2023 United Rentals Work United 500

The 2023 United Rentals Work United 500 was a NASCAR Cup Series race held on March 12, 2023, at Phoenix Raceway in Avondale, Arizona. Contested over 317 laps – extended from 312 laps due to an overtime finish, on the one mile (1.6 km) oval, and it was the fourth race of the 2023 NASCAR Cup Series season.

2023 United Rentals Work United 500
Race details[1][2][3][4][5][6][7][8][9]
Race 4 of 36 in the 2023 NASCAR Cup Series
Date March 12, 2023 (2023-03-12)
Location Phoenix Raceway in Avondale, Arizona
Course Permanent racing facility
1.022 mi (1.645 km)
Distance 317 laps, 323.974 mi (521.385 km)
Scheduled Distance 312 laps, 318.864 mi (513.162 km)
Average speed 105.491 miles per hour (169.771 km/h)
Pole position
Driver Hendrick Motorsports
Time 27.642
Most laps led
Driver Kyle Larson Hendrick Motorsports
Laps 201
Winner
No. 24 William Byron Hendrick Motorsports
Television in the United States
Network Fox
Announcers Mike Joy, Clint Bowyer, and Danica Patrick
Radio in the United States
Radio MRN
Booth Announcers Alex Hayden, Jeff Striegle, and Todd Gordon
Turn Announcers Dan Hubbard (1 & 2) and Kyle Rickey (3 & 4)

Report

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Background

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Phoenix Raceway, the track where the race was held.

Phoenix Raceway is a 1-mile, low-banked tri-oval race track located in Avondale, Arizona, near Phoenix. The motorsport track opened in 1964 and currently hosts two NASCAR race weekends annually including the final championship race since 2020. Phoenix Raceway has also hosted the CART, IndyCar Series, USAC and the WeatherTech SportsCar Championship. The raceway is currently owned and operated by NASCAR.

Entry list

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  • (R) denotes rookie driver.
  • (i) denotes driver who is ineligible for series driver points.
No. Driver Team Manufacturer
1 Ross Chastain Trackhouse Racing Chevrolet
2 Austin Cindric Team Penske Ford
3 Austin Dillon Richard Childress Racing Chevrolet
4 Kevin Harvick Stewart-Haas Racing Ford
5 Kyle Larson Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet
6 Brad Keselowski RFK Racing Ford
7 Corey LaJoie Spire Motorsports Chevrolet
8 Kyle Busch Richard Childress Racing Chevrolet
9 Josh Berry (i) Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet
10 Aric Almirola Stewart-Haas Racing Ford
11 Denny Hamlin Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota
12 Ryan Blaney Team Penske Ford
14 Chase Briscoe Stewart-Haas Racing Ford
15 Todd Gilliland Rick Ware Racing Ford
16 A. J. Allmendinger Kaulig Racing Chevrolet
17 Chris Buescher RFK Racing Ford
19 Martin Truex Jr. Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota
20 Christopher Bell Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota
21 Harrison Burton Wood Brothers Racing Ford
22 Joey Logano Team Penske Ford
23 Bubba Wallace 23XI Racing Toyota
24 William Byron Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet
31 Justin Haley Kaulig Racing Chevrolet
34 Michael McDowell Front Row Motorsports Ford
38 Zane Smith (i) Front Row Motorsports Ford
41 Ryan Preece Stewart-Haas Racing Ford
42 Noah Gragson (R) Legacy Motor Club Chevrolet
43 Erik Jones Legacy Motor Club Chevrolet
45 Tyler Reddick 23XI Racing Toyota
47 Ricky Stenhouse Jr. JTG Daugherty Racing Chevrolet
48 Alex Bowman Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet
51 Cody Ware Rick Ware Racing Ford
54 Ty Gibbs (R) Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota
77 Ty Dillon Spire Motorsports Chevrolet
78 B. J. McLeod Live Fast Motorsports Chevrolet
99 Daniel Suárez Trackhouse Racing Chevrolet
Official entry list

Practice

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Kyle Larson was the fastest in the practice session with a time of 27.427 seconds and a speed of 131.258 mph (211.239 km/h).[10]

Practice results

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Pos No. Driver Team Manufacturer Time Speed
1 5 Kyle Larson Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet 27.427 131.258
2 12 Ryan Blaney Team Penske Ford 27.459 131.105
3 48 Alex Bowman Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet 27.539 130.724
Official practice results

Qualifying

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Kyle Larson scored the pole for the race with a time of 27.642 and a speed of 130.237 mph (209.596 km/h).[11]

