# 2023 Dead On Tools 250

The 2023 Dead On Tools 250 was the 32nd stock car race of the 2023 NASCAR Xfinity Series, the final race of the Round of 8, and the 4th iteration of the event. The race was held on Saturday, October 28, 2023, in Ridgeway, Virginia at Martinsville Speedway, a 0.526 miles (0.847 km) permanent paper-clip shaped racetrack. The race was originally scheduled to be contested over 250 laps, but was extended to 256 laps, due to a NASCAR overtime finish. In a wild race that resulted in 15 cautions, Justin Allgaier, driving for JR Motorsports, would survive the chaos on the final lap, and hold off Sheldon Creed in a close finish to earn his 23rd career NASCAR Xfinity Series win, and his fourth of the season. He would also earn a spot in the Championship 4. Sammy Smith would dominate the majority of the race, winning the second stage and leading a race-high 147 laps. After navigating through the field in the final stage, he would finish third. To fill out the podium, Creed, driving for Richard Childress Racing, and Smith, driving for Joe Gibbs Racing, would finish 2nd and 3rd, respectively.
The race was mostly known as an exciting battle for the final Championship 4 spot between Allgaier, Austin Hill, and Cole Custer. Coming into the race, the three drivers were only separated by four points. Both Custer and Hill were involved in the last lap wreck, but it would be Custer who would prevail by six points over Hill. Sam Mayer, Allgaier, John Hunter Nemechek, and Custer would advance into the Championship 4. Hill, Sammy Smith, Creed, and Chandler Smith would be eliminated from championship contention.

## Background

Martinsville Speedway is an International Speedway Corporation-owned NASCAR 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 is also one of the first paved oval tracks in NASCAR, being built in 1947 by H. Clay Earles. It is also the only race track that has been on the NASCAR circuit from its beginning in 1948. Along with this, Martinsville is the only NASCAR oval track on the entire NASCAR track circuit to have asphalt surfaces on the straightaways, then concrete to cover the turns.

### Entry list

* (R) denotes rookie driver.
* (i) denotes driver who is ineligible for series driver points.
* (P) denotes playoff driver.
* (OP) denotes owner's playoffs car.
| # | Driver | Team | Make | Sponsor |
| 00 | Cole Custer (P) | Stewart–Haas Racing | Ford | Haas Automation |
| 1 | Sam Mayer (P) | JR Motorsports | Chevrolet | Accelerate Pros Talent |
| 02 | Blaine Perkins (R) | Our Motorsports | Chevrolet | PayDay Salutes |
| 2 | Sheldon Creed (P) | Richard Childress Racing | Chevrolet | Whelen |
