An extraordinary front-row effort by Matthew Dominique and Craig Lee, two drivers who have failed to win a race this season. They are both hungry for a new lease on life in 2023, with Lee ready for redemption after the early-summer event at this facility fell through his fingertips. Rookie of the Year leader Chauncey Redmond Jr. and New Hampshire near-winner Bink Lucas also start inside the top-5.

Race Results

Points Standings

Race Recap

The green flag flew out with the usual three and four wide spread before the entrance to turn-1. Craig Lee made an easy pass on Matthew Dominique on the Long Pond Straightaway to lead the first lap of the event. In shades of the Pocono 400 one month ago, he would nab the initial 10 laps before John Battista took over the helm, leading his first laps since Daytona.

The Quick-Silver domination of last season is imbued early on. Lee re-took the advantage on lap 16. Teammate Ryan Heuser caroused from the 11th starting spot to take the top-spot away on lap 19, holding his own for the remainder of the green flag run. The field would spread out tagging behind the record-breaking horsepower.

A crash between green flag pit stops shuffled the leaderboard, with Heuser dropping to the rear of the field while Donald Stewart and Dalton Lucas took his place at the front. Ben Geer drifted high entering turn-3, squeezing Steven Spears into the wall. Both drivers slid, sustaining minimal front-end damage and continuing on at race pace.

Donald Stewart could not hold off the Wendy's #39, passing the #55 for the lead and crossing the lap-50 mark with only Bink Lucas directly behind. A two tire strategy by Stewart put him back at the helm on the ensuing restart, after a Scott Jackson accident in the tunnel-turn. He could not hold the lead for 100 feet, losing it in a three-wide effort to Ken Pettit and Johnny Reed Foley. Stewart would drop to 8th place while starting the second lap.

Ken Pettit and Johnny Reed Foley swapped the top-spot for the next several circuits. It was a mild change of pace from the usual, with Heuser still meandering through the field, working his way back into the top-20. Craig Lee, Timothy McDonnell and the recently immaculate Bink Lucas all loomed towards the front during the entirety of the stint.
 

Ben Geer ran out of fuel coming to the entrance of pit road on lap 90. His stalled car brought out the caution flag, with Cristiano De Sa and Ryan Heuser completing their pit stops just before the leader took the caution. De Sa would pass through the field and take the green flag as the leader, accumulating the first laps led of his career. After he lost the lead to Heuser on the ensuing restart, he remained inside the top-10 for 8 laps, pulling off a decent 24th place effort. It would be his first top-30 finish since California in February.

A devastating accident on lap 106 started with contact between Alan Nesfeder and Scott Jackson entering the tunnel-turn. Michael Henson devoured the rear of the #38, destroying his right-front and skidding to a voilent stop near the inside wall. Black smoke cascaded the speedway, as Trae Larkin, David Baldinger, Ken Joynt, Scott Drake and Mark Heron all pinballed the #38 into oblivion. With Frank Womack blowing up under the yellow, a total of seven cars were eliminated during the incident. All were unhurt.
 

After the chaos unfolded, a mounted charge by Adam Crapser resulted in taking the lead away from Tony Pizzaro with 35 laps remaining. Towards the back, Zach Michael was the only car to take four tires during the caution and was flying by racecars with relative ease. Within 10 laps, he could easily watch Crapser and Craig Lee battle for the lead through his helmet lens. By lap 136, he would be racing with them.

Despite taking advantage of the fresh tires in full execution, Michael would gamble and stay out four laps later than the field. He would lose his track position, dropping to 18th place with only 20 laps remaining. Up front, Timothy McDonnell and Ryan Heuser swapped the top-spot in a five-car breakaway from the rest of the field. It was the usual R2W and Quick-Silver Motorsports brigades, with McDonnell sneaking his way in the mix. In his once expected glory, Craig Lee passed by both of them to take the top-spot away with 8 laps-to-go. He would never look back. A crash between Team Danger Zone teammates Michael and Markell Murphy brought out the final caution, ending the #20's DNF-less season with only two laps left. Lee would take the white and yellow flags together in first place.

Finally the #101 organization crosses the start-finish line in sheer victory euphoria, keeping their 2023 Championship bid alive! Spook Millikan wasn't there to be part of the celebration, but the win was in honor of his decade-long commitment to the team. Pokey Reese would win his first career victory as crew chief, and are still a somewhat reachable 230 points behind 10th place with five races to go in the regular season. Congrats to Craig, crew chief Pokey Reese and the entire Quick-Silver Motorsports organization for an excellent victory!

2023 Pennsylvania 400 Video