2023 NOCO 400
The 2023 NOCO 400 was a NASCAR Cup Series race held on April 16, 2023, at Martinsville Speedway in Ridgeway, Virginia. Contested over 400 laps on the 0.526 mile (0.847 km) paperclip-shaped short track; it was the ninth race of the 2023 NASCAR Cup Series season.
| Race details[1][2][3][4][5][6][7][8][9] | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Race 9 of 36 in the 2023 NASCAR Cup Series | |||
 | |||
| Date | April 16, 2023 | ||
| Location | Martinsville Speedway in Ridgeway, Virginia | ||
| Course |
Permanent racing facility 0.526 mi (0.847 km) | ||
| Distance | 400 laps, 210.4 mi (338.8 km) | ||
| Average speed | 74.005 miles per hour (119.100 km/h) | ||
| Pole position | |||
| Driver | Stewart-Haas Racing | ||
| Time | 19.979 | ||
| Most laps led | |||
| Driver | Ryan Preece | Stewart-Haas Racing | |
| Laps | 136 | ||
| Winner | |||
| No. 5 | Kyle Larson | Hendrick Motorsports | |
| Television in the United States | |||
| Network | FS1 | ||
| Announcers | Mike Joy, Clint Bowyer, and Bobby Labonte | ||
| Radio in the United States | |||
| Radio | MRN | ||
| Booth Announcers | Alex Hayden, Jeff Striegle, and Todd Gordon | ||
| Turn Announcers | Dave Moody (Backstretch) | ||
Report
Background
Martinsville Speedway is an NASCAR-owned stock car racing track located in Henry County, in Ridgeway, Virginia, just to the south of Martinsville. At 0.526 miles (0.847 km) in length, it is the shortest track in the NASCAR Cup Series. The track was also one of the first paved oval tracks in NASCAR, being built in 1947 by H. Clay Earles. It is also the only remaining race track on the NASCAR circuit since its beginning in 1948.
This race saw the return of Chase Elliott, after he missed the prior six races after an injury from a skiing accident.
Entry list
- (R) denotes rookie driver.
- (i) denotes the driver ineligible for series driver points.
Practice
Tyler Reddick was the fastest in the practice session with a time of 20.217 seconds and a speed of 93.664 mph (150.738 km/h).[10]
Practice results
| Pos | No. | Driver | Team | Manufacturer | Time | Speed |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 45 | Tyler Reddick | 23XI Racing | Toyota | 20.217 | 93.664 |
| 2 | 24 | William Byron | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | 20.395 | 92.846 |
| 3 | 1 | Ross Chastain | Trackhouse Racing | Chevrolet | 20.397 | 92.837 |
| Official practice results | ||||||
Qualifying
Ryan Preece scored the pole for the race with a time of 19.979 and a speed of 94.780 mph (152.534 km/h).[11]
Qualifying results
Race
Stage Results
Stage One Laps: 80
| Pos | No | Driver | Team | Manufacturer | Points |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 41 | Ryan Preece | Stewart-Haas Racing | Ford | 10 |
| 2 | 10 | Aric Almirola | Stewart-Haas Racing | Ford | 9 |
| 3 | 45 | Tyler Reddick | 23XI Racing | Toyota | 8 |
| 4 | 99 | Daniel Suárez | Trackhouse Racing | Chevrolet | 7 |
| 5 | 14 | Chase Briscoe | Stewart-Haas Racing | Ford | 6 |
| 6 | 4 | Kevin Harvick | Stewart-Haas Racing | Ford | 5 |
| 7 | 23 | Bubba Wallace | 23XI Racing | Toyota | 4 |
| 8 | 11 | Denny Hamlin | Joe Gibbs Racing | Toyota | 3 |
| 9 | 5 | Kyle Larson | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | 2 |
| 10 | 24 | William Byron | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | 1 |
