2023 Tyson 250
# 2023 Tyson 250

The 2023 Tyson 250 was the 10th stock car race of the 2023 NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series, and the inaugural iteration of the event. The race took place on Saturday, May 20, 2023, in North Wilkesboro, North Carolina at North Wilkesboro Speedway, a 0.625 miles (1.006 km) permanent oval-shaped racetrack. The race was increased from 250 to 252 laps, due to a NASCAR overtime finish. In a wreck-filled race that caused twelve cautions, Kyle Larson, driving for Spire Motorsports, would put on a dominating performance, winning stage two and leading 138 laps, earning his third career NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series win, and his first of the season. To fill out the podium, Ty Majeski, driving for ThorSport Racing, and Matt DiBenedetto, driving for Rackley WAR, would finish 2nd and 3rd, respectively.

This event also marked the first Truck Series race to take place at North Wilkesboro Speedway for the first time since 1996.

## Background

North Wilkesboro Speedway is a short oval racetrack located on U.S. Route 421, about 5 mi (8.0 km) east of the town of North Wilkesboro, North Carolina, or 80 miles north of Charlotte. It measures 0.625 mi (1.006 km) and features a unique uphill backstretch and downhill frontstretch. It has previously held races in NASCAR's top three series, including 93 Winston Cup Series races. The track, a NASCAR original, operated from 1949, NASCAR's inception, until the track's original closure in 1996. The speedway briefly reopened in 2010 and hosted several stock car series races, including the now-defunct ASA Late Model Series, USARacing Pro Cup Series, and PASS super late models, before closing again in the spring of 2011. It was re-opened in August 2022 for grassroots racing and will host the 2023 NASCAR All-Star Race and a NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series race, with further renovations planned after the events.

### Entry list

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

| # | Driver | Team | Make | Sponsor |
| - | - | - | - | - |
| 1 | Bubba Wallace (i) | Tricon Garage | Toyota | Pristine Auction |
| 02 | Kris Wright | Young's Motorsports | Chevrolet | FNB Corporation |
| 2 | Nick Sanchez (R) | Rev Racing | Chevrolet | Gainbridge |
| 04 | Johnny Sauter | Roper Racing | Ford | Carquest |
| 4 | Chase Purdy | Kyle Busch Motorsports | Chevrolet | Bama Buggies |
| 5 | Dean Thompson | Tricon Garage | Toyota | Thompson Pipe Group |
| 6 | Norm Benning | Norm Benning Racing | Chevrolet | MDF A Sign Company |
| 7 | Kyle Larson (i) | Spire Motorsports | Chevrolet | HendrickCars.com Archived 2021-08-04 at the Wayback Machine |
| 9 | Colby Howard | CR7 Motorsports | Chevrolet | Grant County Mulch |
| 11 | Corey Heim | Tricon Garage | Toyota | Safelite |
| 12 | Spencer Boyd | Young's Motorsports | Chevrolet | Latitude Aero |
| 13 | Hailie Deegan | ThorSport Racing | Ford | Ford Performance |
| 15 | Tanner Gray | Tricon Garage | Toyota | Black's Tire Service |
| 16 | Tyler Ankrum | Hattori Racing Enterprises | Toyota | LiUNA! |
| 17 | Taylor Gray (R) | Tricon Garage | Toyota | Dead On Tools |
| 19 | Christian Eckes | McAnally-Hilgemann Racing | Chevrolet | Gates Hydraulics |
| 20 | Kaden Honeycutt | Young's Motorsports | Chevrolet | Race Face Digital Cards |
| 22 | Josh Williams (i) | AM Racing | Ford | Katz Coffee, Alloy |
| 23 | Grant Enfinger | GMS Racing | Chevrolet | Champion Power Equipment |
| 24 | Rajah Caruth (R) | GMS Racing | Chevrolet | Wendell Scott Foundation |
| 25 | Matt DiBenedetto | Rackley WAR | Chevrolet | Rackley Roofing |
| 30 | Chris Hacker | On Point Motorsports | Toyota | Morgan & Morgan |
| 32 | Bret Holmes (R) | Bret Holmes Racing | Chevrolet | Bret Holmes Racing |
| 33 | Josh Reaume | Reaume Brothers Racing | Ford | Motorsports Safety Group |
| 35 | Jake Garcia (R) | McAnally-Hilgemann Racing | Chevrolet | Quanta Services |
| 38 | Zane Smith | Front Row Motorsports | Ford | Boot Barn |
| 41 | Ross Chastain (i) | Niece Motorsports | Chevrolet | Worldwide Express |
| 42 | Carson Hocevar | Niece Motorsports | Chevrolet | Worldwide Express |
| 43 | Daniel Dye (R) | GMS Racing | Chevrolet | Champion Container |
| 45 | Lawless Alan | Niece Motorsports | Chevrolet | AUTOChargIt.com |
| 46 | Akinori Ogata | G2G Racing | Toyota | Kyowa-Eidemiller, Asian Pacific |
| 51 | William Byron (i) | Kyle Busch Motorsports | Chevrolet | HendrickCars.com Archived 2021-08-04 at the Wayback Machine |
| 52 | Stewart Friesen | Halmar Friesen Racing | Toyota | Ferris Commercial Mowers |
| 56 | Timmy Hill | Hill Motorsports | Toyota | Coble Enterprises |
| 61 | Christopher Bell (i) | Hattori Racing Enterprises | Toyota | Toyota Tsusho |
| 66 | Conner Jones | ThorSport Racing | Ford | TSport |
| 75 | Parker Kligerman (i) | Henderson Motorsports | Chevrolet | Food Country USA |
| 88 | Matt Crafton | ThorSport Racing | Ford | Denali Aire, Menards |
| 98 | Ty Majeski | ThorSport Racing | Ford | Soda Sense, Curb Records |
| 99 | Ben Rhodes | ThorSport Racing | Ford | Kubota |
| Official entry list |||||

