# 2023 Road America 180

The 2023 Road America 180 was the 20th stock car race of the 2023 NASCAR Xfinity Series, and the 14th iteration of the event. The race was held on Saturday, July 29, 2023, in Elkhart Lake, Wisconsin at Road America, a 4.048 miles (6.515 km) permanent road course. The race was originally scheduled to be contested over 45 laps, but was extended to 49 laps due to a NASCAR overtime finish. In an incredible overtime finish that saw the leaders make numerous mistakes, Sam Mayer, driving for JR Motorsports, would take advantage of those mistakes, and held off Parker Kligerman on the final lap to earn his first career NASCAR Xfinity Series win. Justin Allgaier would dominate the entire race, winning both stages and leading a race-high 42 laps, before he spun in turn 8 with two laps to go. To fill out the podium, Kligerman, driving for Big Machine Racing, and Austin Hill, driving for Richard Childress Racing, would finish 2nd and 3rd, respectively.

## Background

Road America is a motorsport road course located near Elkhart Lake, Wisconsin on Wisconsin Highway 67. It has hosted races since the 1950s and currently hosts races in the NASCAR Xfinity Series, IndyCar Series, IMSA SportsCar Championship, Sports Car Club of America GT World Challenge America and Trans-Am Series and the MotoAmerica Superbike Championship.

### 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 | Gratis |
| 2 | Sheldon Creed | Richard Childress Racing | Chevrolet | Whelen |
| 4 | Kyle Weatherman | JD Motorsports | Chevrolet | KSDT CPA |
| 6 | Brennan Poole | JD Motorsports | Chevrolet | JD Motorsports |
| 07 | Katherine Legge | SS-Green Light Racing | Chevrolet | Blast Equality Collab |
| 7 | Justin Allgaier | JR Motorsports | Chevrolet | BRANDT |
| 08 | Alex Labbé | SS-Green Light Racing | Ford | Compass Team Schuler |
| 8 | Josh Berry | JR Motorsports | Chevrolet | Bass Pro Shops, Tracker Boats |
| 9 | Brandon Jones | JR Motorsports | Chevrolet | Pennington Grass, Menards |
| 10 | A. J. Allmendinger (i) | Kaulig Racing | Chevrolet | LeafHome Water Solutions |
| 11 | Daniel Hemric | Kaulig Racing | Chevrolet | Cirkul |
| 16 | Chandler Smith (R) | Kaulig Racing | Chevrolet | Quick Tie Products |
| 18 | Sammy Smith (R) | Joe Gibbs Racing | Toyota | Allstate Peterbilt Group |
| 19 | Connor Mosack (R) | Joe Gibbs Racing | Toyota | Porter Pipe and Supply |
| 20 | John Hunter Nemechek | Joe Gibbs Racing | Toyota | Mobil 1 |
| 21 | Austin Hill | Richard Childress Racing | Chevrolet | Bennett Transportation |
| 24 | Sage Karam | Sam Hunt Racing | Toyota | Carousel Online |
| 25 | Brett Moffitt | AM Racing | Ford | AM Technical Solutions |
| 26 | Kaz Grala | Sam Hunt Racing | Toyota | Fire Department Coffee |
| 27 | Jeb Burton | Jordan Anderson Racing | Chevrolet | Puryear Tank Lines |
| 28 | Kyle Sieg | RSS Racing | Ford | RSS Racing |
| 31 | Parker Retzlaff (R) | Jordan Anderson Racing | Chevrolet | FUNKAWAY |
| 35 | Stanton Barrett | Emerling-Gase Motorsports | Toyota | Stanton Barrett Family Wines |
| 38 | Joe Graf Jr. | RSS Racing | Ford | GTECHNIQ |
| 39 | Ryan Sieg | RSS Racing | Ford | CMR Construction & Roofing |
| 43 | Ryan Ellis | Alpha Prime Racing | Chevrolet | 1-800-TOM-KEEN, CorvetteParts.net |
| 44 | Brad Perez | Alpha Prime Racing | Chevrolet | Bonesteel Aerospace |
| 45 | Leland Honeyman | Alpha Prime Racing | Chevrolet | Klean Freak Body Wipes |
| 48 | Parker Kligerman | Big Machine Racing | Chevrolet | Big Machine Spiked Light Coolers |
| 51 | Jeremy Clements | Jeremy Clements Racing | Chevrolet | Whitetail Smokeless |
| 53 | Patrick Emerling | Emerling-Gase Motorsports | Chevrolet | Emerling-Gase Motorsports |
| 66 | Dexter Stacey | MBM Motorsports | Toyota | ReCap Recovery Drink |
| 78 | Anthony Alfredo | B. J. McLeod Motorsports | Chevrolet | Dude Wipes |
| 91 | Josh Bilicki | DGM Racing | Chevrolet | TRIM, TEX Drywall Solutions |
| 92 | Josh Williams | DGM Racing | Chevrolet | 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, July 28, at 4:00 PM CST, and would last for 50 minutes. Justin Allgaier, driving for JR Motorsports, would set the fastest time in the session, with a lap of 1:12.360, and an average speed of 110.100 mph (177.189 km/h).
| Pos. | # | Driver | Team | Make | Time | Speed |
| 1 | 7 | Justin Allgaier | JR Motorsports | Chevrolet | 2:12.360 | 110.100 |
| 2 | 98 | Riley Herbst | Stewart-Haas Racing | Ford | 2:13.276 | 109.343 |
| 3 | 10 | A. J. Allmendinger (i) | Kaulig Racing | Chevrolet | 2:13.385 | 109.254 |
| Full practice results |||||||

