# 2023 NOCO 400

The 2023 NOCO 400 was a NASCAR Cup Series race held on April 16, 2023, at Martinsville Speedway in Ridgeway, Virginia. Contested over 400 laps on the 0.526 mile (0.847 km) paperclip-shaped short track; it was the ninth race of the 2023 NASCAR Cup Series season.

## Report
### Background

Martinsville Speedway is a NASCAR-owned stock car racing track located in Henry County, in Ridgeway, Virginia, just to the south of Martinsville. At 0.526 miles (0.847 km) in length, it is the shortest track in the NASCAR Cup Series. The track was also one of the first paved oval tracks in NASCAR, being built in 1947 by H. Clay Earles. It is also the only remaining race track on the NASCAR circuit since its beginning in 1948.
This race saw the return of Chase Elliott, after he missed the prior six races after an injury from a skiing accident.

#### Entry list

* (R) denotes rookie driver.
* (i) denotes the driver ineligible for series driver points.
| No. | Driver | Team | Manufacturer |
| 1 | Ross Chastain | Trackhouse Racing | Chevrolet |
| 2 | Austin Cindric | Team Penske | Ford |
| 3 | Austin Dillon | Richard Childress Racing | Chevrolet |
| 4 | Kevin Harvick | Stewart-Haas Racing | Ford |
| 5 | Kyle Larson | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet |
| 6 | Brad Keselowski | RFK Racing | Ford |
| 7 | Corey LaJoie | Spire Motorsports | Chevrolet |
| 8 | Kyle Busch | Richard Childress Racing | Chevrolet |
| 9 | Chase Elliott | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet |
| 10 | Aric Almirola | Stewart-Haas Racing | Ford |
| 11 | Denny Hamlin | Joe Gibbs Racing | Toyota |
| 12 | Ryan Blaney | Team Penske | Ford |
| 14 | Chase Briscoe | Stewart-Haas Racing | Ford |
| 15 | J. J. Yeley (i) | Rick Ware Racing | Ford |
| 16 | A. J. Allmendinger | Kaulig Racing | Chevrolet |
| 17 | Chris Buescher | RFK Racing | Ford |
| 19 | Martin Truex Jr. | Joe Gibbs Racing | Toyota |
| 20 | Christopher Bell | Joe Gibbs Racing | Toyota |
| 21 | Harrison Burton | Wood Brothers Racing | Ford |
| 22 | Joey Logano | Team Penske | Ford |
| 23 | Bubba Wallace | 23XI Racing | Toyota |
| 24 | William Byron | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet |
| 31 | Justin Haley | Kaulig Racing | Chevrolet |
| 34 | Michael McDowell | Front Row Motorsports | Ford |
| 38 | Todd Gilliland | Front Row Motorsports | Ford |
| 41 | Ryan Preece | Stewart-Haas Racing | Ford |
| 42 | Noah Gragson (R) | Legacy Motor Club | Chevrolet |
| 43 | Erik Jones | Legacy Motor Club | Chevrolet |
| 45 | Tyler Reddick | 23XI Racing | Toyota |
| 47 | Ricky Stenhouse Jr. | JTG Daugherty Racing | Chevrolet |
| 48 | Alex Bowman | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet |
| 51 | Zane Smith (i) | Rick Ware Racing | Ford |
| 54 | Ty Gibbs (R) | Joe Gibbs Racing | Toyota |
| 77 | Ty Dillon | Spire Motorsports | Chevrolet |
| 78 | Anthony Alfredo (i) | Live Fast Motorsports | Chevrolet |
| 99 | Daniel Suárez | Trackhouse Racing | Chevrolet |
| Official entry list ||||

## Practice

Tyler Reddick was the fastest in the practice session with a time of 20.217 seconds and a speed of 93.664 mph (150.738 km/h).

### Practice results

| Pos | No. | Driver | Team | Manufacturer | Time | Speed |
| 1 | 45 | Tyler Reddick | 23XI Racing | Toyota | 20.217 | 93.664 |
| 2 | 24 | William Byron | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | 20.395 | 92.846 |
| 3 | 1 | Ross Chastain | Trackhouse Racing | Chevrolet | 20.397 | 92.837 |
| Official practice results |||||||

## Qualifying

Ryan Preece scored the pole for the race with a time of 19.979 and a speed of 94.780 mph (152.534 km/h).

