XFINITY Series Darlington Raceway

NASCAR XFINITY Series

Entry List

Shriners Children's 200

Saturday, May 13th, 2023

Darlington Raceway, Darlington, SC

  • 5 Toyota
  • 27 Chevrolet
  • 9 Ford

  • Darlington Raceway
  • Shriners Children's 200
  • Pole Winner: John Hunter Nemechek
  • Age: 25
  • Team : No. 20 - Pye Barker Fire & Safety Toyota
  • Owner: Joe Gibbs
  • Crew Chief: Ben Beshore
  • John Hunter Nemechek won the Pole Award for the Shriners Children's 200 with a lap of 29.613 seconds, 166.062 mph.
  • This is his second pole in 78 NASCAR Xfinity Series races.
  • This is his first pole and 10th top-10 start in 2023.
  • This is his first pole in four races at Darlington Raceway.
  • Ryan Truex (second) posted his second top-10 start of 2023 and his first in four races at Darlington Raceway.
  • Kyle Larson (third) posted his fourth top-10 start at Darlington Raceway. It is his first in one race this season.
  • Chandler Smith (sixth) was the fastest qualifying rookie.

  • Saturday, May 13th, 2023
  • NASCAR Wire Service - Reid Spencer
Kyle Larson wins intense battle in NASCAR Xfinity race at Darlington

In a fitting end to a true Darlington slugfest, Kyle Larson won Saturday's Shriners Children's 200 after bouncing off the wall at the Turn 4 exit and knocking John Hunter Nemechek into the inside SAFER barrier 100 yards short of the finish line.

With the help of two opportune cautions, Larson recovered from a speeding penalty that sent him to the rear of the field for the start of the final stage.

Restarting behind race winner Nemechek for the final green-flag run with seven laps left, Larson stalked the No. 20 Toyota and charged into the lead on the final lap, as the top two cars made side-to-side contact on at least three occasions during the run to the checkers.

"We had a really, really good car the whole race, and I made a mistake on pit road," said Larson, who was driving the No. 10 Chevrolet for Kaulig Racing. "I knew we were going to have time to get to the front if we had a caution.

"We were picking off cars really fast and had some lane selections work out for me… We were just bouncing off each other a little bit. I don't know what happened in (Turn) 3. It seemed like he (Nemechek) tried to get behind me to shove me into the corner.

"It kind of hooked me right, and I hit the wall, and I was trying to stay away from him and get off of (Turn) 4. What an exciting race there."

The victory was Larson's first of the season in the NASCAR Xfinity Series and his first at Darlington in any of NASCAR's top three divisions. It was Larson's 14th career Xfinity win in his only start so far this year.

Nemechek, who beat Larson in a photo finish to win Stage 2, had to settle for fifth after the last-lap crash. Justin Allgaier claimed the runner-up spot, followed by Cole Custer, who pitted for fresh tires on Lap 137 and charged forward from 16th after the final restart on Lap 141. Austin Hill was fourth in a damaged car.

"Had a really fast race car and battling with one of the best in the sport in my opinion, Kyle Larson," said Nemechek, who led 57 laps to Larson's 46. "It was a really great day…

"Just disappointed a little bit from the standpoint of how that ended up there. Overall, we gave it a shot and still had a shot to win off of Turn 4. Fast car, top-five to show for it, when it probably should have been Victory Lane or second."

Larson paced the field when Sheldon Creed washed up the track and pinched Nemechek's Toyota against the wall on Lap 67. Trying to avoid the wreck, Sam Mayer steered his Chevrolet down the track into the Camaro of Hill, who slid sideways into the path of Brandon Jones. The driver of the No. 9 JR Motorsports Chevrolet couldn't avoid terminal damage.

Behind Jones and Hill, the cars of Ryan Truex and Chandler Smith spun in tandem, with the crush panels cascading out of the driver's side of Smith's No. 16 Chevrolet.

All told, 11 cars sustained damage in the wreck, and four others merely spun and continued. Jones, Chandler Smith and Truex fell out of the race.

Unlike Friday night's NASCAR CRAFTSMAN Truck Series race, which ran without cautions for racing incidents during the first two stages, action in the Xfinity Series event started early and ultimately resulted in 10 cautions for 51 laps.

On Lap 4, Sammy Smith spun in Turn 2 while running beneath the No. 98 Ford of Riley Herbst, causing the first caution. After the subsequent restart on Lap 8, Smith slipped sideways, making slight contact with Justin Allgaier's No. 7 Chevrolet.