## Qualifying

Qualifying was held on Friday, July 28, at 5:00 PM CST. Since Road America is a road course, the qualifying system is a two group system, with two rounds. Drivers will be separated into two groups, Group A and Group B. Each driver will have multiple laps to set a time. The fastest 5 drivers from each group will advance to the final round. The fastest driver to set a time in that round will win the pole. A. J. Allmendinger, driving for Kaulig Racing, would score the pole for the race, with a lap of 1:10.574, and an average speed of 111.606 mph (179.612 km/h).
| Pos. | # | Driver | Team | Make | Time (R1) | Speed (R1) | Time (R2) | Speed (R2) |
| 1 | 10 | A. J. Allmendinger (i) | Kaulig Racing | Chevrolet | 2:11.898 | 110.485 | 2:10.574 | 111.606 |
| 2 | 00 | Cole Custer | Stewart-Haas Racing | Ford | 1:11.574 | 110.757 | 1:10.872 | 111.352 |
| 3 | 7 | Justin Allgaier | JR Motorsports | Chevrolet | 2:10.768 | 111.440 | 2:11.093 | 111.164 |
| 4 | 98 | Riley Herbst | Stewart-Haas Racing | Ford | 2:12.179 | 110.250 | 2:11.764 | 110.598 |
| 5 | 1 | Sam Mayer | JR Motorsports | Chevrolet | 2:11.616 | 110.722 | 2:11.909 | 110.476 |
| 6 | 24 | Sage Karam | Sam Hunt Racing | Toyota | 2:12.261 | 110.182 | 1:12.189 | 110.242 |
| 7 | 19 | Connor Mosack (R) | Joe Gibbs Racing | Toyota | 2:11.848 | 110.527 | 2:12.410 | 110.058 |
| 8 | 20 | John Hunter Nemechek | Joe Gibbs Racing | Toyota | 2:12.143 | 110.281 | 2:12.652 | 109.857 |
| 9 | 26 | Kaz Grala | Sam Hunt Racing | Toyota | 2:12.230 | 110.208 | 2:13.439 | 109.209 |
| 10 | 18 | Sammy Smith (R) | Joe Gibbs Racing | Toyota | 2:12.483 | 109.998 | 2:23.142 | 101.807 |
| Eliminated from Round 1 |||||||||
| 11 | 91 | Josh Bilicki | DGM Racing | Chevrolet | 2:12.577 | 109.920 | — | — |
| 12 | 2 | Sheldon Creed | Richard Childress Racing | Chevrolet | 2:13.043 | 109.535 | — | — |
| 13 | 8 | Josh Berry | JR Motorsports | Chevrolet | 2:13.146 | 109.450 | — | — |
| 14 | 21 | Austin Hill | Richard Childress Racing | Chevrolet | 2:13.288 | 109.333 | — | — |
| 15 | 25 | Brett Moffitt | AM Racing | Ford | 2:13.309 | 109.316 | — | — |
