# 2023 Heart of America 200

The 2023 Heart of America 200 was the 8th stock car race of the 2023 NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series, and the 23rd iteration of the event. The race was held on Saturday, May 6, 2023, in Kansas City, Kansas at Kansas Speedway, a 1.5 miles (2.4 km) permanent tri-oval shaped racetrack. The race took the scheduled 134 laps to complete. Grant Enfinger, driving for GMS Racing, would make a three-wide pass for the lead with 30 laps to go, and eventually held on to score his eighth career NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series win, and his first of the season. Enfinger also dominated a portion of the race, leading a race-high 65 laps. To fill out the podium, Corey Heim, driving for Tricon Garage, and Zane Smith, driving for Front Row Motorsports, would finish 2nd and 3rd, respectively.

## Background

Kansas Speedway is a 1.5-mile (2.4 km) tri-oval race track in Kansas City, Kansas. It was built in 2001 and hosts two annual NASCAR race weekends. The NTT IndyCar Series also raced there until 2011. The speedway is owned and operated by the International Speedway Corporation.

### Entry list

* (R) denotes rookie driver.
* (i) denotes driver who is ineligible for series driver points.
| # | Driver | Team | Make | Sponsor |
| 1 | Toni Breidinger | Tricon Garage | Toyota | Victoria's Secret |
| 02 | Kris Wright | Young's Motorsports | Chevrolet | FNB Corporation |
| 2 | Nick Sanchez (R) | Rev Racing | Chevrolet | Gainbridge |
| 04 | Johnny Sauter | Roper Racing | Ford | Carquest |
| 4 | Chase Purdy | Kyle Busch Motorsports | Chevrolet | Bama Buggies |
| 5 | Dean Thompson | Tricon Garage | Toyota | Thompson Pipe Group |
| 9 | Colby Howard | CR7 Motorsports | Chevrolet | Grant County Mulch |
| 11 | Corey Heim | Tricon Garage | Toyota | Safelite |
| 12 | Spencer Boyd | Young's Motorsports | Chevrolet | Burco |
| 13 | Hailie Deegan | ThorSport Racing | Ford | Dible Dough |
| 15 | Tanner Gray | Tricon Garage | Toyota | Mobil 1 |
| 16 | Tyler Ankrum | Hattori Racing Enterprises | Toyota | LiUNA! |
| 17 | Taylor Gray (R) | Tricon Garage | Toyota | Dead On Tools |
| 19 | Christian Eckes | McAnally-Hilgemann Racing | Chevrolet | Instacoat Premium Products |
| 20 | Nick Leitz | Young's Motorsports | Chevrolet | Precision Measurements |
| 22 | Josh Reaume | AM Racing | Ford | JAG Metals |
| 23 | Grant Enfinger | GMS Racing | Chevrolet | Chevy Military Appreciation |
| 24 | Rajah Caruth (R) | GMS Racing | Chevrolet | Wendell Scott Foundation |
| 25 | Matt DiBenedetto | Rackley WAR | Chevrolet | Rackley Roofing, W. A. R. Shocks |
| 32 | Bret Holmes (R) | Bret Holmes Racing | Chevrolet | Bret Holmes Racing |
| 33 | Mason Maggio | Reaume Brothers Racing | Ford | Professional AG Services |
| 35 | Jake Garcia (R) | McAnally-Hilgemann Racing | Chevrolet | Adaptive One Calipers |
| 38 | Zane Smith | Front Row Motorsports | Ford | Love's, Speedco |
| 41 | Ross Chastain (i) | Niece Motorsports | Chevrolet | Worldwide Express |
| 42 | Carson Hocevar | Niece Motorsports | Chevrolet | Worldwide Express |
| 43 | Daniel Dye (R) | GMS Racing | Chevrolet | Race to Stop Suicide |
| 45 | Lawless Alan | Niece Motorsports | Chevrolet | AUTOParkIt |
| 46 | Brennan Poole (i) | G2G Racing | Toyota | G2G Racing |
| 47 | Tim Viens | G2G Racing | Toyota | G2G Racing |
| 51 | Kyle Busch (i) | Kyle Busch Motorsports | Chevrolet | Zariz Transport |
| 52 | Stewart Friesen | Halmar Friesen Racing | Toyota | Halmar International |
| 56 | Tyler Hill | Hill Motorsports | Toyota | HairClub Cares |
| 88 | Matt Crafton | ThorSport Racing | Ford | Black Label Bacon, Menards |
| 90 | Justin Carroll | TC Motorsports | Toyota | Carroll's Automotive, Duratain |
| 98 | Ty Majeski | ThorSport Racing | Ford | Road Ranger |
| 99 | Ben Rhodes | ThorSport Racing | Ford | Bommarito Automotive Group |
| Official entry list |||||

