The 2023 NASCAR Cup Series was the 75th season of the NASCAR Cup Series. The season began with the Daytona 500 at Daytona International Speedway on February 19 and ended with the NASCAR Cup Series Championship Race at Phoenix Raceway on November 5.
Ryan Blaney won his first Cup Series Championship in his eighth full time season, with 3 wins (Charlotte, Talladega and Martinsville). It was the second consecutive and fourth overall championship for Team Penske. Blaney became the first driver to win the championship during the Elimination Playoff era without winning the season finale. It was his seventh appearance in the playoffs and first Championship 4 appearance. It was crew chief Jonathan Hassler’s first championship.
Following the 2023 Coke Zero Sugar 400, Martin Truex, Jr. won the regular season championship. Ty Gibbs won the Rookie of the Year honors after Noah Gragson was suspended and released from Legacy Motor Club in August 2023. It was the final season for Kevin Harvick, who announced that he would retire at the end of the season on January 12, 2023.
Teams and drivers[]
Full-time teams[]
Part-time teams[]
| Team | Manufacturer | No. | Driver(s) | Crew Chief | Races |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Kaulig Racing | Chevrolet | 13 | Chandler Smith | Eddie Pardue | 4 |
| Jonathan Davenport | 1 | ||||
| Front Row Motorsports | Ford | 36 | Zane Smith | Chris Lawson |
1 |
| Todd Gilliland | 1 | ||||
| Riley Herbst | Tony Manzer | 1 | |||
| The Money Racing Team | Chevrolet | 50 | Conor Daly | Tony Eury, Jr. | 2 |
| Beard Motorsports | Chevrolet | 62 | Austin Hill | Darren Shaw | 6 |
| 23XI Racing | Toyota | 67 | Travis Pastrana | Eric Phillips | 1 |
| Kamui Kobayashi | 1 | ||||
| Legacy Motor Club | Chevrolet | 84 | Jimmie Johnson |
Todd Gordon |
3 |
| Trackhouse Racing | Chevrolet | 91 | Kimi Raikkonen | Darian K. Grubb | 1 |
| Shane van Gisbergen | 2 |
Schedule[]
The schedule was released on September 14, 2022
| No | Race title | Track | Date | Time (EST) | Channel | Radio |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| E | Busch Light Clash at The Coliseum | Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum, Los Angeles, California | February 5 | 8pm | FOX | MRN |
| E | Daytona Duel | Daytona International Speedway, Daytona Beach, Florida | February 16 | 7pm | FS1 | |
| 1 | Daytona 500 | February 19 | 2:30pm | FOX | ||
| 2 | Pala Casino 400 | Auto Club Speedway, Fontana, California | February 26 | 3:30pm | ||
| 3 | Pennzoil 400 | Las Vegas Motor Speedway, Las Vegas, Nevada | March 5 | PRN | ||
| 4 | Ruoff Mortgage 500 | Phoenix Raceway, Avondale, Arizona | March 12 | MRN | ||
| 5 | Ambetter Health 400 | Atlanta Motor Speedway, Hampton, Georgia | March 19 | 3pm | PRN | |
| 6 | EchoPark Automotive Grand Prix | Circuit of the Americas, Austin, Texas | March 26 | 3:30pm | ||
| 7 | Toyota Owners 400 | Richmond Raceway, Richmond, Virginia | April 2 | FS1 | MRN | |
| 8 | Food City Dirt Race | Bristol Motor Speedway (Dirt Course), Bristol, Tennessee | April 9 | 7pm | FOX | PRN |
| 9 | NOCO 400 | Martinsville Speedway, Ridgeway, Virginia | April 16 | 3pm | FS1 | MRN |
| 10 | GEICO 500 | Talladega Superspeedway, Lincoln, Alabama | April 23 | FOX | ||
