# 2023 Food City 300

The 2023 Food City 300 was the 27th stock car race of the 2023 NASCAR Xfinity Series, the first race of the Round of 12, and the 42nd iteration of the event. The race was held on Friday, September 15, 2023, in Bristol, Tennessee at Bristol Motor Speedway, a 0.533 miles (0.858 km) permanent oval shaped racetrack. The race took the scheduled 300 laps to complete. Justin Allgaier, driving for JR Motorsports, would complete a successful pit road strategy, driving through the field and passing Daniel Hemric for the lead with over 10 laps to go, earning his 22nd career NASCAR Xfinity Series win, and his third of the season. He would also earn a spot in the next round of the playoffs. Allgaier and pole-sitter Cole Custer would end up dominating the entire race, leading 110 and 109 laps, respectively. To fill out the podium, Hemric, driving for Kaulig Racing, and John Hunter Nemechek, driving for Joe Gibbs Racing, would finish 2nd and 3rd, respectively.

## Background

The Bristol Motor Speedway, formerly known as Bristol International Raceway and Bristol Raceway, is a NASCAR short track venue located in Bristol, Tennessee. Constructed in 1960, it held its first NASCAR race on July 30, 1961. Despite its short length, Bristol is among the most popular tracks on the NASCAR schedule because of its distinct features, which include extraordinarily steep banking, an all concrete surface, two pit roads, and stadium-like seating. It has also been named one of the loudest NASCAR tracks.

### Entry list

* (R) denotes rookie driver.
* (i) denotes driver who is ineligible for series driver points.
* (P) denotes playoff driver.
| # | Driver | Team | Make | Sponsor |
| 00 | Cole Custer (P) | Stewart-Haas Racing | Ford | Mobil 1 |
| 1 | Sam Mayer (P) | JR Motorsports | Chevrolet | Huck's Market |
| 02 | Blaine Perkins (R) | Our Motorsports | Chevrolet | Gratis |
| 2 | Sheldon Creed (P) | Richard Childress Racing | Chevrolet | Whelen |
| 4 | Kyle Weatherman | JD Motorsports | Chevrolet | JD Motorsports |
| 6 | Brennan Poole | JD Motorsports | Chevrolet | Macc Door Systems |
| 07 | Stefan Parsons | SS-Green Light Racing | Chevrolet | SOKAL, Nelson's Green Brier |
| 7 | Justin Allgaier (P) | JR Motorsports | Chevrolet | BRANDT |
| 08 | Chad Finchum | SS-Green Light Racing | Ford | Elite Petroleum |
| 8 | Josh Berry (P) | JR Motorsports | Chevrolet | Bass Pro Shops, Tracker Boats |
| 9 | Brandon Jones | JR Motorsports | Chevrolet | Patriot Lighting, Menards |
| 10 | Daniel Hemric (P) | Kaulig Racing | Chevrolet | Cirkul |
