Race Results

Points Standings

Race Recap

Nine drivers come in with a realistic shot at occupying the final three spots of the Championship ten. Alex Crapser, John Tharp and Matt Raboin qualified 1-2-3 last week and all ran strong, proving their teams are prioritizing in getting these drivers into the chase. This race, these same three drivers qualify 1st, 3rd and 5th. Tharp comes in 12 points out. Crapser comes in 6 points in. Raboin enters 71 points in, needing to finish respectably to clinch his chase birth at one of his favorite racetracks.

Matt Raboin jumps off to an excellent start while miracle-man Dakota Wilkins attempts to hold off the dominators. Both he and Michael Henson drop off in the early laps, catching a break early with a Bink Lucas engine failure on lap 19. Another collapsed motor by William Perry on lap 51 brought out the second yellow flag.

A stereotypical top-5 leads the field while chase contenders John Tharp, Ken Pettit and Jimmie Stevens meander around 10th place. Stevens would get loose exiting turn-4 on lap 78, getting spun after contact from Rick Jackson and slapping the outside wall on the right-rear quarter-panel. He would make an unscheduled pit stop, lucking into a yellow flag after the pit cycle finished.

Richmond-dominator Ryan Heuser passed Alex Crapser for the second position on lap 104. Adam Crapser would fly by both drivers on lap 120, making a bid for the top-spot with Matt Raboin leading every lap so far. The #4 would take the lead, looking to finally win his first career race after five full seasons.

With the Crapser brothers 1-2, Alex looked in excellent shape to clinch his spot to fight for the Championship crown. To help, Adam put Alan Nesfeder one lap down on lap 158. Nesfeder came in 52 points behind entering the event. Jimmie Stevens also went a lap down after the halfway mark, struggling with a damaged racecar after his near-spin on the frontstretch.

A horrifying accident on lap 170 took out contender John Tharp for good. Contact between Bill Werkheiser and Tharp sent the #14 into the wall head-first, destroying the car immediately. Logan Sheets fell to the same fate after a Timothy McDonnell and Craig Lee spin. The #58 slammed into the rear of Lee, destroying his automobile. Only seven contenders remained.

Alex Crapser inherited the lead during the John Tharp caution flag. An immaculate pit stop by the #4 crew after next yellow put Adam back up front from third to first, initiating his dominant run during the next 100+ laps. Steven Spears was still on the lead lap after the restart and got spun, slamming into the inside wall and limping for the rest of the way.

The Crapser brothers pulled off their most dominating performance, meandering through lapped traffic with a four-second advantage over the rest of the field. The gap narrowed after a Michael Henson and Tony Long crash in turn-4, taking out Steven Spears and Jonathan Skrabacz in the process. A Ben Geer spin after the ensuing restart provided the opportunity for the Crapser brothers to pit for the final time, taking fuel only.

A 100-lap shootout caused immaculate mid-pack panic. Mark Heron and Zakk Miller flew into the outside turn-2 wall, sending the #30 airborne while John Battista, Craig Lee, Rick Jackson, Ken Joynt and Zach Michael frenzied behind. Miller miraculously continued on while Heron dropped out, becoming the 10th casualty of the evening. A Ben Geer spin brought out the final caution flag on lap 314, remaining on the lead lap despite his multiple misfortunes.

Matt Raboin took two-tires on his final stop, coming in several laps after the Crapser brothers took fuel only. Alex would struggle to fight back through the field, as Ken Pettit quietly passed him late in the run to jump ahead of him in points. Fortunately for him, Jimmie Stevens was too far behind to hold off his slim 25-point advantage and dropped to 11th in the standings. It would be Raboin, Crapser and Pettit clinching the final three spots of the 2023 chase after excellent runs and flying through the attrition!. Up front, Adam Crapser was able to drive back to towards the leader, with Tony Pizzaro on a fuel-mileage run at the top of the heap. The #12 would remain there with several hard charges from the #4 to earn his first career victory, but to no avail. Matt Raboin would fly past both of them with his two fresh tires and take the top-spot with ten laps remaining. Without hesitation, Adam would pass Pizzaro for second place to earn his second-straight top-2 finish. Raboin was gone.

Matt Raboin has earned the reputation as a short-track wizard, but seemingly also the most inconsistent driver in Extravaganza. His usual mid-pack runs at the big facilities and finishes outside the top-30 have been his downfall over the years, but he has proved his worth this season. Raboin has been one of the most consistent drivers since Week 6, with the Quantum Racing team desperately needing a driver inside the Championship chase. With three-straight top-3 finishes to end the regular season, Raboin was able to pull it off. The #87 team thought they were done after their last-place finish at the Brickyard 400. They persevered and fought back with utter domination. Congrats to Matt, crew chief Takumi Fujiwara and the entire Quantum Racing organization for an excellent victory!

2023 Funai 400 Video, Part 1

2023 Funai 400 Video, Part 2