2023 NASCAR Season Superlatives: Clean Car, Unbreakable, Restart Racer

Before we get into 2024 and the new NASCAR season, let’s take a look back at 2023 and give out a few more awards. The Clean Car award for avoiding DNFs and incidents on track. Then, the Unbreakable award for the toughest driver this season. Finally, we’ll hand out the Restart Racer for the best restarter in the Cup Series.

The 2023 NASCAR season had a lot of ups and downs. Drivers that were among the best in the series also faced the most incidents on track. For some, like Kyle Larson and Austin Dillon, it was like they had a DNF every other week. Larson finished the year with 8 and Dillon with 10 total DNFs.

However, there were others who made sure to get their car to the finish line without a scratch most weeks. It isn’t a coincidence that our Clean Car award winner had a career-best finish in the points standing this year.

Clean Car: Corey LaJoie
DNFs: 0
Top-5s: 2
Top-10s: 3
Avg. Finish: 20.8
Final Standing: 25th

Before the influx in money that Spire Motorsports has seen in the last half of the year, it was a small organization. They made the most of what they had this year and in years prior. Corey LaJoie avoiding a DNF this season made all the difference.

Finishing 25th overall in the 2023 NASCAR season, and having an average finish of 20.8, LaJoie is poised for a big 2024.

Unbreakable Award

In NASCAR and all forms of racing, there is inherent danger. You can go that fast for that many laps with that many drivers on the track and not have accidents. Drivers know that going in and it is just a reality of the job.

However, that doesn’t mean there aren’t some that are a bit tougher than others. No one is going to knock a driver for sitting out after a nasty wreck. It happens all of the time. When concussions are involved, it is a must.

But when you get a driver that refuses to get out of the car, unless he has to, it can be special. This year, the 2023 NASCAR Unbreakable Award winner was in two of the biggest wrecks of the season.

He never stepped out of the car, either.

Unbreakable Award: Ryan Preece
– Geico 500 Talladega wreck with Kyle Larson
– Wreck led to safety changes in the Cup Series cars
– Coke Zero 400 Daytona wreck, flipped 10+ times in the air
– Coming to Darlington with bloodshot and blackened eyes

Twice this season, Ryan Preece was in wrecks that would have taken out drivers of lesser conviction. Let’s not forget Kyle Larson was the sitting duck in that accident. But Preece took a lick at Dega in April. NASCAR added gusset plates to strengthen the passenger side of the cars in the wake of the incident.

Then, in the regular season finale, Preece was spun into the grass at Daytona. His car caught air, flipped around a dozen times in the air, and came to a stop. Thankfully, the tough driver from the Northeast was fine.

I will never forget the moment Preece took off his sunglasses at Darlington, confirming he would race.

2023 NASCAR Restart Racer

Restarts are a vital part of the modern NASCAR driver’s repertoire. If you can’t cut it and beat and bang on restarts, you’re going to get used up and fall back in the pack. Some drivers are able to not just hold their position but advance their place.

While some dread restarts, others relish them. Perhaps no other driver was as consistent over the season as the Restart Racer winner. It was a career-best season for this driver as he went on to make the playoffs for the first time ever and advance to the Round of 12.

Restart Racer: Bubba Wallace
– 123 positions gained on restarts this season
– 80.92% Retention Rate on restarts

In the 2023 NASCAR season, Bubba led the Cup Series in net positions gained on restarts and in retention rate. In other words, he gained the most positions on restarts, and almost 81% of the time, he was able to hold or advance his position on restarts.

Perhaps the best example of this was during the Coca-Cola 600. On three restarts, Wallace went from P19 to P14. Then P14 to P9. Finally, P9 to P5 where he finished up P4 overall.

Wallace will try to use that restart skill to earn himself a win or two in 2024.