| Race details | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Race 4 of 23 of the2023 NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series | |||
| Date | March 25, 2023 | ||
| Official name | 3rd Annual XPEL 225 | ||
| Location | Circuit of the Americas,Austin, Texas | ||
| Course | Permanent racing facility | ||
| Course length | 3.426 miles (5.514 km) | ||
| Distance | 42 laps, 140 mi (226 km) | ||
| Scheduled distance | 42 laps, 140 mi (226 km) | ||
| Average speed | 77.000 mph (123.919 km/h) | ||
| Pole position | |||
| Driver | Niece Motorsports | ||
| Time | 2:13.613 | ||
| Most laps led | |||
| Driver | Zane Smith | Front Row Motorsports | |
| Laps | 16 | ||
| Winner | |||
| No. 38 | Zane Smith | Front Row Motorsports | |
| Television in the United States | |||
| Network | FS1 | ||
| Announcers | Jamie Little,Kevin Harvick, andMichael Waltrip | ||
| Radio in the United States | |||
| Radio | MRN | ||
The2023 XPEL 225 was the 4thstock car race of the2023 NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series, and the 3rd iteration of theevent. The race was held on Saturday, March 25, 2023, inAustin, Texas, atCircuit of the Americas, a 3.426 miles (5.514 km) permanent asphalt road course. The race took the scheduled 42 laps to complete.Zane Smith, driving forFront Row Motorsports, would hold off the field in the final 10 laps, and earned his 9th careerNASCAR Craftsman Truck Series win, along with his second of the season. Smith would also dominate a portion of the race, leading 16 laps.[1] To fill out the podium,Kyle Busch, driving for his own team,Kyle Busch Motorsports, andTy Majeski, driving forThorSport Racing, would finish 2nd and 3rd, respectively.
Circuit of the Americas (COTA) is a grade 1FIA-specificationmotorsports facility located within theextraterritorial jurisdiction ofAustin, Texas. It features a 3.426-mile (5.514 km)road racing circuit. The facility is home to theFormula OneUnited States Grand Prix, and theMotorcycle Grand Prix of the Americas, a round of theFIM Road Racing World Championship. It previously hosted theSupercars Championship, theFIA World Endurance Championship, theIMSA SportsCar Championship, andIndyCar Series.
The first and only practice session was held on Friday, March 24, at 3:30 PMCST, and last for 20 minutes.[2]Kyle Busch, driving for his own team,Kyle Busch Motorsports, would set the fastest time in the session, with a lap of 2:15.582, and an average speed of 90.543 mph (145.715 km/h).[3]
| Pos. | # | Driver | Team | Make | Time | Speed |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 51 | Kyle Busch(i) | Kyle Busch Motorsports | Chevrolet | 2:15.582 | 90.543 |
| 2 | 41 | Ross Chastain(i) | Niece Motorsports | Chevrolet | 2:16.009 | 90.259 |
| 3 | 99 | Ben Rhodes | ThorSport Racing | Ford | 2:16.458 | 89.962 |
| Full practice results | ||||||
Qualifying was held on Friday, March 24, at 4:00 PMCST.[2] SinceCircuit of the Americas is aroad course, the qualifying system is a two group system, with two rounds. Drivers will be separated into two groups, Group A and Group B. Each driver will have multiple laps to set a time. The fastest 5 drivers from each group will advance to the final round. The fastest driver to set a time in that round will win the pole.[4]
Under a 2021 rule change, the timing line in road course qualifying is ''not'' the start-finish line. Instead, the timing line for qualifying will be set at the exit of Istanbul 8.Ross Chastain, driving forNiece Motorsports, would win the pole after advancing from the preliminary round and setting the fastest lap in Round 2, with a lap of 2:13.613, and an average speed of 91.877 mph (147.862 km/h).[5]
Three drivers would fail to qualify:Samuel LeComte,Alex Bowman, andMason Massey.
Stage 1Laps: 12
| Pos. | # | Driver | Team | Make | Pts |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 19 | Christian Eckes | McAnally-Hilgemann Racing | Chevrolet | 10 |
| 2 | 98 | Ty Majeski | ThorSport Racing | Ford | 9 |
| 3 | 11 | Corey Heim | Tricon Garage | Toyota | 8 |
| 4 | 1 | Kaz Grala(i) | Tricon Garage | Toyota | 0 |
| 5 | 51 | Kyle Busch(i) | Kyle Busch Motorsports | Chevrolet | 0 |
| 6 | 41 | Ross Chastain(i) | Niece Motorsports | Chevrolet | 0 |
| 7 | 16 | Tyler Ankrum | Hattori Racing Enterprises | Toyota | 4 |