| 11 | Würth 400 | Dover Motor Speedway, Dover, Delaware | May 1* | 12pm* | FS1 | |
| 12 | AdventHealth 400 | Kansas Speedway, Kansas City, Kansas | May 7 | 3pm | ||
| 13 | Goodyear 400 | Darlington Raceway, Darlington, South Carolina | May 14 | |||
| E | NASCAR All-Star Race | North Wilkesboro Speedway, North Wilkesboro, North Carolina | May 21 | 8pm | PRN | |
| 14 | Coca-Cola 600 | Charlotte Motor Speedway, Concord, North Carolina | May 29* | 3pm* | FOX | |
| 15 | Enjoy Illinois 300 presented by TicketSmarter | World Wide Technology Raceway, Madison, Illinois | June 4 | 6:30pm | FS1 | MRN |
| 16 | Toyota/Save Mart 350 | Sonoma Raceway, Sonoma, California | June 11 | FOX | PRN | |
| 17 | Ally 400 | Nashville Superspeedway, Lebanon, Tennessee | June 25 | 7pm | NBC | MRN |
| 18 | Grant Park 220 | Chicago Street Course, Chicago, Illinois | July 2 | 5:30pm | ||
| 19 | Quaker State 400 Presented by Walmart | Atlanta Motor Speedway, Hampton, Georgia | July 9 | 7pm | USA | PRN |
| 20 | Crayon 301 | New Hampshire Motor Speedway, Loudon, New Hampshire | July 16 | 2:30pm | ||
| 21 | HighPoint.com 400 | Pocono Raceway, Long Pond, Pennsylvania | July 23 | MRN | ||
| 22 | Federated Auto Parts 400 | Richmond Raceway, Richmond, Virginia | July 30 | 3pm | ||
| 23 | FireKeepers Casino 400 | Michigan International Speedway, Brooklyn, Michigan | August 6** August 7** |
2:30pm** 12:00pm** | ||
| 24 | Verizon 200 at the Brickyard | Indianapolis Motor Speedway (Road Course), Speedway, Indiana | August 13 | 2:30pm | NBC | IMS |
| 25 | Go Bowling at The Glen | Watkins Glen International, Watkins Glen, New York | August 20 | 3pm | USA | MRN |
| 26 | Coke Zero Sugar 400 | Daytona International Speedway, Daytona Beach, Florida | August 26 | 7pm | NBC | |
| NASCAR Playoffs | ||||||
| Round of 16 | ||||||
| 27 | Cook Out Southern 500 | Darlington Raceway, Darlington, South Carolina | September 3 | 6pm | USA | MRN |
| 28 | Hollywood Casino 400 Presented by Barstool Sportsbook | Kansas Speedway, Kansas City, Kansas | September 10 | 3pm | ||
| 29 | Bass Pro Shops Night Race | Bristol Motor Speedway, Bristol, Tennessee | September 16 | 6:30pm | PRN | |
| Round of 12 | ||||||
| 30 | Autotrader EchoPark Automotive 400 | Texas Motor Speedway, Fort Worth, Texas | September 24 | 3:30pm | USA | PRN |
| 31 | YellaWood 500 | Talladega Superspeedway, Lincoln, Alabama | October 1 | 2:30pm | NBC | MRN |
| 32 | Bank of America Roval 400 | Charlotte Motor Speedway (Roval), Concord, North Carolina | October 8 | 2pm | PRN | |
| Round of 8 | ||||||
| 33 | South Point 400 | Las Vegas Motor Speedway, Las Vegas, Nevada | October 15 | 2:30pm | NBC | PRN |
| 34 | 4EVER 400 presented by Mobil 1 | Homestead-Miami Speedway, Homestead, Florida | October 22 | MRN | ||
| 35 | Xfinity 500 | Martinsville Speedway, Ridgeway, Virginia | October 29 | 2pm | ||
| Championship 4 | ||||||
| 36 | NASCAR Cup Series Championship Race | Phoenix Raceway, Avondale, Arizona | November 5 | 3pm | NBC | MRN |
Asterisk (*) = Race postponed to the following day due to rain.
Double asterisk (**) = The FireKeepers Casino 400 began on August 6 but was postponed to finish on August 7 due to rain.
