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2023 Love's RV Stop 250

Race details
Race 21 of 23 of the 2023 NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series
Date	September 30, 2023
Official name	18th Annual Love's RV Stop 250
Location	Talladega Superspeedway, Lincoln, Alabama
Course	Permanent racing facility 2.66 mi (4.28 km)
Distance	99 laps, 263 mi (423 km)
Scheduled Distance	94 laps, 250 mi (402 km)
Pole position
Driver	Chase Purdy	Kyle Busch Motorsports
Time	53.368
Most laps led
Driver	Nick Sanchez	Rev Racing
Laps	25
Winner
No. 34	Brett Moffitt	Front Row Motorsports
Television in the United States
Network	FS1
Announcers	Jamie Little, Phil Parsons, and Michael Waltrip
Radio in the United States
Radio	MRN

The 2023 Love's RV Stop 250 was the 21st stock car race of the 2023 NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series, the second race of the Round of 8, and the 18th iteration of the event. The race was held on Saturday, September 30, 2023, in Lincoln, Alabama at Talladega Superspeedway, a 2.66 miles (4.28 km) permanent tri-oval shaped superspeedway. The race was originally scheduled to be contested over 94 laps, but was extended to 99 laps due to a NASCAR overtime finish. In a wreck-filled race with numerous cautions, Brett Moffitt, driving in a one-off race for Front Row Motorsports, would steal the win after making an aggressive move on Christian Eckes for the lead on the final lap. This was Moffitt's 13th career NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series win, and his first of the season. Moffitt and Nick Sanchez would dominate the majority of the race, leading 22 and 25 laps, respectively. To fill out the podium, Ben Rhodes, driving for ThorSport Racing, and Dean Thompson, driving for Tricon Garage, would finish 2nd and 3rd, respectively.

Background

Talladega Superspeedway, originally known as Alabama International Motor Superspeedway (AIMS), is a motorsports complex located north of Talladega, Alabama. It is located on the former Anniston Air Force Base in the small city of Lincoln. The track is a tri-oval and was constructed in the 1960s by the International Speedway Corporation, a business controlled by the France family. Talladega is most known for its steep banking and the unique location of the start/finish line that's located just past the exit to pit road. The track currently hosts the NASCAR series such as the NASCAR Cup Series, Xfinity Series and the Craftsman Truck Series. Talladega is the longest NASCAR oval with a length of 2.66-mile-long (4.28 km) tri-oval like the Daytona International Speedway, which also is a 2.5-mile-long (4 km) tri-oval.

Entry list

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

Qualifying

Qualifying was held on Saturday, September 30, at 8:30 AM CST. Since Talladega Superspeedway 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.

Chase Purdy, driving for Kyle Busch Motorsports, would win the pole after advancing from the preliminary round and setting the fastest time in Round 2, with a lap of 53.368, and an average speed of 179.433 mph (288.769 km/h).

Spencer Boyd, Jennifer Jo Cobb, Keith McGee, and Clay Greenfield failed to qualify.

Race results

Stage 1 Laps: 20

Stage 2 Laps: 20

Stage 3 Laps: 59

Post-race conflict

After the conclusion of the race, a post-race fight broke out near the garage area, between Rev Racing driver Nick Sanchez and ThorSport Racing driver Matt Crafton. During the late stages of the race, Sanchez would make an aggressive move on Crafton, which would ultimately trigger a 15 truck pileup on the frontstretch. While walking back to his hauler, Sanchez would be tapped on the back by Crafton, for which he would give Sanchez a sucker punch to the face when he turned around. Multiple crew members from McAnally-Hilgemann Racing and GMS Racing would jump in to break up the altercation. While Sanchez was being restrained by fellow driver Cory Roper, blood covering most of his face, he would ultimately yell "I'm going to fucking kill you at Homestead. You fucked with the wrong guy motherfucker. It's on now." On October 3, Crafton was fined $25,000 and Sanchez was fined $5,000 for their involvement in the fight. In addition, Sanchez's father, Rene, was suspended for the remainder of the season for his involvement in the altercation.

Standings after the race

Drivers' Championship standings Pos Driver Points 1 Corey Heim 3,121 1 2 Carson Hocevar 3,111 (-10) 1 3 Christian Eckes 3,097 (-24) 3 4 Nick Sanchez 3,091 (-30) 1 5 Grant Enfinger 3,088 (-33) 6 Ben Rhodes 3,086 (-35) 1 7 Ty Majeski 3,072 (-49) 3 8 Zane Smith 3,055 (-66) 1 9 Matt Crafton 2,103 (-1,018) 1 10 Matt DiBenedetto 2,102 (-1,019) Official driver's standings Note: Only the first 10 positions are included for the driver standings.

References

1. Barnes, Caleb (September 30, 2023). "Brett Moffitt Survives Carnage, Wins Talladega". Frontstretch. Retrieved September 30, 2023.
2. "2023 NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series Talladega Race Page". Jayski's NASCAR Silly Season Site. Retrieved September 25, 2023.
3. "2023 NASCAR Qualifying Procedures". Jayski's NASCAR Silly Season Site. Retrieved September 25, 2023.
4. Barnes, Caleb (September 30, 2023). "Chase Purdy Takes 2023 Truck Pole At Talladega". Frontstretch. Retrieved September 30, 2023.
5. "Qualifying Results: NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series Love's RV Stop 250 at Talladega". TobyChristie.com. September 30, 2023. Retrieved September 30, 2023.
6. "2023 Love's RV Stop 250 - Racing Reference". Racing-Reference.info. Retrieved September 30, 2023.
7. Srigley, Joseph (September 30, 2023). "Video: Nick Sanchez Gets 'Cheap Shot' from Matt Crafton in Post-Talladega Altercation". TobyChristie.com. Retrieved September 30, 2023.
8. Utter, Jim (September 30, 2023). "Nick Sanchez left bloodied in fight with Matt Crafton at Talladega". Motorsport.com. Retrieved September 30, 2023.
9. Utter, Jim (October 3, 2023). "NASCAR fines drivers Crafton and Sanchez for Talladega fight". Motorsport.com. Retrieved October 3, 2023.

• NASCAR races at Talladega Superspeedway
• September 2023 sports events in the United States
• 2023 in sports in Alabama