# 2023 Sport Clips Haircuts VFW 200

The 2023 Sport Clips Haircuts VFW Help a Hero 200 was the 25th stock car race of the 2023 NASCAR Xfinity Series, and the 41st iteration of the event. The race was held on Saturday, September 2, 2023, in Darlington, South Carolina at Darlington Raceway, a 1.366 miles (2.198 km) permanent egg-shaped racetrack. The race was scheduled to be contested over 147 laps, but was extended to 148 laps due to NASCAR overtime finish. Denny Hamlin, driving for Joe Gibbs Racing, would pull away with the lead on the final restart, and held off Austin Hill to earn his 18th career NASCAR Xfinity Series win, and his first of the season. John Hunter Nemechek, who finished in 3rd, would dominate the majority of the race, winning both stages and leading a race-high 99 laps. To fill out the podium, Hill, driving for Richard Childress Racing, and Nemechek, driving for Joe Gibbs Racing, would finish 2nd and 3rd, respectively.

## 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.

### Surface Issues

Darlington Raceway was last repaved following the May 2007 meeting (from 2005 to 2019, there was only one meeting; the second meeting was reinstated in 2020), and from 2008 to 2019, there was one night race. In 2020, a day race returned to the schedule, and instead of two races (one Xfinity and one Cup) during the entire year, the track hosted six races (three Cup, two Xfinity, and one Truck). The circuit kept repairing the circuit with patches during each summer before the annual Cup race in September. The circuit's narrow Turn 2 rapidly deteriorated with cracks in the tarmac allowing water to seep in the circuit. In July 2021, the circuit repaved a six hundred foot section at the entrance of Turn 2 and ending at the exit of the turn to repair the tarmac and resolve the issue for safety and to reduce the threat of weepers and surface issues in that section of the circuit.