And on Lap 12, Herbst pancaked the right side of his Mustang against the outside wall and came to pit road for an unscheduled stop, losing two laps in the process.

Nineteen laps later, Herbst slammed the wall between Turns 1 and 2 and exited the race in last place with irreparable damage.

Jeb Burton spun on Lap 39 to cause the second caution. After pit stops, Larson won the first stage six laps later, beating pole winner Nemechek to the green/checkered flag.

The second stage contained its own share of action. Parker Retzlaff spun off Turn 4 across traffic to cause the fourth caution. Lap 60 brought two separate incidents that saw the front right quarter panels ripped off the cars of Sage Karam and Anthony Alfredo.

Seven laps later came the Talladega-sized "Big One" that destroyed the winning chances of more than a handful of contending cars.

  • Drivers Entered: 41 (3 drivers will not make the race)
  • Laps Scheduled: 147
  • Margin of Victory: 01.337 Seconds
  • Time of Race: 2 Hours 11 Minutes 4 Seconds
  • Average Speed: 91.924
  • Cautions: 10 for 51 laps
  • Lead Changes: 18
  • Green Flag Passes: 1,086 (11.3 passes per green flag lap)

  • Darlington Raceway
  • Shriners Children?s 200
  • Race Winner: Kyle Larson
  • Age: 30
  • Team : No. 10 - HendrickCars.com Chevrolet
  • Owner: Matthew Kaulig
  • Crew Chief: Alex Yontz
  • Kyle Larson won the Shriners Children?s 200, his 14th victory in 112 Xfinity Series races.
  • This is his first victory and first top-10 finish in 2023.
  • This is his first victory and sixth top-10 finish in six races at Darlington Raceway.
  • Justin Allgaier (second) posted his 12th top-10 finish in 16 races at Darlington Raceway. It is his seventh top-10 finish in 2023.
  • Cole Custer (third) posted his fourth top-10 finish in four races at Darlington Raceway.
  • Sammy Smith (11th) was the highest finishing rookie.
  • John Hunter Nemechek leads the point standings by 1 points over Austin Hill.
Noah Gragson celebrates in victory lane
Darlington, South Carolina - September 3, 2022 : Noah Gragson, driver of the #9 Bass Pro Shops/TrueTimber/BRCC Chevrolet, celebrates in victory lane after winning the NASCAR Xfinity Series Sport Clips Haircuts VFW Help A Hero 200 at Darlington Raceway.
Jared C TiltonGetty Images
Shriners Children's 200 at Darlington Raceway Entry List
ENTRY # DRIVER HOMETOWN DOB AGE MAKE SPONSOR TEAM CREW CHIEF
1 19 Ryan Truex Mayetta, NJ Mar 18, 1992 32 Toyota Toyota Outfitters Joe Gibbs Racing Jason Ratcliff
2 7 Justin Allgaier Riverton, IL Jun 6, 1986 38 Chevrolet BRANDT Heritage JR Motorsports Jim Pohlman
3 10 Kyle Larson Sacremento, CA Jul 31, 1992 32 Chevrolet Hendrickcars.com Kaulig Racing Alex Yontz
4 48 Parker Kligerman Westport, CT Aug 8, 1990 34 Chevrolet Big Machine Racing Spiked Big Machine Racing Patrick Donahue
5 25 Brett Moffitt Grimes, IA Aug 7, 1992 32 Ford AM Technical Solutions AM Racing Joe Williams
6 3 Ty Dillon Lewisville, NC Feb 27, 1992 32 Chevrolet Ferris Commercial Mowers Richard Childress Racing Mike Wolf
7 27 Jeb Burton Halifax, VA Aug 6, 1992 32 Chevrolet Capital City Towing Jordan Anderson Racing Shane Whitbeck
8 45 Jeffrey Earnhardt Mooresville, NC Jun 22, 1989 35 Chevrolet BZ Mart/ForeverLawn Alpha Prime Racing Michael Groves
9 43 Ryan Ellis Torrence, CA Nov 29, 1989 34 Chevrolet Keen Parts Alpha Prime Racing Michael Brandt
