# 2023 Ag-Pro 300

The 2023 Ag-Pro 300 was the 9th stock car race of the 2023 NASCAR Xfinity Series, and the 32nd iteration of the event. The race was held on Saturday, April 22, 2023, in Lincoln, Alabama at Talladega Superspeedway, a 2.66 miles (4.28 km) permanent tri-oval shaped superspeedway. The race was increased from 113 to 121 laps, due to multiple NASCAR overtime finishes. In a chaotic and caution-filled race, Jeb Burton, driving for Jordan Anderson Racing, would hold off Sheldon Creed and the rest of the field on the final lap, and earned his 2nd career NASCAR Xfinity Series win, and his first of the season. This was also the first NASCAR win for Jordan Anderson Racing. To fill out the podium, Creed, driving for Richard Childress Racing, and Parker Kligerman, driving for Big Machine Racing, would finish 2nd and 3rd, respectively.
This was also the third race of the Dash 4 Cash. Drivers eligible for the Dash 4 Cash were Cole Custer, Josh Berry, Sammy Smith, and John Hunter Nemechek, after they were the highest finishing Xfinity regulars following the race at Martinsville. Custer, who finished 4th and was the only driver from the D4C to finish the race, would claim the bonus cash.

## Background

Talladega Superspeedway, formerly known as Alabama International Motor Speedway, is a motorsports complex located north of Talladega, Alabama. It is located on the former Anniston Air Force Base in the small city of Lincoln. A tri-oval, the track was constructed in 1969 by the International Speedway Corporation, a business controlled by the France family. Talladega is most known for its steep banking. The track currently hosts NASCAR's Cup Series, Xfinity Series and Craftsman Truck Series. Talladega is the longest NASCAR oval with a length of 2.66-mile-long (4.28 km) tri-oval like the Daytona International Speedway, which is 2.5-mile-long (4.0 km).

### Entry list

* (R) denotes rookie driver.
| # | Driver | Team | Make | Sponsor |
| 00 | Cole Custer | Stewart-Haas Racing | Ford | Haas Automation |
| 1 | Sam Mayer | JR Motorsports | Chevrolet | First Bank of Alabama |
| 02 | Blaine Perkins | Our Motorsports | Chevrolet | Ollie's Bargain Outlet |
| 2 | Sheldon Creed | Richard Childress Racing | Chevrolet | Whelen |
| 4 | Garrett Smithley | JD Motorsports | Chevrolet | Trophy Tractor |
| 5 | Jade Buford | Big Machine Racing | Chevrolet | Double Spiked Coolers |
| 6 | Brennan Poole | JD Motorsports | Chevrolet | Macc Door Systems |
| 07 | David Starr | SS-Green Light Racing | Chevrolet | Boulevard |
| 7 | Justin Allgaier | JR Motorsports | Chevrolet | Fight Hunger Spark Change |
| 08 | Gray Gaulding | SS-Green Light Racing | Chevrolet | Panini NFT |
| 8 | Josh Berry | JR Motorsports | Chevrolet | Tire Pros Love The Drive |
| 9 | Brandon Jones | JR Motorsports | Chevrolet | Turtle Wax, Menards |
| 10 | Derek Kraus | Kaulig Racing | Chevrolet | Leaf Home Water Solutions |
| 11 | Daniel Hemric | Kaulig Racing | Chevrolet | Fission by Cirkul |
| 13 | Jason White | MBM Motorsports | Ford | Buffalo Wild Wings |
| 16 | Chandler Smith (R) | Kaulig Racing | Chevrolet | Quick Tie Productions |
| 18 | Sammy Smith (R) | Joe Gibbs Racing | Toyota | Pilot Flying J |
| 19 | Ryan Truex | Joe Gibbs Racing | Toyota | Toyota Genuine Parts |
| 20 | John Hunter Nemechek | Joe Gibbs Racing | Toyota | Mobil 1 |
| 21 | Austin Hill | Richard Childress Racing | Chevrolet | Bennett Transportation, Realtree |
| 24 | Parker Chase | Sam Hunt Racing | Toyota | Ontivity |
| 25 | Brett Moffitt | AM Racing | Ford | AM Technical Solutions |
| 26 | Kaz Grala | Sam Hunt Racing | Toyota | CRUSH Strawberry Lemonade |
| 27 | Jeb Burton | Jordan Anderson Racing | Chevrolet | Solid Rock Carriers |
| 28 | Kyle Sieg | RSS Racing | Ford | TA Services |
| 31 | Parker Retzlaff (R) | Jordan Anderson Racing | Chevrolet | FUNKAWAY |
| 34 | Jesse Iwuji | Jesse Iwuji Motorsports | Chevrolet | Chevy Truck Season |
| 35 | Joey Gase | Emerling-Gase Motorsports | Ford | LOPA |
| 38 | Joe Graf Jr. | RSS Racing | Ford | CoverSeal |
| 39 | Ryan Sieg | RSS Racing | Ford | CMR Construction & Roofing |
| 43 | Caesar Bacarella | Alpha Prime Racing | Chevrolet | Clear Cryptos |
| 44 | Jeffrey Earnhardt | Alpha Prime Racing | Chevrolet | SouthPoint Bank, Forever Lawn |
| 45 | Ryan Ellis | Alpha Prime Racing | Chevrolet | Raising Cane's Chicken Fingers |
| 48 | Parker Kligerman | Big Machine Racing | Chevrolet | Big Machine Spiked Coolers |
| 51 | Jeremy Clements | Jeremy Clements Racing | Chevrolet | One Stop, All South Electric |
| 53 | C. J. McLaughlin | Emerling-Gase Motorsports | Ford | Sci Aps |
| 66 | Dexter Stacey | MBM Motorsports | Chevrolet | ReCap Recovery Drink |
| 74 | Mike Harmon | CHK Racing | Chevrolet | Save22 |
| 78 | Anthony Alfredo | B. J. McLeod Motorsports | Chevrolet | RTIC Coolers |
| 91 | Josh Bilicki | DGM Racing | Chevrolet | Insurance King |
| 92 | Josh Williams | DGM Racing | Chevrolet | Alloy Employer Services, Coolray |
| 98 | Riley Herbst | Stewart-Haas Racing | Ford | Monster Energy |
| Official entry list |||||

