# 2023 Shriners Children's 200

The 2023 Shriners Children's 200 was the 11th stock car race of the 2023 NASCAR Xfinity Series, and the 42nd iteration of the event. The race was held on Saturday, May 13, 2023, in Darlington, South Carolina at Darlington Raceway, a 1.366 miles (2.198 km) permanent egg-shaped racetrack. The race took the scheduled 147 laps to complete. In an exciting last-lap battle, Kyle Larson, driving for Kaulig Racing, would capture the win after making contact with John Hunter Nemechek on the final turn, causing Nemechek to spin on the frontstretch. This was Larson's 14th career NASCAR Xfinity Series win, and his first of the season. Larson and Nemechek would dominate the majority of the race, leading 46 and 57 laps, respectively. To fill out the podium, Justin Allgaier, driving for JR Motorsports, and Cole Custer, driving for Stewart-Haas 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.

### Entry list

* (R) denotes rookie driver.
* (i) denotes driver who is ineligible for series driver points.
| # | Driver | Team | Make | Sponsor or throwback |
| 00 | Cole Custer | Stewart-Haas Racing | Ford | Haas Automation - Jason Leffler's 2004 No. 00 Haas Automation paint scheme |
| 1 | Sam Mayer | JR Motorsports | Chevrolet | Accelerate Pros Talent - Kurt Busch's 2001 No. 97 Sharpie/Rubbermaid paint scheme |
| 02 | Blaine Perkins | Our Motorsports | Chevrolet | PayDay - Kevin Harvick's 2003 No. 21 PayDay paint scheme |
| 2 | Sheldon Creed | Richard Childress Racing | Chevrolet | Whelen - Kevin Harvick's 2001 No. 2 ACDelco paint scheme |
| 3 | Ty Dillon (i) | Richard Childress Racing | Chevrolet | Ferris Commercial Mowers - Tribute to Ferris' first race as a sponsor in 2003 |
| 4 | Garrett Smithley | JD Motorsports | Chevrolet | Trophy Tractor |
| 6 | Brennan Poole | JD Motorsports | Chevrolet | 511Auction.com |
| 07 | Stefan Parsons | SS-Green Light Racing | Chevrolet | Ollie's Bargain Outlet |
| 7 | Justin Allgaier | JR Motorsports | Chevrolet | BRANDT Heritage - Homage to the 70th anniversary of BRANDT Professional Agriculture |
| 08 | Gray Gaulding | SS-Green Light Racing | Ford | Panini Group |
| 8 | Josh Berry | JR Motorsports | Chevrolet | Tire Pros Love the Drive - Hut Stricklin's 1996-1998 No. 8 Circuit City paint scheme |
| 9 | Brandon Jones | JR Motorsports | Chevrolet | Cheez-It, Menards |
| 10 | Kyle Larson (i) | Kaulig Racing | Chevrolet | HendrickCars.com Archived 2021-08-04 at the Wayback Machine |
| 11 | Daniel Hemric | Kaulig Racing | Chevrolet | Cirkul |
| 16 | Chandler Smith (R) | Kaulig Racing | Chevrolet | Quick Tie Productions |
| 18 | Sammy Smith (R) | Joe Gibbs Racing | Toyota | Pilot Flying J - Homage to the 65th anniversary of Pilot Flying J |
