The 2017 Sparks Energy 300 was the ninth stock car race of the 2017 NASCAR Xfinity Series season and the 26th iteration of the event. The race was held on Saturday, May 6, 2017, in Lincoln, Alabama at Talladega Superspeedway, a 2.66 miles (4.28 km) permanent triangle-shaped superspeedway. The race took the scheduled 113 laps to complete. At race's end, Aric Almirola, driving for Biagi-DenBeste Racing, would take the lead with four to go and defend fiercely to win his third and to date, his only win of the season.[1] To fill out the podium, Elliott Sadler of JR Motorsports and Joey Logano of Team Penske would finish second and third, respectively.
Background
Talladega Superspeedway, originally known as Alabama International Motor Superspeedway (AIMS), is a motorsports complex located north of Talladega, Alabama. It is located on the former Anniston Air Force Base in the small city of Lincoln. The track is a tri-oval and was constructed in the 1960s by the International Speedway Corporation, a business controlled by the France family. Talladega is most known for its steep banking and the unique location of the start/finish line that's located just past the exit to pit road. The track currently hosts the NASCAR series such as the NASCAR Cup Series, Xfinity Series and the Camping World Truck Series. Talladega is the longest NASCAR oval with a length of 2.66-mile-long (4.28 km) tri-oval like the Daytona International Speedway, which also is a 2.5-mile-long (4 km) tri-oval.
Entry list
- (R) denotes rookie driver.
- (i) denotes driver who is ineligible for series driver points.
Practice
First practice
The first practice session was held on Friday, May 5, at 10:30 AM CST, and would last for 55 minutes.[2] Blake Koch of Kaulig Racing would set the fastest time in the session, with a time of 49.722 and an average speed of 192.591 miles per hour (309.945 km/h).[3]
| Pos. | # | Driver | Team | Make | Time | Speed |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 11 | Blake Koch | Kaulig Racing | Chevrolet | 49.722 | 192.591 |
| 2 | 62 | Brendan Gaughan | Richard Childress Racing | Chevrolet | 49.732 | 192.552 |
| 3 | 2 | Ben Kennedy (R) | Richard Childress Racing | Chevrolet | 49.784 | 192.351 |
| Full first practice results | ||||||
Second and final practice
The second and final practice session, sometimes referred to as Happy Hour, was held on Friday, May 5, at 12:30 PM CST, and would last for 55 minutes.[2] Brandon Jones of Richard Childress Racing would set the fastest time in the session, with a time of 52.381 and an average speed of 182.814 miles per hour (294.211 km/h).[4]
| Pos. | # | Driver | Team | Make | Time | Speed |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 33 | Brandon Jones | Richard Childress Racing | Chevrolet | 52.381 | 182.814 |
| 2 | 11 | Blake Koch | Kaulig Racing | Chevrolet | 52.508 | 182.372 |
| 3 | 21 | Daniel Hemric (R) | Richard Childress Racing | Chevrolet | 52.623 | 181.974 |
| Full Happy Hour practice results | ||||||
Qualifying
Qualifying was held on Saturday, May 6, at 9:30 AM CST.[2] Since Talladega Superspeedway at least 2 miles (3.2 km) in length, the qualifying system was a single car, single lap, two round system where in the first round, everyone would set a time to determine positions 13-40. Then, the fastest 12 qualifiers would move on to the second round to determine positions 1-12.[5]
Blake Koch of Kaulig Racing would win the pole, setting a time of 52.188 and an average speed of 183.490 miles per hour (295.299 km/h) in the second round.[6]
B. J. McLeod was the only driver to fail to qualify.
Full qualifying results
Race results
Stage 1 Laps: 25
| Pos. | # | Driver | Team | Make | Pts |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 98 | Aric Almirola (i) | Biagi-DenBeste Racing | Ford | 0 |
| 2 | 22 | Joey Logano (i) | Team Penske | Ford | 0 |
| 3 | 7 | Justin Allgaier | JR Motorsports | Chevrolet | 8 |
| 4 | 20 | Erik Jones (i) | Joe Gibbs Racing | Toyota | 0 |
| 5 | 11 | Blake Koch | Kaulig Racing | Chevrolet | 6 |
| 6 | 5 | Michael Annett | JR Motorsports | Chevrolet | 5 |
| 7 | 62 | Brendan Gaughan | Richard Childress Racing | Chevrolet | 4 |
| 8 | 88 | Kasey Kahne (i) | JR Motorsports | Chevrolet | 0 |
| 9 | 14 | J. J. Yeley | TriStar Motorsports | Toyota | 2 |
| 10 | 39 | Ryan Sieg | RSS Racing | Chevrolet | 1 |
Stage 2 Laps: 25
| Pos. | # | Driver | Team | Make | Pts |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 7 | Justin Allgaier | JR Motorsports | Chevrolet | 10 |
| 2 | 3 | Ty Dillon (i) | Richard Childress Racing | Chevrolet | 0 |
| 3 | 88 | Kasey Kahne (i) | JR Motorsports | Chevrolet | 0 |
| 4 | 98 | Aric Almirola (i) | Biagi-DenBeste Racing | Ford | 0 |
| 5 | 20 | Erik Jones (i) | Joe Gibbs Racing | Toyota | 0 |
| 6 | 22 | Joey Logano (i) | Team Penske | Ford | 0 |
| 7 | 42 | Tyler Reddick | Chip Ganassi Racing | Chevrolet | 4 |
| 8 | 5 | Michael Annett | JR Motorsports | Chevrolet | 3 |
| 9 | 19 | Matt Tifft (R) | Joe Gibbs Racing | Toyota | 2 |
| 10 | 2 | Ben Kennedy (R) | Richard Childress Racing | Chevrolet | 1 |
Stage 3 Laps: 63
Standings after the race
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References
- ^ "Race Recap: Aric Almirola powers to NASCAR XFINITY Series win at Talladega". ESPN.com. 2017-05-06. Retrieved 2022-05-05.
- ^ a b c "2017 NASCAR XFINITY Talladega Race Info". ESPN.com. 2017-03-27. Retrieved 2022-05-05.
- ^ Velat, Frank (2017-05-05). "Blake Koch, Brandon Jones Fastest In Talladega XFINITY Practices". www.frontstretch.com. Retrieved 2022-05-05.
- ^ McFadin, Daniel (2017-05-05). "Brandon Jones, Blake Koch top final Xfinity practice at Talladega". NASCAR Talk | NBC Sports. Retrieved 2022-05-05.
- ^ "NASCAR Qualifying Rules". ESPN.com. 2018-02-07. Retrieved 2021-11-01.
- ^ "Blake Koch Swipes First XFINITY Pole At Talladega". www.frontstretch.com. 2017-05-06. Retrieved 2022-05-05.
- ^ "2017 Sparks Energy 300 - The Third Turn". www.thethirdturn.com. Retrieved 2022-05-04.