## Qualifying

Qualifying was held on Friday, April 21, at 4:35 PM CST. Since Talladega Superspeedway is a superspeedway, the qualifying system used is a single-car, single-lap system with two rounds. In the first round, drivers have one lap to set a time. The fastest ten drivers from the first round move on to the second round. Whoever sets the fastest time in Round 2 wins the pole.
Austin Hill, driving for Richard Childress Racing, would win the pole after advancing from the preliminary round and setting the fastest time in Round 2, with a lap of 52.483, and an average speed of 182.459 mph (293.639 km/h).
Four drivers would fail to qualify: Jason White, Jesse Iwuji, David Starr, and Mike Harmon.
| Pos. | # | Driver | Team | Make | Time (R1) | Speed (R1) | Time (R2) | Speed (R2) |
| 1 | 21 | Austin Hill | Richard Childress Racing | Chevrolet | 52.578 | 182.129 | 52.483 | 182.459 |
| 2 | 2 | Sheldon Creed | Richard Childress Racing | Chevrolet | 52.741 | 181.567 | 52.722 | 181.632 |
| 3 | 20 | John Hunter Nemechek | Joe Gibbs Racing | Toyota | 52.955 | 180.833 | 52.843 | 181.216 |
| 4 | 31 | Parker Retzlaff (R) | Jordan Anderson Racing | Chevrolet | 52.905 | 181.004 | 52.877 | 181.100 |
| 5 | 5 | Jade Buford | Big Machine Racing | Chevrolet | 53.050 | 180.509 | 52.902 | 181.014 |
| 6 | 78 | Anthony Alfredo | B. J. McLeod Motorsports | Chevrolet | 52.693 | 181.732 | 52.922 | 180.946 |
| 7 | 7 | Justin Allgaier | JR Motorsports | Chevrolet | 53.001 | 180.676 | 52.950 | 180.850 |
| 8 | 27 | Jeb Burton | Jordan Anderson Racing | Chevrolet | 52.867 | 181.134 | 52.954 | 180.836 |
| 9 | 11 | Daniel Hemric | Kaulig Racing | Chevrolet | 52.976 | 180.761 | 52.999 | 180.683 |
| 10 | 25 | Brett Moffitt | AM Racing | Ford | 53.055 | 180.492 | 53.167 | 180.112 |
| Eliminated in Round 1 |||||||||
| 11 | 16 | Chandler Smith (R) | Kaulig Racing | Chevrolet | 53.057 | 180.485 | — | — |
| 12 | 18 | Sammy Smith (R) | Joe Gibbs Racing | Toyota | 53.076 | 180.421 | — | — |
| 13 | 19 | Ryan Truex | Joe Gibbs Racing | Toyota | 53.088 | 180.380 | — | — |
| 14 | 10 | Derek Kraus | Kaulig Racing | Chevrolet | 53.141 | 180.200 | — | — |
| 15 | 98 | Riley Herbst | Stewart-Haas Racing | Ford | 53.185 | 180.051 | — | — |
| 16 | 1 | Sam Mayer | JR Motorsports | Chevrolet | 53.216 | 179.946 | — | — |
