# 2023 North Carolina Education Lottery 200

The 2023 North Carolina Education Lottery 200 was the 11th stock car race of the 2023 NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series, the first race of the Triple Truck Challenge, and the 20th iteration of the event.
The race was held on Friday, May 26, 2023, in Concord, North Carolina at Charlotte Motor Speedway, a 1.5 miles (2.4 km) permanent tri-oval shaped racetrack. The race took the scheduled 134 laps to complete. Ben Rhodes, driving for ThorSport Racing, took advantage of a pit road strategy and dominated the final portion of the race to earn his 7th career NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series win and his first of the season. He also earns the additional $50,000 for winning the first Triple Truck Challenge race. Corey Heim and Carson Hocevar dominated the majority of the race, leading 49 and 43 laps, respectively.
To fill out the podium, Heim, driving for Tricon Garage, and Dean Thompson, also driving for Tricon Garage, finished 2nd and 3rd, respectively.

## Background

Charlotte Motor Speedway (previously known as Lowe's Motor Speedway from 1999 to 2009) is a motorsport complex located in Concord, North Carolina, 13-mile (21 km) outside Charlotte. The complex features a 1.500 mi (2.414 km) quad oval track that hosts NASCAR racing including the prestigious Coca-Cola 600 on Memorial Day weekend, and the Bank of America Roval 400. The speedway was built in 1959 by Bruton Smith and is considered the home track for NASCAR with many race teams located in the Charlotte area. The track is owned and operated by Speedway Motorsports with Greg Walter as track president.
The 2,000 acres (8.1 km$^2$) complex also features a state-of-the-art 0.250 mi (0.402 km) drag racing strip, ZMAX Dragway. It is the only all-concrete, four-lane drag strip in the United States and hosts NHRA events. Alongside the drag strip is a state-of-the-art clay oval that hosts dirt racing including the World of Outlaws finals among other popular racing events.

### Entry list

* (R) denotes rookie driver.
| # | Driver | Team | Make | Sponsor |
| 1 | David Gilliland | Tricon Garage | Toyota | Serial 1 E-Bikes |
| 02 | Kris Wright | Young's Motorsports | Chevrolet | FNB Corporation |
| 2 | Nick Sanchez (R) | Rev Racing | Chevrolet | Gainbridge |
| 4 | Chase Purdy | Kyle Busch Motorsports | Chevrolet | Bama Buggies |
| 5 | Dean Thompson | Tricon Garage | Toyota | Thompson Pipe Group |
| 9 | Colby Howard | CR7 Motorsports | Chevrolet | Grant County Mulch |
| 11 | Corey Heim | Tricon Garage | Toyota | Rootly |
| 12 | Spencer Boyd | Young's Motorsports | Chevrolet | Derm Dude |
| 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 |
| 19 | Christian Eckes | McAnally-Hilgemann Racing | Chevrolet | NAPA Auto Care |
| 20 | Matt Mills | Young's Motorsports | Chevrolet | J. F. Electric |
| 22 | Mason Maggio | AM Racing | Ford | ACE Hardware Rock Hill |
| 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 |
| 30 | Ryan Vargas | On Point Motorsports | Toyota | Rangeline Group |
| 32 | Bret Holmes (R) | Bret Holmes Racing | Chevrolet | Bret Holmes Racing |
| 33 | Josh Reaume | Reaume Brothers Racing | Ford | JAG Metals |
| 34 | Keith McGee | Reaume Brothers Racing | Ford | JAG Metals |
| 35 | Jake Garcia (R) | McAnally-Hilgemann Racing | Chevrolet | Quanta Services |
| 38 | Zane Smith | Front Row Motorsports | Ford | Love's, Speedco |
| 41 | Bayley Currey | Niece Motorsports | Chevrolet | Unishippers |
| 42 | Carson Hocevar | Niece Motorsports | Chevrolet | Worldwide Express |
| 43 | Daniel Dye (R) | GMS Racing | Chevrolet | Race to Stop Suicide |
| 45 | Lawless Alan | Niece Motorsports | Chevrolet | AUTOParkIt.com |
| 46 | Armani Williams | G2G Racing | Toyota | Blue Sprig, Hedgehog Health |
| 51 | Jack Wood | Kyle Busch Motorsports | Chevrolet | Eberlestock |
| 52 | Stewart Friesen | Halmar Friesen Racing | Toyota | Halmar International |
| 56 | Tyler Hill | Hill Motorsports | Toyota | LeithCars.com |
| 88 | Matt Crafton | ThorSport Racing | Ford | Planters, Menards |
| 90 | Justin Carroll | TC Motorsports | Toyota | Carroll's Automotive, Duratain |
| 98 | Ty Majeski | ThorSport Racing | Ford | Road Ranger |
| 99 | Ben Rhodes | ThorSport Racing | Ford | Campers Inn RV |
| Official entry list |||||

