Darlington Raceway has produced some of the greatest racing in Extravaganza Series history, starting with Rattle Snake Drake winning the first Rebel 400 in 1952. Champion Raymond Hale was victorious in the inaugural Southern 500 on labor day the same year, winning three total in his illustrious career. This is a race that the veterans are likely to dominate. Look for drivers like Randy Dobbins, Bill Werkheiser, Rick Jackson and Scott Jackson to find themselves at the front of the pack, just like the old days.

Race Results

Points Standings

Race Recap

Scott Jackson's notorious winless streak started after his victory here in the 2017 Southern 500. His string ended after winning this event in 2021, winning three of the next five in shades of his prime success during the mid-2000's. Look for him or pole-sitter Ken Pettit to bring an end to their current winless woes and venture into their own domination run, hopefully en route to another Championship bid.

Despite the fantastic pole-run for Ken, Ryan Heuser would pass by on lap 1 and lead the opening two laps. Johnny Reed Foley would power-train by on lap 3, swapping the lead multiple times as the two led every circuit during the first green flag run. Zach Michael, Ben Geer, Matthew Dominique, Donald Stewart and Zakk Miller all stayed within striking distance despite the #3 and #138 domination.

It's been a debilitating start to 2023 for Craig Lee, finishing 37th or worst in three of the last four races. On lap 64, contact between him and Bink Lucas on the backstretch sent him into a tailspin, slapping the outside wall and getting smacked by the front end of Johnny Reed Foley. Lee would fail to continue on competitively, limping to a 39th place finish and dropping to 23rd in the standings.

Alex Crapser grabbed his 5-bonus points after his pit crew put thrusted the #04 Pennsoil chevrolet to the front of the pack for the first restart of the evening. He would remain at the helm for three laps before Matthew Dominique took his turn, with each driver trying to earn their way back into the top-10 in points. A slap to the outside wall dropped the #25 from first to mid-pack, taking Crapser along with him while Tim McDonnell swerved to the lead.

John Battista looked to add to his dominant lap-led total on the season, taking it from the #22 before Ken Pettit took his first lead of the night. He and Battista would swap the top-spot twice, with the Wendy's chevrolet in command for the latter 25. Ryan Heuser took the lead again before the halfway mark, remaining there through lap 143 before points leader Tony Pizzaro took the heap.

Two accidents off of turn-2 took the wind away from two Championship contenders. A battle for 8th between Donald Stewart and Dalton Lucas sent the #55 into the wall, spinning in front of the field and coming to a stop against the ghost pit road wall. Zach Michael endured a mimic accident while racing Rick Jackson and Chauncey Redmond Jr. for the third position. Both drivers would struggle to work their way back through the field, finishing 18th and 22nd respectively.

A cataclysm of the ages occurred on lap 99, with Scott Drake having the race of his life battling for the 13th position. Drake, Donald Stewart and Adam Crapser were sandwiched off of turn-2, resulting in the U-Haul dodge spiraling in the middle of the racing groove. Alex Crapser collided head-first into the #9, gyrating Drake into the left-front fender of Johnny Reed Foley, dismantling both engines in the process. Rick Jackson, Mark Heron and Dalton Lucas pulverized into the accident with no room to stop, ending all six of their nights. Jackson and Crapser dropped to 19th and 20th in points. Foley tumbled to 16th. Dalton Lucas earned his third finish of 41st or worse in the last four events, falling to 40th in the standings.

Ryan Heuser re-took the lead after a fantastic pit stop, leading the entire green flag run with Jimmie Stevens, Pizzaro, Alan Nesfeder and Tim McDonnell directly on the doorstep to steal away the victory. In the end, Heuser would lead 201 of the 293 laps, easily the most dominating performance of any driver this season. Other drivers having impressive runs were Tony Long and Trae Larkin, finishing 5th and 6th with Long back inside the top-35 in points.

Heuser, Logan Sheets and Tony Long were the first three drivers to pit. They would come out 1-2-3, with Long losing the top-2 in a three-second breakaway from the field. Sheets was unable to find the horsepower to get by the #138 by himself, and the pack from behind led by Scott Jackson took too long to catch up. It was Heuser's race to lose coming to the final 10-laps.

The #138 navagated through lapped traffic with relative ease, rewarding himself a multi-car-length distance from Sheets and to the pack closing in. He would cross the finish line for his second victory of the young season, two more than his woeful 2022 opening. Heuser's usual dominance had been lost in the headlines to John Battista's recent dominion in the victory column. At the worlds' toughest oval, Heuser proved that he was still Extravaganza's rocket-man. Congrats to Ryan, crew chief Mustard Mahoney and the entire Quick-Silver Motorsports crew for an excellent victory!

2023 Rebel 400 Video