The 2023 Fr8 208 was the 3rd stock car race of the 2023 NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series, and the 15th iteration of the event. The race was held on Saturday, March 18, 2023, in Hampton, Georgia, at Atlanta Motor Speedway, a permanent tri-oval shaped superspeedway. The race was increased from 135 laps to 137 laps, due to a NASCAR overtime finish. Christian Eckes, driving for McAnally–Hilgemann Racing, would take the win after making a pass on Nick Sanchez for the lead on the final lap. This was Eckes' second career NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series win, and his first of the season. This was also the first win for McAnally–Hilgemann Racing in the truck series. To fill out the podium, Sanchez, driving for Rev Racing, and John Hunter Nemechek, driving for Tricon Garage, would finish 2nd and 3rd, respectively.
Background
Atlanta Motor Speedway is a 1.54-mile race track in Hampton, Georgia, United States, 20 miles (32 km) south of Atlanta. It has annually hosted NASCAR Truck Series races since 2004.
The venue was bought by Speedway Motorsports in 1990. In 1994, 46 condominiums were built over the northeastern side of the track. In 1997, to standardize the track with Speedway Motorsports' other two intermediate ovals, the entire track was almost completely rebuilt. The frontstretch and backstretch were swapped, and the configuration of the track was changed from oval to quad-oval, with a new official length of where before it was . The project made the track one of the fastest on the NASCAR circuit. In July 2021 NASCAR announced that the track would be reprofiled for the 2022 season to have 28 degrees of banking and would be narrowed from 55 to 40 feet which the track claims will turn racing at the track similar to restrictor plate superspeedways. Despite the reprofiling being criticized by drivers, construction began in August 2021 and wrapped up in December 2021. The track has seating capacity of 71,000 to 125,000 people depending on the tracks configuration.
Entry list (R) denotes rookie driver. (i) denotes driver who is ineligible for series driver points.
#DriverTeamMake1Layne RiggsTricon GarageToyota02Kris WrightYoung's MotorsportsChevrolet2Nick Sanchez (R)Rev RacingChevrolet04Kaden HoneycuttRoper RacingFord4Chase PurdyKyle Busch MotorsportsChevrolet5Dean ThompsonTricon GarageToyota9Colby HowardCR7 MotorsportsChevrolet11Corey HeimTricon GarageToyota12Spencer BoydYoung's MotorsportsChevrolet13Hailie DeeganThorSport RacingFord15Tanner GrayTricon GarageToyota16Tyler AnkrumHattori Racing EnterprisesToyota17John Hunter Nemechek (i)Tricon GarageToyota19Christian EckesMcAnally–Hilgemann RacingChevrolet20Mason MaggioYoung's MotorsportsChevrolet22Josh ReaumeAM RacingFord23Grant EnfingerGMS RacingChevrolet24Rajah Caruth (R)GMS RacingChevrolet25Matt DiBenedettoRackley W.A.R.Chevrolet30Ryan VargasOn Point MotorsportsToyota32Bret Holmes (R)Bret Holmes RacingChevrolet33Mason MasseyReaume Brothers RacingFord34Keith McGee (i)Reaume Brothers RacingFord35Jake Garcia (R)McAnally–Hilgemann RacingChevrolet38Zane SmithFront Row MotorsportsFord41Bayley Currey (i)Niece MotorsportsChevrolet42Carson HocevarNiece MotorsportsChevrolet43Daniel Dye (R)GMS RacingChevrolet45Lawless AlanNiece MotorsportsChevrolet46Akinori OgataG2G RacingToyota51Jack WoodKyle Busch MotorsportsChevrolet52Stewart FriesenHalmar Friesen RacingToyota56Timmy HillHill MotorsportsToyota88Matt CraftonThorSport RacingFord98Ty MajeskiThorSport RacingFord99Ben RhodesThorSport RacingFordOfficial entry list
Starting lineup Qualifying was scheduled to be held on Friday, March 17, at 3:00 PM EST, but was cancelled due to constant rain showers. The starting lineup was determined by a performance-based metric system. As a result, Zane Smith, driving for Front Row Motorsports, earned the pole. Pos.