# 2023 Contender Boats 300

The 2023 Contender Boats 300 was the 31st stock car race of the 2023 NASCAR Xfinity Series, the second race of the Round of 8, and the 29th iteration of the event. The race washeld on Saturday, October 21, 2023, in Homestead, Florida at Homestead–Miami Speedway, a 1.5 miles (2.4 km) permanent oval shaped racetrack. The race took the scheduled 200 laps to complete. In a wild finish, Sam Mayer, driving for JR Motorsports, would take the lead in the late stages of the race, and held off a fast-charging Riley Herbst in the closing laps to earn his fourth career NASCAR Xfinity Series win, his fourth of the season, and his first win on an oval track. He would also earn a spot in the Championship 4. Cole Custer would dominate the majority of the race, winning the first stage and leading a race-high 114 laps, until hitting the wall and blowing a tire in the late stages. To fill out the podium, Herbst, driving for Stewart–Haas Racing, and John Hunter Nemechek, driving for Joe Gibbs Racing, would finish 2nd and 3rd, respectively.

## Background

Homestead–Miami Speedway is a motor racing track located in Homestead, Florida. The track, which has several configurations, has promoted several series of racing, including NASCAR, the NTT IndyCar Series and the Grand-Am Rolex Sports Car Series.
From 2002 to 2019, Homestead-Miami Speedway has hosted the final race of the season in all three of NASCAR's series: the NASCAR Cup Series, Xfinity Series and Craftsman Truck Series. The track has since held races on different dates in 2020 (June) and 2021 (February), which were both effected by the COVID-19 pandemic, before being moved back into the Playoffs as the second race of the Round of 8 in 2022, with the date being kept for 2023.

### 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 | AUTOParkIt |
| 2 | Sheldon Creed (P) | Richard Childress Racing | Chevrolet | Whelen |
| 4 | J. J. Yeley | JD Motorsports | Chevrolet | IFCJ.org |
| 6 | Brennan Poole | JD Motorsports | Chevrolet | KSDT CPA |
| 07 | Natalie Decker | SS-Green Light Racing | Chevrolet | Wawa Rechargers |
| 7 | Justin Allgaier (P) | JR Motorsports | Chevrolet | Hellowater |
| 08 | Mason Massey | SS-Green Light Racing | Ford | Anderson Power Services |
| 8 | Josh Berry | JR Motorsports | Chevrolet | Tire Pros Love The Drive |
| 9 | Brandon Jones | JR Motorsports | Chevrolet | Pelonis, Menards |
| 10 | Daniel Hemric (OP) | Kaulig Racing | Chevrolet | Cirkul |
| 11 | Derek Kraus | Kaulig Racing | Chevrolet | Celsius Energy Drink |
| 16 | Chandler Smith (R) (P) | Kaulig Racing | Chevrolet | Quick Tie Products |
| 18 | Sammy Smith (R) (P) | Joe Gibbs Racing | Toyota | Pilot Flying J |
| 19 | Joe Graf Jr. | Joe Gibbs Racing | Toyota | Wawa |
| 20 | John Hunter Nemechek (P) | Joe Gibbs Racing | Toyota | Pye-Barker Fire & Safety |
| 21 | Austin Hill (P) | Richard Childress Racing | Chevrolet | United Rentals |
| 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 | CRUSH Lemonade |
| 27 | Jeb Burton | Jordan Anderson Racing | Chevrolet | Alsco |
| 28 | C. J. McLaughlin | RSS Racing | Ford | Sci Aps |
| 29 | Mason Maggio (i) | RSS Racing | Ford | Flitz Polish |
| 31 | Parker Retzlaff (R) | Jordan Anderson Racing | Chevrolet | FUNKAWAY |
| 35 | Patrick Emerling | Emerling-Gase Motorsports | Chevrolet | Sci Aps |
| 38 | Kyle Sieg | RSS Racing | Ford | Lefcourt Brothers |
| 39 | Ryan Sieg | RSS Racing | Ford | Sci Aps |
| 43 | Ryan Ellis | Alpha Prime Racing | Chevrolet | Classic Collision |
| 44 | Jeffrey Earnhardt | Alpha Prime Racing | Chevrolet | ForeverLawn |
| 45 | Leland Honeyman | Alpha Prime Racing | Chevrolet | Nuthin Fancy, Realtree |
| 48 | Parker Kligerman | Big Machine Racing | Chevrolet | Big Machine Spiked Light Coolers |
| 51 | Jeremy Clements | Jeremy Clements Racing | Chevrolet | Fly and Form Structures |
| 53 | Matt Mills (i) | Emerling-Gase Motorsports | Toyota | J. F. Electric |
| 66 | Ryan Newman | MBM Motorsports | Ford | Generx Generators |
| 74 | Dawson Cram | CHK Racing | Chevrolet | Lerner & Rowe Injury Lawyers |
| 78 | Anthony Alfredo | B. J. McLeod Motorsports | Chevrolet | Nuthin Fancy |
| 88 | Dale Earnhardt Jr. | JR Motorsports | Chevrolet | Bass Pro Shops, Tracker Boats |
| 91 | Kyle Weatherman | DGM Racing | Chevrolet | Tweaker Energy Drink |
| 92 | Josh Williams | DGM Racing | Chevrolet | StarTron, Alloy Employer Services |
| 98 | Riley Herbst | Stewart–Haas Racing | Ford | Monster Energy |
| Official entry list |||||