### Qualifying results

| Pos | No. | Driver | Team | Manufacturer | R1 | R2 |
| 1 | 41 | Ryan Preece | Stewart-Haas Racing | Ford | 20.046 | 19.979 |
| 2 | 99 | Daniel Suárez | Trackhouse Racing | Chevrolet | 20.139 | 20.081 |
| 3 | 10 | Aric Almirola | Stewart-Haas Racing | Ford | 20.059 | 20.081 |
| 4 | 14 | Chase Briscoe | Stewart-Haas Racing | Ford | 20.055 | 20.112 |
| 5 | 19 | Martin Truex Jr. | Joe Gibbs Racing | Toyota | 20.106 | 20.119 |
| 6 | 45 | Tyler Reddick | 23XI Racing | Toyota | 20.252 | 20.128 |
| 7 | 4 | Kevin Harvick | Stewart-Haas Racing | Ford | 20.159 | 20.150 |
| 8 | 24 | William Byron | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | 20.193 | 20.155 |
| 9 | 23 | Bubba Wallace | 23XI Racing | Toyota | 20.059 | 20.167 |
| 10 | 17 | Chris Buescher | RFK Racing | Ford | 20.244 | 20.191 |
| 11 | 11 | Denny Hamlin | Joe Gibbs Racing | Toyota | 20.227 | — |
| 12 | 54 | Ty Gibbs (R) | Joe Gibbs Racing | Toyota | 20.232 | — |
| 13 | 38 | Todd Gilliland | Front Row Motorsports | Ford | 20.267 | — |
| 14 | 16 | A. J. Allmendinger | Kaulig Racing | Chevrolet | 20.297 | — |
| 15 | 22 | Joey Logano | Team Penske | Ford | 20.304 | — |
| 16 | 47 | Ricky Stenhouse Jr. | JTG Daugherty Racing | Chevrolet | 20.307 | — |
| 17 | 8 | Kyle Busch | Richard Childress Racing | Chevrolet | 20.326 | — |
| 18 | 3 | Austin Dillon | Richard Childress Racing | Chevrolet | 20.353 | — |
| 19 | 5 | Kyle Larson | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | 20.356 | — |
| 20 | 34 | Michael McDowell | Front Row Motorsports | Ford | 20.362 | — |
| 21 | 6 | Brad Keselowski | RFK Racing | Ford | 20.377 | — |
| 22 | 20 | Christopher Bell | Joe Gibbs Racing | Toyota | 20.382 | — |
| 23 | 48 | Alex Bowman | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | 20.382 | — |
| 24 | 9 | Chase Elliott | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | 20.384 | — |
| 25 | 2 | Austin Cindric | Team Penske | Ford | 20.394 | — |
| 26 | 31 | Justin Haley | Kaulig Racing | Chevrolet | 20.395 | — |
| 27 | 7 | Corey LaJoie | Spire Motorsports | Chevrolet | 20.408 | — |
| 28 | 43 | Erik Jones | Legacy Motor Club | Chevrolet | 20.409 | — |
| 29 | 42 | Noah Gragson (R) | Legacy Motor Club | Chevrolet | 20.469 | — |
| 30 | 78 | Anthony Alfredo (i) | Live Fast Motorsports | Chevrolet | 20.478 | — |
| 31 | 12 | Ryan Blaney | Team Penske | Ford | 20.507 | — |
| 32 | 21 | Harrison Burton | Wood Brothers Racing | Ford | 20.507 | — |
| 33 | 51 | Zane Smith (i) | Rick Ware Racing | Ford | 20.571 | — |
| 34 | 1 | Ross Chastain | Trackhouse Racing | Chevrolet | 20.619 | — |
| 35 | 77 | Ty Dillon | Spire Motorsports | Chevrolet | 20.624 | — |
| 36 | 15 | J. J. Yeley (i) | Rick Ware Racing | Ford | 20.673 | — |
| Official qualifying results |||||||

