The 2023 Sport Clips Haircuts VFW Help a Hero 200 was the 25th stock car race of the 2023 NASCAR Xfinity Series, and the 41st iteration of the event. The race was held on Saturday, September 2, 2023, in Darlington, South Carolina at Darlington Raceway, a permanent egg-shaped racetrack. The race was scheduled to be contested over 147 laps, but was extended to 148 laps due to NASCAR overtime finish. Denny Hamlin, driving for Joe Gibbs Racing, would pull away with the lead on the final restart, and held off Austin Hill to earn his 18th career NASCAR Xfinity Series win, and his first of the season. John Hunter Nemechek, who finished in 3rd, would dominate the majority of the race, winning both stages and leading a race-high 99 laps. To fill out the podium, Hill, driving for Richard Childress Racing, and Nemechek, driving for Joe Gibbs Racing, would finish 2nd and 3rd, respectively.
Background Darlington Raceway is a race track built for NASCAR racing located near Darlington, South Carolina. It is nicknamed "The Lady in Black" and "The Track Too Tough to Tame" by many NASCAR fans and drivers and advertised as "A NASCAR Tradition." It is of a unique, somewhat egg-shaped design, an oval with the ends of very different configurations, a condition which supposedly arose from the proximity of one end of the track to a minnow pond the owner refused to relocate. This situation makes it very challenging for the crews to set up their cars' handling in a way that is effective at both ends.
Surface Issues Darlington Raceway was last repaved following the May 2007 meeting (from 2005 to 2019, there was only one meeting; the second meeting was reinstated in 2020), and from 2008 to 2019, there was one night race. In 2020, a day race returned to the schedule, and instead of two races (one Xfinity and one Cup) during the entire year, the track hosted six races (three Cup, two Xfinity, and one Truck). The circuit kept repairing the circuit with patches during each summer before the annual Cup race in September. The circuit's narrow Turn 2 rapidly deteriorated with cracks in the tarmac allowing water to seep in the circuit. In July 2021, the circuit repaved a six hundred foot section at the entrance of Turn 2 and ending at the exit of the turn to repair the tarmac and resolve the issue for safety and to reduce the threat of weepers and surface issues in that section of the circuit.
Entry list
(R) denotes rookie driver. (i) denotes driver who is ineligible for series driver points.
#DriverTeamMake00Cole CusterStewart-Haas RacingFord1Sam MayerJR MotorsportsChevrolet02Blaine Perkins (R)Our MotorsportsChevrolet2Sheldon CreedRichard Childress RacingChevrolet4Kyle WeathermanJD MotorsportsChevrolet6Brennan PooleJD MotorsportsChevrolet07Stefan ParsonsSS-Green Light RacingChevrolet7Justin AllgaierJR MotorsportsChevrolet08Chad FinchumSS-Green Light RacingFord8Josh BerryJR MotorsportsChevrolet9Brandon JonesJR MotorsportsChevrolet10Kyle Busch (i)Kaulig RacingChevrolet11Daniel HemricKaulig RacingChevrolet16Chandler Smith (R)Kaulig RacingChevrolet17Kyle Larson (i)Hendrick MotorsportsChevrolet18Sammy Smith (R)Joe Gibbs RacingToyota19Denny Hamlin (i)Joe Gibbs RacingToyota20John Hunter NemechekJoe Gibbs RacingToyota21Austin HillRichard Childress RacingChevrolet24Corey Heim (i)Sam Hunt RacingToyota25Brett MoffittAM RacingFord26Kaz GralaSam Hunt RacingToyota27Jeb BurtonJordan Anderson RacingChevrolet28Kyle SiegRSS RacingFord31Parker Retzlaff (R)Jordan Anderson RacingChevrolet35Patrick EmerlingEmerling-Gase MotorsportsChevrolet38Joe Graf Jr.RSS RacingFord39Ryan SiegRSS RacingFord43Ryan EllisAlpha Prime RacingChevrolet44Dawson CramAlpha Prime RacingChevrolet45Rajah Caruth (i)Alpha Prime RacingChevrolet48Parker KligermanBig Machine RacingChevrolet51Jeremy ClementsJeremy Clements RacingChevrolet53Matt Mills (i)Emerling-Gase MotorsportsToyota66Timmy Hill (i)MBM MotorsportsFord78Anthony AlfredoB. J. McLeod MotorsportsChevrolet91Ross Chastain (i)DGM RacingChevrolet92Josh WilliamsDGM RacingChevrolet98Riley HerbstStewart-Haas RacingFordOfficial entry list
