# 2023 Love's RV Stop 250

The 2023 Love's RV Stop 250 was the 21st stock car race of the 2023 NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series, the second race of the Round of 8, and the 18th iteration of the event. The race was held on Saturday, September 30, 2023, in Lincoln, Alabama at Talladega Superspeedway, a 2.66 miles (4.28 km) permanent tri-oval shaped superspeedway. The race was originally scheduled to be contested over 94 laps, but was extended to 99 laps due to a NASCAR overtime finish. In a wreck-filled race with numerous cautions, Brett Moffitt, driving in a one-off race for Front Row Motorsports, would steal the win after making an aggressive move on Christian Eckes for the lead on the final lap. This was Moffitt's 13th career NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series win, and his first of the season. Moffitt and Nick Sanchez would dominate the majority of the race, leading 22 and 25 laps, respectively. To fill out the podium, Ben Rhodes, driving for ThorSport Racing, and Dean Thompson, driving for Tricon Garage, would finish 2nd and 3rd, respectively.

## Background

Talladega Superspeedway, originally known as Alabama International Motor Superspeedway (AIMS), is a motorsports complex located north of Talladega, Alabama. It is located on the former Anniston Air Force Base in the small city of Lincoln. The track is a tri-oval and was constructed in the 1960s by the International Speedway Corporation, a business controlled by the France family. Talladega is most known for its steep banking and the unique location of the start/finish line that's located just past the exit to pit road. The track currently hosts the NASCAR series such as the NASCAR Cup Series, Xfinity Series and the Craftsman Truck Series. Talladega is the longest NASCAR oval with a length of 2.66-mile-long (4.28 km) tri-oval like the Daytona International Speedway, which also is a 2.5-mile-long (4 km) tri-oval.

### Entry list

* (R) denotes rookie driver.
* (i) denotes driver who is ineligible for series driver points.
* (P) denotes playoff driver.
| # | Driver | Team | Make | Sponsor |
| 1 | David Gilliland | Tricon Garage | Toyota | Serial 1 Premium E-Bikes |
| 02 | Garrett Smithley (i) | Young's Motorsports | Chevrolet | Trophy Tractor, Celsius |
| 2 | Nick Sanchez (R) (P) | Rev Racing | Chevrolet | Gainbridge |
| 04 | Cory Roper | Roper Racing | Ford | Fly Alliance, Carquest |
| 4 | Chase Purdy | Kyle Busch Motorsports | Chevrolet | Bama Buggies |
| 5 | Dean Thompson | Tricon Garage | Toyota | CST Industrial |
| 9 | Colby Howard | CR7 Motorsports | Chevrolet | Titan Construction |
| 10 | Jennifer Jo Cobb | Jennifer Jo Cobb Racing | Chevrolet | Concierge Motorsports |
| 11 | Corey Heim (P) | Tricon Garage | Toyota | Safelite |
| 12 | Spencer Boyd | Young's Motorsports | Chevrolet | Alabama Roofing Professionals |
| 13 | Hailie Deegan | ThorSport Racing | Ford | Odyssey Battery |
| 15 | Tanner Gray | Tricon Garage | Toyota | Sport Clips |
| 16 | Tyler Ankrum | Hattori Racing Enterprises | Toyota | LiUNA! |
| 17 | Taylor Gray (R) | Tricon Garage | Toyota | Dead On Tools |
| 19 | Christian Eckes (P) | McAnally-Hilgemann Racing | Chevrolet | NAPA Auto Care |
| 20 | Greg Van Alst | Young's Motorsports | Chevrolet | CB Fabricating |
| 22 | Jason M. White | AM Racing | Ford | Powder Ventures Excavations |
| 23 | Grant Enfinger (P) | GMS Racing | Chevrolet | Champion Power Equipment |
| 24 | Rajah Caruth (R) | GMS Racing | Chevrolet | Wendell Scott Foundation |
| 25 | Chandler Smith (i) | Rackley WAR | Chevrolet | Rackley Roofing |
| 28 | Bryan Dauzat | FDNY Racing | Chevrolet | FDNY Racing |
| 30 | Ryan Vargas | On Point Motorsports | Toyota | Critical Path Security |
| 32 | Bret Holmes (R) | Bret Holmes Racing | Chevrolet | First Bank of Alabama |
| 33 | Keith McGee | Reaume Brothers Racing | Ford | More Core |
| 34 | Brett Moffitt (i) | Front Row Motorsports | Ford | FR8 Auctions |
| 35 | Jake Garcia (R) | McAnally-Hilgemann Racing | Chevrolet | Quanta Services |
| 38 | Zane Smith (P) | Front Row Motorsports | Ford | Love's RV Stop |
| 41 | Bayley Currey | Niece Motorsports | Chevrolet | Unishippers |
| 42 | Carson Hocevar (P) | Niece Motorsports | Chevrolet | Worldwide Express |
| 43 | Daniel Dye (R) | GMS Racing | Chevrolet | Race to Stop Suicide |
| 45 | Lawless Alan | Niece Motorsports | Chevrolet | AUTOParkIt |
| 51 | Jack Wood | Kyle Busch Motorsports | Chevrolet | TRUETIMBER |
| 52 | Stewart Friesen | Halmar Friesen Racing | Toyota | GearWrench |
| 56 | Tyler Hill | Hill Motorsports | Toyota | Buffalo Wild Wings, UNITS |
| 61 | Jake Drew | Hattori Racing Enterprises | Toyota | Toyota Tsusho |
| 75 | Parker Kligerman (i) | Henderson Motorsports | Chevrolet | Tide |
| 88 | Matt Crafton | ThorSport Racing | Ford | Jack Link's, Menards |
| 95 | Clay Greenfield | GK Racing | Chevrolet | Backyard Blues Pools |
| 98 | Ty Majeski (P) | ThorSport Racing | Ford | Soda Sense, Curb Records |
| 99 | Ben Rhodes (P) | ThorSport Racing | Ford | Campers Inn RV |
| Official entry list |||||

