# 2023 Goodyear 400

The 2023 Goodyear 400 was a NASCAR Cup Series race held on May 14, 2023, at Darlington Raceway in Darlington, South Carolina. Contested over 295 laps – extended from 293 laps due to an overtime finish, on the 1.366-mile (2.198 km) egg-shaped oval, it was the 13th race of the 2023 NASCAR Cup Series season. It was the 67th running of the event.

## Report
### 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.
Since 2015, the race has hosted NASCAR's Throwback weekend, which features cars sporting paint schemes that pay homage to past teams and drivers. (The lineage of this race includes races billed as the Southern 500 from 2005 to 2020).

#### Entry list

* (R) denotes rookie driver.
* (i) denotes the driver ineligible for series driver points.
| No. | Driver | Team | Manufacturer | Sponsor or throwback |
| 1 | Ross Chastain | Trackhouse Racing | Chevrolet | Worldwide Express/UPS – Dale Jarrett's 2001 No. 88 paint scheme (Worldwide Express is an authorized UPS reseller) |
| 2 | Austin Cindric | Team Penske | Ford | Freightliner Trucks |
| 3 | Austin Dillon | Richard Childress Racing | Chevrolet | Bass Pro Shops |
| 4 | Kevin Harvick | Stewart-Haas Racing | Ford | Sunny Delight – Harvick's cancelled 2001 No. 30 America Online paint scheme (he was originally scheduled to run part-time that season, but the death of Dale Earnhardt at the 2001 Daytona 500 moved him full-time in the No. 29) |
| 5 | Kyle Larson | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | HendrickCars.com – Tony Stewart's 2009 second-tier series No. 80 paint scheme that won at Daytona. |
| 6 | Brad Keselowski | RFK Racing | Ford | BP - Castrol GTX Classic, used most notably by Castrol-sponsored NHRA driver John Force (1987–93) and also Tom Walkinshaw Racing's Jaguar XJR-9 in IMSA. |
| 7 | Corey LaJoie | Spire Motorsports | Chevrolet | NationsGuard – Tribute to LaJoie's grandfather Don LaJoie |
| 8 | Kyle Busch | Richard Childress Racing | Chevrolet | Lucas Oil – Busch's first win with RCR at Fontana |
| 9 | Chase Elliott | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | LLumar Window Film – Bill Elliott's 2001 Dodge paint scheme |
| 10 | Aric Almirola | Stewart-Haas Racing | Ford | Smithfield Foods – Dale Earnhardt Jr.'s No. 8 Budweiser MLB paint scheme that won at the 2001 Pepsi 400 |
| 11 | Denny Hamlin | Joe Gibbs Racing | Toyota | FedEx – 50th anniversary tribute scheme using 1973 logos |
| 12 | Ryan Blaney | Team Penske | Ford | Menards/Dutch Boy Paint – Dave Blaney's 1995 World of Outlaws No. 12 Casey Luna Ford/Vivarin paint scheme |
| 14 | Chase Briscoe | Stewart-Haas Racing | Ford | Mahindra Tractors – Tony Stewart's 2000 Turkey Night Grand Prix No. 9 paint scheme |
| 15 | Brennan Poole (i) | Rick Ware Racing | Ford | MACC Door Systems - Bobby Allison's 1978 Norris paint scheme that won the 1978 Daytona 500 |
| 16 | A. J. Allmendinger | Kaulig Racing | Chevrolet | Black's Tire & Wheel Distributors |
