# 2023 NextEra Energy 250

The 2023 NextEra Energy 250 was the 1st stock car race of the 2023 NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series, and the 24th iteration of the event. The race was held on Friday, February 17, 2023, in Daytona Beach, Florida, at Daytona International Speedway, a 2.5 miles (4.0 km) permanent tri-oval shaped superspeedway. The race was scheduled to be contested over 100 laps, but was shortened to 79 laps due to rain. Zane Smith, the reigning winner of the race, driving for Front Row Motorsports, would win the race after leading when the final caution came out for rain. This was Smith's eighth career NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series win, and his first of the season. To fill out the podium, Tanner Gray, driving for Tricon Garage, and Christian Eckes, driving for McAnally-Hilgemann Racing, would finish 2nd and 3rd, respectively.

## Background

Daytona International Speedway is one of three superspeedways to hold NASCAR races, the other two being Atlanta Motor Speedway and Talladega Superspeedway. The standard track at Daytona International Speedway is a four-turn superspeedway that is 2.5 miles (4.0 km) long. The track's turns are banked at 31 degrees, while the front stretch, the location of the finish line, is banked at 18 degrees.

### Entry list

* (R) denotes rookie driver.
* (i) denotes driver who is ineligible for series driver points.
| # | Driver | Team | Make | Sponsor(s) |
| 1 | Jason A. White | Tricon Garage | Toyota | Celsius |
| 02 | Kris Wright | Young's Motorsports | Chevrolet | FNB Corporation |
| 2 | Nick Sanchez (R) | Rev Racing | Chevrolet | Gainbridge |
| 04 | Kaden Honeycutt | Roper Racing | Ford | Fly Alliance, Carquest |
| 4 | Chase Purdy | Kyle Busch Motorsports | Chevrolet | Bama Buggies |
| 5 | Dean Thompson | Tricon Garage | Ford | Thompson Pipe Group |
| 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 |
| 12 | Spencer Boyd | Young's Motorsports | Chevrolet | Freedom Warranty |
| 13 | Hailie Deegan | ThorSport Racing | Ford | Ford Performance |
| 15 | Tanner Gray | Tricon Garage | Toyota | Dead On Tools |
| 16 | Tyler Ankrum | Hattori Racing Enterprises | Toyota | LiUNA! |
| 17 | Sammy Smith (i) | Tricon Garage | Toyota | Mobil 1 |
| 19 | Christian Eckes | McAnally-Hilgemann Racing | Chevrolet | NAPA AutoCare |
| 20 | Derek Kraus | Young's Motorsports | Chevrolet | Hardscape Construction |
| 22 | Josh Reaume | AM Racing | Ford | JAG Metals |
| 23 | Grant Enfinger | GMS Racing | Chevrolet | Champion Power Equipment |
| 24 | Rajah Caruth (R) | GMS Racing | Chevrolet | Wendell Scott Foundation |
| 25 | Matt DiBenedetto | Rackley WAR | Chevrolet | Rackley Roofing |
| 28 | Bryan Dauzat | FDNY Racing | Chevrolet | FDNY Racing |
| 30 | Chris Hacker | On Point Motorsports | Toyota | Morgan & Morgan |
| 32 | Bret Holmes (R) | Bret Holmes Racing | Chevrolet | Pate Holdings |
| 33 | Mason Massey | Reaume Brothers Racing | Ford | BRUNT Workwear |
| 34 | Jason M. White | Reaume Brothers Racing | Toyota | Powder Ventures Excavations |
| 35 | Chase Elliott (i) | McAnally-Hilgemann Racing | Chevrolet | Gates Hydraulics |
| 38 | Zane Smith | Front Row Motorsports | Ford | Love's, Speedco |
| 41 | Travis Pastrana (i) | Niece Motorsports | Chevrolet | Worldwide Express, Black Rifle Coffee Company |
| 42 | Carson Hocevar | Niece Motorsports | Chevrolet | Worldwide Express |
| 43 | Daniel Dye (R) | GMS Racing | Chevrolet | Gluseppe's Steel City Pizza |
| 45 | Lawless Alan | Niece Motorsports | Chevrolet | AutoDockIt |
| 46 | Norm Benning | G2G Racing | Toyota | G2G Racing |
| 51 | Jack Wood | Kyle Busch Motorsports | Chevrolet | Eberlestock |
| 52 | Stewart Friesen | Halmar Friesen Racing | Toyota | Aim Autism, Halmar International |
| 56 | Timmy Hill | Hill Motorsports | Toyota | Coble Enterprises |
| 75 | Parker Kligerman (i) | Henderson Motorsports | Chevrolet | Purina, Food Country USA |
| 84 | Clay Greenfield | Cook Racing Technologies | Toyota | Cook Racing Technologies |
| 88 | Matt Crafton | ThorSport Racing | Ford | Mold Armor, Menards |
| 96 | Todd Peck | Peck Motorsports | Toyota | Peck Motorsports |
| 97 | Codie Rohrbaugh | CR7 Motorsports | Chevrolet | Grant County Mulch |
| 98 | Ty Majeski | ThorSport Racing | Ford | Road Ranger |
| 99 | Ben Rhodes | ThorSport Racing | Ford | Clark's Pump-N-Shop |
| Official entry list |||||