## Qualifying

Qualifying was held on Saturday, September 30, at 8:30 AM CST. Since Talladega Superspeedway 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.
Chase Purdy, driving for Kyle Busch Motorsports, would win the pole after advancing from the preliminary round and setting the fastest time in Round 2, with a lap of 53.368, and an average speed of 179.433 mph (288.769 km/h).
Spencer Boyd, Jennifer Jo Cobb, Keith McGee, and Clay Greenfield failed to qualify.
| Pos. | # | Driver | Team | Make | Time (R1) | Speed (R1) | Time (R2) | Speed (R2) |
| 1 | 4 | Chase Purdy | Kyle Busch Motorsports | Chevrolet | 53.584 | 178.710 | 53.368 | 179.433 |
| 2 | 2 | Nick Sanchez (R) (P) | Rev Racing | Chevrolet | 53.740 | 178.191 | 53.653 | 178.480 |
| 3 | 35 | Jake Garcia (R) | McAnally-Hilgemann Racing | Chevrolet | 54.031 | 177.232 | 54.010 | 177.300 |
| 4 | 5 | Dean Thompson | Tricon Garage | Toyota | 54.143 | 176.865 | 54.049 | 177.173 |
| 5 | 98 | Ty Majeski (P) | ThorSport Racing | Ford | 54.098 | 177.012 | 54.061 | 177.133 |
| 6 | 51 | Jack Wood | Kyle Busch Motorsports | Chevrolet | 53.993 | 177.356 | 54.087 | 177.048 |
| 7 | 42 | Carson Hocevar (P) | Niece Motorsports | Chevrolet | 53.992 | 177.360 | 54.123 | 176.930 |
| 8 | 99 | Ben Rhodes (P) | ThorSport Racing | Ford | 54.160 | 176.809 | 54.136 | 176.888 |
| 9 | 11 | Corey Heim (P) | Tricon Garage | Toyota | 54.139 | 176.878 | 54.144 | 176.862 |
| 10 | 61 | Jake Drew | Hattori Racing Enterprises | Toyota | 54.174 | 176.764 | 54.467 | 175.813 |
| Eliminated in Round 1 |||||||||
| 11 | 1 | David Gilliland | Tricon Garage | Toyota | 54.217 | 176.624 | — | — |
| 12 | 88 | Matt Crafton | ThorSport Racing | Ford | 54.262 | 176.477 | — | — |
| 13 | 75 | Parker Kligerman (i) | Henderson Motorsports | Chevrolet | 54.267 | 176.461 | — | — |
| 14 | 24 | Rajah Caruth (R) | GMS Racing | Chevrolet | 54.290 | 176.386 | — | — |
| 15 | 32 | Bret Holmes (R) | Bret Holmes Racing | Chevrolet | 54.337 | 176.234 | — | — |
| 16 | 19 | Christian Eckes (P) | McAnally-Hilgemann Racing | Chevrolet | 54.355 | 176.175 | — | — |
| 17 | 9 | Colby Howard | CR7 Motorsports | Chevrolet | 54.368 | 176.133 | — | — |
| 18 | 38 | Zane Smith (P) | Front Row Motorsports | Ford | 54.379 | 176.097 | — | — |
| 19 | 15 | Tanner Gray | Tricon Garage | Toyota | 54.418 | 175.971 | — | — |
| 20 | 52 | Stewart Friesen | Halmar Friesen Racing | Toyota | 54.447 | 175.877 | — | — |
| 21 | 45 | Lawless Alan | Niece Motorsports | Chevrolet | 54.449 | 175.871 | — | — |
| 22 | 16 | Tyler Ankrum | Hattori Racing Enterprises | Toyota | 54.461 | 175.832 | — | — |
| 23 | 13 | Hailie Deegan | ThorSport Racing | Ford | 54.490 | 175.739 | — | — |
| 24 | 17 | Taylor Gray (R) | Tricon Garage | Toyota | 54.554 | 175.532 | — | — |
| 25 | 23 | Grant Enfinger (P) | GMS Racing | Chevrolet | 54.634 | 175.275 | — | — |
| 26 | 20 | Greg Van Alst | Young's Motorsports | Chevrolet | 54.635 | 175.272 | — | — |
| 27 | 41 | Bayley Currey | Niece Motorsports | Chevrolet | 54.654 | 175.211 | — | — |
| 28 | 25 | Chandler Smith (i) | Rackley WAR | Chevrolet | 54.732 | 174.962 | — | — |
| 29 | 43 | Daniel Dye (R) | GMS Racing | Chevrolet | 54.740 | 174.936 | — | — |
| 30 | 28 | Bryan Dauzat | FDNY Racing | Chevrolet | 54.803 | 174.735 | — | — |
| 31 | 34 | Brett Moffitt (i) | Front Row Motorsports | Ford | 54.863 | 174.633 | — | — |
| Qualified by owner's points |||||||||
| 32 | 02 | Garrett Smithley (i) | Young's Motorsports | Chevrolet | 54.863 | 174.544 | — | — |
| 33 | 30 | Ryan Vargas | On Point Motorsports | Toyota | 54.877 | 174.499 | — | — |
| 34 | 56 | Tyler Hill | Hill Motorsports | Toyota | 54.953 | 174.258 | — | — |
| 35 | 04 | Cory Roper | Roper Racing | Ford | 55.575 | 172.308 | — | — |
| 36 | 22 | Jason M. White | AM Racing | Ford | 55.743 | 171.788 | — | — |
| Failed to qualify |||||||||
| 37 | 12 | Spencer Boyd | Young's Motorsports | Chevrolet | 55.230 | 173.384 | — | — |
| 38 | 10 | Jennifer Jo Cobb | Jennifer Jo Cobb Racing | Chevrolet | 55.554 | 172.373 | — | — |
| 39 | 33 | Keith McGee | Reaume Brothers Racing | Ford | 55.828 | 171.527 | — | — |
| 40 | 95 | Clay Greenfield | GK Racing | Chevrolet | — | — | — | — |
| Official qualifying results |||||||||
| Official starting lineup |||||||||