| Official stage one results | |||||
Stage Two Laps: 100
| Pos | No | Driver | Team | Manufacturer | Points |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 4 | Kevin Harvick | Stewart-Haas Racing | Ford | 10 |
| 2 | 14 | Chase Briscoe | Stewart-Haas Racing | Ford | 9 |
| 3 | 11 | Denny Hamlin | Joe Gibbs Racing | Toyota | 8 |
| 4 | 45 | Tyler Reddick | 23XI Racing | Toyota | 7 |
| 5 | 6 | Brad Keselowski | RFK Racing | Ford | 6 |
| 6 | 1 | Ross Chastain | Trackhouse Racing | Chevrolet | 5 |
| 7 | 38 | Todd Gilliland | Front Row Motorsports | Ford | 4 |
| 8 | 99 | Daniel Suárez | Trackhouse Racing | Chevrolet | 3 |
| 9 | 10 | Aric Almirola | Stewart-Haas Racing | Ford | 2 |
| 10 | 5 | Kyle Larson | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | 1 |
| Official stage two results | |||||
Final Stage Results
Stage Three Laps: 220
| Pos | Grid | No | Driver | Team | Manufacturer | Laps | Points |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 19 | 5 | Kyle Larson | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | 400 | 43 |
| 2 | 15 | 22 | Joey Logano | Team Penske | Ford | 400 | 35 |
| 3 | 5 | 19 | Martin Truex Jr. | Joe Gibbs Racing | Toyota | 400 | 34 |
| 4 | 11 | 11 | Denny Hamlin | Joe Gibbs Racing | Toyota | 400 | 44 |
| 5 | 4 | 14 | Chase Briscoe | Stewart-Haas Racing | Ford | 400 | 47 |
| 6 | 3 | 10 | Aric Almirola | Stewart-Haas Racing | Ford | 400 | 42 |
| 7 | 31 | 12 | Ryan Blaney | Team Penske | Ford | 400 | 30 |
| 8 | 16 | 47 | Ricky Stenhouse Jr. | JTG Daugherty Racing | Chevrolet | 400 | 29 |
| 9 | 9 | 23 | Bubba Wallace | 23XI Racing | Toyota | 400 | 32 |
| 10 | 24 | 9 | Chase Elliott | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | 400 | 27 |
| 11 | 23 | 48 | Alex Bowman | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | 400 | 26 |
| 12 | 18 | 3 | Austin Dillon | Richard Childress Racing | Chevrolet | 400 | -35 |
| 13 | 34 | 1 | Ross Chastain | Trackhouse Racing | Chevrolet | 400 | 29 |
| 14 | 10 | 17 | Chris Buescher | RFK Racing | Ford | 400 | 23 |
| 15 | 1 | 41 | Ryan Preece | Stewart-Haas Racing | Ford | 400 | 32 |
| 16 | 22 | 20 | Christopher Bell | Joe Gibbs Racing | Toyota | 400 | 21 |
| 17 | 2 | 99 | Daniel Suárez | Trackhouse Racing | Chevrolet | 400 | 30 |
| 18 | 12 | 54 | Ty Gibbs (R) | Joe Gibbs Racing | Toyota | 400 | 19 |
| 19 | 20 | 34 | Michael McDowell | Front Row Motorsports | Ford | 400 | 18 |
| 20 | 7 | 4 | Kevin Harvick | Stewart-Haas Racing | Ford | 400 | 32 |
| 21 | 17 | 8 | Kyle Busch | Richard Childress Racing | Chevrolet | 400 | 16 |
| 22 | 6 | 45 | Tyler Reddick | 23XI Racing | Toyota | 400 | 30 |
| 23 | 8 | 24 | William Byron | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | 400 | 15 |
| 24 | 21 | 6 | Brad Keselowski | RFK Racing | Ford | 400 | 19 |
| 25 | 13 | 38 | Todd Gilliland | Front Row Motorsports | Ford | 399 | 16 |
| 26 | 27 | 7 | Corey LaJoie | Spire Motorsports | Chevrolet | 399 | 11 |
| 27 | 14 | 16 | A. J. Allmendinger | Kaulig Racing | Chevrolet | 399 | 10 |
| 28 | 26 | 31 | Justin Haley | Kaulig Racing | Chevrolet | 398 | 9 |
| 29 | 32 | 21 | Harrison Burton | Wood Brothers Racing | Ford | 398 | 8 |
| 30 | 29 | 42 | Noah Gragson (R) | Legacy Motor Club | Chevrolet | 398 | 7 |
| 31 | 28 | 43 | Erik Jones | Legacy Motor Club | Chevrolet | 398 | 6 |