| 16 | 16 | Chandler Smith (R) | Kaulig Racing | Chevrolet | 2:13.363 | 109.272 | — | — |
| 17 | 48 | Parker Kligerman | Big Machine Racing | Chevrolet | 2:13.513 | 109.149 | — | — |
| 18 | 92 | Josh Williams | DGM Racing | Chevrolet | 2:13.580 | 109.094 | — | — |
| 19 | 27 | Jeb Burton | Jordan Anderson Racing | Chevrolet | 2:14.417 | 108.415 | — | — |
| 20 | 31 | Parker Retzlaff (R) | Jordan Anderson Racing | Chevrolet | 2:14.466 | 108.375 | — | — |
| 21 | 44 | Brad Perez | Alpha Prime Racing | Chevrolet | 2:14.577 | 108.286 | — | — |
| 22 | 45 | Leland Honeyman | Alpha Prime Racing | Chevrolet | 2:15.210 | 107.779 | — | — |
| 23 | 78 | Anthony Alfredo | B. J. McLeod Motorsports | Chevrolet | 2:15.532 | 107.523 | — | — |
| 24 | 07 | Katherine Legge | SS-Green Light Racing | Chevrolet | 2:15.673 | 107.411 | — | — |
| 25 | 02 | Blaine Perkins (R) | Our Motorsports | Chevrolet | 2:16.132 | 107.049 | — | — |
| 26 | 6 | Brennan Poole | JD Motorsports | Chevrolet | 2:16.203 | 106.993 | — | — |
| 27 | 28 | Kyle Sieg | RSS Racing | Ford | 2:16.423 | 106.821 | — | — |
| 28 | 35 | Stanton Barrett | Emerling-Gase Motorsports | Toyota | 2:17.612 | 105.898 | — | — |
| 29 | 53 | Patrick Emerling | Emerling-Gase Motorsports | Chevrolet | 2:19.411 | 104.531 | — | — |
| 30 | 66 | Dexter Stacey | MBM Motorsports | Toyota | 2:19.912 | 104.157 | — | — |
| 31 | 51 | Jeremy Clements | Jeremy Clements Racing | Chevrolet | 2:34.273 | 94.461 | — | — |
| 32 | 11 | Daniel Hemric | Kaulig Racing | Chevrolet | — | — | — | — |
| 33 | 9 | Brandon Jones | JR Motorsports | Chevrolet | — | — | — | — |
| Qualified by owner's points |||||||||
| 34 | 39 | Ryan Sieg | RSS Racing | Ford | — | — | — | — |
| 35 | 38 | Joe Graf Jr. | RSS Racing | Ford | — | — | — | — |
| 36 | 43 | Ryan Ellis | Alpha Prime Racing | Chevrolet | — | — | — | — |
| 37 | 08 | Alex Labbé | SS-Green Light Racing | Ford | — | — | — | — |
| 38 | 4 | Kyle Weatherman | JD Motorsports | Chevrolet | — | — | — | — |
| Official qualifying results |||||||||
| Official starting lineup |||||||||