Qualifying results

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Pos No. Driver Team Manufacturer R1 R2
1 5 Kyle Larson Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet 27.324 27.642
2 11 Denny Hamlin Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota 27.634 27.707
3 24 William Byron Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet 27.553 27.709
4 6 Brad Keselowski RFK Racing Ford 27.633 27.743
5 20 Christopher Bell Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota 27.632 27.782
6 1 Ross Chastain Trackhouse Racing Chevrolet 27.656 27.822
7 34 Michael McDowell Front Row Motorsports Ford 27.644 27.867
8 12 Ryan Blaney Team Penske Ford 27.642 27.899
9 8 Kyle Busch Richard Childress Racing Chevrolet 27.623 27.918
10 43 Erik Jones Legacy Motor Club Chevrolet 27.556 27.933
11 99 Daniel Suárez Trackhouse Racing Chevrolet 27.660
12 45 Tyler Reddick 23XI Racing Toyota 27.666
13 19 Martin Truex Jr. Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota 27.667
14 54 Ty Gibbs (R) Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota 27.671
15 4 Kevin Harvick Stewart-Haas Racing Ford 27.683
16 22 Joey Logano Team Penske Ford 27.700
17 9 Josh Berry (i) Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet 27.716
18 48 Alex Bowman Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet 27.723
19 23 Bubba Wallace 23XI Racing Toyota 27.750
20 2 Austin Cindric Team Penske Ford 27.753
21 17 Chris Buescher RFK Racing Ford 27.757
22 16 A. J. Allmendinger Kaulig Racing Chevrolet 27.762
23 47 Ricky Stenhouse Jr. JTG Daugherty Racing Chevrolet 27.766
24 14 Chase Briscoe Stewart-Haas Racing Ford 27.779
25 41 Ryan Preece Stewart-Haas Racing Ford 27.784
26 31 Justin Haley Kaulig Racing Chevrolet 27.870
27 21 Harrison Burton Wood Brothers Racing Ford 27.974
28 7 Corey LaJoie Spire Motorsports Chevrolet 27.988
29 15 Todd Gilliland Rick Ware Racing Ford 28.042
30 3 Austin Dillon Richard Childress Racing Chevrolet 28.058
31 10 Aric Almirola Stewart-Haas Racing Ford 28.084
32 42 Noah Gragson (R) Legacy Motor Club Chevrolet 28.140
33 78 B. J. McLeod Live Fast Motorsports Chevrolet 28.194
34 38 Zane Smith (i) Front Row Motorsports Ford 28.324
35 77 Ty Dillon Spire Motorsports Chevrolet 28.752
36 51 Cody Ware Rick Ware Racing Ford 28.854
Official qualifying results

Race

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Race results

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Stage Results

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Stage One Laps: 60

Pos No Driver Team Manufacturer Points
1 24 William Byron Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet 10
2 5 Kyle Larson Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet 9
3 11 Denny Hamlin Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota 8
4 20 Christopher Bell Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota 7
5 45 Tyler Reddick 23XI Racing Toyota 6
6 12 Ryan Blaney Team Penske Ford 5
7 1 Ross Chastain Trackhouse Racing Chevrolet 4
8 4 Kevin Harvick Stewart-Haas Racing Ford 3
9 6 Brad Keselowski RFK Racing Ford 2
10 8 Kyle Busch Richard Childress Racing Chevrolet 1
Official stage one results

Stage Two Laps: 125

Pos No Driver Team Manufacturer Points
1 5 Kyle Larson Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet 10
2 24 William Byron Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet 9
3 4 Kevin Harvick Stewart-Haas Racing Ford 8
4 6 Brad Keselowski RFK Racing Ford 7
5 45 Tyler Reddick 23XI Racing Toyota 6
6 11 Denny Hamlin Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota 5
7 20 Christopher Bell Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota 4
8 12 Ryan Blaney Team Penske Ford 3
9 1 Ross Chastain Trackhouse Racing Chevrolet 2
10 14 Chase Briscoe Stewart-Haas Racing Ford 1
Official stage two results