| 17 | Chris Buescher | RFK Racing | Ford | Fifth Third Bank |
| 19 | Martin Truex Jr. | Joe Gibbs Racing | Toyota | Auto-Owners Insurance – Truex's 2017 No. 78 paint scheme |
| 20 | Christopher Bell | Joe Gibbs Racing | Toyota | DeWalt – Matt Kenseth's 2003 No. 17 paint scheme |
| 21 | Harrison Burton | Wood Brothers Racing | Ford | DEX Imaging – Jeff Burton's 1999 No. 99 Exide paint scheme |
| 22 | Joey Logano | Team Penske | Ford | Shell – Mark Donohue's 1973 No. 16 AMC Matador paint scheme to commemorate the 50th anniversary of Penske's first NASCAR win |
| 23 | Bubba Wallace | 23XI Racing | Toyota | Dr Pepper |
| 24 | William Byron | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | Axalta – Jeff Gordon's 1998 DuPont NASCAR 50th Anniversary gold paint scheme raced at that year's NASCAR All-Star Race |
| 31 | Justin Haley | Kaulig Racing | Chevrolet | Leaf Filter |
| 34 | Michael McDowell | Front Row Motorsports | Ford | Stage Front VIP |
| 38 | Todd Gilliland | Front Row Motorsports | Ford | Serial 1 E-bikes – Elton Sawyer's 1997 NASCAR Busch Series Barbasol paint scheme |
| 41 | Ryan Preece | Stewart-Haas Racing | Ford | United Rentals – Jeff Preece's 1998 Late Model No. 4 paint scheme |
| 42 | Noah Gragson (R) | Legacy Motor Club | Chevrolet | Sunseeker Resort – Jimmie Johnson's No. 48 Lowe's stars and stripes paint scheme that won at the 2014 Coca-Cola 600 |
| 43 | Erik Jones | Legacy Motor Club | Chevrolet | Allegiant Air – Richard Petty's 1968 Plymouth with a vinyl roof (the black parts of the wrap replicated the vinyl roof) |
| 45 | Tyler Reddick | 23XI Racing | Toyota | McDonald's/Xfinity/Monster Energy – Kurt Busch's 2003 No. 97 Rubbermaid paint scheme which finished second to Ricky Craven at Darlington |
| 47 | Ricky Stenhouse Jr. | JTG Daugherty Racing | Chevrolet | Kroger/Country Crock – Special Mother's Day throwback featuring Stenhouse's favorite grilled cheese and Dale Jarrett's 2001 No. 88 UPS paint scheme |
| 48 | Josh Berry (i) | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | Ally Financial – Spotter and former driver Kevin Hamlin's 2007 NASCAR Busch Series No. 42 Havoline paint scheme |
| 51 | Ryan Newman | Rick Ware Racing | Ford | Jacob Industries – Newman's 2002 No. 12 Mobil 1 paint scheme that scored his first career win at New Hampshire |
| 54 | Ty Gibbs (R) | Joe Gibbs Racing | Toyota | Shriners Hospitals for Children – Bobby Labonte's 1996 No. 18 Interstate Batteries/Washington Redskins paint scheme that honored Joe Gibbs' induction into the Pro Football Hall of Fame |
| 77 | Ty Dillon | Spire Motorsports | Chevrolet | Garner – Tribute to Joe Lee Johnson (inaugural Coca-Cola 600 winner) |
| 78 | B. J. McLeod | Live Fast Motorsports | Chevrolet | The Daily Downforce/Out of the Groove |
| 99 | Daniel Suárez | Trackhouse Racing | Chevrolet | Shell – Ricky Rudd's 1988 No. 26 paint scheme with Quaker State (a Shell brand since 2002) |
| Official entry list |||||

