# 2023 Buckle Up South Carolina 200

The 2023 Buckle Up South Carolina 200 was the 9th stock car race of the 2023 NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series, and the eleventh Truck Series race at Darlington. The race was held on Friday, May 12, 2023, in Darlington, South Carolina at Darlington Raceway, a 1.366 miles (2.198 km) permanent egg-shaped racetrack. The race was increased from 147 to 158 laps, due to several NASCAR overtime attempts. Christian Eckes, driving for McAnally-Hilgemann Racing, would capture the win after leading when the final caution came out on the last lap. This was Eckes' third career NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series win, and his second of the season. Eckes and pole-sitter Corey Heim had dominated the entire race, leading 82 and 66 laps, respectively. To fill out the podium, Stewart Friesen, driving for Halmar Friesen Racing, and Tanner Gray, driving for Tricon Garage, would finish 2nd and 3rd, respectively.

## Background

Darlington Raceway is a race track built for NASCAR racing located near Darlington, South Carolina. It is nicknamed "The Lady in Black" and "The Track Too Tough to Tame" by many NASCAR fans and drivers and advertised as "A NASCAR Tradition." It is of a unique, somewhat egg-shaped design, an oval with the ends of very different configurations, a condition which supposedly arose from the proximity of one end of the track to a minnow pond the owner refused to relocate. This situation makes it very challenging for the crews to set up their cars' handling in a way that is effective at both ends.

### Entry list

* (R) denotes rookie driver.
* (i) denotes driver who is ineligible for series driver points.
| # | Driver | Team | Make | Sponsor or throwback |
| 1 | Bubba Wallace (i) | Tricon Garage | Toyota | Annie Bosko |
| 02 | Kris Wright | Young's Motorsports | Chevrolet | WrightCars.com - Juan Pablo Montoya's 2007 No. 42 Texaco/Havoline paint scheme |
| 2 | Nick Sanchez (R) | Rev Racing | Chevrolet | Gainbridge - Mario Andretti's 1967 Daytona 500 winning paint scheme |
| 04 | Johnny Sauter | Roper Racing | Ford | Roper Racing, Carquest - Jason Leffler's 2003 No. 2 Team ASE/Hulk paint scheme |
| 4 | Chase Purdy | Kyle Busch Motorsports | Chevrolet | Bama Buggies |
| 5 | Dean Thompson | Tricon Garage | Toyota | Thompson Pipe Group - Germán Quiroga's 2013 No. 77 Net 10 Wireless paint scheme |
| 7 | Corey LaJoie (i) | Spire Motorsports | Chevrolet | Schluter Systems |
| 9 | Colby Howard | CR7 Motorsports | Chevrolet | Grant County Mulch |
| 11 | Corey Heim | Tricon Garage | Toyota | Safelite - Timothy Peters' 2014 No. 17 Red Horse Racing paint scheme |