10 8 Gray Gaulding Colonial Heights, VA Feb 10, 1998 26 Ford Panini SS-Green Light Racing Jason Miller
11 39 Ryan Sieg Tucker, GA Jun 20, 1987 37 Ford TBA RSS Racing Mike Scearce
12 91 Ross Chastain Alva, FL Dec 4, 1992 31 Chevrolet Florida Watermelon Association DGM Racing Mario Gosselin
13 11 Daniel Hemric Kannapolis, NC Jan 27, 1991 33 Chevrolet Cirkul Kaulig Racing Jason Trinchere
14 6 Brennan Poole Sacramento, CA Apr 11, 1991 33 Chevrolet TBA JD Motorsports Kase Kallenbach
15 00 Cole Custer Ladera Ranch, CA Jan 23, 1998 26 Ford Haas Automation Stewart-Haas Racing Jonathan Toney
16 66 Chad Finchum Knoxville, TN Sep 22, 1994 30 Ford Wild Willies Motorsports Business Management Jason HOUGHTALING
17 4 Garrett Smithley Ligonier, PA Apr 27, 1992 32 Chevrolet Trophy Tractor JD Motorsports Rob Goodman
18 20 John Hunter Nemechek Mooresville, NC Jun 11, 1997 27 Toyota Pye Barker Fire & Safety Joe Gibbs Racing Ben Beshore
19 26 Kaz Grala Boston, MA Dec 29, 1998 25 Toyota Fire Department Coffee Sam Hunt Racing Allen Hart
20 21 Austin Hill Winston, GA Apr 21, 1994 30 Chevrolet Bennett Transportation Richard Childress Racing Andy Street
21 9 Brandon Jones Atlanta, GA Feb 18, 1997 27 Chevrolet Menards / Cheez-It JR Motorsports Jason Burdett
22 51 Jeremy Clements Spartanburg, SC Jan 16, 1985 39 Chevrolet First Pacific Funding Jeremy Clements Racing Mark Setzer
23 38 Joe Graf Jr Mahwah, NJ Jul 12, 1998 26 Ford TBA RSS Racing Steve Addington
24 92 Josh Williams Port Charlotte, FL Aug 3, 1993 31 Chevrolet Call 811 / Alloy Employer DGM Racing Bryan Berry
25 53 Matt Mills Lynchburg, VA Nov 14, 1996 27 Ford J.F. Electric Emerling Gase Motorsports Wayne Carroll Jr
26 98 Riley Herbst Las Vegas, NV Feb 24, 1999 25 Ford Monster Energy Stewart-Haas Racing Richard Boswell
27 78 Anthony Alfredo Ridgefield, CT Mar 1, 1999 25 Chevrolet Dude Wipes BJ McLeod Motorsports Pat Tryson
28 35 Patrick Emerling Orchard Park, NY Sep 19, 1992 32 Chevrolet TBA Emerling Gase Motorsports Paul Clapprood
29 7 Stefan Parsons Cornelius, NC Jun 15, 1998 26 Chevrolet OLLIE's SS-Green Light Racing Mark Hillman
30 2 Sheldon Creed Alpine, CA Sep 30, 1997 27 Chevrolet Whelen Richard Childress Racing Jeff Stankiewicz
31 8 Josh Berry Hendersonville, TN Oct 22, 1990 33 Chevrolet Tire Pros Love The Drive JR Motorsports Taylor Moyer
32 02 Blaine Perkins Bakersfield, CA Feb 28, 2000 24 Chevrolet our motorsports Our Motorsports Dan Stillman
33 128 Kyle Sieg Tucker, GA Apr 16, 2001 23 Ford Cedar Ridge Landscaping RSS Racing Brad Parrott
34 1 Sam Mayer Franklin, WI Jun 26, 2003 21 Chevrolet Accelerate Pros Talent JR Motorsports Mardy Lindley
35 74 Dawson Cram San Diego, CA Sep 12, 2001 23 Chevrolet Magnum Contracting Inc CHK Racing Ryan Bell
36 44 Sage Karam Nazareth, PA Mar 5, 1995 29 Chevrolet CRC Alpha Prime Racing Frank Kerr
37 16 Chandler Smith Talking Rock, GA Jun 26, 2002 22 Chevrolet Quick Tie Products, Inc. Kaulig Racing Bruce Schlicker
38 177 Carson Hocevar Portage, MI Jan 28, 2003 21 Chevrolet Premier Security Spire Motorsports Bono Manion
39 24 Corey Heim Marietta, GA Jul 5, 2002 22 Toyota GearWrench Sam Hunt Racing Kris Bowen
40 31 Parker Retzlaff Rhinelander, WI May 21, 2003 21 Chevrolet FUNKAWAY Jordan Anderson Racing Joshua Graham
41 18 Sammy Smith Johnston, IA Jun 4, 2004 20 Toyota Pilot Flying J Joe Gibbs Racing Jeff Meendering