## Practice

The first and only practice session was held on Friday, October 20, at 6:05 PM EST, and would last for 20 minutes. Cole Custer, driving for Stewart–Haas Racing, would set the fastest time in the session, with a lap of 32.964, and an average speed of 163.815 mph (263.635 km/h).
| Pos. | # | Driver | Team | Make | Time | Speed |
| 1 | 00 | Cole Custer (P) | Stewart–Haas Racing | Ford | 32.964 | 163.815 |
| 2 | 20 | John Hunter Nemechek (P) | Joe Gibbs Racing | Toyota | 33.261 | 162.352 |
| 3 | 48 | Parker Kligerman | Big Machine Racing | Chevrolet | 33.387 | 161.740 |
| Full practice results |||||||

## Qualifying

Qualifying was held on Friday, October 20, at 6:35 PM EST. Since Homestead–Miami 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. Cole Custer, driving for Stewart–Haas Racing, would score the pole for the race, with a lap of 32.608, and an average speed of 165.604 mph (266.514 km/h)
| Pos. | # | Driver | Team | Make | Time | Speed |
| 1 | 00 | Cole Custer (P) | Stewart–Haas Racing | Ford | 32.608 | 165.604 |
| 2 | 20 | John Hunter Nemechek (P) | Joe Gibbs Racing | Toyota | 32.786 | 164.704 |
| 3 | 7 | Justin Allgaier (P) | JR Motorsports | Chevrolet | 32.888 | 164.194 |
| 4 | 21 | Austin Hill (P) | Richard Childress Racing | Chevrolet | 32.940 | 163.934 |
| 5 | 18 | Sammy Smith (R) (P) | Joe Gibbs Racing | Toyota | 33.020 | 163.537 |
| 6 | 25 | Brett Moffitt | AM Racing | Ford | 33.028 | 163.498 |
| 7 | 98 | Riley Herbst | Stewart–Haas Racing | Ford | 33.037 | 163.453 |
| 8 | 8 | Josh Berry | JR Motorsports | Chevrolet | 33.038 | 163.448 |
| 9 | 2 | Sheldon Creed (P) | Richard Childress Racing | Chevrolet | 33.068 | 163.300 |
| 10 | 48 | Parker Kligerman | Big Machine Racing | Chevrolet | 33.138 | 162.955 |
| 11 | 19 | Joe Graf Jr. | Joe Gibbs Racing | Toyota | 33.155 | 162.871 |
| 12 | 16 | Chandler Smith (R) (P) | Kaulig Racing | Chevrolet | 33.167 | 162.812 |
| 13 | 1 | Sam Mayer (P) | JR Motorsports | Chevrolet | 33.201 | 162.646 |
| 14 | 39 | Ryan Sieg | RSS Racing | Ford | 33.407 | 161.643 |
| 15 | 10 | Daniel Hemric (OP) | Kaulig Racing | Chevrolet | 33.425 | 161.556 |