| 11 | Derek Kraus | Kaulig Racing | Chevrolet | Crav'n Flavor, Hardscape Construction |
| 16 | Chandler Smith (R) (P) | Kaulig Racing | Chevrolet | Barger Precast |
| 18 | Sammy Smith (R) (P) | Joe Gibbs Racing | Toyota | Pilot Flying J |
| 19 | Trevor Bayne | Joe Gibbs Racing | Toyota | He Gets Us |
| 20 | John Hunter Nemechek (P) | Joe Gibbs Racing | Toyota | Pye-Barker Fire & Safety |
| 21 | Austin Hill (P) | Richard Childress Racing | Chevrolet | Bennett Transportation |
| 24 | Connor Mosack (R) | Sam Hunt Racing | Toyota | Toyota Racing Development |
| 25 | Brett Moffitt | AM Racing | Ford | AM Technical Solutions |
| 26 | Kaz Grala | Sam Hunt Racing | Toyota | CRUSH Tropical Punch |
| 27 | Jeb Burton (P) | Jordan Anderson Racing | Chevrolet | Alsco |
| 28 | Kyle Sieg | RSS Racing | Ford | Cook's Comfort |
| 31 | Parker Retzlaff (R) | Jordan Anderson Racing | Chevrolet | FUNKAWAY |
| 35 | Patrick Emerling | Emerling-Gase Motorsports | Chevrolet | Sci Aps |
| 38 | Joe Graf Jr. | RSS Racing | Ford | Food City, Bucked Up Energy |
| 39 | Ryan Sieg | RSS Racing | Ford | Sci Aps |
| 43 | Ryan Ellis | Alpha Prime Racing | Chevrolet | Diamond Doors Assa Abloy |
| 44 | Rajah Caruth (i) | Alpha Prime Racing | Chevrolet | Gilreath Farms, AAN Adjusters |
| 45 | Jeffrey Earnhardt | Alpha Prime Racing | Chevrolet | ForeverLawn "K9 Grass" |
| 48 | Parker Kligerman (P) | Big Machine Racing | Chevrolet | Big Machine Spiked Light Coolers |
| 51 | Jeremy Clements | Jeremy Clements Racing | Chevrolet | All South Electric |
| 53 | B. J. McLeod | Emerling-Gase Motorsports | Chevrolet | The Meredith Haga Foundation |
| 66 | Timmy Hill (i) | MBM Motorsports | Toyota | Coble Enterprises |
| 78 | Anthony Alfredo | B. J. McLeod Motorsports | Chevrolet | Dude Wipes |
| 88 | Dale Earnhardt Jr. | JR Motorsports | Chevrolet | Hellmann's |
| 91 | Josh Bilicki | DGM Racing | Chevrolet | Insurance King, Rock'n Vodka |
| 92 | Josh Williams | DGM Racing | Chevrolet | Alloy Employer Services, Dan-O's |
| 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 will be held on Friday, September 15, at 2:35 PM EST. Chandler Smith, driving for Kaulig Racing, would set the fastest time between both sessions, with a lap of 16.038, and an average speed of 119.641 mph (192.544 km/h).
| Pos. | # | Driver | Team | Make | Time | Speed |
| 1 | 16 | Chandler Smith (R) (P) | Kaulig Racing | Chevrolet | 16.038 | 119.641 |
| 2 | 00 | Cole Custer (P) | Stewart-Haas Racing | Ford | 16.047 | 119.574 |
| 3 | 20 | John Hunter Nemechek (P) | Joe Gibbs Racing | Toyota | 16.076 | 119.358 |
| Full practice results |||||||

