sparks energy 300 Tag

By Reid Spencer, NASCAR Wire Service   TALLADEGA, Ala. – Aric Almirola charged into the lead with four laps left in Saturday’s Sparks Energy 300 at Talladega Superspeedway and held off Elliott Sadler at the finish to win the third NASCAR XFINITY Series race of his career.   With the Ford of Darrell Wallace Jr. plowing into the inside backstretch wall behind him on the final lap, Almirola held the top spot to the finish, beating Sadler, the series leader, to the finish line by .142 seconds.   The win wasRead More

By David Morgan, NASCAR Editor Ben Kennedy had been out of the cockpit of a race car for five long months, but as he made his first NASCAR Xfinity Series start of the season, the 25-year-old driver for Richard Childress Racing certainly didn’t show any rust as he drove his way to a fourth-place finish at Talladega. Making his first start in the Xfinity Series since Iowa last summer and first start at all since the end of the 2016 season, Kennedy started Saturday’s Sparks Energy 300 in fourth placeRead More

By David Morgan, NASCAR Editor Entering Talladega, the NASCAR Xfinity Series points leader, Elliott Sadler, was one of the favorites to be able to score back-to-back wins at the 2.66-mile superspeedway, but after sustaining some damage early in the race, Sadler had his work cut out for him to be able to come back finish as a runner-up in the Sparks Energy 300. “That’s a good finish for us,” said Sadler. “I made a huge mistake there coming to the white. Me and my spotter were so focused on whereRead More

By David Morgan, NASCAR Editor As is the case anytime NASCAR visits the restrictor plate tracks of Daytona and Talladega, the chance of a multi-car crash is high and in Saturday’s Sparks Energy 300 at Talladega, the first multi-car crash of the day struck early, sweeping several contenders up in the melee. Heading down the backstretch on lap 20, last year’s runner-up at Talladega, Brennan Poole, who had already sustained some front-end damage earlier in the race, tried to move into the outside lane, but there was no room toRead More

By David Morgan, NASCAR Editor After setting down the fastest time in NASCAR Xfinity Series practice on Friday, Blake Koch and Kaulig Racing were fast again in Saturday’s qualifying session for the Sparks Energy 300 as Koch scored his first career pole with a lap of 52.188 seconds, 183.490 mph. Joining Koch on the front row will be Kasey Kahne, who is driving the No. 88 Chevrolet this weekend for JR Motorsports. Rounding out the top-five starters for Saturday’s race are three of the four Richard Childress Racing entries, withRead More

By David Morgan, NASCAR Editor Heading into Saturday’s Sparks Energy 300 at Talladega, JR Motorsports, which currently holds the top three spots in the NASCAR Xfinity Series points standings, will be looking to make it back-to-back trips to victory lane at the 2.66-mile superspeedway. After expanding to four teams in 2017, some expected the organization to have some growing pains, but through the first eight races of the season, they haven’t missed a beat as they have established themselves as early championship favorites after falling just short last season. TheRead More

By Seth Eggert, NASCAR Writer The Sparks Energy 300 at Talladega Superspeedway marks the ninth race of the 2017 season for the NASCAR Xfinity Series season. For Ben Kennedy, however, this marks his first race of the 2017 season. Kennedy will be behind the wheel of the No. 2 Rheem Chevrolet Camaro for Richard Childress Racing with Justin Alexander serving as his crew chief at the 2.66-mile superspeedway. Kennedy will be able to work with teammates Ty Dillon, Daniel Hemric, Brandon Jones, and Brendan Gaughan in the draft all weekendRead More

By Seth Eggert, NASCAR Writer The last time the NASCAR Xfinity Series visited Talladega Superspeedway, Elliott Sadler took home the victory in thrilling fashion. Sadler narrowly avoided spinning as contact between himself and Joey Logano set off a melee that took out several cars, including Logano, coming to the checkered flag. Logano and Sadler are the only former winners in the field for Saturday’s race. Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series drivers in the field this weekend include Aric Almirola, Daniel Suarez, Erik Jones, Logano, Kasey Kahne, and Ty Dillon. NASCARRead More

By Reid Spencer, NASCAR Wire Service TALLADEGA, Ala. – On his 41st birthday, Elliott Sadler got an unexpected present. When Saturday’s Sparks Energy 300 NASCAR XFINITY Series race ended under caution in overtime with the front-runners just short of the finish line, Sadler had the lead, after Joey Logano’s last-ditch attempt to block Sadler in the tri-oval ended with Logano’s No. 22 Team Penske Ford plowing nose-first into the outside wall. Brennan Poole got to the finish line first and thought he had won the race, until NASCAR officials reviewedRead More

By Toby Christie, NASCAR Editor It’s been an unexpected break out year so far for Blake Koch and the newly formed Kaulig Racing team. Koch, who spent his first five seasons with under funded organizations, has scored both of his career NASCAR Xfinity Series top-10 finishes this season, one of which was recorded this past weekend at Richmond International Raceway when he finished a career-best eighth. It’s been a refreshing year to say the least, and one that many in the industry are happy to see from the 30-year-old driver.Read More