| 19 | Ryan Truex | Joe Gibbs Racing | Toyota | Toyota Outfitters |
| 20 | John Hunter Nemechek | Joe Gibbs Racing | Toyota | Pye-Barker Fire & Safety |
| 21 | Austin Hill | Richard Childress Racing | Chevrolet | Bennett Transportation - Kevin Harvick's 2006 No. 21 Coast Guard paint scheme |
| 24 | Corey Heim (i) | Sam Hunt Racing | Toyota | GearWrench |
| 25 | Brett Moffitt | AM Racing | Ford | AM Technical Solutions - Tim Richmond's 1986-1987 No. 25 Folgers paint scheme |
| 26 | Kaz Grala | Sam Hunt Racing | Toyota | Fire Department Coffee - Vintage firetruck dedicating NASCAR fire and safety workers paint scheme |
| 27 | Jeb Burton | Jordan Anderson Racing | Chevrolet | Capital City Towing |
| 28 | Kyle Sieg | RSS Racing | Ford | Cedar Ridge Landscaping |
| 31 | Parker Retzlaff (R) | Jordan Anderson Racing | Chevrolet | FUNKAWAY |
| 35 | Patrick Emerling | Emerling-Gase Motorsports | Chevrolet | Emerling-Gase Motorsports |
| 38 | Joe Graf Jr. | RSS Racing | Ford | Bethel Motor Speedway - Tribute to Graf's early legends car paint scheme |
| 39 | Ryan Sieg | RSS Racing | Ford | CMR Construction & Roofing |
| 43 | Ryan Ellis | Alpha Prime Racing | Chevrolet | Keen Parts - Kevin Harvick's 2005 No. 29 GM Goodwrench Quicksilver paint scheme |
| 44 | Sage Karam | Alpha Prime Racing | Chevrolet | CRC Brakleen - Richard Childress' 1980 No. 3 CRC paint scheme |
| 45 | Jeffrey Earnhardt | Alpha Prime Racing | Chevrolet | BZ Mart, ForeverLawn - Dale Earnhardt's 1997 No. 3 Wheaties The Winston paint scheme |
| 48 | Parker Kligerman | Big Machine Racing | Chevrolet | Big Machine Spiked Coolers |
| 51 | Jeremy Clements | Jeremy Clements Racing | Chevrolet | First Pacific Funding - Geoff Bodine's 1985-1989 No. 5 Levi Garrett paint scheme |
| 53 | Matt Mills (i) | Emerling-Gase Motorsports | Ford | J. F. Electric - Herbie's paint scheme from Herbie: Fully Loaded |
| 66 | Chad Finchum | MBM Motorsports | Ford | Wild Willies - Eric McClure's 2011 No. 14 Hefty Black Out paint scheme |
| 74 | Dawson Cram | CHK Racing | Chevrolet | Magnum Contracting - Bob Keselowski's 1989 No. 29 Mopar paint scheme |
| 77 | Carson Hocevar (i) | Spire Motorsports | Chevrolet | Premier Security Solutions |
| 78 | Anthony Alfredo | B. J. McLeod Motorsports | Chevrolet | Dude Wipes - Dale Earnhardt Jr.'s 2017 No. 88 Nationwide paint scheme |
| 91 | Ross Chastain (i) | DGM Racing | Chevrolet | Florida Watermelon Association |
| 92 | Josh Williams | DGM Racing | Chevrolet | Call 811 Before You Dig - Kevin Harvick's 2005 No. 29 Pelon Pelo Rico paint scheme |
| 98 | Riley Herbst | Stewart-Haas Racing | Ford | Monster Energy - Tribute to Ken Block's rally car from Gymkhana 3 |
| Official entry list |||||