## Race results

Stage 1 Laps: 22
| Pos. | # | Driver | Team | Make | Pts |
| 1 | 7 | Justin Allgaier | JR Motorsports | Chevrolet | 10 |
| 2 | 00 | Cole Custer | Stewart-Haas Racing | Ford | 9 |
| 3 | 10 | A. J. Allmendinger (i) | Kaulig Racing | Chevrolet | 0 |
| 4 | 20 | John Hunter Nemechek | Joe Gibbs Racing | Toyota | 7 |
| 5 | 24 | Sage Karam | Sam Hunt Racing | Toyota | 6 |
| 6 | 98 | Riley Herbst | Stewart-Haas Racing | Ford | 5 |
| 7 | 26 | Kaz Grala | Sam Hunt Racing | Toyota | 4 |
| 8 | 21 | Austin Hill | Richard Childress Racing | Chevrolet | 3 |
| 9 | 1 | Sam Mayer | JR Motorsports | Chevrolet | 2 |
| 10 | 18 | Sammy Smith (R) | Joe Gibbs Racing | Toyota | 1 |
Stage 2 Laps: 12
| Pos. | # | Driver | Team | Make | Pts |
| 1 | 7 | Justin Allgaier | JR Motorsports | Chevrolet | 10 |
| 2 | 00 | Cole Custer | Stewart-Haas Racing | Ford | 9 |
| 3 | 24 | Sage Karam | Sam Hunt Racing | Toyota | 8 |
| 4 | 10 | A. J. Allmendinger (i) | Kaulig Racing | Chevrolet | 0 |
| 5 | 1 | Sam Mayer | JR Motorsports | Chevrolet | 6 |
| 6 | 26 | Kaz Grala | Sam Hunt Racing | Toyota | 5 |
| 7 | 8 | Josh Berry | JR Motorsports | Chevrolet | 4 |
| 8 | 48 | Parker Kligerman | Big Machine Racing | Chevrolet | 3 |
| 9 | 18 | Sammy Smith (R) | Joe Gibbs Racing | Toyota | 2 |
| 10 | 91 | Josh Bilicki | DGM Racing | Chevrolet | 1 |
Stage 3 Laps: 15
| Pos. | St | # | Driver | Team | Make | Laps | Led | Status | Pts |
| 1 | 5 | 1 | Sam Mayer | JR Motorsports | Chevrolet | 49 | 2 | Running | 48 |
| 2 | 17 | 48 | Parker Kligerman | Big Machine Racing | Chevrolet | 49 | 0 | Running | 38 |
| 3 | 14 | 21 | Austin Hill | Richard Childress Racing | Chevrolet | 49 | 0 | Running | 37 |
| 4 | 6 | 24 | Sage Karam | Sam Hunt Racing | Toyota | 49 | 0 | Running | 47 |
| 5 | 4 | 98 | Riley Herbst | Stewart-Haas Racing | Ford | 49 | 0 | Running | 37 |
| 6 | 13 | 8 | Josh Berry | JR Motorsports | Chevrolet | 49 | 0 | Running | 35 |
| 7 | 9 | 26 | Kaz Grala | Sam Hunt Racing | Toyota | 49 | 0 | Running | 39 |
| 8 | 11 | 91 | Josh Bilicki | DGM Racing | Chevrolet | 49 | 0 | Running | 30 |
| 9 | 1 | 10 | A. J. Allmendinger (i) | Kaulig Racing | Chevrolet | 49 | 5 | Running | 0 |
| 10 | 33 | 9 | Brandon Jones | JR Motorsports | Chevrolet | 49 | 0 | Running | 27 |
| 11 | 32 | 11 | Daniel Hemric | Kaulig Racing | Chevrolet | 49 | 0 | Running | 26 |
| 12 | 19 | 27 | Jeb Burton | Jordan Anderson Racing | Chevrolet | 49 | 0 | Running | 25 |
| 13 | 34 | 39 | Ryan Sieg | RSS Racing | Ford | 49 | 0 | Running | 24 |
| 14 | 20 | 31 | Parker Retzlaff (R) | Jordan Anderson Racing | Chevrolet | 49 | 0 | Running | 23 |