### Entry list

* (R) denotes rookie driver.
* (i) denotes driver who is ineligible for series driver points.
| # | Driver | Team | Make | Sponsor |
| 00 | Cole Custer | Stewart-Haas Racing | Ford | Haas Automation |
| 1 | Sam Mayer | JR Motorsports | Chevrolet | Accelerate Pros Talent |
| 02 | Blaine Perkins (R) | Our Motorsports | Chevrolet | To The Point |
| 2 | Sheldon Creed | Richard Childress Racing | Chevrolet | Whelen |
| 4 | Kyle Weatherman | JD Motorsports | Chevrolet | KSDT CPA |
| 6 | Brennan Poole | JD Motorsports | Chevrolet | County Auto Auction of Central Florida |
| 07 | Stefan Parsons | SS-Green Light Racing | Chevrolet | Pops Mart |
| 7 | Justin Allgaier | JR Motorsports | Chevrolet | Hellmann's |
| 08 | Chad Finchum | SS-Green Light Racing | Ford | Powerhouse Diesel Performance |
| 8 | Josh Berry | JR Motorsports | Chevrolet | Bass Pro Shops, Tracker Boats |
| 9 | Brandon Jones | JR Motorsports | Chevrolet | Klearvue Cabinetry, Menards |
| 10 | Kyle Busch (i) | Kaulig Racing | Chevrolet | LA Golf |
| 11 | Daniel Hemric | Kaulig Racing | Chevrolet | Cirkul |
| 16 | Chandler Smith (R) | Kaulig Racing | Chevrolet | Quick Tie Products |
| 17 | Kyle Larson (i) | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | HendrickCars.com |
| 18 | Sammy Smith (R) | Joe Gibbs Racing | Toyota | TMC Transportation |
| 19 | Denny Hamlin (i) | Joe Gibbs Racing | Toyota | Sport Clips Haircuits |
| 20 | John Hunter Nemechek | Joe Gibbs Racing | Toyota | Pye-Barker Fire & Safety |
| 21 | Austin Hill | Richard Childress Racing | Chevrolet | Bennett Transportation |
| 24 | Corey Heim (i) | Sam Hunt Racing | Toyota | Toyota Outfitters |
| 25 | Brett Moffitt | AM Racing | Ford | AM Technical Solutions |
| 26 | Kaz Grala | Sam Hunt Racing | Toyota | CRUSH Lime Margarita |
| 27 | Jeb Burton | Jordan Anderson Racing | Chevrolet | Celsius Energy Drink |
| 28 | Kyle Sieg | RSS Racing | Ford | Cedar Ridge Landscaping |
| 31 | Parker Retzlaff (R) | Jordan Anderson Racing | Chevrolet | Capital City Towing |
| 35 | Patrick Emerling | Emerling-Gase Motorsports | Chevrolet | Sci Aps |
| 38 | Joe Graf Jr. | RSS Racing | Ford | FGR accel, Bucked Up Energy |
| 39 | Ryan Sieg | RSS Racing | Ford | Sci Aps |
| 43 | Ryan Ellis | Alpha Prime Racing | Chevrolet | Southern Elevator |
| 44 | Dawson Cram | Alpha Prime Racing | Chevrolet | Titan Construction and Development Inc. |
| 45 | Rajah Caruth (i) | Alpha Prime Racing | Chevrolet | Circle |
| 48 | Parker Kligerman | Big Machine Racing | Chevrolet | Big Machine Spiked Light Coolers |
| 51 | Jeremy Clements | Jeremy Clements Racing | Chevrolet | Booze Pops |
| 53 | Matt Mills (i) | Emerling-Gase Motorsports | Toyota | J. F. Electric |
| 66 | Timmy Hill (i) | MBM Motorsports | Ford | CRC Brakleen |
| 78 | Anthony Alfredo | B. J. McLeod Motorsports | Chevrolet | TicketSmarter |
| 91 | Ross Chastain (i) | DGM Racing | Chevrolet | Use Your Melon Drive Sober |
| 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 Saturday, September 2, at 10:35 AM EST, and would last for 20 minutes. Daniel Hemric, driving for Kaulig Racing, would set the fastest time in the session, with a lap of 29.672, and an average speed of 165.732 mph (266.720 km/h).
| Pos. | # | Driver | Team | Make | Time | Speed |
| 1 | 11 | Daniel Hemric | Kaulig Racing | Chevrolet | 29.672 | 165.732 |
| 2 | 48 | Parker Kligerman | Big Machine Racing | Chevrolet | 30.030 | 163.756 |
| 3 | 8 | Josh Berry | JR Motorsports | Chevrolet | 30.129 | 163.218 |
| Full practice results |||||||