| 17 | 6 | Brennan Poole | JD Motorsports | Chevrolet | 53.217 | 179.942 | — | — |
| 18 | 00 | Cole Custer | Stewart-Haas Racing | Ford | 53.226 | 179.912 | — | — |
| 19 | 44 | Jeffrey Earnhardt | Alpha Prime Racing | Chevrolet | 53.286 | 179.709 | — | — |
| 20 | 8 | Josh Berry | JR Motorsports | Chevrolet | 53.307 | 179.639 | — | — |
| 21 | 9 | Brandon Jones | JR Motorsports | Chevrolet | 53.315 | 179.612 | — | — |
| 22 | 66 | Dexter Stacey | MBM Motorsports | Chevrolet | 53.375 | 179.410 | — | — |
| 23 | 92 | Josh Williams | DGM Racing | Chevrolet | 53.400 | 179.326 | — | — |
| 24 | 24 | Parker Chase | Sam Hunt Racing | Toyota | 53.401 | 179.322 | — | — |
| 25 | 38 | Joe Graf Jr. | RSS Racing | Ford | 53.403 | 179.316 | — | — |
| 26 | 08 | Gray Gaulding | SS-Green Light Racing | Chevrolet | 53.433 | 179.215 | — | — |
| 27 | 28 | Kyle Sieg | RSS Racing | Ford | 53.436 | 179.205 | — | — |
| 28 | 43 | Caesar Bacarella | Alpha Prime Racing | Chevrolet | 53.452 | 179.151 | — | — |
| 29 | 4 | Garrett Smithley | JD Motorsports | Chevrolet | 53.489 | 179.027 | — | — |
| 30 | 26 | Kaz Grala | Sam Hunt Racing | Toyota | 53.581 | 178.720 | — | — |
| 31 | 39 | Ryan Sieg | RSS Racing | Ford | 53.592 | 178.683 | — | — |
| 32 | 53 | C. J. McLaughlin | Emerling-Gase Motorsports | Ford | 53.609 | 178.627 | — | — |
| 33 | 35 | Joey Gase | Emerling-Gase Motorsports | Ford | 53.613 | 178.613 | — | — |
| Qualified by owner's points |||||||||
| 34 | 02 | Blaine Perkins | Our Motorsports | Chevrolet | 53.631 | 178.553 | — | — |
| 35 | 91 | Josh Bilicki | DGM Racing | Chevrolet | 53.727 | 178.234 | — | — |
| 36 | 45 | Ryan Ellis | Alpha Prime Racing | Chevrolet | 53.799 | 177.996 | — | — |
| 37 | 51 | Jeremy Clements | Jeremy Clements Racing | Chevrolet | 53.816 | 177.940 | — | — |
| 38 | 48 | Parker Kligerman | Big Machine Racing | Chevrolet | — | — | — | — |
| Failed to qualify |||||||||
| 39 | 13 | Jason White | MBM Motorsports | Ford | 53.682 | 178.384 | — | — |
| 40 | 34 | Jesse Iwuji | Jesse Iwuji Motorsports | Chevrolet | 53.773 | 178.082 | — | — |
| 41 | 07 | David Starr | SS-Green Light Racing | Chevrolet | 53.797 | 178.002 | — | — |
| 42 | 74 | Mike Harmon | CHK Racing | Chevrolet | 54.560 | 175.513 | — | — |
| Official qualifying results |||||||||
| Official starting lineup |||||||||