## Practice

The first and only practice session was held on Saturday, May 6, at 11:05 AM CST, and would last for 20 minutes. Christian Eckes, driving for McAnally-Hilgemann Racing, would set the fastest time in the session, with a lap of 31.084, and an average speed of 173.723 mph (279.580 km/h).
| Pos. | # | Driver | Team | Make | Time | Speed |
| 1 | 19 | Christian Eckes | McAnally-Hilgemann Racing | Chevrolet | 31.084 | 173.723 |
| 2 | 41 | Ross Chastain (i) | Niece Motorsports | Chevrolet | 31.290 | 172.579 |
| 3 | 43 | Daniel Dye (R) | GMS Racing | Chevrolet | 31.313 | 172.452 |
| Full practice results |||||||

## Qualifying

Qualifying was held on Saturday, May 6, at 11:35 AM CST. Since Kansas Speedway 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. Christian Eckes, driving for McAnally-Hilgemann Racing, would score the pole for the race, with a lap of 30.932, and an average speed of 174.576 mph (280.953 km/h). No driver would fail to qualify.
| Pos. | # | Driver | Team | Make | Time | Speed |
| 1 | 19 | Christian Eckes | McAnally-Hilgemann Racing | Chevrolet | 30.932 | 174.576 |
| 2 | 51 | Kyle Busch (i) | Kyle Busch Motorsports | Chevrolet | 31.035 | 173.997 |
| 3 | 4 | Chase Purdy | Kyle Busch Motorsports | Chevrolet | 31.046 | 173.935 |
| 4 | 35 | Jake Garcia (R) | McAnally-Hilgemann Racing | Chevrolet | 31.057 | 173.874 |
| 5 | 99 | Ben Rhodes | ThorSport Racing | Ford | 31.154 | 173.332 |
| 6 | 2 | Nick Sanchez (R) | Rev Racing | Chevrolet | 31.159 | 173.305 |
| 7 | 38 | Zane Smith | Front Row Motorsports | Ford | 31.176 | 173.210 |
| 8 | 15 | Tanner Gray | Tricon Garage | Toyota | 31.189 | 173.138 |
| 9 | 98 | Ty Majeski | ThorSport Racing | Ford | 31.196 | 173.099 |
| 10 | 43 | Daniel Dye (R) | GMS Racing | Chevrolet | 31.258 | 172.756 |
| 11 | 23 | Grant Enfinger | GMS Racing | Chevrolet | 31.273 | 172.673 |
| 12 | 11 | Corey Heim | Tricon Garage | Toyota | 31.303 | 172.507 |
| 13 | 24 | Rajah Caruth (R) | GMS Racing | Chevrolet | 31.330 | 172.359 |
| 14 | 52 | Stewart Friesen | Halmar Friesen Racing | Toyota | 31.357 | 172.210 |
| 15 | 9 | Colby Howard | CR7 Motorsports | Chevrolet | 31.361 | 172.188 |
| 16 | 13 | Hailie Deegan | ThorSport Racing | Ford | 31.369 | 172.144 |
| 17 | 41 | Ross Chastain (i) | Niece Motorsports | Chevrolet | 31.384 | 172.062 |
| 18 | 25 | Matt DiBenedetto | Rackley WAR | Chevrolet | 31.421 | 171.860 |
| 19 | 17 | Taylor Gray (R) | Tricon Garage | Toyota | 31.435 | 171.783 |
| 20 | 42 | Carson Hocevar | Niece Motorsports | Chevrolet | 31.476 | 171.559 |
| 21 | 88 | Matt Crafton | ThorSport Racing | Ford | 31.514 | 171.352 |
| 22 | 5 | Dean Thompson | Tricon Garage | Toyota | 31.550 | 171.157 |
| 23 | 16 | Tyler Ankrum | Hattori Racing Enterprises | Toyota | 31.693 | 170.385 |
| 24 | 1 | Toni Breidinger | Tricon Garage | Toyota | 31.782 | 169.907 |
| 25 | 02 | Kris Wright | Young's Motorsports | Chevrolet | 32.041 | 168.534 |
| 26 | 46 | Brennan Poole (i) | G2G Racing | Toyota | 32.136 | 168.036 |
| 27 | 04 | Johnny Sauter | Roper Racing | Ford | 32.140 | 168.015 |
| 28 | 32 | Bret Holmes (R) | Bret Holmes Racing | Chevrolet | 32.341 | 166.971 |
| 29 | 22 | Josh Reaume | AM Racing | Ford | 32.461 | 166.353 |
| 30 | 56 | Tyler Hill | Hill Motorsports | Toyota | 32.665 | 165.315 |
| 31 | 20 | Nick Leitz | Young's Motorsports | Chevrolet | 32.884 | 164.214 |
| Qualified by owner's points |||||||
| 32 | 90 | Justin Carroll | TC Motorsports | Toyota | 33.045 | 163.414 |
| 33 | 33 | Mason Maggio | Reaume Brothers Racing | Ford | 33.103 | 163.127 |
| 34 | 45 | Lawless Alan | Niece Motorsports | Chevrolet | 33.330 | 162.016 |
| 35 | 47 | Tim Viens | G2G Racing | Toyota | 38.521 | 140.183 |
| 36 | 12 | Spencer Boyd | Young's Motorsports | Chevrolet | – | – |
| Official qualifying results |||||||
| Official starting lineup |||||||