## Practice

The first and only practice session was held on Friday, May 19, at 3:05 PM EST, and would last for 50 minutes. Carson Hocevar, driving for Niece Motorsports, would set the fastest time in the session, with a lap of 20.589, and an average speed of 109.282 mph (175.872 km/h).

| Pos. | # | Driver | Team | Make | Time | Speed |
| - | - | - | - | - | - | - |
| 1 | 42 | Carson Hocevar | Niece Motorsports | Chevrolet | 20.589 | 109.282 |
| 2 | 98 | Ty Majeski | ThorSport Racing | Ford | 20.594 | 109.255 |
| 3 | 4 | Chase Purdy | Kyle Busch Motorsports | Chevrolet | 20.642 | 109.001 |
| Full practice results |||||||

## Qualifying

Qualifying was held on Saturday, May 20, at 10:30 AM EST. Since North Wilkesboro Speedway is a short track, the qualifying system used is a single-car, two-lap system with only one round. In that round, whoever sets the fastest time will win the pole. Corey Heim, driving for Tricon Garage, would score the pole for the race, with a lap of 20.072, and an average speed of 112.096 mph (180.401 km/h).

| Pos. | # | Driver | Team | Make | Time | Speed |
| - | - | - | - | - | - | - |
| 1 | 11 | Corey Heim | Tricon Garage | Toyota | 20.072 | 112.096 |
| 2 | 42 | Carson Hocevar | Niece Motorsports | Chevrolet | 20.156 | 111.629 |
| 3 | 98 | Ty Majeski | ThorSport Racing | Ford | 20.198 | 111.397 |
| 4 | 51 | William Byron (i) | Kyle Busch Motorsports | Chevrolet | 20.253 | 111.095 |
| 5 | 9 | Colby Howard | CR7 Motorsports | Chevrolet | 20.270 | 111.001 |
| 6 | 32 | Bret Holmes (R) | Bret Holmes Racing | Chevrolet | 20.271 | 110.996 |
| 7 | 23 | Grant Enfinger | GMS Racing | Chevrolet | 20.272 | 110.991 |
| 8 | 7 | Kyle Larson (i) | Spire Motorsports | Chevrolet | 20.279 | 110.952 |
| 9 | 61 | Christopher Bell (i) | Hattori Racing Enterprises | Toyota | 20.281 | 110.941 |
| 10 | 13 | Hailie Deegan | ThorSport Racing | Ford | 20.308 | 110.794 |
| 11 | 20 | Kaden Honeycutt | Young's Motorsports | Chevrolet | 20.326 | 110.696 |
| 12 | 41 | Ross Chastain (i) | Niece Motorsports | Chevrolet | 20.346 | 110.587 |
| 13 | 19 | Christian Eckes | McAnally-Hilgemann Racing | Chevrolet | 20.349 | 110.571 |