## Race results
### Summary

The race would be marred by several violent wrecks and flips. On lap 47, Dexter Stacey (making his first series start since Texas in 2016) would get loose and spin as the field went into turn 2. His car would clip the side of Blaine Perkins' car, causing him to hit the outside wall, make contact with Jade Buford, get airborne, and flipped violently six times before coming to rest on all four tires. During the wreck, Kaz Grala hit Perkins' wheel with the front of his car. Perkins was able to evacuate his car under his own power, but was later transported to a local hospital for further evaluation. On lap 110, Daniel Hemric attempted to make an aggressive block on Sheldon Creed for the lead, but would ultimately misjudge his entry. He would end up spinning and catapulting up the racetrack after he was hit by Riley Herbst, hitting the outside wall, and flipping on his roof. He even took out the turn four camera during his wreck. His car came to a rest on its roof off of turn four on the apron of the track. He remained on his roof until safety crew arrived to assist him. Hemric was able to climb out of his car under his own power. At least 14 cars were involved in the wreck. The race restarted with two laps to go, but the caution would fly moments later, after a piece of debris was found on the racetrack. The field made a second attempt at a green-white-checkered finish; Jeb Burton was able to take advantage of the lead on the final lap, and held off a fast charging Sheldon Creed to pick up his 2nd career Xfinity Series win, and the first for Jordan Anderson Racing.
Stage 1 Laps: 25
| Pos. | # | Driver | Team | Make | Pts |
| 1 | 7 | Justin Allgaier | JR Motorsports | Chevrolet | 10 |
| 2 | 2 | Sheldon Creed | Richard Childress Racing | Chevrolet | 9 |
| 3 | 1 | Sam Mayer | JR Motorsports | Chevrolet | 8 |
| 4 | 27 | Jeb Burton | Jordan Anderson Racing | Chevrolet | 7 |
| 5 | 21 | Austin Hill | Richard Childress Racing | Chevrolet | 6 |
| 6 | 48 | Parker Kligerman | Big Machine Racing | Chevrolet | 5 |
| 7 | 19 | Ryan Truex | Joe Gibbs Racing | Toyota | 4 |
| 8 | 16 | Chandler Smith (R) | Kaulig Racing | Chevrolet | 3 |
| 9 | 8 | Josh Berry | JR Motorsports | Chevrolet | 2 |
| 10 | 98 | Riley Herbst | Stewart-Haas Racing | Ford | 1 |
Stage 2 Laps: 25
| Pos. | # | Driver | Team | Make | Pts |
| 1 | 27 | Jeb Burton | Jordan Anderson Racing | Chevrolet | 10 |
| 2 | 16 | Chandler Smith (R) | Kaulig Racing | Chevrolet | 9 |
| 3 | 19 | Ryan Truex | Joe Gibbs Racing | Toyota | 8 |
| 4 | 8 | Josh Berry | JR Motorsports | Chevrolet | 7 |
| 5 | 11 | Daniel Hemric | Kaulig Racing | Chevrolet | 6 |
| 6 | 21 | Austin Hill | Richard Childress Racing | Chevrolet | 5 |
| 7 | 10 | Derek Kraus | Kaulig Racing | Chevrolet | 4 |
| 8 | 2 | Sheldon Creed | Richard Childress Racing | Chevrolet | 3 |
| 9 | 9 | Brandon Jones | JR Motorsports | Chevrolet | 2 |
| 10 | 7 | Justin Allgaier | JR Motorsports | Chevrolet | 1 |
Stage 3 Laps: 71
| Fin | St | # | Driver | Team | Make | Laps | Led | Status | Pts |
| 1 | 8 | 27 | Jeb Burton | Jordan Anderson Racing | Chevrolet | 121 | 17 | Running | 57 |
| 2 | 2 | 2 | Sheldon Creed | Richard Childress Racing | Chevrolet | 121 | 11 | Running | 47 |
| 3 | 38 | 48 | Parker Kligerman | Big Machine Racing | Chevrolet | 121 | 0 | Running | 39 |
| 4 | 18 | 00 | Cole Custer | Stewart-Haas Racing | Ford | 121 | 0 | Running | 33 |
| 5 | 17 | 6 | Brennan Poole | JD Motorsports | Chevrolet | 121 | 2 | Running | 32 |