| 4 | J. J. Yeley | JD Motorsports | Chevrolet | Old House Life |
| 6 | Brennan Poole | JD Motorsports | Chevrolet | Finance Pro Plus |
| 07 | Devin Jones | SS-Green Light Racing | Chevrolet | Verinext |
| 7 | Justin Allgaier (P) | JR Motorsports | Chevrolet | Hellmann's |
| 08 | Chad Finchum | SS-Green Light Racing | Ford | Garrison Homes |
| 8 | Josh Berry | JR Motorsports | Chevrolet | Bass Pro Shops, Tracker Boats |
| 9 | Brandon Jones | JR Motorsports | Chevrolet | Delta Faucets, Menards |
| 10 | Daniel Hemric (OP) | Kaulig Racing | Chevrolet | Campers Inn RV |
| 11 | Layne Riggs | Kaulig Racing | Chevrolet | Infinity Communications Group |
| 16 | Chandler Smith (R) (P) | Kaulig Racing | Chevrolet | Quick Tie Products |
| 18 | Sammy Smith (R) (P) | Joe Gibbs Racing | Toyota | Pilot Flying J, Pringles |
| 19 | Myatt Snider | Joe Gibbs Racing | Toyota | Tree Top |
| 20 | John Hunter Nemechek (P) | Joe Gibbs Racing | Toyota | Mobil 1 |
| 21 | Austin Hill (P) | Richard Childress Racing | Chevrolet | Global Industrial |
| 24 | Connor Mosack (R) | Sam Hunt Racing | Toyota | Toyota Genuine Parts |
| 25 | Brett Moffitt | AM Racing | Ford | AM Technical Solutions |
| 26 | Kaz Grala | Sam Hunt Racing | Toyota | Island Coastal Lager |
| 27 | Jeb Burton | Jordan Anderson Racing | Chevrolet | State Water Heaters |
| 28 | C. J. McLaughlin | RSS Racing | Ford | Sci Aps |
| 29 | Kyle Sieg | RSS Racing | Ford | Night Owl Contractors |
| 31 | Parker Retzlaff (R) | Jordan Anderson Racing | Chevrolet | FUNKAWAY |
| 35 | Chris Hacker (i) | Emerling-Gase Motorsports | Chevrolet | Emerling-Gase Motorsports |
| 38 | Joe Graf Jr. | RSS Racing | Ford | Bucked Up Energy |
| 39 | Ryan Sieg | RSS Racing | Ford | Sci Aps |
| 43 | Ryan Ellis | Alpha Prime Racing | Chevrolet | KeenParts.com |
| 44 | Rajah Caruth (i) | Alpha Prime Racing | Chevrolet | Virginia State University |
| 45 | Jeffrey Earnhardt | Alpha Prime Racing | Chevrolet | ForeverLawn Cleveland |
| 48 | Parker Kligerman | Big Machine Racing | Chevrolet | Big Machine Spiked Light Coolers |
| 51 | Jeremy Clements | Jeremy Clements Racing | Chevrolet | Spartan Waste, Fox Sports 98.3 |
| 53 | Akinori Ogata (i) | Emerling-Gase Motorsports | Chevrolet | Pneumatic Tools Shinano |
| 66 | Timmy Hill (i) | MBM Motorsports | Toyota | Coble Enterprises |
| 78 | Anthony Alfredo | B. J. McLeod Motorsports | Chevrolet | Dead On Tools |
| 91 | Josh Bilicki | DGM Racing | Chevrolet | Evolution Edges, Chemung Supply |
| 92 | Josh Williams | DGM Racing | Chevrolet | Alloy Employer Services |
| 98 | Riley Herbst | Stewart–Haas Racing | Ford | Monster Energy |
| Official entry list |||||