## Practice

The first and only practice session was held on Thursday, February 16, at 5:05 PM EST, and would last for 50 minutes. Rajah Caruth, driving for GMS Racing, would set the fastest time in the session, with a lap of 47.760, and an average speed of 188.442 mph (303.268 km/h).
| Pos. | # | Driver | Team | Make | Time | Speed |
| 1 | 24 | Rajah Caruth (R) | GMS Racing | Chevrolet | 47.760 | 188.442 |
| 2 | 19 | Christian Eckes | McAnally-Hilgemann Racing | Chevrolet | 47.774 | 188.387 |
| 3 | 51 | Jack Wood | Kyle Busch Motorsports | Chevrolet | 47.924 | 187.797 |
| Full practice results |||||||

## Qualifying

Qualifying was held on Friday, February 17, at 3:00 PM EST. Since Daytona International Speedway is a superspeedway, the qualifying system used is a single-car, single-lap system with two rounds. In the first round, drivers have one lap to set a time. The fastest ten drivers from the first round move on to the second round. Whoever sets the fastest time in Round 2 wins the pole.
Nick Sanchez, driving for Rev Racing, would win the pole after advancing from the preliminary round and setting the fastest lap in Round 2, with a lap of 49.478, and an average speed of 181.899 mph (292.738 km/h).
Six drivers would fail to qualify: Lawless Alan, Bryan Dauzat, Todd Peck, Spencer Boyd, Kaden Honeycutt, and Norm Benning.
| Pos. | # | Driver | Team | Make | Time (R1) | Speed (R1) | Time (R2) | Speed (R2) |
| 1 | 2 | Nick Sanchez (R) | Rev Racing | Chevrolet | 49.731 | 180.974 | 49.478 | 181.899 |
| 2 | 98 | Ty Majeski | ThorSport Racing | Ford | 50.083 | 179.702 | 49.783 | 180.785 |
| 3 | 51 | Jack Wood | Kyle Busch Motorsports | Chevrolet | 50.000 | 180.000 | 49.969 | 180.112 |
| 4 | 19 | Christian Eckes | McAnally-Hilgemann Racing | Chevrolet | 49.991 | 180.032 | 50.085 | 179.695 |
| 5 | 7 | Corey LaJoie (i) | Spire Motorsports | Chevrolet | 50.292 | 178.955 | 50.228 | 179.183 |
| 6 | 88 | Matt Crafton | ThorSport Racing | Ford | 50.397 | 178.582 | 50.289 | 178.966 |
| 7 | 1 | Jason A. White | Tricon Garage | Toyota | 50.391 | 178.603 | 50.300 | 178.926 |
| 8 | 25 | Matt DiBenedetto | Rackley WAR | Chevrolet | 50.404 | 178.557 | 50.398 | 178.579 |
| 9 | 42 | Carson Hocevar | Niece Motorsports | Chevrolet | 50.462 | 178.352 | 50.412 | 178.529 |
| 10 | 4 | Chase Purdy | Kyle Busch Motorsports | Chevrolet | 49.757 | 180.879 | — | — |
| Eliminated in Round 1 |||||||||
| 11 | 20 | Derek Kraus | Young's Motorsports | Chevrolet | 50.462 | 178.352 | — | — |
| 12 | 13 | Hailie Deegan | ThorSport Racing | Ford | 50.466 | 178.338 | — | — |
| 13 | 11 | Corey Heim | Tricon Garage | Toyota | 50.519 | 178.151 | — | — |