Final Stage Results

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Stage Three Laps: 127

Pos Grid No Driver Team Manufacturer Laps Points
1 3 24 William Byron [a] Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet 317 59
2 8 12 Ryan Blaney Team Penske Ford 317 43
3 12 45 Tyler Reddick 23XI Racing Toyota 317 46
4 1 5 Kyle Larson [a] Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet 317 52
5 15 4 Kevin Harvick Stewart-Haas Racing Ford 317 43
6 5 20 Christopher Bell Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota 317 42
7 24 14 Chase Briscoe Stewart-Haas Racing Ford 317 31
8 9 8 Kyle Busch Richard Childress Racing Chevrolet 317 30
9 18 48 Alex Bowman [a] Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet 317 28
10 17 9 Josh Berry (i) [a] Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet 317 0
11 16 22 Joey Logano Team Penske Ford 317 26
12 25 41 Ryan Preece Stewart-Haas Racing Ford 317 25
13 7 34 Michael McDowell Front Row Motorsports Ford 317 24
14 19 23 Bubba Wallace 23XI Racing Toyota 317 23
15 21 17 Chris Buescher RFK Racing Ford 317 22
16 30 3 Austin Dillon Richard Childress Racing Chevrolet 317 21
17 13 19 Martin Truex Jr. Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota 317 20
18 4 6 Brad Keselowski RFK Racing Ford 317 28
19 23 47 Ricky Stenhouse Jr. JTG Daugherty Racing Chevrolet 317 18
20 22 16 A. J. Allmendinger Kaulig Racing Chevrolet 317 17
21 10 43 Erik Jones Legacy Motor Club Chevrolet 317 16
22 11 99 Daniel Suárez Trackhouse Racing Chevrolet 317 15
23 2 11 Denny Hamlin [b] Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota 317 2
24 6 1 Ross Chastain Trackhouse Racing Chevrolet 317 19
25 20 2 Austin Cindric Team Penske Ford 316 12
26 28 7 Corey LaJoie Spire Motorsports Chevrolet 316 11
27 26 31 Justin Haley [a] Kaulig Racing Chevrolet 316 10
28 14 54 Ty Gibbs (R) Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota 316 9
29 32 42 Noah Gragson (R) Legacy Motor Club Chevrolet 316 8
30 35 77 Ty Dillon Spire Motorsports Chevrolet 315 7
31 34 38 Zane Smith (i) Front Row Motorsports Ford 315 0
32 29 15 Todd Gilliland Rick Ware Racing Ford 314 5
33 31 10 Aric Almirola Stewart-Haas Racing Ford 313 4
34 36 51 Cody Ware Rick Ware Racing Ford 311 3
35 27 21 Harrison Burton Wood Brothers Racing Ford 310 2
36 33 78 B. J. McLeod Live Fast Motorsports Chevrolet 50 1
Official race results

Race statistics

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  • Lead changes: 10 among 6 different drivers
  • Cautions/Laps: 5 for 35 laps
  • Red flags: 0
  • Time of race: 3 hours, 0 minutes and 18 seconds
  • Average speed: 105.491 miles per hour (169.771 km/h)

Penalties

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Prior to the race, NASCAR confiscated the louvers (the hood radiator duct) of all Hendrick Motorsports teams and that belonging to Justin Haley (Kaulig Racing)'s car. On March 15, 2023, NASCAR punished all five teams with $100,000 fine and deduction of 100 driver and owner points each, as well as 10 playoff points and four-race suspensions for the respective crew chiefs, as the modifications were deemed to be an L2 violation.[12][16] For the No. 9 team, only the owner points were affected as Josh Berry competed as a Xfinity Series regular and thus cannot score or lose points in the Cup Series, while Chase Elliott's driver points remain unaffected as he sat out of the race due to an injury. For Hendrick Motorsports, it was the largest fine imposed to an organization as a whole at $400,000, breaking the fine imposed to Michael Waltrip Racing in 2013 ($300,000) for manipulating the finish of the 2013 Federated Auto Parts 400.

Following an appeal on March 29, 2023, the National Motorsports Appeals Panel upheld the fines and crew chief suspensions for all of the Hendrick Motorsports entries, but rescinded their point penalties giving them back the 100 driver & owner points as well as the 10 playoff points that each team lost. Haley's penalty was upheld following his appeal on April 5, 2023, but the points penalty was reduced to a 75 point penalty.[13] On April 6, 2023, Kaulig Racing announced they would move to a final appeal hearing with the National Motorsports Appeal Panel, after team president Chris Rice hinted on NASCAR Race Hub the evening prior that they would do so. On April 18, the NMPA overturned the points penalties at the request of NASCAR, who asked them to amend their appeal decision to be more in line with Hendrick Motorsport's appeal decision.[14]

Additionally, Denny Hamlin was fined $50,000 and docked 25 driver points for his collision with Ross Chastain, after he admitted on his Actions Detrimental podcast that the collision was deliberate.[15] Hamlin appealed the penalty on April 6, 2023, but the National Motorsports Appeal Panel upheld the penalty. Two of Aric Almirola's crew members were also suspended after his right-front wheel fell out during the race.[16]

Media

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Television

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Fox Sports covered their 18th race at the Phoenix Raceway. Mike Joy, Clint Bowyer and Danica Patrick called the race in the booth for Fox. Jamie Little and Regan Smith handled the pit road duties, and Larry McReynolds provided insight from the Fox Sports studio in Charlotte.