| 14 | 1 | Bubba Wallace (i) | Tricon Garage | Toyota | 20.352 | 110.554 |
| 15 | 25 | Matt DiBenedetto | Rackley WAR | Chevrolet | 20.388 | 110.359 |
| 16 | 43 | Daniel Dye (R) | GMS Racing | Chevrolet | 20.418 | 110.197 |
| 17 | 16 | Tyler Ankrum | Hattori Racing Enterprises | Toyota | 20.438 | 110.089 |
| 18 | 88 | Matt Crafton | ThorSport Racing | Ford | 20.449 | 110.030 |
| 19 | 99 | Ben Rhodes | ThorSport Racing | Ford | 20.453 | 110.008 |
| 20 | 2 | Nick Sanchez (R) | Rev Racing | Chevrolet | 20.499 | 109.761 |
| 21 | 35 | Jake Garcia (R) | McAnally-Hilgemann Racing | Chevrolet | 20.525 | 109.622 |
| 22 | 45 | Lawless Alan | Niece Motorsports | Chevrolet | 20.530 | 109.596 |
| 23 | 24 | Rajah Caruth (R) | GMS Racing | Chevrolet | 20.537 | 109.558 |
| 24 | 4 | Chase Purdy | Kyle Busch Motorsports | Chevrolet | 20.559 | 109.441 |
| 25 | 5 | Dean Thompson | Tricon Garage | Toyota | 20.559 | 109.441 |
| 26 | 56 | Timmy Hill | Hill Motorsports | Toyota | 20.562 | 109.425 |
| 27 | 17 | Taylor Gray (R) | Tricon Garage | Toyota | 20.564 | 109.415 |
| 28 | 22 | Josh Williams (i) | AM Racing | Ford | 20.565 | 109.409 |
| 29 | 04 | Johnny Sauter | Roper Racing | Ford | 20.569 | 109.388 |
| 30 | 66 | Conner Jones | ThorSport Racing | Ford | 20.609 | 109.176 |
| 31 | 15 | Tanner Gray | Tricon Garage | Toyota | 20.669 | 108.859 |
| Qualified by owner's points |||||||
| 32 | 30 | Chris Hacker | On Point Motorsports | Toyota | 20.677 | 108.817 |
| 33 | 52 | Stewart Friesen | Halmar Friesen Racing | Toyota | 20.729 | 108.544 |
| 34 | 02 | Kris Wright | Young's Motorsports | Chevrolet | 20.921 | 107.547 |
| 35 | 12 | Spencer Boyd | Young's Motorsports | Chevrolet | 20.952 | 107.388 |
| 36 | 38 | Zane Smith | Front Row Motorsports | Ford | – | – |
| Failed to qualify |||||||
| 37 | 75 | Parker Kligerman (i) | Henderson Motorsports | Chevrolet | 20.818 | 108.080 |
| 38 | 33 | Josh Reaume | Reaume Brothers Racing | Ford | 20.839 | 107.971 |
| 39 | 6 | Norm Benning | Norm Benning Racing | Chevrolet | 21.923 | 102.632 |
| Withdrew |||||||
| 40 | 46 | Akinori Ogata | G2G Racing | Toyota | – | – |
| Official qualifying results |||||||
| Official starting lineup |||||||