## Practice

For practice, drivers will be separated into two groups, Group A and B. Both sessions will be 15 minutes long, and was held on Friday, October 27, at 5:00 PM EST. Blaine Perkins, driving for Our Motorsports, would set the fastest time between both sessions, with a lap of 20.480, and an average speed of 92.461 mph (148.802 km/h).
| Pos. | # | Driver | Team | Make | Time | Speed |
| 1 | 02 | Blaine Perkins (R) | Our Motorsports | Chevrolet | 20.480 | 92.461 |
| 2 | 20 | John Hunter Nemechek (P) | Joe Gibbs Racing | Toyota | 20.535 | 92.213 |
| 3 | 25 | Brett Moffitt | AM Racing | Ford | 20.584 | 91.994 |
| Full practice results |||||||

## Qualifying

Qualifying was held on Friday, October 27, at 5:35 PM EST. Since Martinsville Speedway is a short track, the qualifying system used is a single-car, two-lap system with only one round. In that round, whoever sets the fastest time will win the pole. Sammy Smith, driving for Joe Gibbs Racing, would score the pole for the race, with a lap of 20.035, and an average speed of 94.515 mph (152.107 km/h).
| Pos. | # | Driver | Team | Make | Time | Speed |
| 1 | 18 | Sammy Smith (R) (P) | Joe Gibbs Racing | Toyota | 20.035 | 94.515 |
| 2 | 7 | Justin Allgaier (P) | JR Motorsports | Chevrolet | 20.047 | 94.458 |
| 3 | 00 | Cole Custer (P) | Stewart–Haas Racing | Ford | 20.051 | 94.439 |
| 4 | 98 | Riley Herbst | Stewart–Haas Racing | Ford | 20.098 | 94.218 |
| 5 | 20 | John Hunter Nemechek (P) | Joe Gibbs Racing | Toyota | 20.113 | 94.148 |
| 6 | 9 | Brandon Jones | JR Motorsports | Chevrolet | 20.119 | 94.120 |
| 7 | 16 | Chandler Smith (R) (P) | Kaulig Racing | Chevrolet | 20.121 | 94.111 |
| 8 | 2 | Sheldon Creed (P) | Richard Childress Racing | Chevrolet | 20.126 | 94.087 |
| 9 | 21 | Austin Hill (P) | Richard Childress Racing | Chevrolet | 20.139 | 94.027 |
| 10 | 31 | Parker Retzlaff (R) | Jordan Anderson Racing | Chevrolet | 20.152 | 93.966 |
| 11 | 19 | Myatt Snider | Joe Gibbs Racing | Toyota | 20.158 | 93.938 |
| 12 | 8 | Josh Berry | JR Motorsports | Chevrolet | 20.205 | 93.719 |
| 13 | 39 | Ryan Sieg | RSS Racing | Ford | 20.206 | 93.715 |
| 14 | 10 | Daniel Hemric (OP) | Kaulig Racing | Chevrolet | 20.208 | 93.705 |
| 15 | 48 | Parker Kligerman | Big Machine Racing | Chevrolet | 20.218 | 93.659 |
| 16 | 25 | Brett Moffitt | AM Racing | Ford | 20.222 | 93.641 |
| 17 | 1 | Sam Mayer (P) | JR Motorsports | Chevrolet | 20.284 | 93.354 |
| 18 | 91 | Josh Bilicki | DGM Racing | Chevrolet | 20.295 | 93.304 |
| 19 | 11 | Layne Riggs | Kaulig Racing | Chevrolet | 20.335 | 93.120 |
| 20 | 51 | Jeremy Clements | Jeremy Clements Racing | Chevrolet | 20.336 | 93.116 |
| 21 | 4 | J. J. Yeley | JD Motorsports | Chevrolet | 20.420 | 92.733 |
| 22 | 78 | Anthony Alfredo | B. J. McLeod Motorsports | Chevrolet | 20.431 | 92.683 |
| 23 | 26 | Kaz Grala | Sam Hunt Racing | Toyota | 20.441 | 92.637 |
| 24 | 92 | Josh Williams | DGM Racing | Chevrolet | 20.449 | 92.601 |
| 25 | 24 | Connor Mosack (R) | Sam Hunt Racing | Toyota | 20.492 | 92.407 |
| 26 | 44 | Rajah Caruth (i) | Alpha Prime Racing | Chevrolet | 20.493 | 92.402 |
| 27 | 6 | Brennan Poole | JD Motorsports | Chevrolet | 20.505 | 92.348 |
| 28 | 29 | Kyle Sieg | RSS Racing | Ford | 20.535 | 92.213 |
| 29 | 45 | Jeffrey Earnhardt | Alpha Prime Racing | Chevrolet | 20.547 | 92.159 |
| 30 | 08 | Chad Finchum | SS-Green Light Racing | Ford | 20.555 | 92.124 |
| 31 | 02 | Blaine Perkins (R) | Our Motorsports | Chevrolet | 20.590 | 91.967 |
| 32 | 43 | Ryan Ellis | Alpha Prime Racing | Chevrolet | 20.622 | 91.824 |
| 33 | 38 | Joe Graf Jr. | RSS Racing | Ford | 20.699 | 91.483 |
| Qualified by owner's points |||||||
| 34 | 28 | C. J. McLaughlin | RSS Racing | Ford | 20.761 | 91.209 |
| 35 | 35 | Chris Hacker (i) | Emerling-Gase Motorsports | Chevrolet | 20.762 | 91.205 |
| 36 | 53 | Akinori Ogata (i) | Emerling-Gase Motorsports | Chevrolet | 21.063 | 89.902 |
| 37 | 07 | Devin Jones | SS-Green Light Racing | Chevrolet | 21.444 | 88.304 |
| 38 | 27 | Jeb Burton | Jordan Anderson Racing | Chevrolet | – | – |
| Failed to qualify |||||||
| 39 | 66 | Timmy Hill (i) | MBM Motorsports | Toyota | 20.863 | 90.764 |
| Official qualifying results |||||||
| Official starting lineup |||||||