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

Stage One Laps: 80
| Pos | No | Driver | Team | Manufacturer | Points |
| 1 | 41 | Ryan Preece | Stewart-Haas Racing | Ford | 10 |
| 2 | 10 | Aric Almirola | Stewart-Haas Racing | Ford | 9 |
| 3 | 45 | Tyler Reddick | 23XI Racing | Toyota | 8 |
| 4 | 99 | Daniel Suárez | Trackhouse Racing | Chevrolet | 7 |
| 5 | 14 | Chase Briscoe | Stewart-Haas Racing | Ford | 6 |
| 6 | 4 | Kevin Harvick | Stewart-Haas Racing | Ford | 5 |
| 7 | 23 | Bubba Wallace | 23XI Racing | Toyota | 4 |
| 8 | 11 | Denny Hamlin | Joe Gibbs Racing | Toyota | 3 |
| 9 | 5 | Kyle Larson | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | 2 |
| 10 | 24 | William Byron | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | 1 |
| Official stage one results ||||||
Stage Two Laps: 100
| Pos | No | Driver | Team | Manufacturer | Points |
| 1 | 4 | Kevin Harvick | Stewart-Haas Racing | Ford | 10 |
| 2 | 14 | Chase Briscoe | Stewart-Haas Racing | Ford | 9 |
| 3 | 11 | Denny Hamlin | Joe Gibbs Racing | Toyota | 8 |
| 4 | 45 | Tyler Reddick | 23XI Racing | Toyota | 7 |
| 5 | 6 | Brad Keselowski | RFK Racing | Ford | 6 |
| 6 | 1 | Ross Chastain | Trackhouse Racing | Chevrolet | 5 |
| 7 | 38 | Todd Gilliland | Front Row Motorsports | Ford | 4 |
| 8 | 99 | Daniel Suárez | Trackhouse Racing | Chevrolet | 3 |
| 9 | 10 | Aric Almirola | Stewart-Haas Racing | Ford | 2 |
| 10 | 5 | Kyle Larson | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | 1 |
| Official stage two results ||||||

### Final Stage Results

Stage Three Laps: 220
| Pos | Grid | No | Driver | Team | Manufacturer | Laps | Points |
| 1 | 19 | 5 | Kyle Larson | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | 400 | 43 |
| 2 | 15 | 22 | Joey Logano | Team Penske | Ford | 400 | 35 |
| 3 | 5 | 19 | Martin Truex Jr. | Joe Gibbs Racing | Toyota | 400 | 34 |
| 4 | 11 | 11 | Denny Hamlin | Joe Gibbs Racing | Toyota | 400 | 44 |
| 5 | 4 | 14 | Chase Briscoe | Stewart-Haas Racing | Ford | 400 | 47 |
| 6 | 3 | 10 | Aric Almirola | Stewart-Haas Racing | Ford | 400 | 42 |
| 7 | 31 | 12 | Ryan Blaney | Team Penske | Ford | 400 | 30 |
| 8 | 16 | 47 | Ricky Stenhouse Jr. | JTG Daugherty Racing | Chevrolet | 400 | 29 |
| 9 | 9 | 23 | Bubba Wallace | 23XI Racing | Toyota | 400 | 32 |
| 10 | 24 | 9 | Chase Elliott | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | 400 | 27 |
| 11 | 23 | 48 | Alex Bowman | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | 400 | 26 |
| 12 | 18 | 3 | Austin Dillon | Richard Childress Racing | Chevrolet | 400 | -35 |
| 13 | 34 | 1 | Ross Chastain | Trackhouse Racing | Chevrolet | 400 | 29 |
| 14 | 10 | 17 | Chris Buescher | RFK Racing | Ford | 400 | 23 |
| 15 | 1 | 41 | Ryan Preece | Stewart-Haas Racing | Ford | 400 | 32 |
| 16 | 22 | 20 | Christopher Bell | Joe Gibbs Racing | Toyota | 400 | 21 |
| 17 | 2 | 99 | Daniel Suárez | Trackhouse Racing | Chevrolet | 400 | 30 |
| 18 | 12 | 54 | Ty Gibbs (R) | Joe Gibbs Racing | Toyota | 400 | 19 |
| 19 | 20 | 34 | Michael McDowell | Front Row Motorsports | Ford | 400 | 18 |
| 20 | 7 | 4 | Kevin Harvick | Stewart-Haas Racing | Ford | 400 | 32 |
| 21 | 17 | 8 | Kyle Busch | Richard Childress Racing | Chevrolet | 400 | 16 |
| 22 | 6 | 45 | Tyler Reddick | 23XI Racing | Toyota | 400 | 30 |
| 23 | 8 | 24 | William Byron | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | 400 | 15 |
| 24 | 21 | 6 | Brad Keselowski | RFK Racing | Ford | 400 | 19 |
| 25 | 13 | 38 | Todd Gilliland | Front Row Motorsports | Ford | 399 | 16 |
| 26 | 27 | 7 | Corey LaJoie | Spire Motorsports | Chevrolet | 399 | 11 |
| 27 | 14 | 16 | A. J. Allmendinger | Kaulig Racing | Chevrolet | 399 | 10 |
| 28 | 26 | 31 | Justin Haley | Kaulig Racing | Chevrolet | 398 | 9 |
| 29 | 32 | 21 | Harrison Burton | Wood Brothers Racing | Ford | 398 | 8 |
| 30 | 29 | 42 | Noah Gragson (R) | Legacy Motor Club | Chevrolet | 398 | 7 |
| 31 | 28 | 43 | Erik Jones | Legacy Motor Club | Chevrolet | 398 | 6 |
| 32 | 35 | 77 | Ty Dillon | Spire Motorsports | Chevrolet | 397 | 5 |
| 33 | 25 | 2 | Austin Cindric | Team Penske | Ford | 397 | 4 |
| 34 | 33 | 51 | Zane Smith (i) | Rick Ware Racing | Ford | 395 | 0 |
| 35 | 30 | 78 | Anthony Alfredo (i) | Live Fast Motorsports | Chevrolet | 390 | 0 |
| 36 | 36 | 15 | J. J. Yeley (i) | Rick Ware Racing | Ford | 337 | 0 |
| Official race results ||||||||