Results[]
| No. | Race | Pole sitter | Winner | Make | Cautions | Caution laps | Average speed | Number of lead changes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| E | 2023 Busch Light Clash at the Coliseum | Aric Almirola | Martin Truex, Jr. | 
|
16 | 16 | 21.831 | 4 |
| E | 2023 Bluegreen Vacations Duel #1 | Alex Bowman | Joey Logano | 
|
0 | 0 | 187.630 | 4 |
| E | 2023 Bluegreen Vacations Duel #2 | Kyle Larson | Aric Almirola |
|
2 | 9 | 151.813 | 15 |
| 1 | 2023 Daytona 500 | Alex Bowman | Ricky Stenhouse, Jr. | 
|
8 | 38 | 145.283 | 52 |
| 2 | 2023 Pala Casino 400 | N/A | Kyle Busch |
|
8 | 38 | 127.603 | 28 |
| 3 | 2023 Pennzoil 400 | Joey Logano | William Byron |
|
4 | 26 | 142.980 | 13 |
| 4 | 2023 United Rentals Work United 500 | Kyle Larson | William Byron |
|
5 | 35 | 105.491 | 10 |
| 5 | 2023 Ambetter Health 400 | Joey Logano | Joey Logano |
|
5 | 34 | 138.800 | 20 |
| 6 | 2023 EchoPark Automotive Grand Prix | William Byron | Tyler Reddick |
|
8 | 17 | 72.886 | 16 |
| 7 | 2023 Toyota Owners 400 | N/A | Kyle Larson |
|
8 | 54 | 91.085 | 22 |
| 8 | 2023 Food City Dirt Race | N/A | Christopher Bell |
|
14 | 73 | 46.680 | 4 |
| 9 | 2023 NOCO 400 | Ryan Preece | Kyle Larson |
|
5 | 50 | 74.005 | 10 |
| 10 | 2023 GEICO 500 | Denny Hamlin | Kyle Busch |
|
8 | 34 | 146.575 | 57 |
| 11 | 2023 Würth 400 | N/A | Martin Truex, Jr. |
|
7 | 46 | 115.505 | 19 |
| 12 | 2023 Advent Health 400 | William Byron | Denny Hamlin |
|
11 | 57 | 117.564 | 37 |
| 13 | 2023 Goodyear 400 | Martin Truex, Jr. | William Byron |
|
8 | 47 | 118.880 | 19 |
| E | 2023 All-Star Race | Daniel Suárez | Kyle Larson |
|
2 | 13 | 92.612 | 3 |
| 14 | 2023 Coca-Cola 600 | N/A | Ryan Blaney |
|
16 | 83 | 120.468 | 31 |
| 15 | 2023 Enjoy Illinois 300 presented by TicketSmarter | Kyle Busch | Kyle Busch |
|
11 | 67 | 87.508 | 10 |
| 16 | 2023 Toyota / Save Mart 350 | Denny Hamlin | Martin Truex, Jr. |
|
2 | 6 | 81.989 | 10 |
| 17 | 2023 Ally 400 | Ross Chastain | Ross Chastain |
|
4 | 24 | 132.914 | 21 |
| 18 | 2023 Grant Park 220 | Denny Hamlin | Shane van Gisbergen |
|
9 | 21 | 60.281 | 7 |
| 19 | 2023 Quaker State 400 Available at Walmart | Aric Almirola | William Byron |
|
7 | 43 | 118.475 | 18 |
| 20 | 2023 Crayon 301 | Christopher Bell | Martin Truex, Jr. |
|
8 | 41 | 101.572 | 13 |
| 21 | 2023 HighPoint.com 400 | William Byron | Denny Hamlin |
|
11 | 44 | 119.363 | 14 |
| 22 | 2023 Cook Out 400 | Tyler Reddick | Chris Buescher |
|
3 | 21 | 98.783 | 18 |
| 23 | 2023 FireKeepers Casino 400 | Christopher Bell | Chris Buescher |
|
9 | 43 | 131.159 | 26 |
| 24 | 2023 Verizon 200 at the Brickyard | Daniel Suárez | Michael McDowell |
|
1 | 3 | 92.319 | 10 |
| 25 | 2023 Go Bowling at the Glen | Denny Hamlin | William Byron |
|
1 | 4 | 111.426 | 6 |
