NASCAR Xfinity Series Pacific Office Automation 147 Was A Wild Ride Into Overtime

The 2023 NASCAR Xfinity Series Pacific Office Automation 147 was full of excitement on and off the track. A total of 38 entries, started on Saturday, June 3 at Portland International Raceway, and took no time at all to see the drivers pushing each other to the edge of the track and sometimes into the wall.

I was there with the “At The Events” crew, and the official event merchandise for the race which was powered by Craton Promotions.  We had two locations trackside and I was out on the fan walk all weekend with music, some not so great, but pretty funny jokes on the microphone, and free VIP access tickets to the two concerts that went on after each night’s race. Friday was Brothers Osborne after the ARCA Menards Series race and Saturday was Sam Hunt after the NASCAR Xfinity Series race.

One of my favorite moments of the weekend was right before the big NASCAR Xfinity Series Autograph session across from the Official Merchandise store on the fan walk. I was helping the fans get ready as the line formed hours before the session was to start. I asked Whitney to assist me as we walked the line asking questions to the fans and handing out event tee shirts to the kids that were in line. The smiles, the thank yous, and the excitement were so fulfilling for me.

This was the second year for Craton Promotions being the official event merchandiser of the NASCAR Xfinity series Pacific Office Automation 147.  (147 is the number of miles long the race is if you were asking yourself)

Driving the #00 Ford Mustang for Stewart-Haas Racing, Cole Custer secured his first Xfinity Series win of the 2023 season.

The race went into overtime and there were plenty of incidents that shaped how it all shook out at the end.  Drivers pushing, bumping, and crashing each other for a lot of the race made for a very exciting view for the fans who could only imagine what was going to happen next.

Meanwhile, Justin Allgaier finished runner-up, followed by Sam Mayer, Josh Berry, and Austin Hill in the top five. Myatt Snider, Sheldon Creed, Connor Mosack, Chandler Smith, and John Hunter Nemechek rounded out the top 10.

I have to give a big thank you to the Craton Promotions crew that worked the race, Charles, Susan, Calley, Alan, and Whitney. There is always so much to do behind the scenes to make the official event merchandise trackside stores look and feel good.

By the way, it was also Susan’s Birthday weekend and she was the queen of the night at Jake’s Famous Crawfish Restaurant

Thank you to Green-Savoree Racing for their hospitality during the week and at the concerts, our team had a blast.

Next Up for the “At the Events” crew is an IMSA WeatherTech Sportscar Championship series race, the Sahlen’s 6 Hours at the Glen held at the historic Watkins Glen International.

The Craton Promotions team will also be at the Vintage Grand Prix of Mid-Ohio which is the opening event of 2023 for the Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course in Lexington, Ohio (see the MO Store here)