## Race results

Stage 1 Laps: 30
| Pos. | # | Driver | Team | Make | Pts |
| 1 | 51 | Kyle Busch (i) | Kyle Busch Motorsports | Chevrolet | 0 |
| 2 | 99 | Ben Rhodes | ThorSport Racing | Ford | 9 |
| 3 | 38 | Zane Smith | Front Row Motorsports | Ford | 8 |
| 4 | 23 | Grant Enfinger | GMS Racing | Chevrolet | 7 |
| 5 | 4 | Chase Purdy | Kyle Busch Motorsports | Chevrolet | 6 |
| 6 | 24 | Rajah Caruth (R) | GMS Racing | Chevrolet | 5 |
| 7 | 16 | Tyler Ankrum | Hattori Racing Enterprises | Toyota | 4 |
| 8 | 11 | Corey Heim | Tricon Garage | Toyota | 3 |
| 9 | 42 | Carson Hocevar | Niece Motorsports | Chevrolet | 2 |
| 10 | 13 | Hailie Deegan | ThorSport Racing | Ford | 1 |
Stage 2 Laps: 30
| Pos. | # | Driver | Team | Make | Pts |
| 1 | 98 | Ty Majeski | ThorSport Racing | Ford | 10 |
| 2 | 23 | Grant Enfinger | GMS Racing | Chevrolet | 9 |
| 3 | 11 | Corey Heim | Tricon Garage | Toyota | 8 |
| 4 | 24 | Rajah Caruth (R) | GMS Racing | Chevrolet | 7 |
| 5 | 38 | Zane Smith | Front Row Motorsports | Ford | 6 |
| 6 | 19 | Christian Eckes | McAnally-Hilgemann Racing | Chevrolet | 5 |
| 7 | 16 | Tyler Ankrum | Hattori Racing Enterprises | Toyota | 4 |
| 8 | 4 | Chase Purdy | Kyle Busch Motorsports | Chevrolet | 3 |
| 9 | 52 | Stewart Friesen | Halmar Friesen Racing | Toyota | 2 |
| 10 | 5 | Dean Thompson | Tricon Garage | Toyota | 1 |
Stage 3 Laps: 74
| Fin | St | # | Driver | Team | Make | Laps | Led | Status | Pts |
| 1 | 11 | 23 | Grant Enfinger | GMS Racing | Chevrolet | 134 | 65 | Running | 56 |
| 2 | 12 | 11 | Corey Heim | Tricon Garage | Toyota | 134 | 13 | Running | 46 |
| 3 | 7 | 38 | Zane Smith | Front Row Motorsports | Ford | 134 | 6 | Running | 48 |
| 4 | 14 | 52 | Stewart Friesen | Halmar Friesen Racing | Toyota | 134 | 1 | Running | 35 |
| 5 | 17 | 41 | Ross Chastain (i) | Niece Motorsports | Chevrolet | 134 | 0 | Running | 32 |
| 6 | 6 | 2 | Nick Sanchez (R) | Rev Racing | Chevrolet | 134 | 0 | Running | 31 |
| 7 | 2 | 51 | Kyle Busch (i) | Kyle Busch Motorsports | Chevrolet | 134 | 11 | Running | 40 |
| 8 | 4 | 35 | Jake Garcia (R) | McAnally-Hilgemann Racing | Chevrolet | 134 | 0 | Running | 29 |
| 9 | 19 | 17 | Taylor Gray (R) | Tricon Garage | Toyota | 134 | 0 | Running | 28 |
| 10 | 23 | 16 | Tyler Ankrum | Hattori Racing Enterprises | Toyota | 134 | 0 | Running | 35 |
| 11 | 21 | 88 | Matt Crafton | ThorSport Racing | Ford | 134 | 0 | Running | 26 |
| 12 | 16 | 13 | Hailie Deegan | ThorSport Racing | Ford | 134 | 0 | Running | 26 |