## Qualifying

Qualifying was held on Saturday, September 2, at 11:05 AM EST. Since Darlington Raceway 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. John Hunter Nemechek, driving for Joe Gibbs Racing, would score the pole for the race, with a lap of 29.804, and an average speed of 164.998 mph (265.539 km/h).
| Pos. | # | Driver | Team | Make | Time | Speed |
| 1 | 20 | John Hunter Nemechek | Joe Gibbs Racing | Toyota | 29.804 | 164.998 |
| 2 | 19 | Denny Hamlin (i) | Joe Gibbs Racing | Toyota | 29.813 | 164.948 |
| 3 | 7 | Justin Allgaier | JR Motorsports | Chevrolet | 29.893 | 164.507 |
| 4 | 00 | Cole Custer | Stewart-Haas Racing | Ford | 29.898 | 164.479 |
| 5 | 1 | Sam Mayer | JR Motorsports | Chevrolet | 29.926 | 164.325 |
| 6 | 11 | Daniel Hemric | Kaulig Racing | Chevrolet | 29.953 | 164.177 |
| 7 | 8 | Josh Berry | JR Motorsports | Chevrolet | 30.049 | 163.653 |
| 8 | 9 | Brandon Jones | JR Motorsports | Chevrolet | 30.062 | 163.582 |
| 9 | 21 | Austin Hill | Richard Childress Racing | Chevrolet | 30.066 | 163.560 |
| 10 | 16 | Chandler Smith (R) | Kaulig Racing | Chevrolet | 30.085 | 163.457 |
| 11 | 18 | Sammy Smith (R) | Joe Gibbs Racing | Toyota | 30.086 | 163.451 |
| 12 | 17 | Kyle Larson (i) | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | 30.112 | 163.310 |
| 13 | 48 | Parker Kligerman | Big Machine Racing | Chevrolet | 30.115 | 163.294 |
| 14 | 10 | Kyle Busch (i) | Kaulig Racing | Chevrolet | 30.132 | 163.202 |
| 15 | 98 | Riley Herbst | Stewart-Haas Racing | Ford | 30.133 | 163.196 |
| 16 | 2 | Sheldon Creed | Richard Childress Racing | Chevrolet | 30.136 | 163.180 |
| 17 | 24 | Corey Heim (i) | Sam Hunt Racing | Toyota | 30.218 | 162.737 |
| 18 | 25 | Brett Moffitt | AM Racing | Ford | 30.290 | 162.351 |
| 19 | 31 | Parker Retzlaff (R) | Jordan Anderson Racing | Chevrolet | 30.309 | 162.249 |
| 20 | 39 | Ryan Sieg | RSS Racing | Ford | 30.388 | 161.827 |
| 21 | 91 | Ross Chastain (i) | DGM Racing | Chevrolet | 30.448 | 161.508 |
| 22 | 45 | Rajah Caruth (i) | Alpha Prime Racing | Chevrolet | 30.479 | 161.344 |
| 23 | 78 | Anthony Alfredo | B. J. McLeod Motorsports | Chevrolet | 30.512 | 161.169 |
| 24 | 27 | Jeb Burton | Jordan Anderson Racing | Chevrolet | 30.533 | 161.059 |
| 25 | 28 | Kyle Sieg | RSS Racing | Ford | 30.620 | 160.601 |
| 26 | 51 | Jeremy Clements | Jeremy Clements Racing | Chevrolet | 30.631 | 160.543 |
| 27 | 07 | Stefan Parsons | SS-Green Light Racing | Chevrolet | 30.706 | 160.151 |
| 28 | 4 | Kyle Weatherman | JD Motorsports | Chevrolet | 30.772 | 159.808 |
| 29 | 66 | Timmy Hill (i) | MBM Motorsports | Ford | 30.785 | 159.740 |
| 30 | 26 | Kaz Grala | Sam Hunt Racing | Toyota | 30.790 | 159.714 |
| 31 | 6 | Brennan Poole | JD Motorsports | Chevrolet | 30.799 | 159.668 |
| 32 | 53 | Matt Mills (i) | Emerling-Gase Motorsports | Toyota | 30.803 | 159.647 |
| 33 | 08 | Chad Finchum | SS-Green Light Racing | Ford | 30.852 | 159.393 |
| Qualified by owner's points |||||||
| 34 | 38 | Joe Graf Jr. | RSS Racing | Ford | 30.878 | 159.259 |
| 35 | 02 | Blaine Perkins (R) | Our Motorsports | Chevrolet | 30.883 | 159.233 |
| 36 | 43 | Ryan Ellis | Alpha Prime Racing | Chevrolet | 30.922 | 159.032 |
| 37 | 92 | Josh Williams | DGM Racing | Chevrolet | 31.229 | 157.469 |
| 38 | 35 | Patrick Emerling | Emerling-Gase Motorsports | Chevrolet | 31.744 | 154.914 |
| Failed to qualify |||||||
| 39 | 44 | Dawson Cram | Alpha Prime Racing | Chevrolet | 30.942 | 158.930 |
| Official qualifying results |||||||
| Official starting lineup |||||||