## Practice

The first and only practice session was held on Friday, May 12, at 5:05 PM EST, and would last for 20 minutes. Ryan Truex, driving for Joe Gibbs Racing, would set the fastest time in the session, with a lap of 29.874, and an average speed of 164.611 mph (264.916 km/h).
| Pos. | # | Driver | Team | Make | Time | Speed |
| 1 | 19 | Ryan Truex | Joe Gibbs Racing | Toyota | 29.874 | 164.611 |
| 2 | 20 | John Hunter Nemechek | Joe Gibbs Racing | Toyota | 30.061 | 163.587 |
| 3 | 7 | Justin Allgaier | JR Motorsports | Chevrolet | 30.143 | 163.142 |
| Full practice results |||||||

## Qualifying

Qualifying was held on Friday, May 12, at 5:35 PM EST. Since Darlington Raceway is an intermediate racetrack, the qualifying system used is a single-car, single-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 29.613, and an average speed of 166.062 mph (267.251 km/h).
| Pos. | # | Driver | Team | Make | Time | Speed |
| 1 | 20 | John Hunter Nemechek | Joe Gibbs Racing | Toyota | 29.613 | 166.062 |
| 2 | 19 | Ryan Truex | Joe Gibbs Racing | Toyota | 29.754 | 165.275 |
| 3 | 10 | Kyle Larson (i) | Kaulig Racing | Chevrolet | 29.789 | 165.081 |
| 4 | 1 | Sam Mayer | JR Motorsports | Chevrolet | 29.849 | 164.749 |
| 5 | 00 | Cole Custer | Stewart-Haas Racing | Ford | 29.880 | 164.578 |
| 6 | 16 | Chandler Smith (R) | Kaulig Racing | Chevrolet | 29.945 | 164.221 |
| 7 | 2 | Sheldon Creed | Richard Childress Racing | Chevrolet | 29.950 | 164.194 |
| 8 | 31 | Parker Retzlaff (R) | Jordan Anderson Racing | Chevrolet | 30.062 | 163.582 |
| 9 | 18 | Sammy Smith (R) | Joe Gibbs Racing | Toyota | 30.111 | 163.316 |
| 10 | 21 | Austin Hill | Richard Childress Racing | Chevrolet | 30.147 | 163.121 |
| 11 | 9 | Brandon Jones | JR Motorsports | Chevrolet | 30.168 | 163.007 |
| 12 | 11 | Daniel Hemric | Kaulig Racing | Chevrolet | 30.173 | 162.980 |
| 13 | 8 | Josh Berry | JR Motorsports | Chevrolet | 30.187 | 162.905 |
| 14 | 25 | Brett Moffitt | AM Racing | Ford | 30.202 | 162.824 |
| 15 | 27 | Jeb Burton | Jordan Anderson Racing | Chevrolet | 30.214 | 162.759 |
| 16 | 39 | Ryan Sieg | RSS Racing | Ford | 30.231 | 162.667 |
| 17 | 7 | Justin Allgaier | JR Motorsports | Chevrolet | 30.261 | 162.506 |
| 18 | 98 | Riley Herbst | Stewart-Haas Racing | Ford | 30.276 | 162.426 |
| 19 | 51 | Jeremy Clements | Jeremy Clements Racing | Chevrolet | 30.324 | 162.169 |
| 20 | 78 | Anthony Alfredo | B. J. McLeod Motorsports | Chevrolet | 30.379 | 161.875 |
| 21 | 91 | Ross Chastain (i) | DGM Racing | Chevrolet | 30.403 | 161.747 |
| 22 | 44 | Sage Karam | Alpha Prime Racing | Chevrolet | 30.412 | 161.699 |
| 23 | 48 | Parker Kligerman | Big Machine Racing | Chevrolet | 30.476 | 161.360 |
| 24 | 24 | Corey Heim (i) | Sam Hunt Racing | Toyota | 30.523 | 161.111 |
| 25 | 77 | Carson Hocevar (i) | Spire Motorsports | Chevrolet | 30.543 | 161.006 |
| 26 | 26 | Kaz Grala | Sam Hunt Racing | Toyota | 30.592 | 160.748 |
| 27 | 92 | Josh Williams | DGM Racing | Chevrolet | 30.642 | 160.486 |
| 28 | 07 | Stefan Parsons | SS-Green Light Racing | Chevrolet | 30.651 | 160.438 |
| 29 | 28 | Kyle Sieg | RSS Racing | Ford | 30.904 | 159.125 |
| 30 | 3 | Ty Dillon (i) | Richard Childress Racing | Chevrolet | 30.919 | 159.048 |
| 31 | 35 | Patrick Emerling | Emerling-Gase Motorsports | Chevrolet | 30.961 | 158.832 |
| 32 | 43 | Ryan Ellis | Alpha Prime Racing | Chevrolet | 30.993 | 158.668 |
| 33 | 45 | Jeffrey Earnhardt | Alpha Prime Racing | Chevrolet | 31.252 | 157.353 |
| Qualified by owner's points |||||||
| 34 | 53 | Matt Mills (i) | Emerling-Gase Motorsports | Ford | 31.407 | 156.577 |
| 35 | 6 | Brennan Poole | JD Motorsports | Chevrolet | 31.442 | 156.402 |
| 36 | 08 | Gray Gaulding | SS-Green Light Racing | Ford | 31.520 | 156.015 |
| 37 | 38 | Joe Graf Jr. | RSS Racing | Ford | – | – |
| 38 | 02 | Blaine Perkins | Our Motorsports | Chevrolet | – | – |
| Failed to qualify |||||||
| 39 | 4 | Garrett Smithley | JD Motorsports | Chevrolet | 31.387 | 156.676 |
| 40 | 66 | Chad Finchum | MBM Motorsports | Ford | 31.466 | 156.283 |
| 41 | 74 | Dawson Cram | CHK Racing | Chevrolet | 31.729 | 154.988 |
| Official qualifying results |||||||
| Official starting lineup |||||||