## Practice

The first and only practice session was held on Friday, May 26, at 1:35 PM EST, and would last for 20 minutes. Ty Majeski, driving for ThorSport Racing, would set the fastest time in the session, with a lap of 30.100, and an average speed of 179.402 mph (288.720 km/h).
| Pos. | # | Driver | Team | Make | Time | Speed |
| 1 | 98 | Ty Majeski | ThorSport Racing | Ford | 30.100 | 179.402 |
| 2 | 17 | Taylor Gray (R) | Tricon Garage | Toyota | 30.254 | 178.489 |
| 3 | 42 | Carson Hocevar | Niece Motorsports | Chevrolet | 30.302 | 178.206 |
| Full practice results |||||||

## Qualifying

Qualifying was held on Friday, May 26, at 2:05 PM EST. Since Charlotte Motor Speedway is an intermediate racetrack, the qualifying system used is a single-car, one-lap system with only one round. In that round, whoever sets the fastest time will win the pole. Tanner Gray, driving for Tricon Garage, would score the pole for the race, with a lap of 29.936, and an average speed of 180.385 mph (290.302 km/h).
| Pos. | # | Driver | Team | Make | Time | Speed |
| 1 | 15 | Tanner Gray | Tricon Garage | Toyota | 29.936 | 180.385 |
| 2 | 98 | Ty Majeski | ThorSport Racing | Ford | 29.970 | 180.180 |
| 3 | 11 | Corey Heim | Tricon Garage | Toyota | 29.983 | 180.102 |
| 4 | 24 | Rajah Caruth (R) | GMS Racing | Chevrolet | 30.070 | 179.581 |
| 5 | 52 | Stewart Friesen | Halmar Friesen Racing | Toyota | 30.141 | 179.158 |
| 6 | 19 | Christian Eckes | McAnally-Hilgemann Racing | Chevrolet | 30.151 | 179.099 |
| 7 | 5 | Dean Thompson | Tricon Garage | Toyota | 30.155 | 179.075 |
| 8 | 41 | Bayley Currey | Niece Motorsports | Chevrolet | 30.240 | 178.571 |
| 9 | 1 | David Gilliland | Tricon Garage | Toyota | 30.242 | 178.560 |
| 10 | 51 | Jack Wood | Kyle Busch Motorsports | Chevrolet | 30.309 | 178.165 |
| 11 | 23 | Grant Enfinger | GMS Racing | Chevrolet | 30.320 | 178.100 |
| 12 | 42 | Carson Hocevar | Niece Motorsports | Chevrolet | 30.320 | 178.100 |
| 13 | 4 | Chase Purdy | Kyle Busch Motorsports | Chevrolet | 30.348 | 177.936 |
| 14 | 38 | Zane Smith | Front Row Motorsports | Ford | 30.363 | 177.848 |
| 15 | 35 | Jake Garcia (R) | McAnally-Hilgemann Racing | Chevrolet | 30.390 | 177.690 |
| 16 | 45 | Lawless Alan | Niece Motorsports | Chevrolet | 30.397 | 177.649 |
| 17 | 17 | Taylor Gray (R) | Tricon Garage | Toyota | 30.418 | 177.526 |
| 18 | 43 | Daniel Dye (R) | GMS Racing | Chevrolet | 30.483 | 177.148 |
| 19 | 99 | Ben Rhodes | ThorSport Racing | Ford | 30.500 | 177.049 |
| 20 | 25 | Matt DiBenedetto | Rackley WAR | Chevrolet | 30.550 | 176.759 |
| 21 | 13 | Hailie Deegan | ThorSport Racing | Ford | 30.913 | 174.684 |
| 22 | 9 | Colby Howard | CR7 Motorsports | Chevrolet | 30.979 | 174.312 |
| 23 | 02 | Kris Wright | Young's Motorsports | Chevrolet | 31.014 | 174.115 |
| 24 | 88 | Matt Crafton | ThorSport Racing | Ford | 31.062 | 173.846 |
| 25 | 12 | Spencer Boyd | Young's Motorsports | Chevrolet | 31.302 | 172.513 |
| 26 | 32 | Bret Holmes (R) | Bret Holmes Racing | Chevrolet | 31.427 | 171.827 |
| 27 | 33 | Josh Reaume | Reaume Brothers Racing | Ford | 31.555 | 171.130 |
| 28 | 20 | Matt Mills | Young's Motorsports | Chevrolet | 31.877 | 169.401 |
| 29 | 56 | Tyler Hill | Hill Motorsports | Toyota | 32.050 | 168.487 |
| 30 | 46 | Armani Williams | G2G Racing | Toyota | 32.279 | 167.291 |
| 31 | 22 | Mason Maggio | AM Racing | Ford | 32.306 | 167.152 |
| Qualified by owner's points |||||||
| 32 | 90 | Justin Carroll | TC Motorsports | Toyota | 32.760 | 164.835 |
| 33 | 34 | Keith McGee | Reaume Brothers Racing | Ford | 32.921 | 164.029 |
| 34 | 2 | Nick Sanchez (R) | Rev Racing | Chevrolet | – | – |
| 35 | 16 | Tyler Ankrum | Hattori Racing Enterprises | Toyota | – | – |
| 36 | 30 | Ryan Vargas | On Point Motorsports | Toyota | – | – |
| Official qualifying results |||||||
| Official starting lineup |||||||