| 6 | 28 | 43 | Caesar Bacarella | Alpha Prime Racing | Chevrolet | 121 | 0 | Running | 31 |
| 7 | 4 | 31 | Parker Retzlaff (R) | Jordan Anderson Racing | Chevrolet | 121 | 2 | Running | 30 |
| 8 | 26 | 08 | Gray Gaulding | SS-Green Light Racing | Chevrolet | 121 | 0 | Running | 29 |
| 9 | 33 | 35 | Joey Gase | Emerling-Gase Motorsports | Ford | 121 | 0 | Running | 28 |
| 10 | 23 | 92 | Josh Williams | DGM Racing | Chevrolet | 121 | 0 | Running | 27 |
| 11 | 36 | 45 | Ryan Ellis | Alpha Prime Racing | Chevrolet | 121 | 0 | Running | 26 |
| 12 | 10 | 25 | Brett Moffitt | AM Racing | Ford | 121 | 20 | Running | 25 |
| 13 | 32 | 53 | C. J. McLaughlin | Emerling-Gase Motorsports | Ford | 121 | 0 | Running | 24 |
| 14 | 21 | 9 | Brandon Jones | JR Motorsports | Chevrolet | 121 | 0 | Running | 25 |
| 15 | 27 | 28 | Kyle Sieg | RSS Racing | Ford | 121 | 0 | Running | 22 |
| 16 | 29 | 4 | Garrett Smithley | JD Motorsports | Chevrolet | 121 | 0 | Running | 21 |
| 17 | 13 | 19 | Ryan Truex | Joe Gibbs Racing | Toyota | 121 | 9 | Running | 32 |
| 18 | 1 | 21 | Austin Hill | Richard Childress Racing | Chevrolet | 121 | 14 | Running | 30 |
| 19 | 37 | 51 | Jeremy Clements | Jeremy Clements Racing | Chevrolet | 120 | 0 | Accident | 18 |
| 20 | 25 | 38 | Joe Graf Jr. | RSS Racing | Ford | 113 | 0 | Running | 17 |
| 21 | 9 | 11 | Daniel Hemric | Kaulig Racing | Chevrolet | 110 | 15 | Accident | 22 |
| 22 | 31 | 39 | Ryan Sieg | RSS Racing | Ford | 110 | 18 | Accident | 15 |
| 23 | 15 | 98 | Riley Herbst | Stewart-Haas Racing | Ford | 110 | 0 | Accident | 15 |
| 24 | 30 | 26 | Kaz Grala | Sam Hunt Racing | Toyota | 110 | 0 | Accident | 13 |
| 25 | 11 | 16 | Chandler Smith (R) | Kaulig Racing | Chevrolet | 110 | 1 | Accident | 24 |
| 26 | 35 | 91 | Josh Bilicki | DGM Racing | Chevrolet | 110 | 0 | Accident | 11 |
| 27 | 14 | 10 | Derek Kraus | Kaulig Racing | Chevrolet | 110 | 0 | DVP | 14 |
| 28 | 7 | 7 | Justin Allgaier | JR Motorsports | Chevrolet | 100 | 7 | Accident | 20 |
| 29 | 16 | 1 | Sam Mayer | JR Motorsports | Chevrolet | 100 | 0 | Accident | 16 |
| 30 | 20 | 8 | Josh Berry | JR Motorsports | Chevrolet | 100 | 0 | Accident | 16 |
| 31 | 19 | 44 | Jeffrey Earnhardt | Alpha Prime Racing | Chevrolet | 83 | 0 | Transmission | 6 |
| 32 | 3 | 20 | John Hunter Nemechek | Joe Gibbs Racing | Toyota | 81 | 0 | Accident | 5 |
| 33 | 12 | 18 | Sammy Smith (R) | Joe Gibbs Racing | Toyota | 63 | 0 | Accident | 4 |
| 34 | 34 | 02 | Blaine Perkins | Our Motorsports | Chevrolet | 47 | 0 | Accident | 3 |
| 35 | 22 | 66 | Dexter Stacey | MBM Motorsports | Chevrolet | 47 | 0 | Accident | 2 |
| 36 | 5 | 5 | Jade Buford | Big Machine Racing | Chevrolet | 47 | 0 | Accident | 1 |
| 37 | 6 | 78 | Anthony Alfredo | B. J. McLeod Motorsports | Chevrolet | 37 | 5 | Accident | 1 |
| 38 | 24 | 24 | Parker Chase | Sam Hunt Racing | Toyota | 37 | 0 | DVP | 1 |
| Official race results ||||||||||

## Standings after the race

| | Pos | Driver | Points |
| 1 | 1 | Austin Hill | 328 |
| 1 | 2 | John Hunter Nemechek | 324 (-4) |
| | 3 | Chandler Smith | 309 (–19) |
| | 4 | Riley Herbst | 296 (–32) |
| | 5 | Josh Berry | 292 (–36) |
| | 6 | Justin Allgaier | 287 (–41) |
| 1 | 7 | Cole Custer | 279 (–49) |
| 2 | 8 | Sheldon Creed | 276 (–52) |
| 2 | 9 | Sammy Smith | 258 (–70) |
| 1 | 10 | Daniel Hemric | 255 (–73) |
| 1 | 11 | Parker Kligerman | 247 (–81) |
| 1 | 12 | Sam Mayer | 237 (–91) |
| Official driver's standings ||||