The Playoffs field has been set for the 2023 Xfinity Series championship, and while several NASCAR Ford teams will compete for the overall title, the race at Kansas Speedway on September 9th, 2023 proved to be a difficult one for The Blue Oval. In fact, one NASCAR Ford driver, Riley Herbst, was stricken by bad luck, and as a result, he won’t be able to make a run for the 2023 championship.
Herbst’s No. 98 Ford Mustang entered Kansas one point to the good above the Playoff cutoff line. However, during Stage 2, he made contact with the No. 48 Chevy Camaro of Parker Kligerman. He struck Kligerman’s left rear tire, cutting his own right front tire and subsequently losing two laps as his team worked to repair the damaged No. 98 Mustang.
Herbst then regained both laps thanks to a series of cautions and taking the wave-around. Herbst managed to muscle back into ninth place on the lead lap, but unfortunately suffered another flat tire, forcing his early retirement and ending his championship bid.
As such, the NASCAR Ford Xfinity drivers who will compete for the 2023 title are Cole Custer, driver of the No. 00 Mustang; Zane Smith, driver of the No. 38 Mustang; and Ben Rhodes, driver of the No. 99 Mustang.
John Hunter Nemechek’s No. 20 Toyota TRD Supra ended up in Victory Lane at Kansas.
| Finish | Start | Car Number | Driver | Team | Laps Run | Laps Led | Car |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 7 | 20 | John Hunter Nemechek | Pye Barker Fire & Safety Toyota | 200 | 154 | Toyota TRD Supra |
| 2 | 4 | 9 | Brandon Jones | Menards/NIBCO Chevrolet | 200 | 2 | Chevrolet Camaro |
| 3 | 16 | 2 | Sheldon Creed | Whelen/NFFF Chevrolet | 200 | 0 | Chevrolet Camaro |
| 4 | 15 | 48 | Parker Kligerman | Spiked Light Coolers Chevrolet | 200 | 0 | Chevrolet Camaro |
| 5 | 9 | 21 | Austin Hill | Bennett Transportation Chevrolet | 200 | 0 | Chevrolet Camaro |
| 6 | 6 | 8 | Josh Berry | Bass Pro Shops/TRACKER Boats Chevrolet | 200 | 0 | Chevrolet Camaro |
| 7 | 10 | 25 | Brett Moffitt | Concrete Supply/Destiny Homes Ford | 200 | 0 | Ford Mustang |
| 8 | 18 | 11 | Derek Kraus | Hardscape Construction Inc. Chevrolet | 200 | 0 | Chevrolet Camaro |
| 9 | 11 | 19 | Joe Graf Jr. | RUT Testosterone Toyota | 200 | 0 | Toyota TRD Supra |
| 10 | 31 | 26 | Kaz Grala | Island Coastal Lager Toyota | 200 | 0 | Toyota TRD Supra |
| 11 | 26 | 31 | Parker Retzlaff # | Bommarito.com/FVP Chevrolet | 200 | 0 | Chevrolet Camaro |
| 12 | 17 | 27 | Jeb Burton | Bommarito.com/TORQ Chevrolet | 199 | 0 | Chevrolet Camaro |
| 13 | 24 | 92 | Josh Williams | Call811.com/Alloy Employer Chevrolet | 199 | 0 | Chevrolet Camaro |
| 14 | 20 | 24 | Connor Mosack | MKS Toyota | 199 | 0 | Toyota TRD Supra |
| 15 | 21 | 51 | Jeremy Clements | Kansas State University Chevrolet | 199 | 0 | Chevrolet Camaro |
| 16 | 37 | 8 | Mason Massey | BRUNT Ford | 199 | 0 | Ford Mustang |
| 17 | 23 | 43 | Ryan Ellis | Kansas Land/American Racing Chevrolet | 199 | 0 | Chevrolet Camaro |
| 18 | 1 | 7 | Justin Allgaier | BRANDT Chevrolet | 199 | 40 | Chevrolet Camaro |
| 19 | 27 | 53 | Matt Mills(i) | J.F. Electric Chevrolet | 198 | 0 | Chevrolet Camaro |
| 20 | 29 | 29 | Kyle Sieg | Ford | 198 | 0 | Ford Mustang |
| 21 | 25 | 7 | Dawson Cram | Titan Construction Chevrolet | 198 | 0 | Chevrolet Camaro |
| 22 | 38 | 28 | CJ McLaughlin | Sci Aps Ford | 198 | 0 | Ford Mustang |
| 23 | 8 | 98 | Riley Herbst | Monster Energy Ford | 198 | 0 | Ford Mustang |
| 24 | 36 | 35 | Joey Gase | Cancun Mexican Grill & Bar Toyota | 198 | 0 | Toyota TRD Supra |
| 25 | 34 | 4 | Garrett Smithley | Page Construction Chevrolet | 198 | 0 | Chevrolet Camaro |
| 26 | 28 | 66 | Leland Honeyman | Coble Enterprises Ford | 197 | 0 | Ford Mustang |
| 27 | 32 | 78 | Anthony Alfredo | Andy's Frozen Custard Chevrolet | 197 | 0 | Chevrolet Camaro |
| 28 | 33 | 6 | Brennan Poole | BeOne Sports Chevrolet | 197 | 0 | Chevrolet Camaro |
| 29 | 22 | 45 | Rajah Caruth(i) | Circle Pay Chevrolet | 197 | 0 | Chevrolet Camaro |
| 30 | 14 | 39 | Ryan Sieg | Sci Aps Ford | 196 | 0 | Ford Mustang |
| 31 | 30 | 38 | Nick Leitz(i) | Support a Teacher Ford | 194 | 0 | Ford Mustang |
| 32 | 12 | 16 | Chandler Smith # | Quick Tie Products Inc. Chevrolet | 186 | 0 | Chevrolet Camaro |
| 33 | 35 | 02 | Blaine Perkins # | AutoParkit.com Chevrolet | 140 | 0 | Chevrolet Camaro |
| 34 | 5 | 10 | Daniel Hemric | Cirkul Chevrolet | 120 | 0 | Chevrolet Camaro |
| 35 | 2 | 18 | Sammy Smith # | TMC Toyota | 97 | 1 | Toyota TRD Supra |
| 36 | 3 | 00 | Cole Custer | Haas Automation Ford | 60 | 3 | Ford Mustang |
| 37 | 13 | 1 | Sam Mayer | Huck's Market/Accelerate Chevrolet | 20 | 0 | Chevrolet Camaro |
| 38 | 19 | 91 | Kyle Weatherman | Tweaker Energy Drinks Chevrolet | 19 | 0 | Chevrolet Camaro |
# – Rookie
i – Points ineligible
* – Part-time driver
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