## Qualifying

Qualifying was held on Friday, September 15, at 3:10 PM EST. Since Bristol Motor 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. Cole Custer, driving for Stewart-Haas Racing, would score the pole for the race, with a lap of 15.684, and an average speed of 122.341 mph (196.889 km/h).
| Pos. | # | Driver | Team | Make | Time | Speed |
| 1 | 00 | Cole Custer (P) | Stewart-Haas Racing | Ford | 15.684 | 122.341 |
| 2 | 8 | Josh Berry (P) | JR Motorsports | Chevrolet | 15.712 | 122.123 |
| 3 | 20 | John Hunter Nemechek (P) | Joe Gibbs Racing | Toyota | 15.717 | 122.084 |
| 4 | 16 | Chandler Smith (R) (P) | Kaulig Racing | Chevrolet | 15.740 | 121.906 |
| 5 | 10 | Daniel Hemric (P) | Kaulig Racing | Chevrolet | 15.788 | 121.535 |
| 6 | 18 | Sammy Smith (R) (P) | Joe Gibbs Racing | Toyota | 15.792 | 121.505 |
| 7 | 39 | Ryan Sieg | RSS Racing | Ford | 15.793 | 121.497 |
| 8 | 9 | Brandon Jones | JR Motorsports | Chevrolet | 15.800 | 121.443 |
| 9 | 51 | Jeremy Clements | Jeremy Clements Racing | Chevrolet | 15.801 | 121.435 |
| 10 | 7 | Justin Allgaier (P) | JR Motorsports | Chevrolet | 15.807 | 121.389 |
| 11 | 1 | Sam Mayer (P) | JR Motorsports | Chevrolet | 15.816 | 121.320 |
| 12 | 19 | Trevor Bayne | Joe Gibbs Racing | Toyota | 15.843 | 121.113 |
| 13 | 48 | Parker Kligerman (P) | Big Machine Racing | Chevrolet | 15.860 | 120.984 |
| 14 | 31 | Parker Retzlaff (R) | Jordan Anderson Racing | Chevrolet | 15.899 | 120.687 |
| 15 | 88 | Dale Earnhardt Jr. | JR Motorsports | Chevrolet | 15.911 | 120.596 |
| 16 | 98 | Riley Herbst | Stewart-Haas Racing | Ford | 15.917 | 120.550 |
| 17 | 45 | Jeffrey Earnhardt | Alpha Prime Racing | Chevrolet | 15.936 | 120.407 |
| 18 | 11 | Derek Kraus | Kaulig Racing | Chevrolet | 15.965 | 120.188 |
| 19 | 38 | Joe Graf Jr. | RSS Racing | Ford | 15.982 | 120.060 |
| 20 | 92 | Josh Williams | DGM Racing | Chevrolet | 16.019 | 119.783 |
| 21 | 2 | Sheldon Creed (P) | Richard Childress Racing | Chevrolet | 16.028 | 119.715 |
| 22 | 43 | Ryan Ellis | Alpha Prime Racing | Chevrolet | 16.038 | 119.641 |
| 23 | 08 | Chad Finchum | SS-Green Light Racing | Ford | 16.039 | 119.633 |
| 24 | 91 | Josh Bilicki | DGM Racing | Chevrolet | 16.058 | 119.492 |
| 25 | 44 | Rajah Caruth (i) | Alpha Prime Racing | Chevrolet | 16.066 | 119.432 |
| 26 | 21 | Austin Hill (P) | Richard Childress Racing | Chevrolet | 16.068 | 119.417 |
| 27 | 28 | Kyle Sieg | RSS Racing | Ford | 16.081 | 119.321 |
| 28 | 6 | Brennan Poole | JD Motorsports | Chevrolet | 16.095 | 119.217 |
| 29 | 24 | Connor Mosack (R) | Sam Hunt Racing | Toyota | 16.112 | 119.091 |
| 30 | 4 | Kyle Weatherman | JD Motorsports | Chevrolet | 16.112 | 119.091 |
| 31 | 26 | Kaz Grala | Sam Hunt Racing | Toyota | 16.115 | 119.069 |
| 32 | 78 | Anthony Alfredo | B. J. McLeod Motorsports | Chevrolet | 16.117 | 119.054 |
| 33 | 02 | Blaine Perkins (R) | Our Motorsports | Chevrolet | 16.175 | 118.628 |
| Qualified by owner's points |||||||
| 34 | 66 | Timmy Hill (i) | MBM Motorsports | Toyota | 16.211 | 118.364 |
| 35 | 07 | Stefan Parsons | SS-Green Light Racing | Chevrolet | 16.214 | 118.342 |
| 36 | 25 | Brett Moffitt | AM Racing | Ford | 16.222 | 118.284 |
| 37 | 35 | Patrick Emerling | Emerling-Gase Motorsports | Chevrolet | – | – |
| 38 | 27 | Jeb Burton (P) | Jordan Anderson Racing | Chevrolet | – | – |
| Withdrew |||||||
| 39 | 53 | B. J. McLeod | Emerling-Gase Motorsports | Chevrolet | – | – |
| Official qualifying results |||||||
| Official starting lineup |||||||