| 14 | 35 | Chase Elliott (i) | McAnally-Hilgemann Racing | Chevrolet | 50.528 | 178.119 | — | — |
| 15 | 38 | Zane Smith | Front Row Motorsports | Ford | 50.552 | 178.034 | — | — |
| 16 | 23 | Grant Enfinger | GMS Racing | Chevrolet | 50.559 | 178.010 | — | — |
| 17 | 24 | Rajah Caruth (R) | GMS Racing | Chevrolet | 50.621 | 177.792 | — | — |
| 18 | 5 | Dean Thompson | Tricon Garage | Toyota | 50.645 | 177.708 | — | — |
| 19 | 15 | Tanner Gray | Tricon Garage | Toyota | 50.680 | 177.585 | — | — |
| 20 | 17 | Sammy Smith (i) | Tricon Garage | Toyota | 50.686 | 177.564 | — | — |
| 21 | 9 | Colby Howard | CR7 Motorsports | Chevrolet | 50.695 | 177.532 | — | — |
| 22 | 32 | Bret Holmes (R) | Bret Holmes Racing | Chevrolet | 50.707 | 177.490 | — | — |
| 23 | 52 | Stewart Friesen | Halmar Friesen Racing | Toyota | 50.710 | 177.480 | — | — |
| 24 | 75 | Parker Kligerman (i) | Henderson Motorsports | Chevrolet | 50.716 | 177.459 | — | — |
| 25 | 41 | Travis Pastrana (i) | Niece Motorsports | Chevrolet | 50.732 | 177.403 | — | — |
| 26 | 99 | Ben Rhodes | ThorSport Racing | Ford | 50.862 | 176.949 | — | — |
| 27 | 16 | Tyler Ankrum | Hattori Racing Enterprises | Toyota | 51.010 | 176.436 | — | — |
| 28 | 97 | Codie Rohrbaugh | CR7 Motorsports | Chevrolet | 51.044 | 176.318 | — | — |
| 29 | 43 | Daniel Dye (R) | GMS Racing | Chevrolet | 51.088 | 176.167 | — | — |
| 30 | 02 | Kris Wright | Young's Motorsports | Chevrolet | 51.173 | 175.874 | — | — |
| 31 | 84 | Clay Greenfield | Cook Racing Technologies | Toyota | 51.202 | 175.774 | — | — |
| Qualified by owner's points |||||||||
| 32 | 56 | Timmy Hill | Hill Motorsports | Toyota | 51.244 | 175.630 | — | — |
| 33 | 30 | Chris Hacker | On Point Motorsports | Toyota | 51.246 | 175.623 | — | — |
| 34 | 22 | Josh Reaume | AM Racing | Ford | 52.525 | 171.347 | — | — |
| 35 | 33 | Mason Massey | Reaume Brothers Racing | Ford | 52.587 | 171.145 | — | — |
| 36 | 34 | Jason M. White | Reaume Brothers Racing | Toyota | 54.081 | 166.417 | — | — |
| Failed to qualify |||||||||
| 37 | 45 | Lawless Alan | Niece Motorsports | Chevrolet | 51.208 | 175.754 | — | — |
| 38 | 28 | Bryan Dauzat | FDNY Racing | Chevrolet | 51.287 | 175.483 | — | — |
| 39 | 96 | Todd Peck | Peck Motorsports | Toyota | 51.288 | 175.480 | — | — |
| 40 | 12 | Spencer Boyd | Young's Motorsports | Chevrolet | 51.489 | 174.795 | — | — |
| 41 | 04 | Kaden Honeycutt | Roper Racing | Ford | 51.516 | 174.703 | — | — |
| 42 | 46 | Norm Benning | G2G Racing | Toyota | 51.583 | 174.476 | — | — |
| Official qualifying results |||||||||
| Official starting lineup |||||||||

