A tremendous battle for the top-35 in points overshadows the top-gunners coming into the Russ Charneski 500. Extravaganza big-dog's Scott Jackson, Michael Henson, Jonathan Skrabacz, William Perry, Rob Scarberry, Dakota Wilkins, Dalton Lucas, Dan Johnston, David Butterworth, Aaron Cummings, Ben Geer and Steven Spears all race for their 2023 livelihood in an attempt to secure their starting spots for the remainder of the season. Two-time Champion Jackson will start on the pole, attaining a head start on the mission at hand.

Race Results

Points Standings

Race Recap

Front-row starters Scott Jackson and newfound Mr. Consistency Donald Stewart roll to the green flag in front of Russ Charneski, who waved the green flag in grand style. After a well-needed bonus point, Zakk Miller passed through both drivers on the bottom lane to capture the lead on lap 2. He would remain there for the entire green flag run.

Johnny Reed Foley, Chauncey Redmond Jr. and Logan Sheets all took their turns behind the #30 car without significant hope of bidding for the lead. After the first round of pit stops, Miller pulled ahead by a staggering six seconds before getting reeled in by Sheets, Bill Werkheiser, Johnny Reed Foley and Chauncey Redmond Jr. He would hold them all off through lap 100.

The second round of stops invited a staggering pit entry by Kevin Corbat, who re-introducing himself to the high-horsepower Extravaganza Mustangs. Points leader Ryan Heuser would suffer a broken oil line, losing 16 laps in the process and dropping to fourth in the standings, re-handing the lead to Dave Miller. Much later on, Bill Werkheiser suffered the only engine fatality of the event, finishing worse than 40th for the second straight week.

Only the second green flag lead change of the evening occurred on lap 109 with an inside turn-1 pass by Logan Sheets. He would be looking for his fourth top-5 in-a-row, a miracle feat considering not qualifying inside the top-20 all season. He would remain up front for five laps.

Johnny Reed Foley took the top-spot on lap 114 on the exit of turn-4, only to hand it back to Sheets two laps later. The two would swap positions once more as we closed towards the third green flag stop, with Dave Miller, Tim McDonnell and Chauncey Redmond Jr. well in tow. Dave Miller would exit with less than a second advantage over Foley, who re-took the spot to win the Halfway Bacon Bonus.

A blown right-rear tire from Michael Henson sent him directly into the path of Ben Geer and Jimmie Stevens, both knocking their front-ends out of alignment. Geer would spin driver-side first into the outside wall, ending his day in the 44th position. Stevens would also fail to continue, finishing 45th and dropping from 14th to 24th in the standings.

Johnny Reed Foley led the field to the green, leading through lap 219 before Dave Miller and teammate Tim McDonnell took over the lead positions. 2019 Texas winner Alex Crapser flew by all three to take the top-spot away before the 100-to-go mark, leading through the remaining green flag cycle. Tim McDonnell would take the lead on a minor short-pit strategy, only to have Crapser nab it back with 52 laps remaining.

Tim McDonnell entered the pits for the final time with 26 laps to go. he pulled off a miracle pit stop over Crapser, who exited in the fourth position while McDonnell came out with a three-second advantage over Craig Lee and Zakk Miller. His gap would evaporate sparingly over the next 10 circuits.

With ten laps remaining, Zakk Miller was on the prowl. He had cruised past Craig Lee for the second position just a couple laps earlier and forced his way side-by-side with McDonnell for the lead with nine laps to go. He would clear him on the exit of turn-2, staying at least a car-length ahead of Lee and McDonnell for the remainder of the race.

It's been an excellent stretch of races for Zakk Miller after his 42nd place finish in the Daytona 500. His last victory was in the Coca-Cola 600 last May, and continues to provide his once-a-year dominance by crossing the finish line for his first career victory at Texas! Perhaps this season, Miller's team will provide more hype than their usual yearly heroics and become a perennial Championship contender. Congrats to Zakk, crew chief Carl Kirpatrick and the entire Team Danger Zone organization for an excellent victory!

2023 Russ Charneski 500 Video