## Race results

Stage 1 Laps: 45
| Pos. | # | Driver | Team | Make | Pts |
| 1 | 10 | Kyle Larson (i) | Kaulig Racing | Chevrolet | 0 |
| 2 | 20 | John Hunter Nemechek | Joe Gibbs Racing | Toyota | 9 |
| 3 | 21 | Austin Hill | Richard Childress Racing | Chevrolet | 8 |
| 4 | 00 | Cole Custer | Stewart-Haas Racing | Ford | 7 |
| 5 | 1 | Sam Mayer | JR Motorsports | Chevrolet | 6 |
| 6 | 19 | Ryan Truex | Joe Gibbs Racing | Toyota | 5 |
| 7 | 2 | Sheldon Creed | Richard Childress Racing | Chevrolet | 4 |
| 8 | 9 | Brandon Jones | JR Motorsports | Chevrolet | 3 |
| 9 | 11 | Daniel Hemric | Kaulig Racing | Chevrolet | 2 |
| 10 | 25 | Brett Moffitt | AM Racing | Ford | 1 |
Stage 2 Laps: 45
| Pos. | # | Driver | Team | Make | Pts |
| 1 | 20 | John Hunter Nemechek | Joe Gibbs Racing | Toyota | 10 |
| 2 | 10 | Kyle Larson (i) | Kaulig Racing | Chevrolet | 0 |
| 3 | 7 | Justin Allgaier | JR Motorsports | Chevrolet | 8 |
| 4 | 1 | Sam Mayer | JR Motorsports | Chevrolet | 7 |
| 5 | 00 | Cole Custer | Stewart-Haas Racing | Ford | 6 |
| 6 | 21 | Austin Hill | Richard Childress Racing | Chevrolet | 5 |
| 7 | 39 | Ryan Sieg | RSS Racing | Ford | 4 |
| 8 | 8 | Josh Berry | JR Motorsports | Chevrolet | 3 |
| 9 | 48 | Parker Kligerman | Big Machine Racing | Chevrolet | 2 |
| 10 | 18 | Sammy Smith (R) | Joe Gibbs Racing | Toyota | 1 |
Stage 3 Laps: 57
| Pos. | St | # | Driver | Team | Make | Laps | Led | Status | Pts |
| 1 | 3 | 10 | Kyle Larson (i) | Kaulig Racing | Chevrolet | 147 | 46 | Running | 0 |
| 2 | 17 | 7 | Justin Allgaier | JR Motorsports | Chevrolet | 147 | 2 | Running | 43 |
| 3 | 5 | 00 | Cole Custer | Stewart-Haas Racing | Ford | 147 | 0 | Running | 47 |
| 4 | 10 | 21 | Austin Hill | Richard Childress Racing | Chevrolet | 147 | 2 | Running | 46 |
| 5 | 1 | 20 | John Hunter Nemechek | Joe Gibbs Racing | Toyota | 147 | 57 | Running | 51 |
| 6 | 25 | 77 | Carson Hocevar (i) | Spire Motorsports | Chevrolet | 147 | 3 | Running | 0 |
| 7 | 13 | 8 | Josh Berry | JR Motorsports | Chevrolet | 147 | 0 | Running | 33 |
| 8 | 4 | 1 | Sam Mayer | JR Motorsports | Chevrolet | 147 | 35 | Running | 42 |
| 9 | 26 | 26 | Kaz Grala | Sam Hunt Racing | Toyota | 147 | 0 | Running | 28 |
| 10 | 24 | 24 | Corey Heim (i) | Sam Hunt Racing | Toyota | 147 | 0 | Running | 27 |
| 11 | 9 | 18 | Sammy Smith (R) | Joe Gibbs Racing | Toyota | 147 | 0 | Running | 27 |
| 12 | 15 | 27 | Jeb Burton | Jordan Anderson Racing | Chevrolet | 147 | 0 | Running | 25 |
| 13 | 23 | 48 | Parker Kligerman | Big Machine Racing | Chevrolet | 147 | 0 | Running | 26 |
| 14 | 19 | 51 | Jeremy Clements | Jeremy Clements Racing | Chevrolet | 147 | 1 | Running | 23 |
