2023 SpeedyCash.com 250

The 2023 SpeedyCash.com 250 was the 5th stock car race of the 2023 NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series, and the 25th iteration of the event. The race was held on Saturday, April 1, 2023, in Fort Worth, Texas at Texas Motor Speedway, a  permanent tri-oval shaped racetrack. The race was increased from 167 to 172 laps, due to numerous NASCAR overtime attempts. In a wild finish, Carson Hocevar, driving for Niece Motorsports, would win the race after the leaders of Nick Sanchez and Zane Smith crashed on the final lap. This was Hocevar's first career NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series win. Sanchez would dominate the entire race, winning both stages and leading 168 of the 172 laps. To fill out the podium, Chase Purdy, driving for Kyle Busch Motorsports, and Stewart Friesen, driving for Halmar Friesen Racing, would finish 2nd and 3rd, respectively.

The race was marred by a wreck on lap 146. Dean Thompson would spin coming off of turn four, and after the caution came out, he would get t-boned by Matt Mills and Trey Hutchens at nearly full speed, causing significant damage to his truck. Thompson was able to climb out of the truck under his own power but required medical assistance shortly after. He was later taken to Baylor Scott & White Medical Center for further evaluation.

Background 
Texas Motor Speedway is a speedway located in the northernmost portion of the U.S. city of Fort Worth, Texas – the portion located in Denton County, Texas. The track measures  around and is banked 24 degrees in the turns, and is of the oval design, where the front straightaway juts outward slightly. The track layout is similar to Atlanta Motor Speedway and Charlotte Motor Speedway (formerly Lowe's Motor Speedway). The track is owned by Speedway Motorsports, Inc., the same company that owns Atlanta and Charlotte Motor Speedway, as well as the short-track Bristol Motor Speedway.

Entry list 

 (R) denotes rookie driver.

Practice 
The first and only practice session was held on Saturday, April 1, at 9:35 AM CST, and would last for 30 minutes. Christian Eckes, driving for McAnally-Hilgemann Racing, would set the fastest time in the session, with a lap of 29.259, and an average speed of .

Qualifying 
Qualifying was held on Saturday, April 1, at 10:05 AM CST. Since Texas Motor 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. Nick Sanchez, driving for Rev Racing, would score the pole for the race, with a lap of 29.109, and an average speed of .

Race results 
Pole Sitter Nick Sanchez dominated the racing, sweeping Stages 1 and 2. However the race came to a halt on Lap 146 when Dean Thompson spun off of Turn 4 and hit the wall. Thompson's truck was then T-boned by Matt Mills and hit again by Trey Hutchens. Thompson was able to walk out of his truck under his own power but was ultimately taken to a local hospital for further medical evaluations. The race came under the Red flag as track personnel cleared the track of the wreckage and debris. The race resumed and the end came down to double-overtime. On the second overtime, Sanchez and Zane Smith were side-by-side battling for the lead with Christian Eckes and Carson Hocevar following behind. Just after the white flag waved, Sanchez and Smith made contact with one another which led to Hocevar unintentionally bumping Sanchez from behind. The resulting spin from the bump caused a wreck between Sanchez, Smith and Eckes, which allowed Hocevar to take the lead as the caution flag came out. As a result of the white flag waving before the caution, the race ended with Hocevar winning his first career Truck Series race.

Stage 1 Laps: 77

Stage 2 Laps: 45

Stage 3 Laps: 50

Standings after the race 

Drivers' Championship standings

Note: Only the first 10 positions are included for the driver standings.

References 

NASCAR races at Texas Motor Speedway
SpeedyCash.com 250
SpeedyCash.com 250