| 16 | 31 | Parker Retzlaff (R) | Jordan Anderson Racing | Chevrolet | 33.463 | 161.372 |
| 17 | 9 | Brandon Jones | JR Motorsports | Chevrolet | 33.528 | 161.059 |
| 18 | 91 | Kyle Weatherman | DGM Racing | Chevrolet | 33.583 | 160.796 |
| 19 | 26 | Kaz Grala | Sam Hunt Racing | Toyota | 33.628 | 160.580 |
| 20 | 11 | Derek Kraus | Kaulig Racing | Chevrolet | 33.671 | 160.375 |
| 21 | 24 | Connor Mosack (R) | Sam Hunt Racing | Toyota | 33.753 | 159.986 |
| 22 | 51 | Jeremy Clements | Jeremy Clements Racing | Chevrolet | 33.822 | 159.659 |
| 23 | 88 | Dale Earnhardt Jr. | JR Motorsports | Chevrolet | 33.843 | 159.560 |
| 24 | 66 | Ryan Newman | MBM Motorsports | Ford | 33.939 | 159.109 |
| 25 | 38 | Kyle Sieg | RSS Racing | Ford | 33.971 | 158.959 |
| 26 | 92 | Josh Williams | DGM Racing | Chevrolet | 34.081 | 158.446 |
| 27 | 45 | Leland Honeyman | Alpha Prime Racing | Chevrolet | 34.093 | 158.390 |
| 28 | 27 | Jeb Burton | Jordan Anderson Racing | Chevrolet | 34.149 | 158.131 |
| 29 | 6 | Brennan Poole | JD Motorsports | Chevrolet | 34.215 | 157.826 |
| 30 | 29 | Mason Maggio (i) | RSS Racing | Ford | 34.271 | 157.568 |
| 31 | 78 | Anthony Alfredo | B. J. McLeod Motorsports | Chevrolet | 34.278 | 157.535 |
| 32 | 74 | Dawson Cram | CHK Racing | Chevrolet | 34.294 | 157.462 |
| 33 | 44 | Jeffrey Earnhardt | Alpha Prime Racing | Chevrolet | 34.357 | 157.173 |
| Qualified by owner's points |||||||
| 34 | 02 | Blaine Perkins (R) | Our Motorsports | Chevrolet | 34.499 | 156.526 |
| 35 | 08 | Mason Massey | SS-Green Light Racing | Ford | 34.925 | 154.617 |
| 36 | 35 | Patrick Emerling | Emerling-Gase Motorsports | Chevrolet | 34.835 | 150.691 |
| 37 | 43 | Ryan Ellis | Alpha Prime Racing | Chevrolet | 36.200 | 149.171 |
| 38 | 28 | C. J. McLaughlin | RSS Racing | Ford | 36.313 | 148.707 |
| Failed to qualify |||||||
| 39 | 53 | Matt Mills (i) | Emerling-Gase Motorsports | Toyota | 34.411 | 156.927 |
| 40 | 4 | J. J. Yeley | JD Motorsports | Chevrolet | 34.419 | 156.890 |
| 41 | 07 | Natalie Decker | SS-Green Light Racing | Chevrolet | 35.628 | 151.566 |
| Official qualifying results |||||||
| Official starting lineup |||||||