Practice The first and only practice session was held on Saturday, September 2, at 10:35 AM EST, and would last for 20 minutes. Daniel Hemric, driving for Kaulig Racing, would set the fastest time in the session, with a lap of 29.672, and an average speed of . Pos.#DriverTeamMakeTimeSpeed1 11 Daniel Hemric Kaulig Racing Chevrolet29.672165.732248Parker KligermanBig Machine RacingChevrolet30.030163.75638Josh BerryJR MotorsportsChevrolet30.129163.218Full practice results
Qualifying Qualifying was held on Saturday, September 2, at 11:05 AM EST. Since Darlington Raceway is an intermediate racetrack, the qualifying system used is a single-car, one-lap system with only one round. In that round, whoever sets the fastest time will win the pole. John Hunter Nemechek, driving for Joe Gibbs Racing, would score the pole for the race, with a lap of 29.804, and an average speed of . Pos.#DriverTeamMakeTimeSpeed120John Hunter NemechekJoe Gibbs RacingToyota29.804164.998219Denny Hamlin (i)Joe Gibbs RacingToyota29.813164.94837Justin AllgaierJR MotorsportsChevrolet29.893164.507400Cole CusterStewart-Haas RacingFord29.898164.47951Sam MayerJR MotorsportsChevrolet29.926164.325611Daniel HemricKaulig RacingChevrolet29.953164.17778Josh BerryJR MotorsportsChevrolet30.049163.65389Brandon JonesJR MotorsportsChevrolet30.062163.582921Austin HillRichard Childress RacingChevrolet30.066163.5601016Chandler Smith (R)Kaulig RacingChevrolet30.085163.4571118Sammy Smith (R)Joe Gibbs RacingToyota30.086163.4511217Kyle Larson (i)Hendrick MotorsportsChevrolet30.112163.3101348Parker KligermanBig Machine RacingChevrolet30.115163.2941410Kyle Busch (i)Kaulig RacingChevrolet30.132163.2021598Riley HerbstStewart-Haas RacingFord30.133163.196162Sheldon CreedRichard Childress RacingChevrolet30.136163.1801724Corey Heim (i)Sam Hunt RacingToyota30.218162.7371825Brett MoffittAM RacingFord30.290162.3511931Parker Retzlaff (R)Jordan Anderson RacingChevrolet30.309162.2492039Ryan SiegRSS RacingFord30.388161.8272191Ross Chastain (i)DGM RacingChevrolet30.448161.5082245Rajah Caruth (i)Alpha Prime RacingChevrolet30.479161.3442378Anthony AlfredoB. J. McLeod MotorsportsChevrolet30.512161.1692427Jeb BurtonJordan Anderson RacingChevrolet30.533161.0592528Kyle SiegRSS RacingFord30.620160.6012651Jeremy ClementsJeremy Clements RacingChevrolet30.631160.5432707Stefan ParsonsSS-Green Light RacingChevrolet30.706160.151284Kyle WeathermanJD MotorsportsChevrolet30.772159.8082966Timmy Hill (i)MBM MotorsportsFord30.785159.7403026Kaz GralaSam Hunt RacingToyota30.790159.714316Brennan PooleJD MotorsportsChevrolet30.799159.6683253Matt Mills (i)Emerling-Gase MotorsportsToyota30.803159.6473308Chad FinchumSS-Green Light RacingFord30.852159.393Qualified by owner's points3438Joe Graf Jr.RSS RacingFord30.878159.2593502Blaine Perkins (R)Our MotorsportsChevrolet30.883159.2333643Ryan EllisAlpha Prime RacingChevrolet30.922159.0323792Josh WilliamsDGM RacingChevrolet31.229157.4693835Patrick EmerlingEmerling-Gase MotorsportsChevrolet31.744154.914Failed to qualify3944Dawson CramAlpha Prime RacingChevrolet30.942158.930Official qualifying resultsOfficial starting lineup