| 12 | Spencer Boyd | Young's Motorsports | Chevrolet | Sad Daddy Hunting Blinds |
| 13 | Hailie Deegan | ThorSport Racing | Ford | Ford Performance |
| 15 | Tanner Gray | Tricon Garage | Toyota | Black's Tire Service |
| 16 | Tyler Ankrum | Hattori Racing Enterprises | Toyota | LiUNA! |
| 17 | Taylor Gray (R) | Tricon Garage | Toyota | Dead On Tools - Todd Bodine's 2012 No. 11 Toyota Endeavour paint scheme |
| 19 | Christian Eckes | McAnally-Hilgemann Racing | Chevrolet | Gates Hydraulics - Hershel McGriff's 1950 Southern 500 paint scheme |
| 20 | Kaden Honeycutt | Young's Motorsports | Chevrolet | Young's Motorsports |
| 23 | Grant Enfinger | GMS Racing | Chevrolet | Champion Power Equipment |
| 24 | Rajah Caruth (R) | GMS Racing | Chevrolet | Wendell Scott Foundation - Wendell Scott's 1973 Winston 500 paint scheme |
| 25 | Matt DiBenedetto | Rackley WAR | Chevrolet | Rackley Roofing |
| 30 | Ryan Vargas | On Point Motorsports | Toyota | KSDT CPA - Sean Woodside's 2000 No. 31 Brevak Racing paint scheme |
| 32 | Bret Holmes (R) | Bret Holmes Racing | Chevrolet | Bret Holmes Racing |
| 33 | Josh Reaume | Reaume Brothers Racing | Ford | Colonial Countertops, Motorsports Safety Group - Ken Block's No. 43 Gymkhana paint scheme |
| 35 | Jake Garcia (R) | McAnally-Hilgemann Racing | Chevrolet | Crown Fiber - Buckshot Jones' 1999 No. 00 Crown Fiber paint scheme |
| 38 | Zane Smith | Front Row Motorsports | Ford | rtatel.com |
| 41 | Ross Chastain (i) | Niece Motorsports | Chevrolet | Worldwide Express - Lee Petty's 1964 No. 41 Petty Enterprises paint scheme |
| 42 | Carson Hocevar | Niece Motorsports | Chevrolet | Worldwide Express, UPS - Dale Jarrett's 2001 No. 88 UPS "We Want To Race The Truck" paint scheme |
| 43 | Daniel Dye (R) | GMS Racing | Chevrolet | Race to Stop Suicide - Richard Petty's 1976 No. 43 STP paint scheme |
| 45 | Lawless Alan | Niece Motorsports | Chevrolet | AUTOParkIt.com - Adam Petty's 1999 No. 45 Spree paint scheme |
| 46 | Brennan Poole (i) | G2G Racing | Toyota | G2G Racing |
| 47 | Dawson Cram (i) | G2G Racing | Toyota | G2G Racing |
| 51 | William Byron (i) | Kyle Busch Motorsports | Chevrolet | HendrickCars.com Archived 2021-08-04 at the Wayback Machine |
| 52 | Stewart Friesen | Halmar Friesen Racing | Toyota | Halmar International - Tribute to dirt modified legend Ivan Little |
| 56 | Timmy Hill | Hill Motorsports | Toyota | UNITS Storage - Ted Musgrave's 2003 No. 1 Mopar paint scheme |
| 75 | Parker Kligerman (i) | Henderson Motorsports | Chevrolet | Häagen-Dazs |
| 88 | Matt Crafton | ThorSport Racing | Ford | Ideal Door, Menards |
| 98 | Ty Majeski | ThorSport Racing | Ford | Tenda, Curb Records |
| 99 | Ben Rhodes | ThorSport Racing | Ford | Farm Paint |
| Official entry list |||||