Fox
Booth announcers Pit reporters In-race analyst
Lap-by-lap: Mike Joy
Color-commentator: Clint Bowyer
Color-commentator: Danica Patrick
Jamie Little
Regan Smith
Larry McReynolds

Radio

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MRN covered the radio action for the race which was also simulcasted on Sirius XM NASCAR Radio. Alex Hayden, Jeff Striegle, and 2018 NASCAR champion winning crew chief Todd Gordon called the race when the field races past the start/finish line. Dan Hubbard called the action from turns 1 & 2, and Kyle Rickey called the action from turns 3 & 4. Pit lane was manned by Steve Post and Georgia Henneberry.

MRN
Booth announcers Turn announcers Pit reporters
Lead announcer: Alex Hayden
Announcer: Jeff Striegle
Announcer: Todd Gordon
Turns 1 & 2: Dan Hubbard
Turns 3 & 4: Kyle Rickey
Steve Post
Georgia Henneberry

Standings after the race

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Notes

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  1. ^ a b c d e All four Hendrick Motorsports entries and Justin Haley were initially docked 100 points (owners only for the No. 9) for irregularities in the louvers that were discovered in the pre-race inspection. However, following an appeal on March 29th, all four Hendrick Motorsports entries had their point penalties rescinded.[12] Haley's penalty was upheld upon appeal on April 5th, but the points penalty was reduced to a 75 point penalty[13] and rescinded altogether on a final appeal on April 18th.[14]
  2. ^ a b Hamlin was docked 25 driver points for intentionally wrecking Ross Chastain in the final stage, after Hamlin admitted to the intentional nature of the wreck in his Actions Detrimental podcast.[15]

References

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  1. ^ "2023 schedule". Jayski.com. Jayski's Silly Season Site. Retrieved October 10, 2022.
  2. ^ "Phoenix International Raceway". NASCAR.com. NASCAR Media Group, LLC. January 3, 2013. Archived from the original on March 10, 2017. Retrieved February 21, 2022.
  3. ^ Taranto, Steven (14 September 2022). "NASCAR releases 2023 Cup Series schedule highlighted by new Chicago, All-Star race stops". CBS Broadcasting Inc. Retrieved 21 February 2023.
  4. ^ "NASCAR unveils 2023 schedule for its national series". National Association for Stock Car Auto Racing, LLC. 14 September 2022. Retrieved 21 February 2023.
  5. ^ "Entry List" (PDF). Jayski.com. Jayski's Silly Season Site. March 6, 2023. Retrieved March 6, 2023.
  6. ^ "Practice Results". NASCAR.com. NASCAR. March 10, 2023. Retrieved March 10, 2023.
  7. ^ "Qualifying Results". NASCAR.com. NASCAR. March 11, 2023. Retrieved March 11, 2023.
  8. ^ "United Rentals Work United 500 Results". NASCAR.com. NASCAR. March 12, 2023. Retrieved March 12, 2023.
  9. ^ "Points standings" (PDF). Jayski.com. Jayski's Silly Season Site. March 12, 2023. Retrieved March 12, 2023.
  10. ^ Utter, Jim (March 10, 2023). "Kyle Larson fastest in NASCAR Cup practice at Phoenix". Motorsport.com. Avondale, Arizona: Motorsport Network. Retrieved March 10, 2023.
  11. ^ Utter, Jim (March 11, 2023). "Kyle Larson beats Denny Hamlin to Phoenix Cup pole". Motorsport.com. Avondale, Arizona: Motorsport Network. Retrieved March 11, 2023.
  12. ^ a b Long, Dustin (March 15, 2023). "NASCAR issues severe penalties to Hendrick Motorsports". NBC Sports.
  13. ^ a b Crandall, Kelly (April 5, 2023). "Kaulig's L2 penalty amended under appeal". RACER.com. Retrieved April 18, 2023.
  14. ^ a b Crandall, Kelly (April 18, 2023). "Kaulig gets points back after latest Phoenix appeal". RACER.com. Retrieved April 18, 2023.
  15. ^ a b Long, Dustin (March 15, 2023). "Denny Hamlin fined $50,000 and loses 25 driver points". NBC Sports.
  16. ^ a b Long, Dustin (March 15, 2023). "Justin Haley, Aric Almirola teams penalized for Phoenix infractions". NBC Sports.


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