The 2023 DoorDash 250 was the 14th stock car race of the 2023 NASCAR Xfinity Series, and the inaugural iteration of the event. The race was held on Saturday, June 10, 2023, in Sonoma, California at Sonoma Raceway, a 1.99 miles (3.20 km) permanent road course. The race took the scheduled 79 laps to complete. Aric Almirola, driving for RSS Racing, would score the upset win, after taking advantage of a pit road strategy, leading the final 15 laps of the race to earn his fourth career NASCAR Xfinity Series win, his first of the season, and the first NASCAR win for RSS Racing.[1]Kyle Larson dominated nearly the entire race, winning both stages and leading a race-high 53 laps, but ultimately fell back and finished third. To fill out the podium, A. J. Allmendinger, driving for Kaulig Racing, and Larson, driving for Hendrick Motorsports, would finish 2nd and 3rd, respectively.
Background
Aric Almirola racing the DoorDash 250 which he eventually won.
Sonoma Raceway is a 1.99-mile (3.20 km) road course and drag strip located on the landform known as Sears Point in the southern Sonoma Mountains in Sonoma, California, U.S. The road course features 12 turns on a hilly course with 160 feet (49 m) of total elevation change. It is host to one of only seven NASCAR Cup Series races each year that are run on road courses. It is also host to the NTT IndyCar Series and several other auto races and motorcycle races such as the American Federation of Motorcyclists series. Sonoma Raceway continues to host amateur, or club racing events which may or may not be open to the general public. The largest such car club is the Sports Car Club of America.
In 2022, the race was reverted to racing the club configuration.[2]
Entry list
(R) denotes rookie driver.
(i) denotes driver who is ineligible for series driver points.
The first and only practice session was held on Friday, June 9, at 1:05 PM PST, and would last for 50 minutes.[3]Kyle Larson, driving for Hendrick Motorsports, would set the fastest time in the session, with a lap of 1:19.255, and an average speed of 90.392 mph (145.472 km/h).[4]
Qualifying was held on Saturday, June 10, at 12:00 PM PST.[3] Since Sonoma Raceway is a road course, the qualifying system is a two group system, with two rounds. Drivers will be separated into two groups, Group A and Group B. Each driver will have multiple laps to set a time. The fastest 5 drivers from each group will advance to the final round. The fastest driver to set a time in that round will win the pole.[5]Kyle Larson, driving for Hendrick Motorsports, would score the pole for the race, with a lap of 1:18.387, and an average speed of 91.393 mph (147.083 km/h).[6]