## Race results

Stage 1 Laps: 20
| Pos. | # | Driver | Team | Make | Pts |
| 1 | 2 | Nick Sanchez (R) (P) | Rev Racing | Chevrolet | 10 |
| 2 | 42 | Carson Hocevar (P) | Niece Motorsports | Chevrolet | 9 |
| 3 | 11 | Corey Heim (P) | Tricon Garage | Toyota | 8 |
| 4 | 98 | Ty Majeski (P) | ThorSport Racing | Ford | 7 |
| 5 | 32 | Bret Holmes (R) | Bret Holmes Racing | Chevrolet | 6 |
| 6 | 9 | Colby Howard | CR7 Motorsports | Chevrolet | 5 |
| 7 | 75 | Parker Kligerman (i) | Henderson Motorsports | Chevrolet | 0 |
| 8 | 15 | Tanner Gray | Tricon Garage | Toyota | 3 |
| 9 | 1 | David Gilliland | Tricon Garage | Toyota | 2 |
| 10 | 5 | Dean Thompson | Tricon Garage | Toyota | 1 |
Stage 2 Laps: 20
| Pos. | # | Driver | Team | Make | Pts |
| 1 | 75 | Parker Kligerman (i) | Henderson Motorsports | Chevrolet | 0 |
| 2 | 2 | Nick Sanchez (R) (P) | Rev Racing | Chevrolet | 9 |
| 3 | 42 | Carson Hocevar (P) | Niece Motorsports | Chevrolet | 8 |
| 4 | 98 | Ty Majeski (P) | ThorSport Racing | Ford | 7 |
| 5 | 99 | Ben Rhodes (P) | ThorSport Racing | Ford | 6 |
| 6 | 15 | Tanner Gray | Tricon Garage | Toyota | 5 |
| 7 | 17 | Taylor Gray (R) | Tricon Garage | Toyota | 4 |
| 8 | 32 | Bret Holmes (R) | Bret Holmes Racing | Chevrolet | 3 |
| 9 | 5 | Dean Thompson | Tricon Garage | Toyota | 2 |
| 10 | 11 | Corey Heim (P) | Tricon Garage | Toyota | 1 |
Stage 3 Laps: 59
| Fin | St | # | Driver | Team | Make | Laps | Led | Status | Pts |
| 1 | 31 | 34 | Brett Moffitt (i) | Front Row Motorsports | Ford | 99 | 22 | Running | 0 |
| 2 | 8 | 99 | Ben Rhodes (P) | ThorSport Racing | Ford | 99 | 0 | Running | 41 |
| 3 | 4 | 5 | Dean Thompson | Tricon Garage | Toyota | 99 | 0 | Running | 37 |
| 4 | 28 | 25 | Chandler Smith (i) | Rackley WAR | Chevrolet | 99 | 0 | Running | 0 |
| 5 | 9 | 11 | Corey Heim (P) | Tricon Garage | Toyota | 99 | 0 | Running | 41 |
| 6 | 29 | 43 | Daniel Dye (R) | GMS Racing | Chevrolet | 99 | 0 | Running | 31 |
| 7 | 2 | 2 | Nick Sanchez (R) (P) | Rev Racing | Chevrolet | 99 | 25 | Running | 49 |
| 8 | 23 | 13 | Hailie Deegan | ThorSport Racing | Ford | 99 | 0 | Running | 29 |
| 9 | 13 | 75 | Parker Kligerman (i) | Henderson Motorsports | Chevrolet | 99 | 10 | Running | 0 |
| 10 | 21 | 45 | Lawless Alan | Niece Motorsports | Chevrolet | 99 | 0 | Running | 27 |