## Race results

Stage 1 Laps: 45
| Pos. | # | Driver | Team | Make | Pts |
| 1 | 20 | John Hunter Nemechek | Joe Gibbs Racing | Toyota | 10 |
| 2 | 19 | Denny Hamlin (i) | Joe Gibbs Racing | Toyota | 0 |
| 3 | 17 | Kyle Larson (i) | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | 0 |
| 4 | 7 | Justin Allgaier | JR Motorsports | Chevrolet | 7 |
| 5 | 00 | Cole Custer | Stewart-Haas Racing | Ford | 6 |
| 6 | 21 | Austin Hill | Richard Childress Racing | Chevrolet | 5 |
| 7 | 11 | Daniel Hemric | Kaulig Racing | Chevrolet | 4 |
| 8 | 10 | Kyle Busch (i) | Kaulig Racing | Chevrolet | 0 |
| 9 | 16 | Chandler Smith (R) | Kaulig Racing | Chevrolet | 2 |
| 10 | 98 | Riley Herbst | Stewart-Haas Racing | Ford | 1 |
Stage 2 Laps: 45
| Pos. | # | Driver | Team | Make | Pts |
| 1 | 20 | John Hunter Nemechek | Joe Gibbs Racing | Toyota | 10 |
| 2 | 21 | Austin Hill | Richard Childress Racing | Chevrolet | 9 |
| 3 | 17 | Kyle Larson (i) | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | 0 |
| 4 | 19 | Denny Hamlin (i) | Joe Gibbs Racing | Toyota | 0 |
| 5 | 7 | Justin Allgaier | JR Motorsports | Chevrolet | 6 |
| 6 | 00 | Cole Custer | Stewart-Haas Racing | Ford | 5 |
| 7 | 16 | Chandler Smith (R) | Kaulig Racing | Chevrolet | 4 |
| 8 | 31 | Parker Retzlaff (R) | Jordan Anderson Racing | Chevrolet | 3 |
| 9 | 98 | Riley Herbst | Stewart-Haas Racing | Ford | 2 |
| 10 | 11 | Daniel Hemric | Kaulig Racing | Chevrolet | 1 |
Stage 3 Laps: 58
| Pos. | St | # | Driver | Team | Make | Laps | Led | Status | Pts |
| 1 | 2 | 19 | Denny Hamlin (i) | Joe Gibbs Racing | Toyota | 148 | 14 | Running | 0 |
| 2 | 9 | 21 | Austin Hill | Richard Childress Racing | Chevrolet | 148 | 29 | Running | 49 |
| 3 | 1 | 20 | John Hunter Nemechek | Joe Gibbs Racing | Toyota | 148 | 99 | Running | 54 |
| 4 | 4 | 00 | Cole Custer | Stewart-Haas Racing | Ford | 148 | 0 | Running | 44 |
| 5 | 7 | 8 | Josh Berry | JR Motorsports | Chevrolet | 148 | 0 | Running | 32 |
| 6 | 15 | 98 | Riley Herbst | Stewart-Haas Racing | Ford | 148 | 0 | Running | 34 |
| 7 | 3 | 7 | Justin Allgaier | JR Motorsports | Chevrolet | 148 | 0 | Running | 43 |
| 8 | 16 | 2 | Sheldon Creed | Richard Childress Racing | Chevrolet | 148 | 0 | Running | 29 |
| 9 | 14 | 10 | Kyle Busch (i) | Kaulig Racing | Chevrolet | 148 | 0 | Running | 0 |
| 10 | 6 | 11 | Daniel Hemric | Kaulig Racing | Chevrolet | 148 | 0 | Running | 32 |
| 11 | 5 | 1 | Sam Mayer | JR Motorsports | Chevrolet | 148 | 0 | Running | 26 |
| 12 | 10 | 16 | Chandler Smith (R) | Kaulig Racing | Chevrolet | 148 | 0 | Running | 31 |
| 13 | 19 | 31 | Parker Retzlaff (R) | Jordan Anderson Racing | Chevrolet | 148 | 5 | Running | 27 |
| 14 | 8 | 9 | Brandon Jones | JR Motorsports | Chevrolet | 148 | 0 | Running | 23 |