#DriverTeamMake138Zane SmithFront Row MotorsportsFord298Ty MajeskiThorSport RacingFord399Ben RhodesThorSport RacingFord419Christian EckesMcAnally–Hilgemann RacingChevrolet542Carson HocevarNiece MotorsportsChevrolet611Corey HeimTricon GarageToyota723Grant EnfingerGMS RacingChevrolet888Matt CraftonThorSport RacingFord94Chase PurdyKyle Busch MotorsportsChevrolet1025Matt DiBenedettoRackley W.A.R.Chevrolet1115Tanner GrayTricon GarageToyota1235Jake Garcia (R)McAnally–Hilgemann RacingChevrolet1316Tyler AnkrumHattori Racing EnterprisesToyota1452Stewart FriesenHalmar Friesen RacingToyota159Colby HowardCR7 MotorsportsChevrolet165Dean ThompsonTricon GarageToyota1751Jack WoodKyle Busch MotorsportsChevrolet1856Timmy HillHill MotorsportsToyota1943Daniel Dye (R)GMS RacingChevrolet202Nick Sanchez (R)Rev RacingChevrolet2145Lawless AlanNiece MotorsportsChevrolet2224Rajah Caruth (R)GMS RacingChevrolet231Layne RiggsTricon GarageToyota2417John Hunter Nemechek (i)Tricon GarageToyota2502Kris WrightYoung's MotorsportsChevrolet2633Mason MasseyReaume Brothers RacingFord2712Spencer BoydYoung's MotorsportsChevrolet2822Josh ReaumeAM RacingFord2904Kaden HoneycuttRoper RacingFord3041Bayley Currey (i)Niece MotorsportsChevrolet3120Mason MaggioYoung's MotorsportsChevroletQualified by owner's points3213Hailie DeeganThorSport RacingFord3332Bret Holmes (R)Bret Holmes RacingChevrolet3446Akinori OgataG2G RacingToyota3530Ryan VargasOn Point MotorsportsToyota3634Keith McGee (i)Reaume Brothers RacingFordOfficial starting lineup
Race results Stage 1 Laps: 45 Pos.#DriverTeamMakePts119Christian EckesMcAnally–Hilgemann RacingChevrolet10238Zane SmithFront Row MotorsportsFord9323Grant EnfingerGMS RacingChevrolet8488Matt CraftonThorSport RacingFord7525Matt DiBenedettoRackley W.A.R.Chevrolet6698Ty MajeskiThorSport RacingFord5752Stewart FriesenHalmar Friesen RacingToyota4899Ben RhodesThorSport RacingFord394Chase PurdyKyle Busch MotorsportsChevrolet21035Jake Garcia (R)McAnally–Hilgemann RacingChevrolet1 Stage 2 Laps: 45 Pos.#DriverTeamMakePts188Matt CraftonThorSport RacingFord10298Ty MajeskiThorSport RacingFord9317John Hunter Nemechek (i)Tricon GarageToyota0499Ben RhodesThorSport RacingFord7511Corey HeimTricon GarageToyota6638Zane SmithFront Row MotorsportsFord5716Tyler AnkrumHattori Racing EnterprisesToyota4823Grant EnfingerGMS RacingChevrolet3952Stewart FriesenHalmar Friesen RacingToyota2102Nick Sanchez (R)Rev RacingChevrolet1
Stage 3 Laps: 47 FinSt#DriverTeamMakeLapsLedStatusPts1419Christian EckesMcAnally–Hilgemann RacingChevrolet13735Running502202Nick Sanchez (R)Rev RacingChevrolet13711Running3632417John Hunter Nemechek (i)Tricon GarageToyota13753Running043041Bayley Currey (i)Niece MotorsportsChevrolet1370Running05399Ben RhodesThorSport RacingFord1373Running4261025Matt DiBenedettoRackley W.A.R.Chevrolet1370Running37794Chase PurdyKyle Busch MotorsportsChevrolet1370Running3281856Timmy HillHill MotorsportsToyota1372Running299888Matt CraftonThorSport RacingFord13729Running45101751Jack WoodKyle Busch MotorsportsChevrolet1372Running2711298Ty MajeskiThorSport RacingFord1370Running40123213Hailie DeeganThorSport RacingFord1370Running25133332Bret Holmes (R)Bret Holmes RacingChevrolet1370Running24143530Ryan VargasOn Point MotorsportsToyota1370Running23152502Kris WrightYoung's MotorsportsChevrolet1371Running22161943Daniel Dye (R)GMS RacingChevrolet1370Running21173446Akinori OgataG2G RacingToyota1370Running20181235Jake Garcia (R)McAnally–Hilgemann RacingChevrolet1370Running2019723Grant EnfingerGMS RacingChevrolet1370Running2920138Zane SmithFront Row MotorsportsFord1370Running31212712Spencer BoydYoung's MotorsportsChevrolet1370Running16221452Stewart FriesenHalmar Friesen RacingToyota1370Running21232822Josh ReaumeAM RacingFord1370Running14241115Tanner GrayTricon GarageToyota1370Running13252224Rajah Caruth (R)GMS RacingChevrolet1370Running12261316Tyler AnkrumHattori Racing EnterprisesToyota1360Running1527159Colby HowardCR7 MotorsportsChevrolet1340Track Bar1028231Layne RiggsTricon GarageToyota1340Running9292633Mason MasseyReaume Brothers RacingFord1340Running830165Dean ThompsonTricon GarageToyota1310Running731542Carson HocevarNiece MotorsportsChevrolet1270Accident6322145Lawless AlanNiece MotorsportsChevrolet1260Accident5332904Kaden HoneycuttRoper RacingFord1231Running434611Corey HeimTricon GarageToyota830Accident9353120Mason MaggioYoung's MotorsportsChevrolet520Accident2363634Keith McGee (i)Reaume Brothers RacingFord70Transmission0Official race results
Standings after the race
Drivers' Championship standings Pos Driver Points 2 1 Christian Eckes 131 2 2 Matt Crafton 126 (-5) 1 3 Ty Majeski 123 (-8) 1 4 Ben Rhodes 119 (-12) 4 5 Zane Smith 116 (-15) 6 Grant Enfinger 106 (-25) 1 7 Matt DiBenedetto 103 (-28) 2 8 Chase Purdy 97 (-34) 2 9 Carson Hocevar 79 (-52) 1 10 Tanner Gray 78 (-53)Official driver's standings
Note: Only the first 10 positions are included for the driver standings.
References