A qualifying effort of the ages for the Lifesavers crew. Bink Lucas escapes the dire vortex of missing the Bud Shootout, clinching the 127 mile-per-hour barrier when nobody else could. Our three Championship contenders qualify 9th, 29th and 33rd, well out of reach of an early bonus point. Battista and Pettit are the farthest back, hoping to ride their recent momentum-waves to the Extravaganza promiseland.

Race Results

Points Standings

Race Recap

The front row rode side-by-side during the first lap. The outside line held through, giving Johnny Reed Foley the reigns on lap 1. He would pull away from the field while the remaining cars searched their way by the #5.

Tony Pizzaro was the first car to pass the Lifesavers Ford. He and Craig Lee ran second and third for most of the stint, with Lee taking over the runner-up spot 41 laps in. Johnny Reed Foley ran with a near 6-second advantage as he drove by Ben Geer's nearly stopped #29 after a blown engine. He would finish 43rd, dead last in the field.

Two of the three points contenders were in stride. Ryan Heuser drove from 9th to 5th position  by the end of the green flag run. John Battista gained 14 positions since the start and appeared to be the dominant car. In the back, Ken Pettit rode through the doldrums in 37th, in severe danger of going a lap down.

Coming out of the pits, Scott Jackson's engine errupted to bring out the first yellow flag. It was a hero's welcome for Pettit, coming out 30th after miraculous pit work. The #8 car would suddenly fly through the field like Battista did earlier, capturing a top-20 spot on lap 112.

Damage to Johnny Reed Foley's front bumper didn't stop him from maintaining his advantage. It hindered him little, but enough to force the hand of the Quick-Silver duo. An engine failure from Logan Sheets brought out the second caution, keeping Foley at the helm.

Ryan Heuser made his pass for the lead just after the halfway point, handing him the same five bonus points that Pettit would steal later in the race. He and Dave Miller tag-teamed away from the field. Unfortunately, their miraculous runs would not continue. The #138 blew a tire, forfeiting his second place spot and Championship lead for a new set. The #90 exploded an engine while leading, handing the top-spot back to Bink Lucas.

The high heat and lack of yellows put a myriad of cars into the garage. Tony Long was the next victim, ensuring his provisional for the Daytona 500 would be for not. Up front, all of the leaders came in for pit stops, handing Heuser a six-second advantage with 27 laps to go.

Holding off the field all race with an ill-handling racecar seemed to pay off. Bink Lucas remained near the front all day, passing Heuser with ease at the 14 to go mark. Ken Pettit would get by him, taking the second spot while earning a 10-point swing in the standings. The #8 team would only be 31 back heading to Homestead.

It's been an incredible Extravaganza Series stint for Bink Lucas. A fantastic Bonanza Series career earned him a spot-start at Pocono in 2019, taking the reigns of the #39 Lifesavers Chevrolet. An upset victory at Talladega two years later put him on the map, earning the Lifesavers sponsorship as his own to join forces with Jimmie Stevens in 2022. He won the Eddie Money Classic in his rookie campaign, and will come across the finish line at Phoenix victorious in his thrid straight year.

After much scrutiny over his early sophomore slump, Bink Lucas finds his way to victory lane to cap off an impressive second half of 2023. He earned a trip to the Bud Shootout and All-Star Race in a full swoop, becoming the 15th different winner and 19th different pole-sitter this season. Congrats to Bink, crew chief Doug Wilcox and the entire Lifesaver Racing organization for an excellent victory!

2023 Little Ceasar's 500 Video