## Practice

The first and only practice session was held on Friday, May 12, at 3:05 PM EST, and would last for 20 minutes. Nick Sanchez, driving for Rev Racing, would set the fastest time in the session, with a lap of 29.301, and an average speed of 167.830 mph (270.096 km/h).
| Pos. | # | Driver | Team | Make | Time | Speed |
| 1 | 2 | Nick Sanchez (R) | Rev Racing | Chevrolet | 29.301 | 167.830 |
| 2 | 88 | Matt Crafton | ThorSport Racing | Ford | 29.612 | 166.068 |
| 3 | 42 | Carson Hocevar | Niece Motorsports | Chevrolet | 29.711 | 165.514 |
| Full practice results |||||||

## Qualifying

Qualifying was held on Saturday, May 12, at 3:35 PM EST. Since Darlington Raceway is an intermediate racetrack, the qualifying system used is a single-car, single-lap system with only one round. In that round, whoever sets the fastest time will win the pole. Corey Heim, driving for Tricon Garage, would score the pole for the race, with a lap of 29.263, and an average speed of 168.048 mph (270.447 km/h).
| Pos. | # | Driver | Team | Make | Time | Speed |
| 1 | 11 | Corey Heim | Tricon Garage | Toyota | 29.263 | 168.048 |
| 2 | 23 | Grant Enfinger | GMS Racing | Chevrolet | 29.322 | 167.710 |
| 3 | 2 | Nick Sanchez (R) | Rev Racing | Chevrolet | 29.328 | 167.676 |
| 4 | 19 | Christian Eckes | McAnally-Hilgemann Racing | Chevrolet | 29.412 | 167.197 |
| 5 | 35 | Jake Garcia (R) | McAnally-Hilgemann Racing | Chevrolet | 29.428 | 167.106 |
| 6 | 52 | Stewart Friesen | Halmar Friesen Racing | Toyota | 29.483 | 166.794 |
| 7 | 25 | Matt DiBenedetto | Rackley WAR | Chevrolet | 29.485 | 166.783 |
| 8 | 51 | William Byron (i) | Kyle Busch Motorsports | Chevrolet | 29.497 | 166.715 |
| 9 | 98 | Ty Majeski | ThorSport Racing | Ford | 29.524 | 166.563 |
| 10 | 4 | Chase Purdy | Kyle Busch Motorsports | Chevrolet | 29.553 | 166.399 |
| 11 | 15 | Tanner Gray | Tricon Garage | Toyota | 29.591 | 166.186 |
| 12 | 17 | Taylor Gray (R) | Tricon Garage | Toyota | 29.622 | 166.012 |
| 13 | 24 | Rajah Caruth (R) | GMS Racing | Chevrolet | 29.635 | 165.939 |
| 14 | 99 | Ben Rhodes | ThorSport Racing | Ford | 29.640 | 165.911 |
| 15 | 1 | Bubba Wallace (i) | Tricon Garage | Toyota | 29.653 | 165.838 |
| 16 | 41 | Ross Chastain (i) | Niece Motorsports | Chevrolet | 29.730 | 165.409 |
| 17 | 16 | Tyler Ankrum | Hattori Racing Enterprises | Toyota | 29.767 | 165.203 |
| 18 | 42 | Carson Hocevar | Niece Motorsports | Chevrolet | 29.815 | 164.937 |
| 19 | 88 | Matt Crafton | ThorSport Racing | Ford | 29.826 | 164.876 |
| 20 | 43 | Daniel Dye (R) | GMS Racing | Chevrolet | 29.860 | 164.689 |
| 21 | 75 | Parker Kligerman (i) | Henderson Motorsports | Chevrolet | 30.004 | 163.898 |
| 22 | 38 | Zane Smith | Front Row Motorsports | Ford | 30.023 | 163.794 |
| 23 | 56 | Timmy Hill | Hill Motorsports | Toyota | 30.055 | 163.620 |
| 24 | 20 | Kaden Honeycutt | Young's Motorsports | Chevrolet | 30.072 | 163.528 |
| 25 | 5 | Dean Thompson | Tricon Garage | Toyota | 30.148 | 163.115 |
| 26 | 13 | Hailie Deegan | ThorSport Racing | Ford | 30.255 | 162.538 |
| 27 | 04 | Johnny Sauter | Roper Racing | Ford | 30.322 | 162.179 |
| 28 | 46 | Brennan Poole (i) | G2G Racing | Toyota | 30.337 | 162.099 |
| 29 | 7 | Corey LaJoie (i) | Spire Motorsports | Chevrolet | 30.405 | 161.737 |
| 30 | 45 | Lawless Alan | Niece Motorsports | Chevrolet | 30.466 | 161.413 |
| 31 | 47 | Dawson Cram (i) | G2G Racing | Toyota | 30.632 | 160.538 |
| Qualified by owner's points |||||||
| 32 | 30 | Ryan Vargas | On Point Motorsports | Toyota | 30.853 | 159.388 |
| 33 | 12 | Spencer Boyd | Young's Motorsports | Chevrolet | 30.907 | 159.110 |
| 34 | 32 | Bret Holmes (R) | Bret Holmes Racing | Chevrolet | 31.325 | 156.986 |
| 35 | 02 | Kris Wright | Young's Motorsports | Chevrolet | 32.001 | 153.670 |
| 36 | 9 | Colby Howard | CR7 Motorsports | Chevrolet | – | – |
| Failed to qualify |||||||
| 37 | 33 | Josh Reaume | Reaume Brothers Racing | Ford | 31.639 | 155.428 |
| Official qualifying results |||||||
| Official starting lineup |||||||