## Race results

Stage 1 Laps: 40
| Pos. | # | Driver | Team | Make | Pts |
| 1 | 00 | Cole Custer (P) | Stewart–Haas Racing | Ford | 10 |
| 2 | 1 | Sam Mayer (P) | JR Motorsports | Chevrolet | 9 |
| 3 | 20 | John Hunter Nemechek (P) | Joe Gibbs Racing | Toyota | 8 |
| 4 | 2 | Sheldon Creed (P) | Richard Childress Racing | Chevrolet | 7 |
| 5 | 25 | Brett Moffitt | AM Racing | Ford | 6 |
| 6 | 7 | Justin Allgaier (P) | JR Motorsports | Chevrolet | 5 |
| 7 | 98 | Riley Herbst | Stewart–Haas Racing | Ford | 4 |
| 8 | 21 | Austin Hill (P) | Richard Childress Racing | Chevrolet | 3 |
| 9 | 26 | Kaz Grala | Sam Hunt Racing | Toyota | 2 |
| 10 | 10 | Daniel Hemric (OP) | Kaulig Racing | Chevrolet | 1 |
Stage 2 Laps: 40
| Pos. | # | Driver | Team | Make | Pts |
| 1 | 11 | Derek Kraus | Kaulig Racing | Chevrolet | 10 |
| 2 | 20 | John Hunter Nemechek (P) | Joe Gibbs Racing | Toyota | 9 |
| 3 | 00 | Cole Custer (P) | Stewart–Haas Racing | Ford | 8 |
| 4 | 1 | Sam Mayer (P) | JR Motorsports | Chevrolet | 7 |
| 5 | 7 | Justin Allgaier (P) | JR Motorsports | Chevrolet | 6 |
| 6 | 48 | Parker Kligerman | Big Machine Racing | Chevrolet | 5 |
| 7 | 38 | Kyle Sieg | RSS Racing | Ford | 4 |
| 8 | 98 | Riley Herbst | Stewart–Haas Racing | Ford | 3 |
| 9 | 21 | Austin Hill (P) | Richard Childress Racing | Chevrolet | 2 |
| 10 | 10 | Daniel Hemric (OP) | Kaulig Racing | Chevrolet | 1 |
Stage 3 Laps: 120
| Pos. | St | # | Driver | Team | Make | Laps | Led | Status | Pts |
| 1 | 13 | 1 | Sam Mayer (P) | JR Motorsports | Chevrolet | 200 | 46 | Running | 56 |
| 2 | 7 | 98 | Riley Herbst | Stewart–Haas Racing | Ford | 200 | 0 | Running | 42 |
| 3 | 2 | 20 | John Hunter Nemechek (P) | Joe Gibbs Racing | Toyota | 200 | 7 | Running | 51 |
| 4 | 4 | 21 | Austin Hill (P) | Richard Childress Racing | Chevrolet | 200 | 0 | Running | 38 |
| 5 | 23 | 88 | Dale Earnhardt Jr. | JR Motorsports | Chevrolet | 200 | 0 | Running | 32 |
| 6 | 15 | 10 | Daniel Hemric (OP) | Kaulig Racing | Chevrolet | 200 | 0 | Running | 33 |
| 7 | 10 | 48 | Parker Kligerman | Big Machine Racing | Chevrolet | 200 | 0 | Running | 35 |
| 8 | 17 | 9 | Brandon Jones | JR Motorsports | Chevrolet | 200 | 0 | Running | 29 |
| 9 | 5 | 18 | Sammy Smith (R) (P) | Joe Gibbs Racing | Toyota | 200 | 0 | Running | 28 |
| 10 | 11 | 19 | Joe Graf Jr. | Joe Gibbs Racing | Toyota | 200 | 0 | Running | 27 |
| 11 | 20 | 11 | Derek Kraus | Kaulig Racing | Chevrolet | 200 | 21 | Running | 36 |
| 12 | 16 | 31 | Parker Retzlaff (R) | Jordan Anderson Racing | Chevrolet | 200 | 0 | Running | 25 |
| 13 | 1 | 00 | Cole Custer (P) | Stewart–Haas Racing | Ford | 199 | 114 | Running | 42 |
| 14 | 14 | 39 | Ryan Sieg | RSS Racing | Ford | 199 | 0 | Running | 23 |