| 8 | 38 | Zane Smith | Front Row Motorsports | Ford | 3 |
| 9 | 99 | Ben Rhodes | ThorSport Racing | Ford | 2 |
| 10 | 25 | Matt DiBenedetto | Rackley WAR | Chevrolet | 1 |
Stage 2Laps: 14
| Pos. | # | Driver | Team | Make | Pts |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 51 | Kyle Busch(i) | Kyle Busch Motorsports | Chevrolet | 0 |
| 2 | 38 | Zane Smith | Front Row Motorsports | Ford | 9 |
| 3 | 45 | Lawless Alan | Niece Motorsports | Chevrolet | 8 |
| 4 | 52 | Stewart Friesen | Halmar Friesen Racing | Toyota | 7 |
| 5 | 75 | Parker Kligerman(i) | Henderson Motorsports | Chevrolet | 0 |
| 6 | 13 | Hailie Deegan | ThorSport Racing | Ford | 5 |
| 7 | 41 | Ross Chastain(i) | Niece Motorsports | Chevrolet | 0 |
| 8 | 04 | Kaden Honeycutt | Roper Racing | Ford | 4 |
| 9 | 99 | Ben Rhodes | ThorSport Racing | Ford | 2 |
| 10 | 2 | Nick Sanchez(R) | Rev Racing | Chevrolet | 1 |
Stage 3Laps: 16
| Fin[6] | St | # | Driver | Team | Make | Laps | Led | Status | Pts |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 7 | 38 | Zane Smith | Front Row Motorsports | Ford | 42 | 16 | Running | 52 |
| 2 | 2 | 51 | Kyle Busch(i) | Kyle Busch Motorsports | Chevrolet | 42 | 12 | Running | 0 |
| 3 | 3 | 98 | Ty Majeski | ThorSport Racing | Ford | 42 | 1 | Running | 43 |
| 4 | 12 | 16 | Tyler Ankrum | Hattori Racing Enterprises | Toyota | 42 | 0 | Running | 37 |
| 5 | 1 | 41 | Ross Chastain(i) | Niece Motorsports | Chevrolet | 42 | 10 | Running | 0 |
| 6 | 11 | 11 | Corey Heim | Tricon Garage | Toyota | 42 | 0 | Running | 39 |
| 7 | 4 | 2 | Nick Sanchez(R) | Rev Racing | Chevrolet | 42 | 0 | Running | 31 |
| 8 | 9 | 15 | Tanner Gray | Tricon Garage | Toyota | 42 | 0 | Running | 29 |
| 9 | 10 | 1 | Kaz Grala(i) | Tricon Garage | Toyota | 42 | 0 | Running | 0 |
| 10 | 13 | 99 | Ben Rhodes | ThorSport Racing | Ford | 42 | 0 | Running | 31 |
| 11 | 19 | 17 | Taylor Gray(R) | Tricon Garage | Toyota | 42 | 0 | Running | 26 |
| 12 | 8 | 23 | Grant Enfinger | GMS Racing | Chevrolet | 42 | 0 | Running | 25 |
| 13 | 20 | 24 | Rajah Caruth(R) | GMS Racing | Chevrolet | 42 | 0 | Running | 24 |
| 14 | 15 | 52 | Stewart Friesen | Halmar Friesen Racing | Toyota | 42 | 0 | Running | 30 |
| 15 | 24 | 04 | Kaden Honeycutt | Roper Racing | Ford | 42 | 0 | Running | 25 |
| 16 | 16 | 13 | Hailie Deegan | ThorSport Racing | Ford | 42 | 0 | Running | 26 |
| 17 | 18 | 45 | Lawless Alan | Niece Motorsports | Chevrolet | 42 | 0 | Running | 28 |
| 18 | 36 | 43 | Daniel Dye(R) | GMS Racing | Chevrolet | 42 | 0 | Running | 19 |
| 19 | 32 | 35 | Jake Garcia(R) | McAnally-Hilgemann Racing | Chevrolet | 42 | 0 | Running | 18 |
| 20 | 25 | 30 | Colin Garrett | On Point Motorsports | Toyota | 42 | 0 | Running | 17 |
| 21 | 35 | 02 | Kris Wright | Young's Motorsports | Chevrolet | 42 | 0 | Running | 16 |
| 22 | 14 | 22 | Logan Bearden | AM Racing | Ford | 42 | 0 | Running | 15 |
| 23 | 31 | 32 | Bret Holmes(R) | Bret Holmes Racing | Chevrolet | 42 | 0 | Running | 14 |
| 24 | 27 | 9 | Colby Howard | CR7 Motorsports | Chevrolet | 42 | 0 | Running | 13 |
| 25 | 29 | 56 | Timmy Hill | Hill Motorsports | Toyota | 42 | 0 | Running | 12 |
| 26 | 30 | 34 | Mason Filippi | Reaume Brothers Racing | Ford | 42 | 0 | Running | 11 |
| 27 | 21 | 4 | Chase Purdy | Kyle Busch Motorsports | Chevrolet | 42 | 0 | Running | 10 |
| 28 | 33 | 46 | Dale Quarterley | G2G Racing | Toyota | 42 | 0 | Running | 9 |
| 29 | 28 | 25 | Matt DiBenedetto | Rackley WAR | Chevrolet | 41 | 0 | Running | 9 |
| 30 | 5 | 19 | Christian Eckes | McAnally-Hilgemann Racing | Chevrolet | 31 | 3 | Suspension | 17 |
| 31 | 17 | 75 | Parker Kligerman(i) | Henderson Motorsports | Chevrolet | 26 | 0 | Electrical | 12 |
| 32 | 26 | 12 | Spencer Boyd | Young's Motorsports | Chevrolet | 12 | 0 | Electrical | 5 |
| 33 | 34 | 88 | Matt Crafton | ThorSport Racing | Ford | 11 | 0 | Accident | 4 |
| 34 | 6 | 42 | Carson Hocevar | Niece Motorsports | Chevrolet | 8 | 0 | Axle | 3 |
| 35 | 22 | 5 | Dean Thompson | Tricon Garage | Toyota | 4 | 0 | Accident | 2 |
| 36 | 23 | 20 | Ed Jones | Young's Motorsports | Chevrolet | 0 | 0 | Suspension | 1 |
| Official race results | |||||||||
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| Previous race: 2023 Fr8 208 | NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series 2023 season | Next race: 2023 SpeedyCash.com 250 |