## Race results

Stage 1 Laps: 85
| Pos. | # | Driver | Team | Make | Pts |
| 1 | 00 | Cole Custer (P) | Stewart-Haas Racing | Ford | 10 |
| 2 | 7 | Justin Allgaier (P) | JR Motorsports | Chevrolet | 9 |
| 3 | 9 | Brandon Jones | JR Motorsports | Chevrolet | 8 |
| 4 | 20 | John Hunter Nemechek (P) | Joe Gibbs Racing | Toyota | 7 |
| 5 | 19 | Trevor Bayne | Joe Gibbs Racing | Toyota | 6 |
| 6 | 16 | Chandler Smith (R) (P) | Kaulig Racing | Chevrolet | 5 |
| 7 | 48 | Parker Kilgerman (P) | Big Machine Racing | Chevrolet | 4 |
| 8 | 1 | Sam Mayer (P) | JR Motorsports | Chevrolet | 3 |
| 9 | 88 | Dale Earnhardt Jr. | JR Motorsports | Chevrolet | 2 |
| 10 | 18 | Sammy Smith (R) (P) | Joe Gibbs Racing | Toyota | 1 |
Stage 2 Laps: 85
| 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 | 21 | Austin Hill (P) | Richard Childress Racing | Chevrolet | 8 |
| 4 | 88 | Dale Earnhardt Jr. | JR Motorsports | Chevrolet | 7 |
| 5 | 19 | Trevor Bayne | Joe Gibbs Racing | Toyota | 6 |
| 6 | 20 | John Hunter Nemechek (P) | Joe Gibbs Racing | Toyota | 5 |
| 7 | 10 | Daniel Hemric (P) | Kaulig Racing | Chevrolet | 4 |
| 8 | 98 | Riley Herbst | Stewart-Haas Racing | Ford | 3 |
| 9 | 16 | Chandler Smith (R) (P) | Kaulig Racing | Chevrolet | 2 |
| 10 | 45 | Jeffrey Earnhardt | Alpha Prime Racing | Chevrolet | 1 |
Stage 3 Laps: 130
| Pos. | St | # | Driver | Team | Make | Laps | Led | Status | Pts |
| 1 | 10 | 7 | Justin Allgaier (P) | JR Motorsports | Chevrolet | 300 | 110 | Running | 59 |
| 2 | 5 | 10 | Daniel Hemric (P) | Kaulig Racing | Chevrolet | 300 | 33 | Running | 39 |
| 3 | 3 | 20 | John Hunter Nemechek (P) | Joe Gibbs Racing | Toyota | 300 | 1 | Running | 46 |
| 4 | 1 | 00 | Cole Custer (P) | Stewart-Haas Racing | Ford | 300 | 109 | Running | 52 |
| 5 | 4 | 16 | Chandler Smith (R) (P) | Kaulig Racing | Chevrolet | 300 | 0 | Running | 39 |
| 6 | 7 | 39 | Ryan Sieg | RSS Racing | Ford | 300 | 0 | Running | 31 |
| 7 | 12 | 19 | Trevor Bayne | Joe Gibbs Racing | Toyota | 300 | 0 | Running | 42 |
| 8 | 16 | 98 | Riley Herbst | Stewart-Haas Racing | Ford | 300 | 0 | Running | 32 |
| 9 | 6 | 18 | Sammy Smith (R) (P) | Joe Gibbs Racing | Toyota | 300 | 0 | Running | 29 |
| 10 | 31 | 26 | Kaz Grala | Sam Hunt Racing | Toyota | 300 | 0 | Running | 27 |
| 11 | 21 | 2 | Sheldon Creed (P) | Richard Childress Racing | Chevrolet | 300 | 0 | Running | 26 |
| 12 | 18 | 11 | Derek Kraus | Kaulig Racing | Chevrolet | 300 | 0 | Running | 25 |
| 13 | 38 | 27 | Jeb Burton (P) | Jordan Anderson Racing | Chevrolet | 300 | 0 | Running | 24 |
| 14 | 29 | 24 | Connor Mosack (R) | Sam Hunt Racing | Toyota | 300 | 0 | Running | 23 |
