The 2023 Explore the Pocono Mountains 225 was the 19th stock car race of the 2023 NASCAR Xfinity Series, and the 29th iteration of the event. The race was held on Saturday, July 22, 2023, in Long Pond, Pennsylvania at Pocono Raceway, a 2.0 miles (3.2 km) permanent triangular-shaped racetrack. The race was originally scheduled to be contested over 90 laps, but was extended to 92 laps due to a NASCAR overtime finish. Austin Hill, driving for Richard Childress Racing, would have a wild battle with Josh Berry on the final lap, and held on to win the race after the final caution came out. This was Hill's sixth career NASCAR Xfinity Series win, and his fourth of the season.[1] Berry had dominated the entire race, leading a race-high 51 laps, until he hit the wall on the final lap, dropping him back to the 24th position.[2] To fill out the podium, Sam Mayer, driving for JR Motorsports, and Chase Elliott, driving for Hendrick Motorsports, would finish 2nd and 3rd, respectively.
| Race details | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Race 19 of 33 of the 2023 NASCAR Xfinity Series | |||
 | |||
| Date | July 22, 2023 | ||
| Official name | 8th Annual Explore the Pocono Mountains 225 | ||
| Location | Pocono Raceway, Long Pond, Pennsylvania | ||
| Course |
Permanent racing facility 2.5 mi (4.0 km) | ||
| Distance | 92 laps, 230 mi (370 km) | ||
| Scheduled Distance | 90 laps, 225 mi (362 km) | ||
| Average speed | 122.922 mph (197.824 km/h) | ||
| Pole position | |||
| Driver | JR Motorsports | ||
| Time | 53.587 | ||
| Most laps led | |||
| Driver | Josh Berry | JR Motorsports | |
| Laps | 51 | ||
| Winner | |||
| No. 21 | Austin Hill | Richard Childress Racing | |
| Television in the United States | |||
| Network | USA | ||
| Announcers | Rick Allen, Steve Letarte, and Dale Earnhardt Jr. | ||
| Radio in the United States | |||
| Radio | MRN | ||
Background
editPocono Raceway is a 2.5-mile (4.0 km) oval speedway located in Long Pond, Pennsylvania, which has hosted NASCAR racing annually since the early 1970s. Nicknamed "The Tricky Triangle", the speedway has three distinct corners and is known for high speeds along its lengthy straightaways.
From 1982 to 2019, the circuit had two race weekends. In 2020, the circuit was reduced to one race meeting of two races. The first race was moved to World Wide Technology Raceway near St. Louis starting in 2022.
Entry list
edit- (R) denotes rookie driver.
- (i) denotes driver who is ineligible for series driver points.
Practice
editThe first and only practice session was held on Friday, July 21, at 3:35 PM EST, and would last for 20 minutes.[3] Justin Allgaier, driving for JR Motorsports, would set the fastest time in the session, with a lap of 54.721, and an average speed of 164.471 mph (264.690 km/h).[4]
| Pos. | # | Driver | Team | Make | Time | Speed |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 7 | Justin Allgaier | JR Motorsports | Chevrolet | 54.721 | 164.471 |
| 2 | 00 | Cole Custer | Stewart-Haas Racing | Ford | 54.743 | 164.405 |
| 3 | 21 | Austin Hill | Richard Childress Racing | Chevrolet | 54.816 | 164.186 |