| 13 | 10 | 43 | Daniel Dye (R) | GMS Racing | Chevrolet | 133 | 0 | Running | 24 |
| 14 | 28 | 32 | Bret Holmes (R) | Bret Holmes Racing | Chevrolet | 133 | 0 | Running | 23 |
| 15 | 24 | 1 | Toni Breidinger | Tricon Garage | Toyota | 133 | 0 | Running | 22 |
| 16 | 5 | 99 | Ben Rhodes | ThorSport Racing | Ford | 133 | 17 | Running | 30 |
| 17 | 34 | 45 | Lawless Alan | Niece Motorsports | Chevrolet | 133 | 0 | Running | 20 |
| 18 | 8 | 15 | Tanner Gray | Tricon Garage | Toyota | 133 | 3 | Running | 19 |
| 19 | 27 | 04 | Johnny Sauter | Roper Racing | Ford | 133 | 0 | Running | 18 |
| 20 | 26 | 46 | Brennan Poole (i) | G2G Racing | Toyota | 133 | 0 | Running | 17 |
| 21 | 31 | 20 | Nick Leitz | Young's Motorsports | Chevrolet | 133 | 0 | Running | 16 |
| 22 | 30 | 56 | Tyler Hill | Hill Motorsports | Toyota | 132 | 0 | Running | 15 |
| 23 | 32 | 90 | Justin Carroll | TC Motorsports | Toyota | 132 | 0 | Running | 14 |
| 24 | 29 | 22 | Josh Reaume | AM Racing | Ford | 132 | 0 | Running | 13 |
| 25 | 9 | 98 | Ty Majeski | ThorSport Racing | Ford | 131 | 12 | Running | 22 |
| 26 | 36 | 12 | Spencer Boyd | Young's Motorsports | Chevrolet | 131 | 0 | Running | 11 |
| 27 | 33 | 33 | Mason Maggio | Reaume Brothers Racing | Ford | 131 | 0 | Running | 10 |
| 28 | 25 | 02 | Kris Wright | Young's Motorsports | Chevrolet | 91 | 0 | Accident | 9 |
| 29 | 18 | 25 | Matt DiBenedetto | Rackley WAR | Chevrolet | 81 | 0 | DVP | 8 |
| 30 | 1 | 19 | Christian Eckes | McAnally-Hilgemann Racing | Chevrolet | 78 | 6 | Accident | 12 |
| 31 | 20 | 42 | Carson Hocevar | Niece Motorsports | Chevrolet | 78 | 0 | Accident | 8 |
| 32 | 22 | 5 | Dean Thompson | Tricon Garage | Toyota | 78 | 0 | Accident | 6 |
| 33 | 3 | 4 | Chase Purdy | Kyle Busch Motorsports | Chevrolet | 78 | 0 | Accident | 13 |
| 34 | 13 | 24 | Rajah Caruth (R) | GMS Racing | Chevrolet | 72 | 0 | Accident | 15 |
| 35 | 15 | 9 | Colby Howard | CR7 Motorsports | Chevrolet | 55 | 0 | Accident | 2 |
| 36 | 35 | 47 | Tim Viens | G2G Racing | Toyota | 2 | 0 | Transmission | 0 |
| Official race results ||||||||||

## Standings after the race

| | Pos | Driver | Points |
| 1 | 1 | Zane Smith | 323 |
| 1 | 2 | Ty Majeski | 323 (-0) |
| | 3 | Ben Rhodes | 282 (-41) |
| | 4 | Corey Heim | 276 (-47) |
| 1 | 5 | Grant Enfinger | 267 (-56) |
| 1 | 6 | Christian Eckes | 241 (-82) |
| | 7 | Matt Crafton | 235 (-88) |
| | 8 | Tanner Gray | 220 (-103) |
| 2 | 9 | Nick Sanchez | 205 (-118) |
| 1 | 10 | Matt DiBenedetto | 193 (-130) |
| Official driver's standings ||||