## Practice

Chase Elliott was the fastest in the practice session with a time of 29.231 seconds and a speed of 168.232 mph (270.743 km/h).

### Practice results

| Pos | No. | Driver | Team | Manufacturer | Time | Speed |
| 1 | 9 | Chase Elliott | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | 29.231 | 168.232 |
| 2 | 43 | Erik Jones | Legacy Motor Club | Chevrolet | 29.332 | 167.653 |
| 3 | 24 | William Byron | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | 29.350 | 167.550 |
| Official practice results |||||||

## Qualifying

Martin Truex Jr. scored the pole for the race with a time of 29.028 and a speed of 169.409 mph (272.637 km/h).

### Qualifying results

| Pos | No. | Driver | Team | Manufacturer | R1 | R2 |
| 1 | 19 | Martin Truex Jr. | Joe Gibbs Racing | Toyota | 28.941 | 29.028 |
| 2 | 23 | Bubba Wallace | 23XI Racing | Toyota | 29.084 | 29.040 |
| 3 | 47 | Ricky Stenhouse Jr. | JTG Daugherty Racing | Chevrolet | 29.183 | 29.141 |
| 4 | 24 | William Byron | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | 29.246 | 29.212 |
| 5 | 1 | Ross Chastain | Trackhouse Racing | Chevrolet | 29.112 | 29.255 |
| 6 | 99 | Daniel Suárez | Trackhouse Racing | Chevrolet | 28.946 | 29.300 |
| 7 | 5 | Kyle Larson | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | 29.052 | 29.348 |
| 8 | 11 | Denny Hamlin | Joe Gibbs Racing | Toyota | 29.012 | 29.365 |
| 9 | 45 | Tyler Reddick | 23XI Racing | Toyota | 29.147 | 29.392 |
| 10 | 6 | Brad Keselowski | RFK Racing | Ford | 28.872 | 29.572 |
| 11 | 12 | Ryan Blaney | Team Penske | Ford | 29.059 | — |
| 12 | 8 | Kyle Busch | Richard Childress Racing | Chevrolet | 29.107 | — |
| 13 | 54 | Ty Gibbs (R) | Joe Gibbs Racing | Toyota | 29.114 | — |
| 14 | 21 | Harrison Burton | Wood Brothers Racing | Ford | 29.117 | — |
| 15 | 22 | Joey Logano | Team Penske | Ford | 29.139 | — |
| 16 | 20 | Christopher Bell | Joe Gibbs Racing | Toyota | 29.238 | — |
| 17 | 10 | Aric Almirola | Stewart-Haas Racing | Ford | 29.271 | — |
| 18 | 3 | Austin Dillon | Richard Childress Racing | Chevrolet | 29.291 | — |
| 19 | 34 | Michael McDowell | Front Row Motorsports | Ford | 29.324 | — |
| 20 | 4 | Kevin Harvick | Stewart-Haas Racing | Ford | 29.348 | — |
| 21 | 9 | Chase Elliott | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | 29.354 | — |
| 22 | 31 | Justin Haley | Kaulig Racing | Chevrolet | 29.386 | — |
| 23 | 48 | Josh Berry (i) | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | 29.399 | — |
| 24 | 38 | Todd Gilliland | Front Row Motorsports | Ford | 29.413 | — |
| 25 | 2 | Austin Cindric | Team Penske | Ford | 29.428 | — |
| 26 | 51 | Ryan Newman | Rick Ware Racing | Ford | 29.440 | — |
| 27 | 17 | Chris Buescher | RFK Racing | Ford | 29.456 | — |
| 28 | 43 | Erik Jones | Legacy Motor Club | Chevrolet | 29.463 | — |
| 29 | 42 | Noah Gragson (R) | Legacy Motor Club | Chevrolet | 29.477 | — |
| 30 | 16 | A. J. Allmendinger | Kaulig Racing | Chevrolet | 29.501 | — |
| 31 | 14 | Chase Briscoe | Stewart-Haas Racing | Ford | 29.684 | — |
| 32 | 41 | Ryan Preece | Stewart-Haas Racing | Ford | 29.762 | — |
| 33 | 77 | Ty Dillon | Spire Motorsports | Chevrolet | 29.961 | — |
| 34 | 7 | Corey LaJoie | Spire Motorsports | Chevrolet | 30.066 | — |
| 35 | 78 | B. J. McLeod | Live Fast Motorsports | Chevrolet | 30.577 | — |
| 36 | 15 | Brennan Poole (i) | Rick Ware Racing | Ford | 30.684 | — |
| Official qualifying results |||||||