## Race results

Stage 1 Laps: 70

| Pos. | # | Driver | Team | Make | Pts |
| - | - | - | - | - | - |
| 1 | 11 | Corey Heim | Tricon Garage | Toyota | 10 |
| 2 | 51 | William Byron (i) | Kyle Busch Motorsports | Chevrolet | 0 |
| 3 | 61 | Christopher Bell (i) | Hattori Racing Enterprises | Toyota | 0 |
| 4 | 9 | Colby Howard | CR7 Motorsports | Chevrolet | 7 |
| 5 | 42 | Carson Hocevar | Niece Motorsports | Chevrolet | 6 |
| 6 | 52 | Stewart Friesen | Halmar Friesen Racing | Toyota | 5 |
| 7 | 38 | Zane Smith | Front Row Motorsports | Ford | 4 |
| 8 | 7 | Kyle Larson (i) | Spire Motorsports | Chevrolet | 0 |
| 9 | 4 | Chase Purdy | Kyle Busch Motorsports | Chevrolet | 2 |
| 10 | 16 | Tyler Ankrum | Hattori Racing Enterprises | Toyota | 1 |

Stage 2 Laps: 70

| Pos. | # | Driver | Team | Make | Pts |
| - | - | - | - | - | - |
| 1 | 7 | Kyle Larson (i) | Spire Motorsports | Chevrolet | 0 |
| 2 | 42 | Carson Hocevar | Niece Motorsports | Chevrolet | 9 |
| 3 | 38 | Zane Smith | Front Row Motorsports | Ford | 8 |
| 4 | 11 | Corey Heim | Tricon Garage | Toyota | 7 |
| 5 | 51 | William Byron (i) | Kyle Busch Motorsports | Chevrolet | 0 |
| 6 | 25 | Matt DiBenedetto | Rackley WAR | Chevrolet | 5 |
| 7 | 23 | Grant Enfinger | GMS Racing | Chevrolet | 4 |
| 8 | 41 | Ross Chastain (i) | Niece Motorsports | Chevrolet | 0 |
| 9 | 1 | Bubba Wallace (i) | Tricon Garage | Toyota | 0 |
| 10 | 16 | Tyler Ankrum | Hattori Racing Enterprises | Toyota | 1 |

