Skip navigation
Favorites
Sign up to follow your favorites on all your devices.
Sign up

Friday 5: Five laps that made an impact on the 2023 NASCAR Cup season

From the green flag at the Daytona 500 to the checkered flag at Phoenix in November, the NASCAR Cup Series ran 9,300 laps this past season.

In between the first and last laps of the year were breathtaking crashes, heart-stopping finishes and exhilarating duels.

Some laps, though, mattered more than others.

Here is a look at five laps that made an impact on the 2023 Cup season:

1. Lap 198 Daytona 500

The season opener was setting up to be a spectacular day for Kyle Busch.

He had never won the Daytona 500 in 17 previous attempts but led about 5 miles from the scheduled distance and had teammate Austin Dillon behind him.

This was Busch’s first season with Richard Childress Racing. It was 25 years from when Dale Earnhardt won his lone Daytona 500 with RCR. It seemed as if everything was lining up for Busch to win this race.

Kyle Busch remains snakebit in Daytona 500
Kyle Busch's effort to win the Daytona 500 resulted in his 18th winless start in 'The Great American Race.' NASCAR America Motormouths discusses the RCR drivers' inability to win NASCAR's premier event.

Until Daniel Suarez’s spin on Lap 198, bringing out the caution.

“I think this was the first time that I led Lap 200,” Busch said, noting the final scheduled lap in the Daytona 500. “I wish it was 1998 rules.”

Had it been 1998 rules, Busch would have passed under the checkered flag and caution flag as Earnhardt did as the winner. Instead, NASCAR’s overtime system meant there would be more racing.

The race went two overtimes and 12 extra laps. Busch was involved in a multi-car crash on the last lap. Ricky Stenhouse Jr. won. It was his only victory of the season.

Had Suarez not been hit and spun and Busch won the race, it would have marked a dramatic change to the season. Busch went on to win the following week at California Speedway and would have been the first driver since 2009 to win the opening two races of the season.

Stenhouse did not win another race the rest of the season. So, had Busch won and the rest of the season played out the same way, Stenhouse would have missed the playoffs. In Stenhouse’s place? It would have been Suarez. That would have put both Trackhouse Racing cars in the playoffs.

2. Lap 288 Darlington I race

Six laps from the scheduled end of the May race, Ross Chastain and Kyle Larson were aligned on the front row for a restart.

They wrecked between Turns 1 and 2, setting off a firestorm. It was the third time in four races Chastain and Larson — both Chevrolet drivers — had gotten together.

“I don’t care if he’s driving a Chevrolet if he wrecks our cars,” Rick Hendrick said. “I don’t care. I’ve told Chevrolet that. If you wreck us, you’re going to get it back. If you don’t do it, they’ll run all over you.”

Has Chastain 'crossed the line' on the track?
Jeff Burton, Marty Snider and Dustin Long break down what happened at Darlington between Ross Chastain and Kyle Larson, who crashed into each other for the third time in the last four races.

The Darlington incident led to Chastain’s car owner, Justin Marks, having a talk with his driver and Chastain talking with Hendrick.

Chastain listened and moved forward without any major brouhahas the rest of the season — although Ryan Blaney wasn’t happy with how Chastain raced him as they dueled for the lead at Phoenix in the season finale.

Chastain went on to win (his second win of the season after his victory in Nashville), while Blaney won the championship.

“What made Phoenix so great and what made Nashville, the win so great, is that we just drove by guys,” Chastain said after the season. “We beat them. I didn’t make the mistakes that I made at other tracks.”

3. Lap 48 Chicago Street Race

Justin Haley led Austin Dillon and Chase Elliott after a restart. Eventual winner Shane van Gisbergen was 18th.

The race dramatically changed in Turn 11, a right-hand turn off Michigan Ave.

William Byron, running fourth, got into the wall. Kevin Harvick slid into the corner and blocked several cars, including those of Kyle Larson, Christopher Bell and Michael McDowell.

Van Gisbergen's 'perfect scenario' with Trackhouse
Shane Van Gisbergen relieves his Chicago win, discusses the reaction from other drivers, how he's led NASCAR's international invasion, previews IMS, what it'd be like to kiss the bricks, and addresses recent adjustments.

Only one lane was open for cars to pass. Van Gisbergen was the fourth car by the incident, passing eight cars that were stopped. That was critical. A few laps earlier, NASCAR announced that the race would be shortened from 100 to 75 laps because of impending darkness.