| 15 | 14 | 31 | Parker Retzlaff (R) | Jordan Anderson Racing | Chevrolet | 299 | 0 | Running | 22 |
| 16 | 36 | 25 | Brett Moffitt | AM Racing | Ford | 299 | 0 | Running | 21 |
| 17 | 25 | 44 | Rajah Caruth (i) | Alpha Prime Racing | Chevrolet | 298 | 0 | Running | 0 |
| 18 | 22 | 43 | Ryan Ellis | Alpha Prime Racing | Chevrolet | 298 | 0 | Running | 19 |
| 19 | 35 | 07 | Stefan Parsons | SS-Green Light Racing | Chevrolet | 298 | 0 | Running | 18 |
| 20 | 20 | 92 | Josh Williams | DGM Racing | Chevrolet | 298 | 0 | Running | 17 |
| 21 | 27 | 28 | Kyle Sieg | RSS Racing | Ford | 298 | 0 | Running | 16 |
| 22 | 28 | 6 | Brennan Poole | JD Motorsports | Chevrolet | 297 | 0 | Running | 15 |
| 23 | 30 | 4 | Kyle Weatherman | JD Motorsports | Chevrolet | 297 | 0 | Running | 14 |
| 24 | 9 | 51 | Jeremy Clements | Jeremy Clements Racing | Chevrolet | 297 | 0 | Running | 13 |
| 25 | 32 | 78 | Anthony Alfredo | B. J. McLeod Motorsports | Chevrolet | 296 | 0 | Running | 12 |
| 26 | 19 | 38 | Joe Graf Jr. | RSS Racing | Ford | 295 | 0 | Running | 11 |
| 27 | 24 | 91 | Josh Bilicki | DGM Racing | Chevrolet | 294 | 0 | Running | 10 |
| 28 | 33 | 02 | Blaine Perkins (R) | Our Motorsports | Chevrolet | 294 | 0 | Running | 9 |
| 29 | 23 | 08 | Chad Finchum | SS-Green Light Racing | Ford | 276 | 0 | Running | 8 |
| 30 | 15 | 88 | Dale Earnhardt Jr. | JR Motorsports | Chevrolet | 271 | 47 | Ignition | 16 |
| 31 | 13 | 48 | Parker Kligerman (P) | Big Machine Racing | Chevrolet | 246 | 0 | Running | 10 |
| 32 | 17 | 45 | Jeffrey Earnhardt | Alpha Prime Racing | Chevrolet | 229 | 0 | Brakes | 6 |
| 33 | 26 | 21 | Austin Hill (P) | Richard Childress Racing | Chevrolet | 217 | 0 | DVP | 12 |
| 34 | 8 | 9 | Brandon Jones | JR Motorsports | Chevrolet | 178 | 0 | Suspension | 11 |
| 35 | 11 | 1 | Sam Mayer (P) | JR Motorsports | Chevrolet | 166 | 0 | Accident | 5 |
| 36 | 2 | 8 | Josh Berry (P) | JR Motorsports | Chevrolet | 166 | 0 | Accident | 1 |
| 37 | 37 | 35 | B. J. McLeod | Emerling-Gase Motorsports | Chevrolet | 117 | 0 | Power | 1 |
| 38 | 34 | 66 | Timmy Hill (i) | MBM Motorsports | Toyota | 81 | 0 | Rear Gear | 0 |
| Official race results ||||||||||

## Standings after the race

| | Pos | Driver | Points |
| | 1 | John Hunter Nemechek | 2,095 |
| 1 | 2 | Justin Allgaier | 2,085 (-10) |
| 1 | 3 | Cole Custer | 2,069 (–26) |
| 2 | 4 | Austin Hill | 2,051 (–44) |
| 1 | 5 | Chandler Smith | 2,048 (–47) |
| 5 | 6 | Daniel Hemric | 2,042 (–53) |
| 1 | 7 | Sammy Smith | 2,035 (–60) |
| | 8 | Sheldon Creed | 2,034 (–61) |
| 1 | 9 | Jeb Burton | 2,030 (–65) |
| 1 | 10 | Sam Mayer | 2,020 (–75) |
| 1 | 11 | Parker Kligerman | 2,012 (–83) |
| 5 | 12 | Josh Berry | 2,010 (–85) |
| Official driver's standings ||||