## Race results

Stage 1 Laps: 45
| Pos. | # | Driver | Team | Make | Pts |
| 1 | 19 | Christian Eckes | McAnally-Hilgemann Racing | Chevrolet | 10 |
| 2 | 11 | Corey Heim | Tricon Garage | Toyota | 9 |
| 3 | 25 | Matt DiBenedetto | Rackley WAR | Chevrolet | 8 |
| 4 | 51 | William Byron (i) | Kyle Busch Motorsports | Chevrolet | 0 |
| 5 | 23 | Grant Enfinger | GMS Racing | Chevrolet | 6 |
| 6 | 42 | Carson Hocevar | Niece Motorsports | Chevrolet | 5 |
| 7 | 52 | Stewart Friesen | Halmar Friesen Racing | Toyota | 4 |
| 8 | 1 | Bubba Wallace (i) | Tricon Garage | Toyota | 0 |
| 9 | 2 | Nick Sanchez (R) | Rev Racing | Chevrolet | 2 |
| 10 | 4 | Chase Purdy | Kyle Busch Motorsports | Chevrolet | 1 |
Stage 2 Laps: 45
| Pos. | # | Driver | Team | Make | Pts |
| 1 | 51 | William Byron (i) | Kyle Busch Motorsports | Chevrolet | 0 |
| 2 | 11 | Corey Heim | Tricon Garage | Toyota | 9 |
| 3 | 19 | Christian Eckes | McAnally-Hilgemann Racing | Chevrolet | 8 |
| 4 | 42 | Carson Hocevar | Niece Motorsports | Chevrolet | 7 |
| 5 | 1 | Bubba Wallace (i) | Tricon Garage | Toyota | 0 |
| 6 | 35 | Jake Garcia (R) | McAnally-Hilgemann Racing | Chevrolet | 5 |
| 7 | 52 | Stewart Friesen | Halmar Friesen Racing | Toyota | 4 |
| 8 | 23 | Grant Enfinger | GMS Racing | Chevrolet | 3 |
| 9 | 56 | Timmy Hill | Hill Motorsports | Toyota | 2 |
| 10 | 17 | Taylor Gray (R) | Tricon Garage | Toyota | 1 |
Stage 3 Laps: 68
| Fin | St | # | Driver | Team | Make | Laps | Led | Status | Pts |
| 1 | 4 | 19 | Christian Eckes | McAnally-Hilgemann Racing | Chevrolet | 158 | 82 | Running | 58 |
| 2 | 6 | 52 | Stewart Friesen | Halmar Friesen Racing | Toyota | 158 | 0 | Running | 43 |
| 3 | 11 | 15 | Tanner Gray | Tricon Garage | Toyota | 158 | 0 | Running | 34 |
| 4 | 8 | 51 | William Byron (i) | Kyle Busch Motorsports | Chevrolet | 158 | 7 | Running | 0 |
| 5 | 18 | 42 | Carson Hocevar | Niece Motorsports | Chevrolet | 158 | 0 | Running | 44 |
| 6 | 13 | 24 | Rajah Caruth (R) | GMS Racing | Chevrolet | 158 | 0 | Running | 31 |
| 7 | 15 | 1 | Bubba Wallace (i) | Tricon Garage | Toyota | 158 | 0 | Running | 0 |
| 8 | 1 | 11 | Corey Heim | Tricon Garage | Toyota | 158 | 66 | Running | 47 |
| 9 | 25 | 5 | Dean Thompson | Tricon Garage | Toyota | 158 | 0 | Running | 28 |
| 10 | 24 | 20 | Kaden Honeycutt | Young's Motorsports | Chevrolet | 158 | 0 | Running | 27 |
| 11 | 3 | 2 | Nick Sanchez (R) | Rev Racing | Chevrolet | 158 | 0 | Running | 28 |
| 12 | 19 | 88 | Matt Crafton | ThorSport Racing | Ford | 158 | 0 | Running | 25 |