## Race results

Stage 1 Laps: 60
| Pos. | # | Driver | Team | Make | Pts |
| 1 | 7 | Justin Allgaier (P) | JR Motorsports | Chevrolet | 10 |
| 2 | 00 | Cole Custer (P) | Stewart–Haas Racing | Ford | 9 |
| 3 | 20 | John Hunter Nemechek (P) | Joe Gibbs Racing | Toyota | 8 |
| 4 | 21 | Austin Hill (P) | Richard Childress Racing | Chevrolet | 7 |
| 5 | 18 | Sammy Smith (R) (P) | Joe Gibbs Racing | Toyota | 6 |
| 6 | 78 | Anthony Alfredo | B. J. McLeod Motorsports | Chevrolet | 5 |
| 7 | 98 | Riley Herbst | Stewart–Haas Racing | Ford | 4 |
| 8 | 19 | Myatt Snider | Joe Gibbs Racing | Toyota | 3 |
| 9 | 16 | Chandler Smith (R) (P) | Kaulig Racing | Chevrolet | 2 |
| 10 | 91 | Josh Bilicki | DGM Racing | Chevrolet | 1 |
Stage 2 Laps: 60
| Pos. | # | Driver | Team | Make | Pts |
| 1 | 18 | Sammy Smith (R) (P) | Joe Gibbs Racing | Toyota | 10 |
| 2 | 8 | Josh Berry | JR Motorsports | Chevrolet | 9 |
| 3 | 19 | Myatt Snider | Joe Gibbs Racing | Toyota | 8 |
| 4 | 2 | Sheldon Creed (P) | Richard Childress Racing | Chevrolet | 7 |
| 5 | 26 | Kaz Grala | Sam Hunt Racing | Toyota | 6 |
| 6 | 31 | Parker Retzlaff (R) | Jordan Anderson Racing | Chevrolet | 5 |
| 7 | 16 | Chandler Smith (R) (P) | Kaulig Racing | Chevrolet | 4 |
| 8 | 00 | Cole Custer (P) | Stewart–Haas Racing | Ford | 3 |
| 9 | 9 | Brandon Jones | JR Motorsports | Chevrolet | 2 |
| 10 | 98 | Riley Herbst | Stewart–Haas Racing | Ford | 1 |
Stage 3 Laps: 136
| Pos. | St | # | Driver | Team | Make | Laps | Led | Status | Pts |
| 1 | 2 | 7 | Justin Allgaier (P) | JR Motorsports | Chevrolet | 256 | 21 | Running | 50 |
| 2 | 8 | 2 | Sheldon Creed (P) | Richard Childress Racing | Chevrolet | 256 | 1 | Running | 42 |
| 3 | 1 | 18 | Sammy Smith (R) (P) | Joe Gibbs Racing | Toyota | 256 | 147 | Running | 50 |
| 4 | 4 | 98 | Riley Herbst | Stewart–Haas Racing | Ford | 256 | 0 | Running | 38 |
| 5 | 12 | 8 | Josh Berry | JR Motorsports | Chevrolet | 256 | 0 | Running | 41 |
| 6 | 14 | 10 | Daniel Hemric (OP) | Kaulig Racing | Chevrolet | 256 | 0 | Running | 31 |
| 7 | 10 | 31 | Parker Retzlaff (R) | Jordan Anderson Racing | Chevrolet | 256 | 0 | Running | 35 |
| 8 | 22 | 78 | Anthony Alfredo | B. J. McLeod Motorsports | Chevrolet | 256 | 0 | Running | 34 |
| 9 | 38 | 27 | Jeb Burton | Jordan Anderson Racing | Chevrolet | 256 | 0 | Running | 28 |
| 10 | 15 | 48 | Parker Kligerman | Big Machine Racing | Chevrolet | 256 | 0 | Running | 27 |
| 11 | 19 | 11 | Layne Riggs | Kaulig Racing | Chevrolet | 256 | 9 | Running | 26 |
| 12 | 26 | 44 | Rajah Caruth (i) | Alpha Prime Racing | Chevrolet | 256 | 0 | Running | 0 |
| 13 | 34 | 28 | C. J. McLaughlin | RSS Racing | Ford | 256 | 0 | Running | 24 |
| 14 | 24 | 92 | Josh Williams | DGM Racing | Chevrolet | 256 | 0 | Running | 23 |
