The 2023 UNOH 200 presented by Ohio Logistics was the 20th stock car race of the 2023 NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series, the first race of the Round of 8, and the 26th iteration of the event. The race was held on Thursday, September 14, 2023, in Bristol, Tennessee at Bristol Motor Speedway, a 0.533 miles (0.858 km) permanent oval shaped racetrack. The race took the scheduled 200 laps to complete. Corey Heim, driving for Tricon Garage, would make a late-race pass on Christian Eckes for lead with five laps to go, and held him off to earn his fifth career NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series win, and his third of the season. He would also earn a spot in the Championship 4.[1] Eckes had dominated the entire race, winning both stages and leading a race-high 150 laps.[2] To fill out the podium, Eckes, driving for McAnally-Hilgemann Racing, and Grant Enfinger, driving for GMS Racing, would finish 2nd and 3rd, respectively.
Background
The Bristol Motor Speedway, formerly known as Bristol International Raceway and Bristol Raceway, is a NASCARshort track venue located in Bristol, Tennessee. Constructed in 1960, it held its first NASCAR race on July 30, 1961. Despite its short length, Bristol is among the most popular tracks on the NASCAR schedule because of its distinct features, which include extraordinarily steep banking, an all concrete surface, two pit roads, and stadium-like seating. It has also been named one of the loudest NASCAR tracks.
Entry list
(R) denotes rookie driver.
(i) denotes driver who is ineligible for series driver points.
For practice, drivers will be separated into two groups, Group A and B. Both sessions will be 15 minutes long, and was held on Thursday, September 14, at 4:00 PM EST.[3]Christian Eckes, driving for McAnally-Hilgemann Racing, would set the fastest time between both sessions, with a lap of 15.424, and an average speed of 124.404 mph (200.209 km/h).[4]
Qualifying was held on Thursday, September 14, at 4:35 PM EST.[3] Since Bristol Motor 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.[5]Christian Eckes, driving for McAnally-Hilgemann Racing, would score the pole for the race, with a lap of 15.101, and an average speed of 127.064 mph (204.490 km/h).[6]