| 32 | 35 | 77 | Ty Dillon | Spire Motorsports | Chevrolet | 397 | 5 |
| 33 | 25 | 2 | Austin Cindric | Team Penske | Ford | 397 | 4 |
| 34 | 33 | 51 | Zane Smith (i) | Rick Ware Racing | Ford | 395 | 0 |
| 35 | 30 | 78 | Anthony Alfredo (i) | Live Fast Motorsports | Chevrolet | 390 | 0 |
| 36 | 36 | 15 | J. J. Yeley (i) | Rick Ware Racing | Ford | 337 | 0 |
| Official race results | |||||||
Race statistics
- Lead changes: 10 among 9 different drivers
- Cautions/Laps: 5 for 50 laps
- Red flags: 0
- Time of race: 2 hours, 50 minutes, and 35 seconds
- Average speed: 74.005 miles per hour (119.100 km/h)
Media
Television
Fox Sports covered their 23rd race at the Martinsville Speedway. Mike Joy, 2018 Spring Martinsville winner Clint Bowyer and 2002 Spring Martinsville winner Bobby Labonte called the race from the broadcast booth. Jamie Little and Regan Smith handled the pit road for the television side. Larry McReynolds provided insight from the Fox Sports studio in Charlotte.
| FS1 | ||
|---|---|---|
| Booth announcers | Pit reporters | In-race analyst |
| Lap-by-lap: Mike Joy Color-commentator: Clint Bowyer Color-commentator: Bobby Labonte | Jamie Little Regan Smith | Larry McReynolds |
Radio
MRN had the radio call for the race, which was also simulcasted on Sirius XM NASCAR Radio. Alex Hayden, Jeff Striegle, and Todd Gordon called the race in the booth when the field races down the front stretch. Dave Moody called the race from a platform inside the backstretch when the field races down the backstretch. Steve Post, Kim Coon, and Dillon Welch worked the pit road for the radio side.
| MRN | ||
|---|---|---|
| Booth announcers | Turn announcers | Pit reporters |
| Lead announcer: Alex Hayden Announcer: Jeff Striegle Announcer: Todd Gordon | Backstretch: Dave Moody | Steve Post Kim Coon Dillon Welch |
Standings after the race
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References
- "2023 schedule". Jayski.com. Jayski's Silly Season Site. Retrieved October 10, 2022.
- "Martinsville Speedway". NASCAR.com. NASCAR Media Group, LLC. January 3, 2013. Archived from the original on April 25, 2017. Retrieved March 20, 2023.
- Taranto, Steven (14 September 2022). "NASCAR releases 2023 Cup Series schedule highlighted by new Chicago, All-Star race stops". CBS Broadcasting Inc. Retrieved 20 March 2023.
- "NASCAR unveils 2023 schedule for its national series". National Association for Stock Car Auto Racing, LLC. 14 September 2022. Retrieved 20 March 2023.
- "Entry List" (PDF). Jayski.com. Jayski's Silly Season Site. April 10, 2023. Retrieved April 10, 2023.
- "Practice Results". NASCAR.com. NASCAR Media Group, LLC. April 15, 2023. Retrieved April 15, 2023.
- "Qualifying Results". NASCAR.com. NASCAR Media Group, LLC. April 15, 2023. Retrieved April 15, 2023.
- "NOCO 400 Results". NASCAR.com. NASCAR. April 16, 2023. Retrieved April 16, 2023.
- "Points standings" (PDF). Jayski.com. Jayski's Silly Season Site. April 16, 2023. Retrieved April 16, 2023.
- Utter, Jim (April 15, 2023). "Reddick leads Byron in NASCAR Cup practice at Martinsville". Motorsport.com. Ridgeway, Virginia: Motorsport Network. Retrieved April 15, 2023.
- Utter, Jim (April 15, 2023). "Preece rockets to first career NASCAR Cup pole at Martinsville". Motorsport.com. Ridgeway, Virginia: Motorsport Network. Retrieved April 15, 2023.