| 26 | 2023 Coke Zero Sugar 400 | Chase Briscoe | Chris Buescher |
|
3 | 18 | 158.389 | 22 |
| 27 | 2023 Cook Out Southern 500 | Christopher Bell | Kyle Larson |
|
8 | 51 | 120.906 | 13 |
| 28 | 2023 Hollywood Casino 400 | Christopher Bell | Tyler Reddick |
|
9 | 45 | 125.212 | 19 |
| 29 | 2023 Bass Pro Shops Night Race | Christopher Bell | Denny Hamlin |
|
6 | 53 | 94.990 | 10 |
| 30 | 2023 AutoTrader EchoPark Automotive 400 | Bubba Wallace | William Byron |
|
11 | 55 | 123.569 | 22 |
| 31 | 2023 YellaWood 500 | Aric Almirola | Ryan Blaney |
|
4 | 19 | 160.097 | 70 |
| 32 | 2023 Bank of America ROVAL 400 | Tyler Reddick | A.J. Allmendinger |
|
7 | 18 | 81.596 | 7 |
| 33 | 2023 South Point 400 | Christopher Bell | Kyle Larson |
|
7 | 36 | 135.635 | 20 |
| 34 | 2023 4EVER 400 Presented by Mobil 1 | Martin Truex, Jr. | Christopher Bell |
|
5 | 35 | 125.221 | 25 |
| 35 | 2023 Xfinity 500 | Martin Truex, Jr. | Ryan Blaney |
|
7 | 61 | 75.244 | 12 |
| 36 | 2023 NASCAR Cup Series Championship Race | William Byron | Ross Chastain |
|
4 | 27 | 108.827 | 18 |
Championship points standings[]
Drivers' Championship[]
| Pos | Driver | Races | Wins | Top 5s | Top 10s | Poles | Points | Diff |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Ryan Blaney | 36 | 3 | 8 | 18 | 0 | 5,035 | Leader |
| 2 | Kyle Larson | 36 | 4 | 15 | 18 | 2 | 5,034 | -1 |
| 3 | William Byron | 36 | 6 | 15 | 21 | 4 | 5,033 | -2 |
| 4 | Christopher Bell | 36 | 2 | 10 | 19 | 6 | 5,001 | -34 |
| 5 | Denny Hamlin | 36 | 3 | 14 | 19 | 4 | 2,383 | -2,652 |
| 6 | Tyler Reddick | 36 | 2 | 10 | 16 | 2 | 2,344 | -2,691 |
| 7 | Chris Buescher | 36 | 3 | 9 | 17 | 0 | 2,310 | -2,725 |
| 8 | Brad Keselowski | 36 | 0 | 7 | 16 | 0 | 2,302 | -2,733 |
| 9 | Ross Chastain | 36 | 2 | 10 | 14 | 1 | 2,299 | -2,736 |
| 10 | Bubba Wallace | 36 | 0 | 5 | 10 | 1 | 2,279 | -2,756 |
| 11 | Martin Truex, Jr. | 36 | 3 | 9 | 17 | 3 | 2,269 | -2,766 |
| 12 | Joey Logano | 36 | 1 | 11 | 17 | 2 | 2,258 | -2,777 |
| 13 | Kevin Harvick | 36 | 0 | 6 | 14 | 0 | 2,241 | -2,794 |
| 14 | Kyle Busch | 36 | 3 | 10 | 17 | 1 | 2,232 | -2,803 |
| 15 | Michael McDowell | 36 | 1 | 2 | 8 | 0 | 2,185 | -2,850 |
| 16 | Ricky Stenhouse, Jr. | 36 | 1 | 2 | 9 | 0 | 2,168 | -2,867 |
| NASCAR Playoffs cut-off | ||||||||
| 17 | Chase Elliott | 29 | 0 | 7 | 15 | 0 | 820 | -4,215 |
| 18 | Ty Gibbs (R) | 36 | 0 | 4 | 10 | 0 | 771 | -4,264 |
| 19 | Daniel Suárez | 36 | 0 | 3 | 10 | 1 | 756 | -4,279 |
| 20 | Alex Bowman | 33 | 0 | 4 | 10 | 1 | 701 | -4,334 |
| 21 | A.J. Allmendinger | 36 | 1 | 4 | 7 | 0 | 692 | -4,343 |
| 22 | Aric Almirola | 36 | 0 | 2 | 5 | 2 | 675 | -4,360 |
| 23 | Ryan Preece | 36 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 1 | 637 | -4,398 |
| 24 | Austin Cindric | 36 | 0 | 1 | 5 | 0 | 626 | -4,409 |
