrolet 179 0 Running 25
13 31 45 Lawless Alan Niece Motorsports Chevrolet 179 0 Running 24
14 2 98 Ty Majeski ThorSport Racing Ford 179 48 Running 41
15 23 13 Hailie Deegan ThorSport Racing Ford 179 0 Running 22
16 32 22 Christian Rose AM Racing Ford 179 0 Running 21
17 34 04 Spencer Davis Roper Racing Chevrolet 179 0 Running 20
18 1 11 Corey Heim (CC) Tricon Garage Toyota 179 47 Running 19
19 35 20 Nick Leitz Young's Motorsports Chevrolet 179 0 Running 18
20 36 56 Tyler Hill Hill Motorsports Toyota 179 0 Running 17
21 26 9 Colby Howard CR7 Motorsports Chevrolet 179 0 Running 16
22 19 16 Tyler Ankrum Hattori Racing Enterprises Toyota 178 0 Running 15
23 12 17 Taylor Gray (R) Tricon Garage Toyota 177 0 Running 21
24 20 52 Stewart Friesen Halmar Friesen Racing Toyota 175 0 Running 13
25 4 38 Zane Smith Front Row Motorsports Ford 172 35 Accident 29
26 21 75 Sean Hingorani Henderson Motorsports Chevrolet 167 0 Accident 11
27 7 51 Jack Wood Kyle Busch Motorsports Chevrolet 162 0 Accident 10
28 16 77 Derek Kraus Spire Motorsports Chevrolet 156 0 Accident 9
29 13 42 Carson Hocevar (CC) Niece Motorsports Chevrolet 146 0 Accident 8
30 24 25 Stefan Parsons Rackley WAR Chevrolet 128 0 Accident 7
31 11 41 Bayley Currey Niece Motorsports Chevrolet 128 0 Accident 6
32 22 43 Daniel Dye (R) GMS Racing Chevrolet 128 0 Accident 5
33 18 61 Jake Drew Hattori Racing Enterprises Toyota 100 0 Accident 4
34 29 66 Conner Jones ThorSport Racing Ford 100 0 Accident 3
35 33 7 Marco Andretti Spire Motorsports Chevrolet 54 0 Accident 2
36 30 30 Chris Hacker On Point Motorsports Toyota 53 0 Accident 1
Official race results

Standings after the race

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References

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  1. ^ "Christian Eckes wins thrilling CRAFTSMAN Truck race at Phoenix, Ben Rhodes banks second career championship". Jayski's Silly Season Site. NASCAR Digital Media, LLC. November 4, 2023. Retrieved November 4, 2023.
  2. ^ Bowles, Tom (November 4, 2023). "Carson Hocevar, Corey Heim & a Grudge Match That Ruined the NASCAR Truck Championship". Frontstretch. Retrieved November 4, 2023.
  3. ^ Srigley, Joseph (November 4, 2023). "Christian Eckes Wins Phoenix in Quadruple Overtime; Ben Rhodes Captures Second Title". TobyChristie.com. Retrieved November 4, 2023.
  4. ^ Christie, Toby (November 4, 2023). "CHRISTIE: Spastic NASCAR Truck Series Championship Race Embarrassing to Industry". TobyChristie.com. Retrieved November 4, 2023.
  5. ^ Taranto, Steven (November 8, 2023). "NASCAR penalizes Corey Heim for intentionally wrecking Carson Hocevar in Truck Series Championship Race". CBS Sports. CBS. Retrieved November 12, 2023.
  6. ^ a b "2023 NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series Phoenix Race Page". Jayski's NASCAR Silly Season Site. Retrieved October 30, 2023.
  7. ^ "Practice Results: NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series Championship Race at Phoenix". TobyChristie.com. November 2, 2023. Retrieved November 2, 2023.
  8. ^ "2023 NASCAR Qualifying Procedures". Jayski's NASCAR Silly Season Site. Retrieved October 30, 2023.
  9. ^ Kornhoff, Taylor (November 3, 2023). "Corey Heim Wins Pole for Phoenix Championship Race". Frontstretch. Retrieved November 3, 2023.
  10. ^ "Qualifying Results: NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series Championship Race at Phoenix". TobyChristie.com. November 3, 2023. Retrieved November 3, 2023.
  11. ^ "2023 CRAFTSMAN 150 - Racing Reference". Racing-Reference.info. Retrieved November 4, 2023.


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