The official 2023 United Rentals 200 NASCAR XFINITY Series entry list features top NASCAR drivers set to compete at Phoenix Raceway, highlighting the full lineup of race participants and teams.
Saturday, March 11th, 2023
Phoenix Raceway, Phoenix, AZ
High school senior Sammy Smith made the most of the fastest car in Saturday’s United Rentals 200, becoming the youngest NASCAR Xfinity Series winner Phoenix Raceway at age 18.
In a race that featured 11 cautions for 69 laps, Smith held off teammate Ryan Truex after a restart with 15 of 200 laps left to give Joe Gibbs Racing its 16th victory at the 1.0-mile track.
Smith led a race-high 92 laps, including the last 52, taking the lead from Kyle Busch on Lap 149. To secure his first victory in the series in his 13th start, Smith had to survive restarts on Laps 157, 177 and 186.
"That was tough with all of those restarts—and going against some of the best," said Smith, who takes his high school classes online. "I just have to thank everybody on Pilot/Flying J, Toyota, JGR guys and everybody on this 18 team for giving me an awesome car. This is awesome.
"This is a dream come true, and I did know that at some point this was coming. It took a lot of hard work and a lot of great people around me. Without all of these guys, I wouldn’t be here."
In a part-time role with JGR, Truex matched his career-best finish after restarting seventh on Lap 186.
"That was a good restart at the end," Truex said. "I thought I could at least try to make it exciting. Congrats to Sammy—he was the class of the field all day. His car was so good. He could really kind of do whatever he wanted.
"Sammy was just a little bit faster, but I’ll try again next time."
Sheldon Creed ran a miraculous third after spinning and losing track position on Lap 148 to cause the ninth caution. Creed got help from Kaulig Racing teammates Busch and Chandler Smith, who tangled on the last lap while racing for fourth.
Smith got the better of the exchange, finishing fifth to Busch’s ninth.
Busch and Chandler Smith weren’t the only teammates who traded paint on Saturday. JR Motorsports’ Josh Berry spun off the bumper of Sam Mayer on Lap 84 and fought back to finish eighth.
Justin Allgaier, who won the race’s first two stages, crashed hard on Lap 178 after contact from JR Motorsports teammate Brandon Jones and Sam Hunt Racing’s Kaz Grala. The accident eliminated Allgaier and set up Smith’s triumphant run to the checkered flag.
Riley Herbst ran fourth. John Hunter Nemechek recovered from a restart penalty—dipping below the yellow line on the apron before the start/finish line—to come home sixth. Austin Hill was seventh, followed by Berry, Busch and Daniel Hemric.
Mayer finished 11th and pole winner Cole Custer 12th.
Hill leads the series standings by 30 points over second-place Nemechek.
ENTRY | # | DRIVER | HOMETOWN | DOB | AGE | MAKE | SPONSOR | TEAM | CREW CHIEF |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | 10 | Kyle Busch | Las Vegas, NV | May 2, 1985 | 37 | Chevrolet | LA Golf | Kaulig Racing | Alex Yontz |
2 | 19 | Ryan Truex | Mayetta, NJ | Mar 18, 1992 | 30 | Toyota | Toyota Genuine Parts | Joe Gibbs Racing | Jason Ratcliff |
3 | 7 | Justin Allgaier | Riverton, IL | Jun 6, 1986 | 36 | Chevrolet | hellowater | JR Motorsports | Jim Pohlman |
4 | 48 | Parker Kligerman | Westport, CT | Aug 8, 1990 | 32 | Chevrolet | Big Machine Racing Spiked | Big Machine Racing | Patrick Donahue |
5 | 25 | Brett Moffitt | Grimes, IA | Aug 7, 1992 | 30 | Ford | AM Technical Solutions | AM Racing | Joe Williams |
6 | 35 | Joey Gase | Cedar Rapids, IA | Feb 8, 1993 | 30 | Toyota | Sci Aps | Emerling Gase Motorsports | Paul Clapprood |
7 | 27 | Jeb Burton | Halifax, VA | Aug 6, 1992 | 30 | Chevrolet | Bommarito.com / EasyCare | Jordan Anderson Racing | Shane Whitbeck |
8 | 44 | Jeffrey Earnhardt | Mooresville, NC | Jun 22, 1989 | 33 | Chevrolet | Gas POS / BZ Mart | Alpha Prime Racing | Michael Groves |