| 15 | 17 | 24 | Corey Heim (i) | Sam Hunt Racing | Toyota | 148 | 0 | Running | 0 |
| 16 | 22 | 45 | Rajah Caruth (i) | Alpha Prime Racing | Chevrolet | 148 | 0 | Running | 0 |
| 17 | 11 | 18 | Sammy Smith (R) | Joe Gibbs Racing | Toyota | 148 | 0 | Running | 20 |
| 18 | 24 | 27 | Jeb Burton | Jordan Anderson Racing | Chevrolet | 148 | 0 | Running | 19 |
| 19 | 27 | 07 | Stefan Parsons | SS-Green Light Racing | Chevrolet | 148 | 0 | Running | 18 |
| 20 | 31 | 6 | Brennan Poole | JD Motorsports | Chevrolet | 148 | 0 | Running | 17 |
| 21 | 26 | 51 | Jeremy Clements | Jeremy Clements Racing | Chevrolet | 148 | 0 | Running | 16 |
| 22 | 33 | 08 | Chad Finchum | SS-Green Light Racing | Ford | 148 | 0 | Running | 15 |
| 23 | 21 | 91 | Ross Chastain (i) | DGM Racing | Chevrolet | 148 | 0 | Running | 0 |
| 24 | 13 | 48 | Parker Kligerman | Big Machine Racing | Chevrolet | 148 | 0 | Running | 13 |
| 25 | 18 | 25 | Brett Moffitt | AM Racing | Ford | 148 | 0 | Running | 12 |
| 26 | 34 | 38 | Joe Graf Jr. | RSS Racing | Ford | 148 | 0 | Running | 11 |
| 27 | 32 | 53 | Matt Mills (i) | Emerling-Gase Motorsports | Toyota | 148 | 0 | Running | 0 |
| 28 | 30 | 26 | Kaz Grala | Sam Hunt Racing | Toyota | 148 | 0 | Running | 9 |
| 29 | 36 | 43 | Ryan Ellis | Alpha Prime Racing | Chevrolet | 148 | 0 | Running | 8 |
| 30 | 20 | 39 | Ryan Sieg | RSS Racing | Ford | 148 | 0 | Running | 7 |
| 31 | 28 | 4 | Kyle Weatherman | JD Motorsports | Chevrolet | 148 | 0 | Running | 6 |
| 32 | 29 | 66 | Timmy Hill (i) | MBM Motorsports | Ford | 148 | 0 | Running | 0 |
| 33 | 23 | 78 | Anthony Alfredo | B. J. McLeod Motorsports | Chevrolet | 147 | 0 | Running | 4 |
| 34 | 35 | 02 | Blaine Perkins (R) | Our Motorsports | Chevrolet | 147 | 0 | Running | 3 |
| 35 | 25 | 28 | Kyle Sieg | RSS Racing | Ford | 147 | 0 | Running | 2 |
| 36 | 38 | 35 | Patrick Emerling | Emerling-Gase Motorsports | Chevrolet | 145 | 0 | Running | 1 |
| 37 | 37 | 92 | Josh Williams | DGM Racing | Chevrolet | 143 | 0 | Running | 1 |
| 38 | 12 | 17 | Kyle Larson (i) | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | 117 | 1 | Running | 0 |
| Official race results ||||||||||

## Standings after the race

| | Pos | Driver | Points |
| | 1 | Austin Hill | 968 |
| 1 | 2 | John Hunter Nemechek | 945 (-23) |
| 1 | 3 | Justin Allgaier | 935 (–33) |
| | 4 | Cole Custer | 861 (–107) |
| | 5 | Sam Mayer | 781 (–187) |
| | 6 | Josh Berry | 765 (–203) |
| | 7 | Sheldon Creed | 712 (–256) |
| | 8 | Daniel Hemric | 711 (–257) |
| | 9 | Chandler Smith | 706 (–262) |
| 1 | 10 | Riley Herbst | 657 (–311) |
| 1 | 11 | Parker Kligerman | 656 (–312) |
| | 12 | Sammy Smith | 629 (–339) |
| Official driver's standings ||||