Had van Gisbergen not gained those eight positions bypassing that accident, maybe Haley wins and secures a playoff spot for Kaulig Racing, taking the final spot that went to Bubba Wallace and 23XI Racing. Or had Elliott found a way by Haley, that could have been Elliott’s ticket to the playoff despite missing seven races in the regular season.

The impact of that race — and that lap continues.

The win built momentum for van Gisbergen’s move from the Supercars series in Australia to NASCAR. He will run select Cup, Xfinity and Truck races in 2024 with a goal of a full-time Cup ride in 2025.

That race also built momentum for Trackhouse Racing’s Project 91 car, which is designed to run select Cup races with international drivers.

Other teams are looking at a similar option with the Cup car more similar to road racing cars and the number of road course events on the Cup schedule (the 2024 schedule will have five after having six in 2023).

23XI Racing fielded an extra car last year at the Indianapolis road course for former 24 Hours of Le Mans winner Kamui Kobayashi. RFK Racing co-owner Brad Keselowski said last week at Nashville ahead of the NASCAR Awards that the team will field a third entry for select road course and superspeedway events in 2024.

4. Lap 188 Talladega playoff race

Ryan Blaney entered the middle race in the Round of 12 next to last in the standings. That was the result of an accident the week before at Texas that left him with a 28th-place finish.

“You’re going to find yourself behind at some point in the playoffs, whether it’s in round one, round two or round three, you’re going to find yourself behind at some point and you’re going to have to find a way to make up points and have really good days,” Blaney said a day before the Talladega playoff race.

Blaney faced virtual must-win at Talladega
Marty Snider, Jeff Burton, and Steve Letarte unpack Ryan Blaney's big win at Talladega and why it was so imperative ahead of the Round of 12 cutoff race on the Charlotte Motor Speedway Road Course.

Blaney led the outside lane and was slightly ahead of Kevin Harvick, who was in front of the inside lane, when the field took the white flag to begin the final lap.

Entering Turn 1, Blaney’s car wiggled after a push from Riley Herbst. That allowed Harvick to take the lead on the inside. Harvick surged ahead of the pack before Blaney built momentum on the backstretch.

Harvick moved up to block Blaney, who dived low.

“I wasn’t sure how clear I was,” Blaney said after the race. “I kind of made my move before I think (spotter Josh Williams) said I was clear. So I knew it was going to be tight, but that was the only chance to make that move.”

Harvick and Blaney ran side-by-side to the finish. Blaney beat Harvick by 0.012 seconds.

Harvick’s car was disqualified for failing inspection after the race and Blaney would have been given the win had he finished second. Blaney’s move on the backstretch was key because he remained ahead of William Byron, who was credited with second after Harvick’s penalty.

The victory sent Blaney to the Round of 8 and jumpstarted his drive to the Cup title. Blaney won two of the season’s final six races on the way to his first series crown.

5. Lap 310 Southern 500

Tyler Reddick led. Kevin Harvick was second. But that was about to change.

Crew chief Rodney Childers sought to pit Harvick a lap before Reddick, using the advantage of fresher tires to take the lead.

As soon as Childers called Harvick to pit road, Billy Scott, crew chief for Reddick, told his driver to pit, seeking to nullify Childers’ ploy.

Problem was Reddick was near pit entrance and had to slow dramatically to try to make pit entrance. Ryan Newman spun trying to avoid Reddick as Harvick headed toward pit entrance.

Highlights: NASCAR Cup playoffs at Darlington
Watch extended highlights from the NASCAR Cup Series Cook Out Southern 500 at Darlington Raceway.

Reddick didn’t make it to pit road. The caution came out before Harvick got to pit road. Had Harvick driven through pit road, he would not have been penalized — except for losing spots in the order since he had to run at pit road speed.

There was confusion among the No. 4 team if Harvick made it to pit road before the caution waved. Childers called Harvick to the pit stall and the team completed its work. Since the work was done when pit road was closed, Harvick was penalized. He had to restart at the back of the field.

The situation kept Harvick from winning a race in his final season in Cup. A victory would have moved him into the Round of 12. Who knows how things might have played there. He finished second at Talladega before his car failed inspection. What if he had won and not had those issues in tech inspection? That could have put him one round from the championship.

But that didn’t happen. Harvick went on to finish 19th. He would be eliminated in the first round, ending his bid for a second series title. Kyle Larson won the Southern 500 on his way to the championship race.