## Race results

Stage 1 Laps: 20
| Pos. | # | Driver | Team | Make | Pts |
| 1 | 19 | Christian Eckes | McAnally-Hilgemann Racing | Chevrolet | 10 |
| 2 | 88 | Matt Crafton | ThorSport Racing | Ford | 9 |
| 3 | 25 | Matt DiBenedetto | Rackley WAR | Chevrolet | 8 |
| 4 | 13 | Hailie Deegan | ThorSport Racing | Ford | 7 |
| 5 | 2 | Nick Sanchez (R) | Rev Racing | Chevrolet | 6 |
| 6 | 98 | Ty Majeski | ThorSport Racing | Ford | 5 |
| 7 | 42 | Carson Hocevar | Niece Motorsports | Chevrolet | 4 |
| 8 | 15 | Tanner Gray | Tricon Garage | Toyota | 3 |
| 9 | 51 | Jack Wood | Kyle Busch Motorsports | Chevrolet | 2 |
| 10 | 23 | Grant Enfinger | GMS Racing | Chevrolet | 1 |
Stage 2 Laps: 20
| Pos. | # | Driver | Team | Make | Pts |
| 1 | 16 | Tyler Ankrum | Hattori Racing Enterprises | Toyota | 10 |
| 2 | 4 | Chase Purdy | Kyle Busch Motorsports | Chevrolet | 9 |
| 3 | 88 | Matt Crafton | ThorSport Racing | Ford | 8 |
| 4 | 2 | Nick Sanchez (R) | Rev Racing | Chevrolet | 7 |
| 5 | 19 | Christian Eckes | McAnally-Hilgemann Racing | Chevrolet | 6 |
| 6 | 98 | Ty Majeski | ThorSport Racing | Ford | 5 |
| 7 | 99 | Ben Rhodes | ThorSport Racing | Ford | 4 |
| 8 | 23 | Grant Enfinger | GMS Racing | Chevrolet | 3 |
| 9 | 51 | Jack Wood | Kyle Busch Motorsports | Chevrolet | 2 |
| 10 | 42 | Carson Hocevar | Niece Motorsports | Chevrolet | 1 |
Stage 3 Laps: 39
| Fin | St | # | Driver | Team | Make | Laps | Led | Status | Pts |
| 1 | 15 | 38 | Zane Smith | Front Row Motorsports | Ford | 79 | 17 | Running | 40 |
| 2 | 19 | 15 | Tanner Gray | Tricon Garage | Toyota | 79 | 0 | Running | 38 |
| 3 | 4 | 19 | Christian Eckes | McAnally-Hilgemann Racing | Chevrolet | 79 | 19 | Running | 50 |
| 4 | 21 | 9 | Colby Howard | CR7 Motorsports | Chevrolet | 79 | 2 | Running | 33 |
| 5 | 16 | 23 | Grant Enfinger | GMS Racing | Chevrolet | 79 | 0 | Running | 36 |
| 6 | 2 | 98 | Ty Majeski | ThorSport Racing | Ford | 79 | 2 | Running | 41 |
| 7 | 27 | 16 | Tyler Ankrum | Hattori Racing Enterprises | Toyota | 79 | 15 | Running | 40 |
| 8 | 13 | 11 | Corey Heim | Tricon Garage | Toyota | 79 | 0 | Running | 29 |
| 9 | 6 | 88 | Matt Crafton | ThorSport Racing | Ford | 79 | 2 | Running | 45 |
| 10 | 14 | 35 | Chase Elliott (i) | McAnally-Hilgemann Racing | Chevrolet | 79 | 0 | Running | 0 |
| 11 | 26 | 99 | Ben Rhodes | ThorSport Racing | Ford | 79 | 0 | Running | 30 |
| 12 | 9 | 42 | Carson Hocevar | Niece Motorsports | Chevrolet | 79 | 0 | Running | 30 |