## Race results

Stage 1 Laps: 30
| Pos. | # | Driver | Team | Make | Pts |
| 1 | 11 | Corey Heim | Tricon Garage | Toyota | 10 |
| 2 | 42 | Carson Hocevar | Niece Motorsports | Chevrolet | 9 |
| 3 | 5 | Dean Thompson | Tricon Garage | Toyota | 8 |
| 4 | 24 | Rajah Caruth (R) | GMS Racing | Chevrolet | 7 |
| 5 | 38 | Zane Smith | Front Row Motorsports | Ford | 6 |
| 6 | 98 | Ty Majeski | ThorSport Racing | Ford | 5 |
| 7 | 15 | Tanner Gray | Tricon Garage | Toyota | 4 |
| 8 | 52 | Stewart Friesen | Halmar Friesen Racing | Toyota | 3 |
| 9 | 1 | David Gilliland | Tricon Garage | Toyota | 2 |
| 10 | 17 | Taylor Gray (R) | Tricon Garage | Toyota | 1 |
Stage 2 Laps: 30
| Pos. | # | Driver | Team | Make | Pts |
| 1 | 42 | Carson Hocevar | Niece Motorsports | Chevrolet | 10 |
| 2 | 11 | Corey Heim | Tricon Garage | Toyota | 9 |
| 3 | 5 | Dean Thompson | Tricon Garage | Toyota | 8 |
| 4 | 38 | Zane Smith | Front Row Motorsports | Ford | 7 |
| 5 | 52 | Stewart Friesen | Halmar Friesen Racing | Toyota | 6 |
| 6 | 17 | Taylor Gray (R) | Tricon Garage | Toyota | 5 |
| 7 | 99 | Ben Rhodes | ThorSport Racing | Ford | 4 |
| 8 | 1 | David Gilliland | Tricon Garage | Toyota | 3 |
| 9 | 2 | Nick Sanchez (R) | Rev Racing | Chevrolet | 2 |
| 10 | 19 | Christian Eckes | McAnally-Hilgemann Racing | Chevrolet | 1 |
Stage 3 Laps: 74
| Fin | St | # | Driver | Team | Make | Laps | Led | Status | Pts |
| 1 | 19 | 99 | Ben Rhodes | ThorSport Racing | Ford | 134 | 37 | Running | 44 |
| 2 | 3 | 11 | Corey Heim | Tricon Garage | Toyota | 134 | 49 | Running | 54 |
| 3 | 7 | 5 | Dean Thompson | Tricon Garage | Toyota | 134 | 0 | Running | 50 |
| 4 | 12 | 42 | Carson Hocevar | Niece Motorsports | Chevrolet | 134 | 43 | Running | 52 |
| 5 | 11 | 23 | Grant Enfinger | GMS Racing | Chevrolet | 134 | 0 | Running | 32 |
| 6 | 6 | 19 | Christian Eckes | McAnally-Hilgemann Racing | Chevrolet | 134 | 0 | Running | 32 |
| 7 | 2 | 98 | Ty Majeski | ThorSport Racing | Ford | 134 | 0 | Running | 35 |
| 8 | 20 | 25 | Matt DiBenedetto | Rackley WAR | Chevrolet | 134 | 0 | Running | 29 |
| 9 | 34 | 2 | Nick Sanchez (R) | Rev Racing | Chevrolet | 134 | 0 | Running | 30 |
| 10 | 17 | 17 | Taylor Gray (R) | Tricon Garage | Toyota | 134 | 0 | Running | 33 |
| 11 | 4 | 24 | Rajah Caruth (R) | GMS Racing | Chevrolet | 134 | 0 | Running | 33 |
| 12 | 24 | 88 | Matt Crafton | ThorSport Racing | Ford | 134 | 0 | Running | 25 |
| 13 | 8 | 41 | Bayley Currey | Niece Motorsports | Chevrolet | 134 | 0 | Running | 24 |