| 11 | 7 | 42 | Carson Hocevar (P) | Niece Motorsports | Chevrolet | 99 | 5 | Running | 43 |
| 12 | 14 | 24 | Rajah Caruth (R) | GMS Racing | Chevrolet | 99 | 0 | Running | 25 |
| 13 | 25 | 23 | Grant Enfinger (P) | GMS Racing | Chevrolet | 99 | 0 | Running | 24 |
| 14 | 6 | 51 | Jack Wood | Kyle Busch Motorsports | Chevrolet | 99 | 0 | Running | 23 |
| 15 | 32 | 02 | Garrett Smithley (i) | Young's Motorsports | Chevrolet | 99 | 0 | Running | 0 |
| 16 | 15 | 32 | Bret Holmes (R) | Bret Holmes Racing | Chevrolet | 99 | 3 | Running | 30 |
| 17 | 33 | 30 | Ryan Vargas | On Point Motorsports | Toyota | 99 | 0 | Running | 20 |
| 18 | 24 | 17 | Taylor Gray (R) | Tricon Garage | Toyota | 99 | 1 | Running | 23 |
| 19 | 16 | 19 | Christian Eckes (P) | McAnally-Hilgemann Racing | Chevrolet | 99 | 8 | Running | 18 |
| 20 | 10 | 61 | Jake Drew | Hattori Racing Enterprises | Toyota | 98 | 0 | Running | 17 |
| 21 | 5 | 98 | Ty Majeski (P) | ThorSport Racing | Ford | 93 | 0 | Accident | 30 |
| 22 | 35 | 04 | Cory Roper | Roper Racing | Ford | 93 | 0 | DVP | 15 |
| 23 | 17 | 9 | Colby Howard | CR7 Motorsports | Chevrolet | 92 | 0 | Accident | 19 |
| 24 | 12 | 88 | Matt Crafton | ThorSport Racing | Ford | 91 | 1 | Accident | 13 |
| 25 | 19 | 15 | Tanner Gray | Tricon Garage | Toyota | 91 | 12 | Accident | 20 |
| 26 | 26 | 20 | Greg Van Alst | Young's Motorsports | Chevrolet | 91 | 0 | Accident | 11 |
| 27 | 36 | 22 | Jason M. White | AM Racing | Ford | 88 | 0 | Running | 10 |
| 28 | 1 | 4 | Chase Purdy | Kyle Busch Motorsports | Chevrolet | 84 | 11 | Accident | 9 |
| 29 | 3 | 35 | Jake Garcia (R) | McAnally-Hilgemann Racing | Chevrolet | 79 | 0 | Running | 8 |
| 30 | 34 | 56 | Tyler Hill | Hill Motorsports | Toyota | 59 | 0 | Accident | 7 |
| 31 | 27 | 41 | Bayley Currey | Niece Motorsports | Chevrolet | 58 | 1 | Accident | 6 |
| 32 | 18 | 38 | Zane Smith (P) | Front Row Motorsports | Ford | 55 | 0 | Running | 5 |
| 33 | 22 | 16 | Tyler Ankrum | Hattori Racing Enterprises | Toyota | 50 | 0 | Accident | 4 |
| 34 | 20 | 52 | Stewart Friesen | Halmar Friesen Racing | Toyota | 38 | 0 | Accident | 3 |
| 35 | 11 | 1 | David Gilliland | Tricon Garage | Toyota | 38 | 0 | Accident | 4 |
| 36 | 30 | 28 | Bryan Dauzat | FDNY Racing | Chevrolet | 5 | 0 | Handling | 1 |
| Official race results ||||||||||

