2023 Beef. It's What's for Dinner. 300

2023 Beef. It's What's for Dinner. 300

Race details
Race 1 of 33 of the 2023 NASCAR Xfinity Series
Date	February 18, 2023
Official name	42nd Annual Beef. It's What's for Dinner. 300
Location	Daytona International Speedway, Daytona Beach, Florida
Course	Permanent racing facility 2.5 mi (4.0 km)
Distance	125 laps, 312 mi (502 km)
Scheduled Distance	120 laps, 300 mi (480 km)
Average speed	132.524 mph (213.277 km/h)
Pole position
Driver	Austin Hill	Richard Childress Racing
Time	49.298
Most laps led
Driver	Austin Hill	Richard Childress Racing
Laps	39
Winner
No. 21	Austin Hill	Richard Childress Racing
Television in the United States
Network	FS1
Announcers	Adam Alexander, Austin Dillon, and Ryan Blaney
Radio in the United States
Radio	MRN

The 2023 Beef. It's What's for Dinner. 300 was the 1st stock car race of the 2023 NASCAR Xfinity Series, and the 42nd iteration of the event. The race was held on Saturday, February 18, 2023, in Daytona Beach, Florida, at Daytona International Speedway, a 2.5 miles (4.0 km) permanent tri-oval shaped superspeedway. The race was scheduled to be contested over 120 laps, but due to a NASCAR overtime finish, it was increased to 125 laps. Austin Hill, driving for Richard Childress Racing, would win the race after leading when the final caution came out on the last lap. This was Hill's third career NASCAR Xfinity Series win, and his first of the season. Hill would dominate the race as well, leading 39 laps.^[1] To fill out the podium, John Hunter Nemechek, driving for Joe Gibbs Racing, and Justin Allgaier, driving for JR Motorsports, would finish 2nd and 3rd, respectively.

Background

Daytona International Speedway is one of three superspeedways to hold NASCAR races, the other two being Atlanta Motor Speedway and Talladega Superspeedway.^[2] The standard track at Daytona International Speedway is a four-turn superspeedway that is 2.5 miles (4.0 km) long.^[3] The track's turns are banked at 31 degrees, while the front stretch, the location of the finish line, is banked at 18 degrees.^[3]

Entry list

• (R) denotes rookie driver.
• (i) denotes a driver who is ineligible for series driver points.

Practice

The first and only practice session was held on Friday, February 17, at 4:35 PM EST, and would last for 50 minutes.^[4] Myatt Snider, driving for Joe Gibbs Racing, would set the fastest time in the session, with a lap of 47.965, and an average speed of 187.637 mph (301.972 km/h).^[5]

Qualifying

Qualifying was held on Saturday, February 18, at 11:30 AM EST.^[4] Since Daytona International Speedway is a superspeedway, the qualifying system used is a single-car, single-lap system with two rounds. In the first round, drivers have one lap to set a time. The fastest ten drivers from the first round move on to the second round. Whoever sets the fastest time in Round 2 wins the pole.^[6]

Austin Hill, driving for Richard Childress Racing, would win the pole after advancing from the preliminary round and setting the fastest lap in Round 2, with a lap of 49.298, and an average speed of 182.563 mph (293.807 km/h).^[7]

Six drivers would fail to qualify: Dexter Stacey, Josh Bilicki, Garrett Smithley, Timmy Hill, Ryan Vargas, and Alex Labbé.

Race results

Stage 1 Laps: 30

Stage 2 Laps: 30

Stage 3 Laps: 65

Notes

Standings after the race

Drivers' Championship standings Pos Driver Points 1 Austin Hill 58 2 Justin Allgaier 52 (-6) 3 John Hunter Nemechek 40 (–18) 4 Riley Herbst 35 (–23) 5 Chandler Smith 34 (–24) 6 Parker Retzlaff 33 (–25) 7 Myatt Snider 33 (–25) 8 Jeb Burton 33 (–25) 9 Joe Graf Jr. 30 (–28) 10 Cole Custer 30 (–28) 11 Brandon Jones 30 (–28) 12 Ryan Sieg 29 (–29) Official driver's standings Note: Only the first 12 positions are included for the driver standings.

References