### Race statistics

* Lead changes: 10 among 9 different drivers
* Cautions/Laps: 5 for 50 laps
* Red flags: 0
* Time of race: 2 hours, 50 minutes, and 35 seconds
* Average speed: 74.005 miles per hour (119.100 km/h)

## Media
### Television

Fox Sports covered their 23rd race at the Martinsville Speedway. Mike Joy, 2018 Spring Martinsville winner Clint Bowyer and 2002 Spring Martinsville winner Bobby Labonte called the race from the broadcast booth. 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: Bobby Labonte | Jamie Little Regan Smith | Larry McReynolds |

### Radio

MRN had the radio call for the race, which was also simulcasted on Sirius XM NASCAR Radio. Alex Hayden, Jeff Striegle, and Todd Gordon called the race in the booth when the field races down the front stretch. Dave Moody called the race from a platform inside the backstretch when the field races down the backstretch. Steve Post, Kim Coon, and Dillon Welch worked the pit road for the radio side.
MRN :
| Booth announcers | Turn announcers | Pit reporters |
| Lead announcer: Alex Hayden Announcer: Jeff Striegle Announcer: Todd Gordon | Backstretch: Dave Moody | Steve Post Kim Coon Dillon Welch |

## Standings after the race

| | Pos | Driver | Points |
| | 1 | Christopher Bell | 302 |
| | 2 | Ross Chastain | 297 (–5) |
| | 3 | Kevin Harvick | 287 (–15) |
| | 4 | Kyle Larson | 285 (–17) |
| 2 | 5 | Martin Truex Jr. | 266 (–36) |
| 1 | 6 | Tyler Reddick | 265 (–37) |
| 1 | 7 | Joey Logano | 258 (–44) |
| 2 | 8 | Kyle Busch | 250 (–52) |
| 3 | 9 | Denny Hamlin | 247 (–55) |
| | 10 | Ryan Blaney | 241 (–61) |
| | 11 | Alex Bowman | 237 (–65) |
| 3 | 12 | Brad Keselowski | 235 (–67) |
| | 13 | Ricky Stenhouse Jr. | 223 (–79) |
| 6 | 14 | Chase Briscoe | 210 (–92) |
| 1 | 15 | William Byron | 208 (–94) |
| | 16 | Chris Buescher | 206 (–96) |
| Official driver's standings ||||
| Pos | Manufacturer | Points |
| 1 | Chevrolet | 342 |
| 2 | Toyota | 313 (–29) |
| 3 | Ford | 303 (–39) |