| Full practice results | ||||||
Qualifying
editQualifying was held on Friday, July 21, at 4:05 PM EST.[3] Since Pocono Raceway is a superspeedway, 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.[5] Josh Berry, driving for JR Motorsports, would score the pole for the race, with a lap of 53.587, and an average speed of 167.951 mph (270.291 km/h).[6]
Race results
editStage 1 Laps: 20
| Pos. | # | Driver | Team | Make | Pts |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 8 | Josh Berry | JR Motorsports | Chevrolet | 10 |
| 2 | 11 | Daniel Hemric | Kaulig Racing | Chevrolet | 9 |
| 3 | 20 | John Hunter Nemechek | Joe Gibbs Racing | Toyota | 8 |
| 4 | 18 | Sammy Smith (R) | Joe Gibbs Racing | Toyota | 7 |
| 5 | 2 | Sheldon Creed | Richard Childress Racing | Chevrolet | 6 |
| 6 | 9 | Brandon Jones | JR Motorsports | Chevrolet | 5 |
| 7 | 1 | Sam Mayer | JR Motorsports | Chevrolet | 4 |
| 8 | 7 | Justin Allgaier | JR Motorsports | Chevrolet | 3 |
| 9 | 19 | Connor Mosack (R) | Joe Gibbs Racing | Toyota | 2 |
| 10 | 21 | Austin Hill | Richard Childress Racing | Chevrolet | 1 |
Stage 2 Laps: 20
| Pos. | # | Driver | Team | Make | Pts |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 8 | Josh Berry | JR Motorsports | Chevrolet | 10 |
| 2 | 7 | Justin Allgaier | JR Motorsports | Chevrolet | 9 |
| 3 | 20 | John Hunter Nemechek | Joe Gibbs Racing | Toyota | 8 |
| 4 | 9 | Brandon Jones | JR Motorsports | Chevrolet | 7 |
| 5 | 00 | Cole Custer | Stewart-Haas Racing | Ford | 6 |
| 6 | 18 | Sammy Smith (R) | Joe Gibbs Racing | Toyota | 5 |
| 7 | 1 | Sam Mayer | JR Motorsports | Chevrolet | 4 |
| 8 | 98 | Riley Herbst | Stewart-Haas Racing | Ford | 3 |
| 9 | 11 | Daniel Hemric | Kaulig Racing | Chevrolet | 2 |
| 10 | 16 | Chandler Smith (R) | Kaulig Racing | Chevrolet | 1 |
Stage 3 Laps: 52
| Pos.[7] | St | # | Driver | Team | Make | Laps | Led | Status | Pts |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 11 | 21 | Austin Hill | Richard Childress Racing | Chevrolet | 92 | 2 | Running | 41 |
| 2 | 8 | 1 | Sam Mayer | JR Motorsports | Chevrolet | 92 | 0 | Running | 43 |
| 3 | 13 | 17 | Chase Elliott (i) | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | 92 | 9 | Running | 0 |
| 4 | 21 | 98 | Riley Herbst | Stewart-Haas Racing | Ford | 92 | 3 | Running | 36 |
| 5 | 2 | 11 | Daniel Hemric | Kaulig Racing | Chevrolet | 92 | 0 | Running | 43 |
| 6 | 6 | 18 | Sammy Smith (R) | Joe Gibbs Racing | Toyota | 92 | 0 | Running | 43 |
| 7 | 7 | 9 | Brandon Jones | JR Motorsports | Chevrolet | 92 | 12 | Running | 42 |
| 8 | 18 | 25 | Brett Moffitt | AM Racing | Ford | 92 | 0 | Running | 29 |
| 9 | 22 | 48 | Parker Kligerman | Big Machine Racing | Chevrolet | 92 | 0 | Running | 28 |
| 10 | 23 | 10 | Daniel Suárez (i) | Kaulig Racing | Chevrolet | 92 | 5 | Running | 0 |
| 11 | 3 | 2 | Sheldon Creed | Richard Childress Racing | Chevrolet | 92 | 0 | Running | 32 |
| 12 | 12 | 27 | Jeb Burton | Jordan Anderson Racing | Chevrolet | 92 | 0 | Running | 25 |
| 13 | 26 | 78 | Anthony Alfredo | B. J. McLeod Motorsports | Chevrolet | 92 | 0 | Running | 24 |