| 15 | 26 | 6 | Brennan Poole | JD Motorsports | Chevrolet | 49 | 0 | Running | 22 |
| 16 | 23 | 78 | Anthony Alfredo | B. J. McLeod Motorsports | Chevrolet | 49 | 0 | Running | 21 |
| 17 | 25 | 02 | Blaine Perkins (R) | Our Motorsports | Chevrolet | 49 | 0 | Running | 20 |
| 18 | 3 | 7 | Justin Allgaier | JR Motorsports | Chevrolet | 49 | 42 | Running | 39 |
| 19 | 21 | 44 | Brad Perez | Alpha Prime Racing | Chevrolet | 49 | 0 | Running | 18 |
| 20 | 38 | 4 | Kyle Weatherman | JD Motorsports | Chevrolet | 49 | 0 | Running | 17 |
| 21 | 18 | 92 | Josh Williams | DGM Racing | Chevrolet | 49 | 0 | Running | 16 |
| 22 | 29 | 53 | Patrick Emerling | Emerling-Gase Motorsports | Chevrolet | 49 | 0 | Running | 15 |
| 23 | 35 | 38 | Joe Graf Jr. | RSS Racing | Ford | 49 | 0 | Running | 14 |
| 24 | 28 | 35 | Stanton Barrett | Emerling-Gase Motorsports | Toyota | 49 | 0 | Running | 13 |
| 25 | 30 | 66 | Dexter Stacey | MBM Motorsports | Toyota | 49 | 0 | Running | 12 |
| 26 | 12 | 2 | Sheldon Creed | Richard Childress Racing | Chevrolet | 49 | 0 | Running | 11 |
| 27 | 31 | 51 | Jeremy Clements | Jeremy Clements Racing | Chevrolet | 49 | 0 | Running | 10 |
| 28 | 22 | 45 | Leland Honeyman | Alpha Prime Racing | Chevrolet | 45 | 0 | Transmission | 9 |
| 29 | 7 | 19 | Connor Mosack (R) | Joe Gibbs Racing | Toyota | 44 | 0 | Rear Gear | 8 |
| 30 | 2 | 00 | Cole Custer | Stewart-Haas Racing | Ford | 41 | 0 | Accident | 25 |
| 31 | 10 | 18 | Sammy Smith (R) | Joe Gibbs Racing | Toyota | 41 | 0 | Accident | 9 |
| 32 | 27 | 28 | Kyle Sieg | RSS Racing | Ford | 39 | 0 | Brakes | 5 |
| 33 | 37 | 08 | Alex Labbé | SS-Green Light Racing | Ford | 38 | 0 | Accident | 4 |
| 34 | 8 | 20 | John Hunter Nemechek | Joe Gibbs Racing | Toyota | 31 | 0 | Accident | 10 |
| 35 | 36 | 43 | Ryan Ellis | Alpha Prime Racing | Chevrolet | 25 | 0 | Accident | 2 |
| 36 | 15 | 25 | Brett Moffitt | AM Racing | Ford | 23 | 0 | Hub | 1 |
| 37 | 16 | 16 | Chandler Smith (R) | Kaulig Racing | Chevrolet | 20 | 0 | Accident | 1 |
| 38 | 24 | 07 | Katherine Legge | SS-Green Light Racing | Chevrolet | 9 | 0 | Mechanical | 1 |
| Official race results ||||||||||

## Standings after the race

| | Pos | Driver | Points |
| 1 | 1 | Austin Hill | 775 |
| 1 | 2 | John Hunter Nemechek | 761 (-14) |
| | 3 | Justin Allgaier | 735 (–40) |
| | 4 | Cole Custer | 691 (–84) |
| 1 | 5 | Josh Berry | 612 (–163) |
| 3 | 6 | Sam Mayer | 593 (–182) |
| 2 | 7 | Chandler Smith | 588 (–187) |
| 1 | 8 | Daniel Hemric | 579 (–196) |
| 1 | 9 | Sammy Smith | 557 (–218) |
| 1 | 10 | Riley Herbst | 530 (–245) |
| 1 | 11 | Sheldon Creed | 527 (–248) |
| | 12 | Parker Kligerman | 505 (–270) |
| Official driver's standings ||||