John Hunter Nemechek won Saturday’s NASCAR Xfinity Series regular season finale at Kansas Speedway. Austin Hill claimed the regular season championship while Parker Kligerman claimed the final available playoff spot.
With the regular season over the payoff filed of 12 drivers is set with John Hunter Nemehcek, Austin Hill, Justin Allgaier, Cole Custer, Sam Mayer, Chandler Smith, Sheldon Creed, Josh Berry, Sammy Smith, Jeb Burton, Daniel Hemric and Parker Kligerman
Riley Herbst beset by a right front tire issue for much of the day and Brandon Jones who finished second both miss the playoffs.
Allgaier began the day on the pole with the first caution coming out on lap 1 due to an incident involving Anthony Alfredo and Nick Leitz. A debris caution would come out on lap 14 while Chandler Smith would pit with the team going under the hood to take a look at an engine issue. The caution again came out on lap 19 as Mayer spun after Sheldon Creed made contact with the wall collecting Kyle Weatherman in the process.
The first stage would end with John Hunter Nemechek out front ahead of Custer, Allgaier, Jones, Sammy Smith, Hill, Kligerman, Creed, Herbst and Derek Kraus.
Cole Custer would win the race off pit road but brought out a caution on lap 60 after he hit the remains of Jeremy Clements tire on lap 60 and got into the wall while running third. Riley Herbst would get a flat tire and have to pit on lap 65 losing two laps. Brandon Jones would spin on lap 75 to bring out a caution letting Jeremy Clements back on the lead lap.
Nemechek would win the second stage with the caution allowing Herbst to get one of his laps back. Brandon Jones would have to stay out due to a lack of tires and on the restart was quickly passed. Sammy Smith would get into the rear of Nemechek on the restart after contact with Creed. Allgaier would get into the wall as Smith would make contact with him with Jones spinning to avoid him. This caution would allow Herbst to get back on the lead lap.
Unfortunately for Herbst his makeshift fender would fail on lap 128 forcing him to make another green flag pit stop losing three laps in the process. Ten laps later Matt Mills would spin Rajah Caruth to bring out a caution. Caurth would spin again on lap 145 bringing out another caution.
Nemechek would go onto win the race as Hill claimed the regular season title. The win is the sixth of the season for Nemechek who recently was announced as the driver of the No. 42 Toyota of Legacy Motor Club for the 2024 NASCAR Cup Series season.
The playoffs begin for the Xfinity Series next Friday night under the lights at Bristol Motor Speedway.
Kansas Speedway Xfinity Series Results
September 9, 2023
|
POSITION
|
START
|
LED
|
BEHIND
|
|
|---|---|---|---|---|
|
1 |
J. Nemechek#20
|
7
|
154
|
Winner
|
|
2 |
B. Jones#9
|
4
|
2
|
7.521
|
|
3 |
S. Creed#2
|
16
|
0
|
11.881
|
|
4 |
P. Kligerman#48
|
15
|
0
|
13.113
|
|
5 |
A. Hill#21
|
9
|
0
|
13.820
|
|
6 |
J. Berry#8
|
6
|
0
|
13.937
|
|
7 |
B. Moffitt#25
|
10
|
0
|
17.155
|
|
8 |
D. Kraus#11
|
18
|
0
|
23.488
|
|
9 |
J. Graf Jr#19
|
11
|
0
|
27.488
|
|
10 |
K. Grala#26
|
31
|
0
|
28.294
|
|
11 |
P. Retzlaff#31
|
26
|
0
|
34.477
|
|
12 |
J. Burton#27
|
17
|
0
|
1 Lap
|
|
13 |
J. Williams#92
|
24
|
0
|
1 Lap
|
|
14 |
C. Mosack#24
|
20
|
0
|
1 Lap
|
|
15 |
J. Clements#51
|
21
|
0
|
1 Lap
|
|
16 |
M. Massey#08
|
37
|
0
|
1 Lap
|
|
17 |
R. Ellis#43
|
23
|
0
|
1 Lap
|
|
18 |
J. Allgaier#7
|
1
|
41
|
1 Lap
|
|
19 |
M. Mills#53
|
27
|
0
|
2 Laps
|
|
20 |
K. Sieg#29
|
29
|
0
|
2 Laps
|
|
21 |
D. Cram#07
|
25
|
0
|
2 Laps
|
|
22 |
C. McLaughlin#28
|
38
|
0
|
2 Laps
|
|
23 |
R. Herbst#98
|
8
|
0
|
2 Laps
|
|
24 |
J. Gase#35
|
36
|
0
|
2 Laps
|
|
25 |
G. Smithley#4
|
34
|
0
|
2 Laps
|
|
26 |
L. Honeyman#66
|
28
|
0
|
3 Laps
|
|
27 |
A. Alfredo#78
|
32
|
0
|
3 Laps
|
|
28 |
T. Hill#66
|
28
|
0
|
0.000
|
|
28 |
B. Poole#6
|
33
|
0
|
3 Laps
|
|
29 |
R. Caruth#45
|
22
|
0
|
3 Laps
|
|
30 |
R. Sieg#39
|
14
|
0
|
4 Laps
|
|
31 |
N. Leitz#38
|
30
|
0
|
6 Laps
|
|
32 |
C. Smith#16
|
12
|
0
|
14 Laps
|
|
33 |
B. Perkins#02
|
35
|
0
|
–
|
|
34 |
D. Hemric#10
|
5
|
0
|
80 Laps
|
|
35 |
S. Smith#18
|
2
|
1
|
–
|
|
36 |
C. Custer#00
|
3
|
3
|
–
|
|
37 |
S. Mayer#1
|
13
|
0
|
–
|
|
38 |
K. Weatherman#91
|
19
|
0
|
|