| 13 | 25 | 41 | Travis Pastrana (i) | Niece Motorsports | Chevrolet | 79 | 0 | Running | 0 |
| 14 | 20 | 17 | Sammy Smith (i) | Tricon Garage | Toyota | 79 | 0 | Running | 0 |
| 15 | 7 | 1 | Jason A. White | Tricon Garage | Toyota | 79 | 0 | Running | 22 |
| 16 | 32 | 56 | Timmy Hill | Hill Motorsports | Toyota | 79 | 0 | Running | 21 |
| 17 | 10 | 4 | Chase Purdy | Kyle Busch Motorsports | Chevrolet | 79 | 1 | Running | 29 |
| 18 | 11 | 20 | Derek Kraus | Young's Motorsports | Chevrolet | 79 | 0 | Running | 19 |
| 19 | 34 | 22 | Josh Reaume | AM Racing | Ford | 79 | 0 | Running | 18 |
| 20 | 8 | 25 | Matt DiBenedetto | Rackley WAR | Chevrolet | 79 | 0 | Running | 25 |
| 21 | 36 | 34 | Jason M. White | Reaume Brothers Racing | Toyota | 79 | 0 | Running | 16 |
| 22 | 30 | 02 | Kris Wright | Young's Motorsports | Chevrolet | 79 | 0 | Running | 15 |
| 23 | 5 | 7 | Corey LaJoie (i) | Spire Motorsports | Chevrolet | 79 | 19 | Running | 0 |
| 24 | 35 | 33 | Mason Massey | Reaume Brothers Racing | Ford | 79 | 0 | Running | 13 |
| 25 | 33 | 30 | Chris Hacker | On Point Motorsports | Toyota | 79 | 0 | Running | 12 |
| 26 | 1 | 2 | Nick Sanchez (R) | Rev Racing | Chevrolet | 79 | 0 | Running | 24 |
| 27 | 3 | 51 | Jack Wood | Kyle Busch Motorsports | Chevrolet | 79 | 0 | Running | 14 |
| 28 | 23 | 52 | Stewart Friesen | Halmar Friesen Racing | Toyota | 74 | 2 | Running | 9 |
| 29 | 17 | 24 | Rajah Caruth (R) | GMS Racing | Chevrolet | 57 | 0 | Accident | 8 |
| 30 | 29 | 43 | Daniel Dye (R) | GMS Racing | Chevrolet | 57 | 0 | Accident | 7 |
| 31 | 22 | 32 | Bret Holmes (R) | Bret Holmes Racing | Chevrolet | 49 | 0 | Brakes | 6 |
| 32 | 24 | 75 | Parker Kligerman (i) | Henderson Motorsports | Chevrolet | 45 | 0 | DVP | 0 |
| 33 | 28 | 97 | Codie Rohrbaugh | CR7 Motorsports | Chevrolet | 39 | 0 | Accident | 4 |
| 34 | 31 | 84 | Clay Greenfield | Cook Racing Technologies | Toyota | 28 | 0 | Accident | 3 |
| 35 | 12 | 13 | Hailie Deegan | ThorSport Racing | Ford | 28 | 0 | Accident | 2 |
| 36 | 18 | 5 | Dean Thompson | Tricon Garage | Toyota | 28 | 0 | Accident | 1 |
| Official race results ||||||||||

## Standings after the race

| | Pos | Driver | Points |
| | 1 | Christian Eckes | 50 |
| | 2 | Matt Crafton | 45 (-5) |
| | 3 | Ty Majeski | 41 (-9) |
| | 4 | Zane Smith | 40 (-10) |
| | 5 | Tyler Ankrum | 40 (-10) |
| | 6 | Tanner Gray | 38 (-12) |
| | 7 | Grant Enfinger | 36 (-14) |
| | 8 | Colby Howard | 33 (-17) |
| | 9 | Ben Rhodes | 30 (-20) |
| | 10 | Carson Hocevar | 30 (-20) |
| Official driver's standings ||||