2017 Sparks Energy 300
| Race details | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Race 9 of 33 in the 2017 NASCAR Xfinity Series | |||
 | |||
| Date | May 6, 2017 | ||
| Official name | 26th Annual Sparks Energy 300 | ||
| Location | Lincoln, Alabama, Talladega Superspeedway | ||
| Course | Permanent racing facility | ||
| Course length | 2.66 miles (4.28 km) | ||
| Distance | 113 laps, 300.58 mi (483.736 km) | ||
| Scheduled distance | 113 laps, 300.58 mi (483.736 km) | ||
| Average speed | 139.068 miles per hour (223.808 km/h) | ||
| Pole position | |||
| Driver | Kaulig Racing | ||
| Time | 52.188 | ||
| Most laps led | |||
| Driver | Justin Allgaier | JR Motorsports | |
| Laps | 24 | ||
| Winner | |||
| No. 98 | Aric Almirola | Biagi–DenBeste Racing | |
| Television in the United States | |||
| Network | FOX | ||
| Announcers | Adam Alexander, Michael Waltrip, Kevin Harvick | ||
| Radio in the United States | |||
| Radio | Motor Racing Network | ||
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.
Entry list
[edit]- (R) denotes rookie driver.
- (i) denotes driver who is ineligible for series driver points.
Practice
[edit]First practice
[edit]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 | ||||||
Final practice
[edit]The final practice session was held on Friday, May 5, at 12:30 PM CST and lasted for 55 minutes.[2] Brandon Jones of Richard Childress Racing 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 final practice results | ||||||
Qualifying
[edit]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
[edit]Race results
[edit]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
[edit]
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References
[edit]- ^ "Race Recap: Aric Almirola powers to NASCAR XFINITY Series win at Talladega". ESPN.com. May 6, 2017. Retrieved May 5, 2022.
- ^ a b c "2017 NASCAR XFINITY Talladega Race Info". ESPN.com. March 27, 2017. Retrieved May 5, 2022.
- ^ Velat, Frank (May 5, 2017). "Blake Koch, Brandon Jones Fastest In Talladega XFINITY Practices". www.frontstretch.com. Retrieved May 5, 2022.
- ^ McFadin, Daniel (May 5, 2017). "Brandon Jones, Blake Koch top final Xfinity practice at Talladega". NASCAR Talk | NBC Sports. Retrieved May 5, 2022.
- ^ "NASCAR Qualifying Rules". ESPN.com. February 7, 2018. Retrieved November 1, 2021.
- ^ "Blake Koch Swipes First XFINITY Pole At Talladega". www.frontstretch.com. May 6, 2017. Retrieved May 5, 2022.