| 15 | 3 | 7 | Justin Allgaier (P) | JR Motorsports | Chevrolet | 199 | 8 | Running | 33 |
| 16 | 18 | 91 | Kyle Weatherman | DGM Racing | Chevrolet | 199 | 0 | Running | 21 |
| 17 | 26 | 92 | Josh Williams | DGM Racing | Chevrolet | 199 | 0 | Running | 20 |
| 18 | 33 | 44 | Jeffrey Earnhardt | Alpha Prime Racing | Chevrolet | 199 | 0 | Running | 19 |
| 19 | 29 | 6 | Brennan Poole | JD Motorsports | Chevrolet | 199 | 0 | Running | 18 |
| 20 | 28 | 27 | Jeb Burton | Jordan Anderson Racing | Chevrolet | 199 | 0 | Running | 17 |
| 21 | 22 | 51 | Jeremy Clements | Jeremy Clements Racing | Chevrolet | 199 | 0 | Running | 16 |
| 22 | 25 | 38 | Kyle Sieg | RSS Racing | Ford | 199 | 0 | Running | 19 |
| 23 | 27 | 45 | Leland Honeyman | Alpha Prime Racing | Chevrolet | 199 | 0 | Running | 14 |
| 24 | 37 | 43 | Ryan Ellis | Alpha Prime Racing | Chevrolet | 199 | 0 | Running | 13 |
| 25 | 36 | 35 | Patrick Emerling | Emerling-Gase Motorsports | Chevrolet | 198 | 0 | Running | 12 |
| 26 | 9 | 2 | Sheldon Creed (P) | Richard Childress Racing | Chevrolet | 198 | 4 | Running | 18 |
| 27 | 35 | 08 | Mason Massey | SS-Green Light Racing | Ford | 198 | 0 | Running | 10 |
| 28 | 31 | 78 | Anthony Alfredo | B. J. McLeod Motorsports | Chevrolet | 197 | 0 | Running | 9 |
| 29 | 34 | 02 | Blaine Perkins (R) | Our Motorsports | Chevrolet | 196 | 0 | Running | 8 |
| 30 | 19 | 26 | Kaz Grala | Sam Hunt Racing | Toyota | 194 | 0 | Running | 9 |
| 31 | 21 | 24 | Connor Mosack (R) | Sam Hunt Racing | Toyota | 190 | 0 | Electrical | 6 |
| 32 | 8 | 8 | Josh Berry | JR Motorsports | Chevrolet | 171 | 0 | Accident | 5 |
| 33 | 30 | 29 | Mason Maggio (i) | RSS Racing | Ford | 153 | 0 | Electrical | 0 |
| 34 | 12 | 16 | Chandler Smith (R) (P) | Kaulig Racing | Chevrolet | 138 | 0 | Engine | 3 |
| 35 | 6 | 25 | Brett Moffitt | AM Racing | Ford | 97 | 0 | Accident | 8 |
| 36 | 32 | 74 | Dawson Cram | CHK Racing | Chevrolet | 65 | 0 | Accident | 1 |
| 37 | 38 | 28 | C. J. McLaughlin | RSS Racing | Ford | 37 | 0 | Carburetor | 1 |
| 38 | 24 | 66 | Ryan Newman | MBM Motorsports | Ford | 27 | 0 | Rear Gear | 1 |
| Official race results ||||||||||

## Standings after the race

| | Pos | Driver | Points |
| | 1 | John Hunter Nemechek | 3,154 |
| 2 | 2 | Cole Custer | 3,113 (-41) |
| | 3 | Austin Hill | 3,113 (–41) |
| 2 | 4 | Sam Mayer | 3,111 (–43) |
| 3 | 5 | Justin Allgaier | 3,110 (–44) |
| 1 | 6 | Sammy Smith | 3,064 (–90) |
| 2 | 7 | Chandler Smith | 3,059 (–95) |
| | 8 | Sheldon Creed | 3,048 (–106) |
| | 9 | Daniel Hemric | 2,177 (–977) |
| | 10 | Parker Kligerman | 2,161 (–993) |
| | 11 | Josh Berry | 2,096 (–1,058) |
| | 12 | Jeb Burton | 2,073 (–1,081) |
| Official driver's standings ||||