Race results Stage 1 Laps: 45 Pos.#DriverTeamMakePts120John Hunter NemechekJoe Gibbs RacingToyota10219Denny Hamlin (i)Joe Gibbs RacingToyota0317Kyle Larson (i)Hendrick MotorsportsChevrolet047Justin AllgaierJR MotorsportsChevrolet7500Cole CusterStewart-Haas RacingFord6621Austin HillRichard Childress RacingChevrolet5711Daniel HemricKaulig RacingChevrolet4810Kyle Busch (i)Kaulig RacingChevrolet0916Chandler Smith (R)Kaulig RacingChevrolet21098Riley HerbstStewart-Haas RacingFord1 Stage 2 Laps: 45 Pos.#DriverTeamMakePts120John Hunter NemechekJoe Gibbs RacingToyota10221Austin HillRichard Childress RacingChevrolet9317Kyle Larson (i)Hendrick MotorsportsChevrolet0419Denny Hamlin (i)Joe Gibbs RacingToyota057Justin AllgaierJR MotorsportsChevrolet6600Cole CusterStewart-Haas RacingFord5716Chandler Smith (R)Kaulig RacingChevrolet4831Parker Retzlaff (R)Jordan Anderson RacingChevrolet3998Riley HerbstStewart-Haas RacingFord21011Daniel HemricKaulig RacingChevrolet1 Stage 3 Laps: 58 Pos.St#DriverTeamMakeLapsLedStatusPts1219Denny Hamlin (i)Joe Gibbs RacingToyota14814Running02921Austin HillRichard Childress RacingChevrolet14829Running493120John Hunter NemechekJoe Gibbs RacingToyota14899Running544400Cole CusterStewart-Haas RacingFord1480Running44578Josh BerryJR MotorsportsChevrolet1480Running3261598Riley HerbstStewart-Haas RacingFord1480Running34737Justin AllgaierJR MotorsportsChevrolet1480Running438162Sheldon CreedRichard Childress RacingChevrolet1480Running2991410Kyle Busch (i)Kaulig RacingChevrolet1480Running010611Daniel HemricKaulig RacingChevrolet1480Running321151Sam MayerJR MotorsportsChevrolet1480Running26121016Chandler Smith (R)Kaulig RacingChevrolet1480Running31131931Parker Retzlaff (R)Jordan Anderson RacingChevrolet1485Running271489Brandon JonesJR MotorsportsChevrolet1480Running23151724Corey Heim (i)Sam Hunt RacingToyota1480Running0162245Rajah Caruth (i)Alpha Prime RacingChevrolet1480Running0171118Sammy Smith (R)Joe Gibbs RacingToyota1480Running20182427Jeb BurtonJordan Anderson RacingChevrolet1480Running19192707Stefan ParsonsSS-Green Light RacingChevrolet1480Running1820316Brennan PooleJD MotorsportsChevrolet1480Running17212651Jeremy ClementsJeremy Clements RacingChevrolet1480Running16223308Chad FinchumSS-Green Light RacingFord1480Running15232191Ross Chastain (i)DGM RacingChevrolet1480Running0241348Parker KligermanBig Machine RacingChevrolet1480Running13251825Brett MoffittAM RacingFord1480Running12263438Joe Graf Jr.RSS RacingFord1480Running11273253Matt Mills (i)Emerling-Gase MotorsportsToyota1480Running0283026Kaz GralaSam Hunt RacingToyota1480Running9293643Ryan EllisAlpha Prime RacingChevrolet1480Running8302039Ryan SiegRSS RacingFord1480Running731284Kyle WeathermanJD MotorsportsChevrolet1480Running6322966Timmy Hill (i)MBM MotorsportsFord1480Running0332378Anthony AlfredoB. J. McLeod MotorsportsChevrolet1470Running4343502Blaine Perkins (R)Our MotorsportsChevrolet1470Running3352528Kyle SiegRSS RacingFord1470Running2363835Patrick EmerlingEmerling-Gase MotorsportsChevrolet1450Running1373792Josh WilliamsDGM RacingChevrolet1430Running1381217Kyle Larson (i)Hendrick MotorsportsChevrolet1171Running0Official race results
Standings after the race
Drivers' Championship standings Pos Driver Points 1 Austin Hill 968 1 2 John Hunter Nemechek 945 (-23) 1 3 Justin Allgaier 935 (–33) 4 Cole Custer 861 (–107) 5 Sam Mayer 781 (–187) 6 Josh Berry 765 (–203) 7 Sheldon Creed 712 (–256) 8 Daniel Hemric 711 (–257) 9 Chandler Smith 706 (–262) 1 10 Riley Herbst 657 (–311) 1 11 Parker Kligerman 656 (–312) 12 Sammy Smith 629 (–339)Official driver's standings
Note: Only the first 12 positions are included for the driver standings.
References