| 14 | 9 | 1 | David Gilliland | Tricon Garage | Toyota | 134 | 0 | Running | 28 |
| 15 | 15 | 35 | Jake Garcia (R) | McAnally-Hilgemann Racing | Chevrolet | 134 | 0 | Running | 22 |
| 16 | 13 | 4 | Chase Purdy | Kyle Busch Motorsports | Chevrolet | 134 | 2 | Running | 21 |
| 17 | 16 | 45 | Lawless Alan | Niece Motorsports | Chevrolet | 134 | 0 | Running | 20 |
| 18 | 10 | 51 | Jack Wood | Kyle Busch Motorsports | Chevrolet | 134 | 0 | Running | 19 |
| 19 | 18 | 43 | Daniel Dye (R) | GMS Racing | Chevrolet | 134 | 0 | Running | 18 |
| 20 | 22 | 9 | Colby Howard | CR7 Motorsports | Chevrolet | 134 | 0 | Running | 17 |
| 21 | 26 | 32 | Bret Holmes (R) | Bret Holmes Racing | Chevrolet | 134 | 0 | Running | 16 |
| 22 | 5 | 52 | Stewart Friesen | Halmar Friesen Racing | Toyota | 134 | 0 | Running | 24 |
| 23 | 14 | 38 | Zane Smith | Front Row Motorsports | Ford | 134 | 0 | Running | 27 |
| 24 | 29 | 56 | Tyler Hill | Hill Motorsports | Toyota | 134 | 0 | Running | 13 |
| 25 | 31 | 22 | Mason Maggio | AM Racing | Ford | 134 | 0 | Running | 12 |
| 26 | 36 | 30 | Ryan Vargas | On Point Motorsports | Toyota | 134 | 0 | Running | 11 |
| 27 | 1 | 15 | Tanner Gray | Tricon Garage | Toyota | 133 | 3 | Running | 14 |
| 28 | 35 | 16 | Tyler Ankrum | Hattori Racing Enterprises | Toyota | 132 | 0 | Running | 9 |
| 29 | 27 | 33 | Josh Reaume | Reaume Brothers Racing | Ford | 131 | 0 | Running | 8 |
| 30 | 28 | 20 | Matt Mills | Young's Motorsports | Chevrolet | 131 | 0 | Running | 7 |
| 31 | 25 | 12 | Spencer Boyd | Young's Motorsports | Chevrolet | 131 | 0 | Running | 6 |
| 32 | 23 | 02 | Kris Wright | Young's Motorsports | Chevrolet | 130 | 0 | Running | 5 |
| 33 | 21 | 13 | Hailie Deegan | ThorSport Racing | Ford | 128 | 0 | Running | 4 |
| 34 | 32 | 90 | Justin Carroll | TC Motorsports | Toyota | 122 | 0 | Running | 3 |
| 35 | 30 | 46 | Armani Williams | G2G Racing | Toyota | 65 | 0 | Accident | 2 |
| 36 | 33 | 34 | Keith McGee | Reaume Brothers Racing | Ford | 20 | 0 | Fuel Pump | 1 |
| Official race results ||||||||||

## Standings after the race

| | Pos | Driver | Points |
| | 1 | Corey Heim | 425 |
| | 2 | Ty Majeski | 399 (-26) |
| | 3 | Zane Smith | 382 (-43) |
| | 4 | Grant Enfinger | 362 (-63) |
| 1 | 5 | Ben Rhodes | 349 (-76) |
| 1 | 6 | Christian Eckes | 343 (-82) |
| | 7 | Matt Crafton | 315 (-110) |
| 3 | 8 | Carson Hocevar | 302 (-123) |
| 1 | 9 | Tanner Gray | 287 (-138) |
| | 10 | Matt DiBenedetto | 281 (-144) |
| Official driver's standings ||||