## Race
### Race results
#### Stage results

Stage One Laps: 90
| Pos | No | Driver | Team | Manufacturer | Points |
| 1 | 19 | Martin Truex Jr. | Joe Gibbs Racing | Toyota | 10 |
| 2 | 24 | William Byron | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | 9 |
| 3 | 23 | Bubba Wallace | 23XI Racing | Toyota | 8 |
| 4 | 1 | Ross Chastain | Trackhouse Racing | Chevrolet | 7 |
| 5 | 8 | Kyle Busch | Richard Childress Racing | Chevrolet | 6 |
| 6 | 6 | Brad Keselowski | RFK Racing | Ford | 5 |
| 7 | 47 | Ricky Stenhouse Jr. | JTG Daugherty Racing | Chevrolet | 4 |
| 8 | 4 | Kevin Harvick | Stewart-Haas Racing | Ford | 3 |
| 9 | 45 | Tyler Reddick | 23XI Racing | Toyota | 2 |
| 10 | 20 | Christopher Bell | Joe Gibbs Racing | Toyota | 1 |
| Official stage one results ||||||
Stage Two Laps: 95
| Pos | No | Driver | Team | Manufacturer | Points |
| 1 | 1 | Ross Chastain | Trackhouse Racing | Chevrolet | 10 |
| 2 | 8 | Kyle Busch | Richard Childress Racing | Chevrolet | 9 |
| 3 | 5 | Kyle Larson | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | 8 |
| 4 | 24 | William Byron | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | 7 |
| 5 | 6 | Brad Keselowski | RFK Racing | Ford | 6 |
| 6 | 20 | Christopher Bell | Joe Gibbs Racing | Toyota | 5 |
| 7 | 4 | Kevin Harvick | Stewart-Haas Racing | Ford | 4 |
| 8 | 12 | Ryan Blaney | Team Penske | Ford | 3 |
| 9 | 47 | Ricky Stenhouse Jr. | JTG Daugherty Racing | Chevrolet | 2 |
| 10 | 19 | Martin Truex Jr. | Joe Gibbs Racing | Toyota | 1 |
| Official stage two results ||||||

### Final Stage results

Stage Three Laps: 108
| Pos | Grid | No | Driver | Team | Manufacturer | Laps | Points |
| 1 | 4 | 24 | William Byron | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | 295 | 56 |
| 2 | 20 | 4 | Kevin Harvick | Stewart-Haas Racing | Ford | 295 | 42 |
| 3 | 21 | 9 | Chase Elliott | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | 295 | 34 |
| 4 | 10 | 6 | Brad Keselowski | RFK Racing | Ford | 295 | 44 |
| 5 | 2 | 23 | Bubba Wallace | 23XI Racing | Toyota | 295 | 40 |
| 6 | 14 | 21 | Harrison Burton | Wood Brothers Racing | Ford | 295 | 31 |
| 7 | 12 | 8 | Kyle Busch | Richard Childress Racing | Chevrolet | 295 | 45 |
| 8 | 22 | 31 | Justin Haley | Kaulig Racing | Chevrolet | 295 | 29 |
| 9 | 11 | 12 | Ryan Blaney | Team Penske | Ford | 295 | 31 |
| 10 | 27 | 17 | Chris Buescher | RFK Racing | Ford | 295 | 27 |
| 11 | 24 | 38 | Todd Gilliland | Front Row Motorsports | Ford | 295 | 26 |
| 12 | 8 | 11 | Denny Hamlin | Joe Gibbs Racing | Toyota | 295 | 25 |
| 13 | 3 | 47 | Ricky Stenhouse Jr. | JTG Daugherty Racing | Chevrolet | 295 | 30 |
| 14 | 16 | 20 | Christopher Bell | Joe Gibbs Racing | Toyota | 295 | 29 |
| 15 | 32 | 41 | Ryan Preece | Stewart-Haas Racing | Ford | 295 | 22 |
| 16 | 13 | 54 | Ty Gibbs (R) | Joe Gibbs Racing | Toyota | 295 | 21 |
| 17 | 31 | 14 | Chase Briscoe | Stewart-Haas Racing | Ford | 295 | 20 |
| 18 | 15 | 22 | Joey Logano | Team Penske | Ford | 295 | 19 |
| 19 | 25 | 2 | Austin Cindric | Team Penske | Ford | 295 | 18 |
| 20 | 7 | 5 | Kyle Larson | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | 295 | 25 |
| 21 | 17 | 10 | Aric Almirola | Stewart-Haas Racing | Ford | 295 | 16 |
| 22 | 9 | 45 | Tyler Reddick | 23XI Racing | Toyota | 295 | 7 |
| 23 | 30 | 16 | A. J. Allmendinger | Kaulig Racing | Chevrolet | 294 | 14 |
| 24 | 34 | 7 | Corey LaJoie | Spire Motorsports | Chevrolet | 293 | 13 |
| 25 | 28 | 43 | Erik Jones | Legacy Motor Club | Chevrolet | 293 | 12 |
| 26 | 29 | 42 | Noah Gragson (R) | Legacy Motor Club | Chevrolet | 293 | 11 |
| 27 | 33 | 77 | Ty Dillon | Spire Motorsports | Chevrolet | 293 | 10 |
| 28 | 26 | 51 | Ryan Newman | Rick Ware Racing | Ford | 291 | 9 |
| 29 | 5 | 1 | Ross Chastain | Trackhouse Racing | Chevrolet | 287 | 25 |
| 30 | 23 | 48 | Josh Berry (i) | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | 286 | 0 |
| 31 | 1 | 19 | Martin Truex Jr. | Joe Gibbs Racing | Toyota | 280 | 17 |
| 32 | 35 | 78 | B. J. McLeod | Live Fast Motorsports | Chevrolet | 226 | 5 |
| 33 | 19 | 34 | Michael McDowell | Front Row Motorsports | Ford | 200 | 4 |
| 34 | 6 | 99 | Daniel Suárez | Trackhouse Racing | Chevrolet | 199 | 3 |
| 35 | 18 | 3 | Austin Dillon | Richard Childress Racing | Chevrolet | 196 | 2 |
| 36 | 36 | 15 | Brennan Poole (i) | Rick Ware Racing | Ford | 39 | 0 |
| Official race results ||||||||

