The Craftsman Truck Series heads to Richmond Raceway for the Worldwide Express 250. It will be the last race for the regular season, with a 40-point battle for the championship, who will it be?
The 2023 Worldwide Express 250 at Richmond Raceway will take place on Saturday, July 29th, 2023. The race will be 250 laps around Richmond’s 0.75-mile track. Stage breaks will be at laps 70 and 140, and the race end at 250 laps.
38 drivers will attempt to make one of 36 spots in the race. Practice and qualifying will take place at 5:00 p.m. ET on Friday, July 29th.
A tight battle between Corey Heim and Zane Smith is brewing. Corey Heim needs just 19 points to secure the regular season points championship over Zane Smith.
Smith is 42 points back from Heim’s lead, needing to win one or both stages, and the race to overcome the difference and win the championship.
Winning the title awards 15 playoff points for the playoffs, giving a big advantage to its winner.
Richmond Raceway
Richmond, Virginia has a long history of racing dating back to the 1800s. The current configuration of Richmond Raceway, its 0.75 mile, D-shaped oval, was built in 1988.
It has eight degrees of banking on the front stretch, 14 through the turns, and two degrees on the back straightaway.
Austin Hill holds the lap record in a NASCAR Truck, with a time of 22.774 seconds set in 2020.
Richmond has hosted the Truck Series 14 times. The first race, in 1995, was won by Terry Labonte, driving for Rick Hendrick. Tony Stewart and Jack Sprague are tied for Truck Series wins at the track, both with two.
In 2005, the Truck Series left Richmond, not returning for another fifteen years until 2020. Since 2020, Richmond has had one Truck Series race.
2022 Worldwide Express 250
Last year’s race, the Toyota Care 250, was won by Chandler Smith. It was Smith’s second win of the year and the fifth of his career. Kyle Busch Motorsports was dominant, with all three trucks finishing in the top ten.
Ty Majeski won the stage won, with Chandler Smith finishing second. Smith would win stage two, followed by his teammate John Hunter Nemechek. The top-ten finishers were:
- Chandler Smith
- John Hunter Nemechek
- Ty Majeski
- Grant Enfinger
- Corey Heim
- Taylor Gray
- Matt Crafton
- Christian Eckes
- Zane Smith
- Carson Hocevar
Entry List for Richmond Raceway:
38 drivers are attempting to make the 36-truck field. Notable entries for the race are:
- William Sawalich: #1 Toyota, TRICON Garage
- Will Rodgers: #02 Chevrolet, Young’s Motorsport
- Trey Hutchens: #14 Chevrolet, Hutchens Racing
- Mason Massey: #20 Chevrolet, Young’s Motorsport
- Christian Rose: #22 Ford, AM Racing
- Ryan Vargas: #30 Toyota, On Point Motorsports
- Derek Lemke: #33 Ford, Reaume Brothers Racing
- Bayley Currey: #41 Chevrolet, Niece Motorsports
- Matt Mills: #51 Chevrolet, Kyle Busch Motorsports
- Connor Jones: #66 Ford, Thorsport
Predictions:
Corey Heim has been incredibly fast in the last two races: Mid-Ohio and Pocono. Heim got the win at Mid-Ohio, a road course, and led 27 laps but was passed by Kyle Busch on the last lap and finished second.
The #11 team also got the win at Martinsville, but it was a rain-shortened race. He finished fifth in the race last year, and with his momentum, I think he gets the win and the regular season championship.
Ty Majeski has not scored a win this season but is locked into the playoffs on points alone. He is an extremely talented short-track racer which will benefit him this weekend.
Many times he’s flown across the country after truck races to go race his late model and win.
He finished third here last year and I think he could get his first win of 2023 here.
Grant Enfinger, like Majeski, has had a very consistent season. He has two wins, Kansas and Gateway, and has won at Richmond before, in 2020.
He finished fifth at Pocono, so he has momentum, which I think is a combination for a good race. Experience and momentum will be on Enfinger’s side so look for the #23 to have a good race.
How To Watch:
- Friday, July 28th, 2023:
- Saturday, July 29th:
- The Worldwide Express 250: 7:30 PM ET, FS1