## Post-race conflict

After the conclusion of the race, a post-race fight broke out near the garage area, between Rev Racing driver Nick Sanchez and ThorSport Racing driver Matt Crafton. During the late stages of the race, Sanchez would make an aggressive move on Crafton, which would ultimately trigger a 15 truck pileup on the frontstretch. While walking back to his hauler, Sanchez would be tapped on the back by Crafton, for which he would give Sanchez a sucker punch to the face when he turned around. Multiple crew members from McAnally-Hilgemann Racing and GMS Racing would jump in to break up the altercation. While Sanchez was being restrained by fellow driver Cory Roper, blood covering most of his face, he would ultimately yell "I'm going to fucking kill you at Homestead. You fucked with the wrong guy motherfucker. It's on now." On October 3, Crafton was fined $25,000 and Sanchez was fined $5,000 for their involvement in the fight. In addition, Sanchez's father, Rene, was suspended for the remainder of the season for his involvement in the altercation.

## Standings after the race

| | Pos | Driver | Points |
| | 1 | Corey Heim | 3,121 |
| 1 | 2 | Carson Hocevar | 3,111 (-10) |
| 1 | 3 | Christian Eckes | 3,097 (-24) |
| 3 | 4 | Nick Sanchez | 3,091 (-30) |
| 1 | 5 | Grant Enfinger | 3,088 (-33) |
| | 6 | Ben Rhodes | 3,086 (-35) |
| 1 | 7 | Ty Majeski | 3,072 (-49) |
| 3 | 8 | Zane Smith | 3,055 (-66) |
| 1 | 9 | Matt Crafton | 2,103 (-1,018) |
| 1 | 10 | Matt DiBenedetto | 2,102 (-1,019) |
| Official driver's standings ||||