| 15 | 11 | 19 | Myatt Snider | Joe Gibbs Racing | Toyota | 256 | 1 | Running | 33 |
| 16 | 6 | 9 | Brandon Jones | JR Motorsports | Chevrolet | 256 | 0 | Running | 23 |
| 17 | 20 | 51 | Jeremy Clements | Jeremy Clements Racing | Chevrolet | 256 | 0 | Running | 20 |
| 18 | 5 | 20 | John Hunter Nemechek (P) | Joe Gibbs Racing | Toyota | 256 | 54 | Running | 27 |
| 19 | 3 | 00 | Cole Custer (P) | Stewart–Haas Racing | Ford | 256 | 1 | Running | 30 |
| 20 | 16 | 25 | Brett Moffitt | AM Racing | Ford | 256 | 0 | Running | 17 |
| 21 | 9 | 21 | Austin Hill (P) | Richard Childress Racing | Chevrolet | 255 | 22 | Accident | 23 |
| 22 | 31 | 02 | Blaine Perkins (R) | Our Motorsports | Chevrolet | 255 | 0 | Accident | 15 |
| 23 | 18 | 91 | Josh Bilicki | DGM Racing | Chevrolet | 255 | 0 | Accident | 15 |
| 24 | 32 | 43 | Ryan Ellis | Alpha Prime Racing | Chevrolet | 245 | 0 | Transmission | 13 |
| 25 | 17 | 1 | Sam Mayer (P) | JR Motorsports | Chevrolet | 244 | 0 | Accident | 12 |
| 26 | 29 | 45 | Jeffrey Earnhardt | Alpha Prime Racing | Chevrolet | 244 | 0 | Accident | 11 |
| 27 | 30 | 08 | Chad Finchum | SS-Green Light Racing | Ford | 244 | 0 | Accident | 10 |
| 28 | 23 | 26 | Kaz Grala | Sam Hunt Racing | Toyota | 243 | 0 | Accident | 15 |
| 29 | 33 | 38 | Joe Graf Jr. | RSS Racing | Ford | 240 | 0 | Running | 8 |
| 30 | 35 | 35 | Chris Hacker (i) | Emerling-Gase Motorsports | Chevrolet | 237 | 0 | Radiator | 0 |
| 31 | 25 | 24 | Connor Mosack (R) | Sam Hunt Racing | Toyota | 232 | 0 | Radiator | 6 |
| 32 | 27 | 6 | Brennan Poole | JD Motorsports | Chevrolet | 218 | 0 | Engine | 5 |
| 33 | 36 | 53 | Akinori Ogata (i) | Emerling-Gase Motorsports | Chevrolet | 217 | 0 | Oil Line | 0 |
| 34 | 21 | 4 | J. J. Yeley | JD Motorsports | Chevrolet | 207 | 0 | Accident | 3 |
| 35 | 13 | 39 | Ryan Sieg | RSS Racing | Ford | 203 | 0 | Steering | 2 |
| 36 | 7 | 16 | Chandler Smith (R) (P) | Kaulig Racing | Chevrolet | 187 | 0 | Accident | 7 |
| 37 | 37 | 07 | Devin Jones | SS-Green Light Racing | Chevrolet | 131 | 0 | Engine | 1 |
| 38 | 28 | 29 | Kyle Sieg | RSS Racing | Ford | 40 | 0 | Accident | 1 |
| Official race results ||||||||||

## Standings after the race

| | Pos | Driver | Points |
| 3 | 1 | Sam Mayer | 4,000 |
| 3 | 2 | Justin Allgaier | 4,000 (-0) |
| 2 | 3 | John Hunter Nemechek | 4,000 (–0) |
| 2 | 4 | Cole Custer | 4,000 (–0) |
| 2 | 5 | Austin Hill | 2,229 (–1,771) |
| | 6 | Sammy Smith | 2,215 (–1,785) |
| 2 | 7 | Daniel Hemric | 2,208 (–1,792) |
| 2 | 8 | Parker Kligerman | 2,188 (–1,812) |
| 1 | 9 | Sheldon Creed | 2,187 (–1,813) |
| 3 | 10 | Chandler Smith | 2,176 (–1,824) |
| | 11 | Josh Berry | 2,137 (–1,863) |
| | 12 | Jeb Burton | 2,101 (–1,899) |
| Official driver's standings ||||