A sunny Pennsylvania afternoon crowds over 150,000 faithful Quakers in desperate need of exuberance and intensive modulation. Two of the three corners will enter at over 200+ miles-per-hour, with brakes being pressed into the heavens at three severe slow-down points. Expect brake decline and throttle exhaustion by the conclusion of the 160 laps.
Race Results
Points Standings
Race Recap
A crash at the tail end of the field caused by a 46-car wagon-train saw Rob Scarberry locked in an overturned state. The #42 tagged the quarter-panel of Dakota Wilkins, spinning upward towards David Baldinger who dispatched the STP dodge into the air, halfway upside-down sliding across the outside concrete barrier. He would overturn and stop, ending the race for both he and Baldinger. Scarberry would drop to 36th in points, having to qualify for the Coca-Cola 600 field in two weeks.
A Ken Joynt pit collision ended the Bandit's day early, restarting on lap-6 with a conventional 43-car horde to the green. Craig Lee continued on the racetrack while a 42-car assemblage entered the pits to secure their fuel window. He would lead a lap before vacating his supremacy to Alex Crapser and Kansas winner Timothy McDonnell.
The #04 Pennsoil chevrolet would return to the forefront after a three-lap stint in command for the #22. Alex would remain there for a modest four circuits before Tony Pizzaro took the helm on lap 26. Zach Michael took over the spot after 12 laps of Fenway Park domination, leading through the conclusion of the green flag run.
Craig Lee recaptured the lead following an involuntary short-pit due to staying out after the first caution flag. Alex Crapser was able to tailgate the #101 out of the pit lane in a five-second secession from the rest of the pack. It's an opportune time for Lee to dominate, entering the event 26th in the standings after several finishes 37th or worse in 2023.
Alex Crapser captured the top-spot for the third time on lap 50 in ambition to tango away from the field. The top-runners inevitably caught the two within 20 laps, concluding with a Zach Michael pass for the lead on lap 69. The #20 Coca-Cola mustang would retain it's dominion to win the Halfway Bacon Bonus.
The #101 re-acquired the top-spot after a second spell of green flag pit stops, terminating the strategy after debris from Donald Stewart's #55 brought out the caution for the second time. Alex Crapser leads the vanguard to the green, holding off Ryan Heuser, Dave Miller, Logan Sheets and Tim McDonnell for sixteen laps despite several attacks from behind. 2022 summer winner Alan Nesfeder would blow his engine during the high-intensity action, finishing 43rd and the fourth to drop out.
Logan Sheets and Ryan Heuser would interchange the lead several times from lap 109 to the final green flag stops after lap 120. Craig Lee catapaulted to the lead in a reversed strategy from earlier, staying out five laps later than the rest of the field. It would develop into a desolate final 30 laps for the NOS energy crew, losing substatial track position only to fight to a 32nd place finish. He would drop to 27th in the standings after an excellent run that could have re-energized his season.
Atop the heap for the fourth time was Alex Crapser, entering the 20-to-go mark with Sheets and Heuser behind with better rubber. The Pizza Hut charger took the lead on lap 141 in search of his seemingly inevitable first career victory. He would withdraw the spot to Heuser just three laps later, giving it back to Sheets with Tim McDonnell, Jimmie Stevens and Dave Miller well in tow.
The 10-to-go mark witnessed an auspicious Jimmie Stevens make his first bid for the lead with draft help from Dave Miller, dropping Sheets back to fourth. He would maintain his advantage with relative ease for the four two laps while Sheets and McDonnell interchanged the third position, giving the front two the opportunity to pull away from the field in search for their first win of 2023. Once McDonnell was able to pass the #58, he flew by Miller for second place without serenity, seeking his second victory in-a-row.
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