| 13 | 16 | 41 | Ross Chastain (i) | Niece Motorsports | Chevrolet | 158 | 0 | Running | 0 |
| 14 | 2 | 23 | Grant Enfinger | GMS Racing | Chevrolet | 158 | 0 | Running | 32 |
| 15 | 17 | 16 | Tyler Ankrum | Hattori Racing Enterprises | Toyota | 158 | 0 | Running | 22 |
| 16 | 29 | 7 | Corey LaJoie (i) | Spire Motorsports | Chevrolet | 158 | 0 | Running | 0 |
| 17 | 36 | 9 | Colby Howard | CR7 Motorsports | Chevrolet | 158 | 0 | Running | 20 |
| 18 | 14 | 99 | Ben Rhodes | ThorSport Racing | Ford | 158 | 0 | Running | 19 |
| 19 | 20 | 43 | Daniel Dye (R) | GMS Racing | Chevrolet | 158 | 0 | Running | 18 |
| 20 | 26 | 13 | Hailie Deegan | ThorSport Racing | Ford | 158 | 2 | Running | 17 |
| 21 | 12 | 17 | Taylor Gray (R) | Tricon Garage | Toyota | 158 | 1 | Running | 17 |
| 22 | 22 | 38 | Zane Smith | Front Row Motorsports | Ford | 158 | 0 | Running | 15 |
| 23 | 34 | 32 | Bret Holmes (R) | Bret Holmes Racing | Chevrolet | 158 | 0 | Running | 14 |
| 24 | 23 | 56 | Timmy Hill | Hill Motorsports | Toyota | 157 | 0 | Running | 15 |
| 25 | 7 | 25 | Matt DiBenedetto | Rackley WAR | Chevrolet | 157 | 0 | Running | 20 |
| 26 | 5 | 35 | Jake Garcia (R) | McAnally-Hilgemann Racing | Chevrolet | 157 | 0 | Running | 16 |
| 27 | 32 | 30 | Ryan Vargas | On Point Motorsports | Toyota | 156 | 0 | Running | 10 |
| 28 | 27 | 04 | Johnny Sauter | Roper Racing | Ford | 156 | 0 | Running | 9 |
| 29 | 35 | 02 | Kris Wright | Young's Motorsports | Chevrolet | 155 | 0 | Running | 8 |
| 30 | 30 | 45 | Lawless Alan | Niece Motorsports | Chevrolet | 126 | 0 | Accident | 7 |
| 31 | 9 | 98 | Ty Majeski | ThorSport Racing | Ford | 123 | 0 | Running | 6 |
| 32 | 10 | 4 | Chase Purdy | Kyle Busch Motorsports | Chevrolet | 100 | 0 | Accident | 6 |
| 33 | 33 | 12 | Spencer Boyd | Young's Motorsports | Chevrolet | 78 | 0 | Fuel Pump | 4 |
| 34 | 21 | 75 | Parker Kligerman (i) | Henderson Motorsports | Chevrolet | 48 | 0 | Oil Leak | 0 |
| 35 | 31 | 47 | Dawson Cram (i) | G2G Racing | Toyota | 36 | 0 | Mechanical | 0 |
| 36 | 28 | 46 | Brennan Poole (i) | G2G Racing | Toyota | 20 | 0 | Engine | 0 |
| Official race results ||||||||||

## Standings after the race

| | Pos | Driver | Points |
| | 1 | Zane Smith | 338 |
| | 2 | Ty Majeski | 329 (-9) |
| 1 | 3 | Corey Heim | 323 (-15) |
| 1 | 4 | Ben Rhodes | 301 (-37) |
| 1 | 5 | Christian Eckes | 299 (-39) |
| 1 | 6 | Grant Enfinger | 299 (-39) |
| | 7 | Matt Crafton | 260 (-78) |
| | 8 | Tanner Gray | 254 (-84) |
| | 9 | Nick Sanchez | 233 (-105) |
| 2 | 10 | Stewart Friesen | 227 (-111) |
| Official driver's standings ||||