9 | 43 | Ryan Ellis | Torrence, CA | Nov 29, 1989 | 33 | Chevrolet | Rolling Plains Construction | Alpha Prime Racing | Michael Brandt |
10 | 08 | Gray Gaulding | Colonial Heights, VA | Feb 10, 1998 | 25 | Ford | Panini NFT | SS-Green Light Racing | Jason Miller |
11 | 39 | Ryan Sieg | Tucker, GA | Jun 20, 1987 | 35 | Ford | CMRroofing.com | RSS Racing | Mike Scearce |
12 | 02 | Kyle Weatherman | Wentzville, MO | Aug 28, 1997 | 25 | Chevrolet | our motorsports | Our Motorsports | Teddy Brown |
13 | 11 | Daniel Hemric | Kannapolis, NC | Jan 27, 1991 | 32 | Chevrolet | Cirkul | Kaulig Racing | Jason Trinchere |
14 | 6 | Brennan Poole | Sacramento, CA | Apr 11, 1991 | 31 | Chevrolet | JD Motorsports | JD Motorsports | Kase Kallenbach |
15 | 00 | Cole Custer | Ladera Ranch, CA | Jan 23, 1998 | 25 | Ford | Haas Automation | Stewart-Haas Racing | Jonathan Toney |
16 | 91 | Garrett Smithley | Ligonier, PA | Apr 27, 1992 | 30 | Chevrolet | DozerWinchParts.com | DGM Racing | Mario Gosselin |
17 | 4 | Bayley Currey | Driftwood, TX | Oct 29, 1996 | 26 | Chevrolet | Mikes Weather PageFirman | JD Motorsports | Wayne Carroll Jr |
18 | 20 | John Hunter Nemechek | Mooresville, NC | Jun 11, 1997 | 25 | Toyota | Safeway / Albertsons | Joe Gibbs Racing | Ben Beshore |
19 | 26 | Kaz Grala | Boston, MA | Dec 29, 1998 | 24 | Toyota | Fire Department Coffee | Sam Hunt Racing | Allen Hart |
20 | 21 | Austin Hill | Winston, GA | Apr 21, 1994 | 28 | Chevrolet | United Rentals | Richard Childress Racing | Andy Street |
21 | 9 | Brandon Jones | Atlanta, GA | Feb 18, 1997 | 26 | Chevrolet | Menards / Barracuda Pumps | JR Motorsports | Jason Burdett |
22 | 53 | CJ McLaughlin | Framingham, MA | Jul 1, 1992 | 30 | Chevrolet | Sci Aps | Emerling Gase Motorsports | Rick Bourgeois |
23 | 51 | Jeremy Clements | Spartanburg, SC | Jan 16, 1985 | 38 | Chevrolet | Fox Sports / Spartan Waste | Jeremy Clements Racing | Mark Setzer |
24 | 38 | Joe Graf Jr | Mahwah, NJ | Jul 12, 1998 | 24 | Ford | GTECHNIQ | RSS Racing | Steve Addington |
25 | 92 | Josh Williams | Port Charlotte, FL | Aug 3, 1993 | 29 | Chevrolet | Call 811 / Alloy Employer | DGM Racing | Bryan Berry |
26 | 98 | Riley Herbst | Las Vegas, NV | Feb 24, 1999 | 24 | Ford | Monster Energy | Stewart-Haas Racing | Richard Boswell |
27 | 78 | Anthony Alfredo | Ridgefield, CT | Mar 1, 1999 | 24 | Chevrolet | TICKET SMARTER | BJ McLeod Motorsports | Pat Tryson |
28 | 2 | Sheldon Creed | Alpine, CA | Sep 30, 1997 | 25 | Chevrolet | Whelen | Richard Childress Racing | Jeff Stankiewicz |
29 | 8 | Josh Berry | Hendersonville, TN | Oct 22, 1990 | 32 | Chevrolet | Jarrett Logistics Systems | JR Motorsports | Taylor Moyer |
30 | 07 | Blaine Perkins | Bakersfield, CA | Feb 28, 2000 | 23 | Chevrolet | Swift | SS-Green Light Racing | Mark Hillman |
31 | 28 | Kyle Sieg | Tucker, GA | Apr 16, 2001 | 21 | Ford | RSS Racing | RSS Racing | Brad Parrott |
32 | 1 | Sam Mayer | Franklin, WI | Jun 26, 2003 | 19 | Chevrolet | Accelerate Pros Talent | JR Motorsports | Mardy Lindley |
33 | 74 | Dawson Cram | San Diego, CA | Sep 12, 2001 | 21 | Chevrolet | Lerner & Rowe Injury Lawyers | CHK Racing | Ryan Bell |
34 | 16 | Chandler Smith | Talking Rock, GA | Jun 26, 2002 | 20 | Chevrolet | Quick Tie Products, Inc. | Kaulig Racing | Bruce Schlicker |
35 | 31 | Parker Retzlaff | Rhinelander, WI | May 21, 2003 | 19 | Chevrolet | Bommarito Automotive Group | Jordan Anderson Racing | Joshua Graham |
36 | 24 | Connor Mosack | Charlotte, NC | Jan 20, 1999 | 24 | Toyota | Toyota Racing Development | Sam Hunt Racing | Kris Bowen |
37 | 18 | Sammy Smith | Johnston, IA | Jun 4, 2004 | 18 | Toyota | Pilot Flying J | Joe Gibbs Racing | Jeff Meendering |
38 | 45 | Leland Honeyman Jr | Phoenix, AZ | Feb 23, 2005 | 18 | Chevrolet | Klean Freak Body Wipes | Alpha Prime Racing | Frank Kerr |