Ken Pettit comes into Bristol with the determination of winning his second Extravaganza Series Championship, 125 points ahead of the field after only two events. He will start in the 6th position directly surrounded by John Battista and Ryan Heuser, his primary counterparts for the title. 500 laps of intensity and domination fill the 350,000 strong to witness immortality at the worlds must famous speed-bowl.

Race Results

Points Standings

Race Recap

Alan Nesfeder wins the pole after nearly clearing the 130 mile-per-hour barrier, looking to continue his recent domination of two top-5 finishes in a row. He would immediately lose the top-spot to rookie Chaucncey Redmond Jr., who dominated the run while Nesfeder failed to lead a lap for the entire event. John Battista would inherit the lead during the first caution flag after a masterful pit stop by the Dave's-Triple burger crew. 

A hard-luck caution for drivers already struggling for title contention fell on lap 29. Zakk Miller blew an engine, spinning out in the racing groove directly into the path of Donald Stewart, Bink Lucas and Matt Raboin. Miller and Raboin would finish 40th and 43rd. Raboin becomes the first driver in Extravaganza Series history to follow up three top-3 finishes by finishing 40th or worse in the following three. Zakk Miller likewise earned his fifth-straight result outside of the top-30.

The race went on without any ensuing incident, with a long green flag run in the midst. The early part of the stint saw John Battista and Chaucney Redmond Jr. continue to swap the lead through lap 125. Unfortunately a flat right-front tire would force the #64 to pit, going two laps down with a recurring camber issue. Despite his 60 laps led, he would finish 34th on the night.

The applicably named #26 GameStop Toyota would take lead of the field on lap 126. His dominating run at the Southern 500 two weeks ago proved to be no fluke, dominating the entire stretch and finishing the evening with a race-most 134 laps led. The hobbled and beaten Alex Crapser was miraculously competitive as well, stealing three laps from the #26 in hopes that he could make it to the finish without relief help. He would finish 4th on the day despite the suffering, reclaiming "The only body part that didn't hurt was my neck. I have now won agony scorigami."

Another variety-filled Saturday night saw Jonathan Scrabacz dive into the fray, entering the event 33rd in points and only leading four laps on the season. The independent driver needed this run badly, failing to record a top-20 finish in six races or a top-10 finish since Martinsville in April. Other organzations have been looking to make room for him amongst their ranks but to no avail. He is willing to make the independent dream happen, and it worked tonight after leading the field for 47 laps

The #26 and #48 got trapped a lap down after a Zach Michael and Johnny Reed Foley accident in turn-1 brought out the caution flag, just after they made their pit stops. Their 181 laps led combined could only muster them 23rd and 24th place at the finish, with Rob Scarberry and Alex Crapser able to get their laps back after nearly falling to the same fate. For the title, Zach Michael entered the event second in points and the favorite to catch leader Ken Pettit for the Championship crown. It was not to be, failing to continue and earning a 39th place result.
 

Despite all the adversity during the first 300 laps, the top-3 drivers were inhereted to John Battista, Ryan Heuser and Tony Pizzaro after their veteran moves to stay on the racetrack. Heuser made his first bid for the lead on lap 342 and remained there for 16 laps, handing it off to the Fenway Frank Fusion. Pizzaro would take 16 laps of his own before giving the top-spot back to the #138.

Heuser and Pizzaro continued to swap positions before a lap 383 caution caused by Tony Gunk's blown motor solidified the final green flag stops. Out of the pits it was Heuser, Battista, then Pizzaro all geared up for a 110-lap showdown to the finish. Heuser would lead the entire first-half of the stint, while Pizzaro lost a left-front tire and was forced to pit, finishing in 28th place. His teammate and points leader Ken Pettit went for a spin on the backstretch, already two laps down and driving his way back to 22nd position by the end. He would maintain his strong points advantage despite the mid-pack result.

The final 50 laps saw the #39 and #138 pull ahead by over six seconds, meandering through lapped traffic as they battled for Bristol supremacy. Battista took the lead from the #138 with 30 laps remaining, maintaining the advantage for 8 circuits before relinquishing to Heuser again after having trouble with lapped traffic. With 9 laps to go, Battista would take the lead outright and pull away in line for his league-leading 7th victory of the season.

In immaculate style, John Battista was able to pull off another dominant 2023 performance after completing all 500 laps inside the top-12 for the entire event. It's the Wendy's #39's 7th victory of the year, and becoming the first team to eclipse the 1,000 lap led mark after his 107 on the night. He will jump to third in the standings just 68 points behind leader Ken Petit, and only three back of Ryan Heuser in search of his first career Extravaganza Championship crown. Congrats to John, crew chief Lew Money and the entire Lucas Racing organization for an excellent victory!

2023 Sharpie 500 Race Video