| 14 | 25 | 3 | Ty Dillon (i) | Richard Childress Racing | Chevrolet | 92 | 0 | Running | 0 |
| 15 | 14 | 51 | Jeremy Clements | Jeremy Clements Racing | Chevrolet | 92 | 0 | Running | 22 |
| 16 | 20 | 28 | Kyle Sieg | RSS Racing | Ford | 92 | 0 | Running | 21 |
| 17 | 30 | 38 | Joe Graf Jr. | RSS Racing | Ford | 92 | 0 | Running | 20 |
| 18 | 27 | 43 | Ryan Ellis | Alpha Prime Racing | Chevrolet | 92 | 0 | Running | 19 |
| 19 | 35 | 45 | Jeffrey Earnhardt | Alpha Prime Racing | Chevrolet | 92 | 0 | Running | 18 |
| 20 | 16 | 16 | Chandler Smith (R) | Kaulig Racing | Chevrolet | 92 | 0 | Running | 18 |
| 21 | 34 | 4 | Garrett Smithley | JD Motorsports | Chevrolet | 92 | 0 | Running | 16 |
| 22 | 17 | 39 | Ryan Sieg | RSS Racing | Ford | 92 | 0 | Running | 15 |
| 23 | 9 | 7 | Justin Allgaier | JR Motorsports | Chevrolet | 92 | 8 | Running | 26 |
| 24 | 1 | 8 | Josh Berry | JR Motorsports | Chevrolet | 91 | 51 | Running | 33 |
| 25 | 24 | 26 | Kaz Grala | Sam Hunt Racing | Toyota | 91 | 0 | Running | 12 |
| 26 | 36 | 53 | Patrick Emerling | Emerling-Gase Motorsports | Chevrolet | 91 | 0 | Running | 11 |
| 27 | 38 | 02 | Blaine Perkins (R) | Our Motorsports | Chevrolet | 91 | 0 | Running | 10 |
| 28 | 32 | 08 | Alex Labbé | SS-Green Light Racing | Ford | 91 | 0 | Running | 9 |
| 29 | 31 | 6 | Brennan Poole | JD Motorsports | Chevrolet | 91 | 0 | Running | 8 |
| 30 | 33 | 91 | Chad Chastain (i) | DGM Racing | Chevrolet | 91 | 0 | Running | 0 |
| 31 | 37 | 35 | Joey Gase | Emerling-Gase Motorsports | Chevrolet | 90 | 0 | Running | 6 |
| 32 | 5 | 20 | John Hunter Nemechek | Joe Gibbs Racing | Toyota | 89 | 0 | Running | 21 |
| 33 | 10 | 00 | Cole Custer | Stewart-Haas Racing | Ford | 87 | 2 | Running | 10 |
| 34 | 4 | 19 | Connor Mosack (R) | Joe Gibbs Racing | Toyota | 85 | 0 | Accident | 5 |
| 35 | 19 | 31 | Parker Retzlaff (R) | Jordan Anderson Racing | Chevrolet | 84 | 0 | Running | 2 |
| 36 | 28 | 92 | Josh Williams | DGM Racing | Chevrolet | 82 | 0 | Running | 1 |
| 37 | 15 | 24 | Corey Heim (i) | Sam Hunt Racing | Toyota | 81 | 0 | Suspension | 0 |
| 38 | 29 | 44 | Sage Karam | Alpha Prime Racing | Chevrolet | 7 | 0 | Transmission | 1 |
| Official race results | |||||||||
Standings after the race
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References
edit- ^ Skala, Chris (July 22, 2023). "Austin Hill Steals Pocono Xfinity Win in Overtime". Frontstretch. Retrieved July 22, 2023.
- ^ Tylwalk, Nick (July 22, 2023). "Josh Berry on Late Pocono Wreck: 'It Definitely Wasn't Sam's Fault'". Frontstretch. Retrieved July 22, 2023.
- ^ a b "2023 NASCAR Xfinity Series Pocono Raceway Race Page". Jayski's NASCAR Silly Season Site. Retrieved July 17, 2023.
- ^ "Practice Results: NASCAR Xfinity Series Explore the Pocono Mountains 225 at Pocono". TobyChristie.com. July 21, 2023. Retrieved July 21, 2023.
- ^ "2023 NASCAR Qualifying Procedures". Jayski's NASCAR Silly Season Site. Retrieved July 17, 2023.
- ^ Watson, Wyatt (July 21, 2023). "Josh Berry Takes Pole for Pocono Xfinity Race". Frontstretch. Retrieved July 21, 2023.
- ^ "2023 Explore the Pocono Mountains 225 - Racing Reference". Racing-Reference.info. Retrieved July 22, 2023.