| 15 | 20 | 78 | Anthony Alfredo | B. J. McLeod Motorsports | Chevrolet | 147 | 0 | Running | 22 |
| 16 | 12 | 11 | Daniel Hemric | Kaulig Racing | Chevrolet | 147 | 0 | Running | 23 |
| 17 | 27 | 92 | Josh Williams | DGM Racing | Chevrolet | 147 | 0 | Running | 20 |
| 18 | 21 | 91 | Ross Chastain (i) | DGM Racing | Chevrolet | 147 | 0 | Running | 0 |
| 19 | 30 | 3 | Ty Dillon (i) | Richard Childress Racing | Chevrolet | 147 | 0 | Running | 0 |
| 20 | 14 | 25 | Brett Moffitt | AM Racing | Ford | 147 | 0 | Running | 18 |
| 21 | 31 | 35 | Patrick Emerling | Emerling-Gase Motorsports | Chevrolet | 147 | 1 | Running | 16 |
| 22 | 28 | 07 | Stefan Parsons | SS-Green Light Racing | Chevrolet | 147 | 0 | Running | 15 |
| 23 | 35 | 6 | Brennan Poole | JD Motorsports | Chevrolet | 147 | 0 | Running | 14 |
| 24 | 8 | 31 | Parker Retzlaff (R) | Jordan Anderson Racing | Chevrolet | 147 | 0 | Running | 13 |
| 25 | 7 | 2 | Sheldon Creed | Richard Childress Racing | Chevrolet | 147 | 0 | Running | 16 |
| 26 | 33 | 45 | Jeffrey Earnhardt | Alpha Prime Racing | Chevrolet | 147 | 0 | Running | 11 |
| 27 | 16 | 39 | Ryan Sieg | RSS Racing | Ford | 146 | 0 | Running | 14 |
| 28 | 34 | 53 | Matt Mills (i) | Emerling-Gase Motorsports | Ford | 146 | 0 | Running | 0 |
| 29 | 36 | 08 | Gray Gaulding | SS-Green Light Racing | Ford | 146 | 1 | Running | 8 |
| 30 | 29 | 28 | Kyle Sieg | RSS Racing | Ford | 146 | 0 | Running | 7 |
| 31 | 22 | 44 | Sage Karam | Alpha Prime Racing | Chevrolet | 144 | 0 | Running | 6 |
| 32 | 37 | 38 | Joe Graf Jr. | RSS Racing | Ford | 140 | 0 | Accident | 5 |
| 33 | 32 | 43 | Ryan Ellis | Alpha Prime Racing | Chevrolet | 74 | 0 | Accident | 4 |
| 34 | 11 | 9 | Brandon Jones | JR Motorsports | Chevrolet | 68 | 0 | Accident | 6 |
| 35 | 2 | 19 | Ryan Truex | Joe Gibbs Racing | Toyota | 68 | 0 | Accident | 7 |
| 36 | 6 | 16 | Chandler Smith (R) | Kaulig Racing | Chevrolet | 67 | 0 | Accident | 1 |
| 37 | 38 | 02 | Blaine Perkins | Our Motorsports | Chevrolet | 35 | 0 | Suspension | 1 |
| 38 | 18 | 98 | Riley Herbst | Stewart-Haas Racing | Ford | 20 | 0 | Accident | 1 |
| Official race results ||||||||||

## Standings after the race

| | Pos | Driver | Points |
| 1 | 1 | John Hunter Nemechek | 424 |
| 1 | 2 | Austin Hill | 423 (-1) |
| 2 | 3 | Justin Allgaier | 371 (–53) |
| | 4 | Josh Berry | 367 (–57) |
| 1 | 5 | Cole Custer | 365 (–59) |
| 3 | 6 | Chandler Smith | 340 (–84) |
| | 7 | Sheldon Creed | 330 (–94) |
| 1 | 8 | Sammy Smith | 323 (–101) |
| 1 | 9 | Riley Herbst | 313 (–111) |
| 1 | 10 | Sam Mayer | 309 (–115) |
| 1 | 11 | Daniel Hemric | 307 (–117) |
| 2 | 12 | Parker Kligerman | 274 (–150) |
| Official driver's standings ||||