NASCAR 2023 Texas Recap

The opening round of the Xfinity Series playoffs continued on at Texas, while the Cup Series Round of 12 began in what was a scorcher on and off the track.

In Saturday’s Andy’s Frozen Custard 300 NASCAR Xfinity Series race at Texas Motor Speedway, it was John Hunter Nemechek showcasing why he may be the one to beat for the Championship. Nemechek cruised to his seventh win of the season after making the winning pass with seven laps to go. Despite leading 38 of the 200 laps, Nemechek had to hold off fellow playoff contender Parker Kligerman for the win.

Nemechek was guided to the win after Kligerman and Justin Allgaier, who led for 138 laps and swept both stages, were battling side-by-side for the lead. Then Allgaier got loose while battling Kligerman and drifted up the track with ten laps to go. Kligerman was able to take the lead but was unable to hold off a charging John Hunter Nemechek.

Nemechek’s teammate Sammy Smith finished third, followed by Chandler Smith and Justin Allgaier to complete the top five.

“I messed up that restart, but I knew I had to push hard and try to recover right there, and man, hats off to this team, Joe Gibbs Racing, it’s been amazing what we’ve been able to accomplish this year, and we’re not done yet,” said Nemechek after the race.

“We’re preparing for the Round of 8,” he added. “My goal coming into today was to lock ourselves into the next round. Our road courses haven’t been that great for myself. Joe Gibbs, as an organization, has been really good on road courses. But going into the Charlotte Roval and hot having to worry about that is definitely a relief.”

Despite being disappointed, Kligerman leaves Texas one point above the elimination line for the playoffs.

“Had a great run, got to him [Allgaier], and I don’t know how much we got squeezed or didn’t. I thought I could clear him super easily, but I got super loose,” he said. “Feels like I got choked, he says he gave a lot of room. I’ll have to look at it.”

“I’m really disappointed right now,” Kligerman added. “I could see that one, I could feel it. That was the best restart I’ve ever had in my life, put us in perfect position, and had the tire advantage, just choked. This one will hurt, but we’ll go make up for it next weekend.”

Nemechek and Allgaier have secured spots for the Round of 8, as well as Cole Custer as he clinched a spot via points. Austin Hill holds a 44-point edge above the elimination line, while Chandler Smith is up by 32, Sammy Smith up by 18, and Sheldon Creed up by nine. Parker Kligerman holds the final spot by one point over Daniel Hemric, while Jeb Burton (-19), Josh Berry (-27), and Sam Mayer (-34) are under the elimination line, as Burton, Berry, and Mayer were all involved in wrecks in the race.

William Byron also showcased in Sunday’s Autotrader EchoPark Automotive 400 that he could be the one to beat for the Championship after he took the lead with six laps to go and held off the field to get his sixth win of the 2023 season.

This win also marks a historic 300th victory for Hendrick Motorsports, the most out of any Cup Series team in history, as Byron clinches a spot in the Round of 8. Ross Chastain went on the finish second, while Bubba Wallace, Christopher Bell, and Denny Hamlin rounded out the top five.

“I finally got a good restart at the end and number 300 for Hendrick Motorsports, but [teammate] Kyle [Larson] really deserved this one, I’ve got to say, those guys were really fast all day, and I hate it for them in the end,” Byron said after the race, mentioning Larson’s dominant performance that resulted in a late wreck that took him out of the race.

“But man, it was awesome getting this car to the front. My car loved clean air. We just fought through traffic all day. My Liberty University Chevrolet was just tight back in traffic but had a good pace. … it was a grind-it-out day, and our team was there at the end, and I’m really proud of this one as hot as it was, it was tough. We’ll take it and go on to the next round.”

Bubba Wallace led triple-digit laps in the race after starting from the pole and having a career day, despite feeling disappointed with the result.

“Just choked,” Wallace said. “My worst restart (of the day). Hate it for my team, hate it for [sponsor] McDonald’s. We deserved to be in Victory Lane, but nothing’s ever guaranteed, you have to go out and fight for it and not give it away, and that’s what I did.”

“We struggled a little in traffic but kept our heads in the game, made great strategy calls all day, and had track position. So, good points day.”

Kyle Larson had led for 99 laps as he and Wallace were battling for the lead with 19 laps to go. Larson then got lost, lost control, and slammed into the wall in turns one and two, taking him out of the race.

“We just went in there side by side, and I lost it,” said Larson, who finished 31st. “Pretty bummed, but happy for William and Mr. H. 300 Cup series wins is incredible and a great night overall for our organization.”

Denny Hamlin sits in second in the playoff standings, as he is 37 points above the elimination line. Chris Buescher is 22 points above, Bell is 20 above, Martin Truex Jr. is 19 above, Ross Chastain is 12 above, Keselowski is 8 above, and Larson is 2 above. Bubba Wallace is two points below the elimination line while Tyler Reddick sits three points below, Blaney is down by 11, and Kyle Busch is down by 17.

The Xfinity Series will be back in action in two weeks at the Charlotte Roval, while the Cup Series and Truck Series will race at Talladega next weekend.