| 25 | Corey LaJoie | 36 | 0 | 2 | 3 | 0 | 603 | -4,432 |
| 26 | Justin Haley | 36 | 0 | 1 | 6 | 0 | 593 | -4,442 |
| 27 | Erik Jones | 36 | 0 | 1 | 7 | 0 | 578 | -4,457 |
| 28 | Todd Gilliland | 36 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 0 | 554 | -4,481 |
| 29 | Austin Dillon | 36 | 0 | 1 | 7 | 0 | 545 | -4,490 |
| 30 | Chase Briscoe | 36 | 0 | 4 | 8 | 1 | 534 | -4,501 |
| 31 | Harrison Burton | 36 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 452 | -4,583 |
| 32 | Ty Dillon | 36 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 364 | -4,671 |
| 33 | Noah Gragson (R) | 21 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 199 | -4,836 |
| 34 | Cody Ware | 7 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 65 | -4,970 |
| 35 | Jenson Button | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 45 | -4,990 |
| 36 | Mike Rockenfeller | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 39 | -4,996 |
| 37 | Travis Pastrana | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 26 | -5,009 |
| 38 | Brodie Kostecki | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 15 | -5,020 |
| 39 | Jimmie Johnson | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 12 | -5,023 |
| 40 | Kimi Räikkönen | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 8 | -5,027 |
| 41 | Jonathan Davenport | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | -5,034 |
Manufacturers' Championship[]
With 18 wins, Chevrolet won the 2023 NASCAR Cup Series Manufacturer's Championship.
| Pos | Manufactuer | Wins | Points | Diff |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Chevrolet | 18 | 1,328 | Leader |
| 2 | Toyota | 10 | 1,248 | -80 |
| 3 | Ford | 8 | 1,239 | -89 |
Contingency awards[]
Rookie of the Year[]
Ty Gibbs won the 2023 Sunoco Rookie of the Year Award for the NASCAR Cup Series.
| Pos | Driver | Wins | Rookie of the race awards | Points |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Ty Gibbs | 0 | 33 | 771 |
| 2 | Noah Gragson | 0 | 3 | 199 |
Other season awards[]
- Busch Light Pole Award: Christopher Bell (6)
- American Ethanol Green Flag Restart Award: Denny Hamlin (6)[1]
References[]
| NASCAR Cup Series seasons |
|---|
| 1949 | 1950 | 1951 | 1952 | 1953 | 1954 | 1955 | 1956 | 1957 | 1958 | 1959 | 1960 | 1961 | 1962 | 1963 | 1964 |
| 1965 | 1966 | 1967 | 1968 | 1969 | 1970 | 1971 | 1972 | 1973 | 1974 | 1975 | 1976 | 1977 | 1978 | 1979 | 1980 |
| 1981 | 1982 | 1983 | 1984 | 1985 | 1986 | 1987 | 1988 | 1989 | 1990 | 1991 | 1992 | 1993 | 1994 | 1995 | 1996 |
| 1997 | 1998 | 1999 | 2000 | 2001 | 2002 | 2003 | 2004 | 2005 | 2006 | 2007 | 2008 | 2009 | 2010 | 2011 | 2012 |
| 2013 | 2014 | 2015 | 2016 | 2017 | 2018 | 2019 | 2020 | 2021 | 2022 | 2023 | 2024 | 2025 |