Stage 3 Laps: 112

| Fin | St | # | Driver | Team | Make | Laps | Led | Status | Pts |
| - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - |
| 1 | 8 | 7 | Kyle Larson (i) | Spire Motorsports | Chevrolet | 252 | 138 | Running | 0 |
| 2 | 3 | 98 | Ty Majeski | ThorSport Racing | Ford | 252 | 0 | Running | 35 |
| 3 | 15 | 25 | Matt DiBenedetto | Rackley WAR | Chevrolet | 252 | 0 | Running | 39 |
| 4 | 2 | 42 | Carson Hocevar | Niece Motorsports | Chevrolet | 252 | 16 | Running | 48 |
| 5 | 14 | 1 | Bubba Wallace (i) | Tricon Garage | Toyota | 252 | 13 | Running | 0 |
| 6 | 1 | 11 | Corey Heim | Tricon Garage | Toyota | 252 | 75 | Running | 48 |
| 7 | 18 | 88 | Matt Crafton | ThorSport Racing | Ford | 252 | 0 | Running | 30 |
| 8 | 24 | 4 | Chase Purdy | Kyle Busch Motorsports | Chevrolet | 252 | 0 | Running | 31 |
| 9 | 12 | 41 | Ross Chastain (i) | Niece Motorsports | Chevrolet | 252 | 0 | Running | 0 |
| 10 | 7 | 23 | Grant Enfinger | GMS Racing | Chevrolet | 252 | 0 | Running | 31 |
| 11 | 4 | 51 | William Byron (i) | Kyle Busch Motorsports | Chevrolet | 252 | 10 | Running | 0 |
| 12 | 32 | 30 | Chris Hacker | On Point Motorsports | Toyota | 252 | 0 | Running | 25 |
| 13 | 33 | 52 | Stewart Friesen | Halmar Friesen Racing | Toyota | 252 | 0 | Running | 29 |
| 14 | 16 | 43 | Daniel Dye (R) | GMS Racing | Chevrolet | 252 | 0 | Running | 23 |
| 15 | 6 | 32 | Bret Holmes (R) | Bret Holmes Racing | Chevrolet | 252 | 0 | Running | 22 |
| 16 | 9 | 61 | Christopher Bell (i) | Hattori Racing Enterprises | Toyota | 252 | 0 | Running | 0 |
| 17 | 11 | 20 | Kaden Honeycutt | Young's Motorsports | Chevrolet | 252 | 0 | Running | 20 |
| 18 | 31 | 15 | Tanner Gray | Tricon Garage | Toyota | 252 | 0 | Running | 19 |
| 19 | 22 | 45 | Lawless Alan | Niece Motorsports | Chevrolet | 252 | 0 | Running | 18 |
| 20 | 10 | 13 | Hailie Deegan | ThorSport Racing | Ford | 252 | 0 | Running | 17 |
| 21 | 27 | 17 | Taylor Gray (R) | Tricon Garage | Toyota | 252 | 0 | Running | 16 |
| 22 | 34 | 02 | Kris Wright | Young's Motorsports | Chevrolet | 252 | 0 | Running | 15 |
| 23 | 21 | 35 | Jake Garcia (R) | McAnally-Hilgemann Racing | Chevrolet | 252 | 0 | Running | 14 |
| 24 | 5 | 9 | Colby Howard | CR7 Motorsports | Chevrolet | 252 | 0 | Running | 20 |
| 25 | 13 | 19 | Christian Eckes | McAnally-Hilgemann Racing | Chevrolet | 252 | 0 | Running | 12 |
| 26 | 17 | 16 | Tyler Ankrum | Hattori Racing Enterprises | Toyota | 250 | 0 | Running | 13 |
| 27 | 35 | 12 | Spencer Boyd | Young's Motorsports | Chevrolet | 250 | 0 | Running | 10 |
| 28 | 28 | 22 | Josh Williams (i) | AM Racing | Ford | 221 | 0 | Water Pump | 0 |
| 29 | 30 | 66 | Conner Jones | ThorSport Racing | Ford | 219 | 0 | Electrical | 8 |
| 30 | 20 | 2 | Nick Sanchez (R) | Rev Racing | Chevrolet | 213 | 0 | Running | 7 |
| 31 | 26 | 56 | Timmy Hill | Hill Motorsports | Toyota | 211 | 0 | Running | 6 |
| 32 | 36 | 38 | Zane Smith | Front Row Motorsports | Ford | 204 | 0 | Accident | 17 |
| 33 | 19 | 99 | Ben Rhodes | ThorSport Racing | Ford | 202 | 0 | Accident | 4 |
| 34 | 23 | 24 | Rajah Caruth (R) | GMS Racing | Chevrolet | 200 | 0 | Accident | 3 |
| 35 | 25 | 5 | Dean Thompson | Tricon Garage | Toyota | 182 | 0 | Accident | 2 |
| 36 | 29 | 04 | Johnny Sauter | Roper Racing | Ford | 153 | 0 | Electrical | 1 |
| Official race results ||||||||||

## Standings after the race

| | Pos | Driver | Points |
| - | - | - | - |
| 2 | 1 | Corey Heim | 371 |
| | 2 | Ty Majeski | 364 (-7) |
| 2 | 3 | Zane Smith | 355 (-16) |
| 2 | 4 | Grant Enfinger | 330 (-41) |
| | 5 | Christian Eckes | 311 (-60) |
| 2 | 6 | Ben Rhodes | 305 (-66) |
| | 7 | Matt Crafton | 290 (-81) |
| | 8 | Tanner Gray | 273 (-98) |
| 1 | 9 | Stewart Friesen | 256 (-115) |
| 1 | 10 | Matt DiBenedetto | 252 (-119) |
| Official driver's standings ||||