### Race statistics

* Lead changes: 19 among 8 different drivers
* Cautions/Laps: 8 for 47 laps
* Red flags: 0
* Time of race: 3 hours, 23 minutes, and 23 seconds
* Average speed: 118.88 miles per hour (191.32 km/h)

## Media
### Television

The race was carried by FS1 in the United States. Mike Joy and Clint Bowyer called the race from the broadcast booth. Richard Petty, Kyle Petty, Carl Edwards and Bill Elliott swapped through the booth in stage 1, 2, and 3. Jamie Little and Regan Smith handled the pit road for the television side. Larry McReynolds provided insight from the Fox Sports studio in Charlotte.
FS1 :
| Booth announcers | Pit reporters | In-race analyst |
| Lap-by-lap: Mike Joy Color-commentator: Clint Bowyer Color-commentator: Richard Petty (Stage 1) Color-commentator: Kyle Petty (Stage 1) Color-commentator: Carl Edwards (Stage 2) Color-commentator: Bill Elliott (Stage 3) | Jamie Little Regan Smith | Larry McReynolds |

### Radio

MRN had the radio call for the race, which was also simulcasted on Sirius XM NASCAR Radio.
MRN Radio :
| Booth announcers | Turn announcers | Pit reporters |
| Lead announcer: Alex Hayden Announcer: Mike Bagley Announcer: Rusty Wallace | Turns 1 & 2: Dave Moody Turns 3 & 4: Kurt Becker | Kim Coon Jason Toy Winston Kelley |

## Standings after the race

| | Pos | Driver | Points |
| | 1 | Ross Chastain | 429 |
| | 2 | Christopher Bell | 402 (–27) |
| 2 | 3 | Kevin Harvick | 400 (–29) |
| | 4 | Denny Hamlin | 393 (–36) |
| 4 | 5 | William Byron | 387 (–42) |
| 3 | 6 | Martin Truex Jr. | 385 (–44) |
| | 7 | Ryan Blaney | 381 (–48) |
| 2 | 8 | Tyler Reddick | 371 (–58) |
| 1 | 9 | Brad Keselowski | 365 (–64) |
| 2 | 10 | Kyle Larson | 363 (–66) |
| 1 | 11 | Kyle Busch | 353 (–76) |
| 1 | 12 | Joey Logano | 334 (–95) |
| | 13 | Chris Buescher | 329 (–100) |
| | 14 | Ricky Stenhouse Jr. | 325 (–104) |
| 3 | 15 | Bubba Wallace | 293 (–136) |
| 1 | 16 | Chase Briscoe | 275 (–154) |
| Official driver's standings ||||
| Pos | Manufacturer | Points |
| 1 | Chevrolet | 492 |
| 2 | Toyota | 454 (–38) |
| 3 | Ford | 438 (–54) |