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  • NASCAR and Talladega Superspeedway Enter New Partnership With Sugarlands

    NASCAR and Talladega Superspeedway Enter New Partnership With Sugarlands

    Sugarlands Shine Becomes the “Official Moonshine of NASCAR®” In Five-Year Deal;
    2019 NASCAR Gander Outdoors Truck Series™ Race at Talladega to be “Sugarlands Shine 250”

    TALLADEGA, Ala. – Award-winning moonshine distillery Sugarlands Distilling Company, LLC. has entered the sport by signing agreements with both the sanctioning body and one of the most iconic tracks on the circuit, Talladega Superspeedway. The new partnerships designate Sugarlands Shine as the “Official Moonshine of NASCAR” and as the title partner of the NASCAR Gander Outdoors Trucks Series fall race, the Sugarlands Shine 250. The announcement was made Friday at Talladega Superspeedway, which is hosting its much anticipated NASCAR Playoff doubleheader weekend.

    Sugarlands Distilling Company, LLC., produces high-quality craft moonshine. Since opening its doors in 2014, Sugarlands Distilling Company has won more than 20 awards for superior taste and quality. The distillery in downtown Gatlinburg, Tennessee, is a popular attraction with more than one million visitors each year. In its fourth year of business, Sugarlands saw a 50% annual growth in distribution sales and expanded its distribution area to 24 states. Sugarlands Distilling Company is one of America’s top-rated distillery experiences and the number one “thing to do” in Gatlinburg, according to Trip Advisor.

    “Moonshine is deeply rooted in the history of racing, so partnering with NASCAR felt very natural for us,” said Edward Vickers, President of Sugarlands Distilling Company. “This partnership is our first venture into the sporting industry and we’re excited to extend our brand to NASCAR’s passionate and dedicated fan base.”

    As a part of the five-year agreement with NASCAR, Sugarlands will gain rights to promote its moonshine at retail, on packaging and will host key customers and distributors at-track. Additionally, Sugarlands is kickstarting the partnership with a ‘Beyond the Checkered Flag’ sweepstakes. The grand prize winner will experience VIP access at a NASCAR race, entry to the Sugarlands hospitality tent, travel accommodations and more. Fans can visit www.Sugarlands.com to enter and learn more about the sweepstakes.

    “Moonshine is one of the fastest growing spirit categories in the country and we are excited to help introduce Sugarlands’ award-winning product to our brand loyal and national fanbase,” said Jon Tuck, Chief Revenue Officer, NASCAR. “There is an authentic connection between our two brands and we are confident our fans will embrace the historical association.”

    The Sugarlands Shine 250 will be held on October 12, 2019 and serve as a key playoff event during the battle for the NASCAR Gander Outdoors Truck Series championship. As part of the multi-year deal, Sugarlands will offer a specially licensed moonshine for Talladega Superspeedway and be named the “Official Moonshine of Talladega Superspeedway.”

    “Sugarlands is a natural fit for Talladega Superspeedway and we are thrilled to have them join our team,” said speedway Chairman Grant Lynch. “There are many old-time tales here about the good ol’ days when running moonshine in and around Talladega was happening, and our partnership with Sugarlands and the Sugarlands Shine 250, those stories will come back to life. There isn’t another venue in motorsports that has fans as loyal as ours, and I know they will love Sugarlands.”

    Sugarlands recently announced a partnership with country music’s rising star and NASCAR fan, Cole Swindell. Swindell will be releasing his own Sugarlands Shine flavors starting with a Peppermint Moonshine which hit the shelves in liquor stores across the country, online and in Sugarland’s distillery this month. Swindell is currently working with Sugarlands to create a new recipe to be released in the new year.

    Sugarlands Distilling Company is also a proud partner to Discovery Channel’s ‘Moonshiners’, bringing the show’s notorious stars’ moonshine recipes straight to consumers. Sugarlands’ ‘Moonshiners Legends’ products feature recipes from Mark Rogers, Mark Ramsey & Digger Manes, Steven Tickle, Jim Tom Hedrick, and Patti Bryan, all stars of the popular television series.

    The trucks will be in action tomorrow (Saturday) for the Fr8Auctions 250, where the field of eight championship-eligible drivers will be trimmed to six, at noon CDT. The race will be followed with Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series Foodland/Food Giant Qualifying for Sunday’s 1000Bulbs.com 500. It will serve as the second race (of three) in the Playoff Round of 12, and cars are scheduled to take the green flag at 1 p.m. CDT.

    About NASCAR
    The National Association for Stock Car Auto Racing, Inc. (NASCAR) is the sanctioning body for the No. 1 form of motorsports in the United States. NASCAR consists of three national series (Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series™, NASCAR XFINITY Series™, and NASCAR Camping World Truck Series™), four regional series, one local grassroots series, and three international series. The International Motor Sports Association™ (IMSA®) governs the IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship™, the premier U.S. sports car series. Based in Daytona Beach, Fla., with offices in eight cities across North America, NASCAR sanctions more than 1,200 races in more than 30 U.S. states, Canada, Mexico, and Europe. For more information visit www.NASCAR.com and www.IMSA.com, and follow NASCAR on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and Snapchat (‘NASCAR’).

    About Sugarlands Distilling, Co.
    Sugarlands Distilling Company, located in the heart of the Great Smoky Mountains National Park in Gatlinburg, Tennessee, is a craft-distillery producing award-winning moonshine, rum, cream liqueurs and rye whiskey.

    Sugarlands hand-crafted cocktails can be sipped on in restaurants, bars and festivals across the country as well as the Sugarlands Cocktail Kitchen located at the downtown Gatlinburg, Tenn., distillery.

    In summer 2018, Sugarlands entered a partnership with country music rising superstar Cole Swindell and will release an original recipe created by Sugarlands and Swindell in January 2019.

    Sugarlands Distilling Co. believes giving back to the community is of the utmost importance. Since 2014, Sugarlands Distilling Company has donated over $525,000 to nonprofits across the country through their giveback program, MoonShare. In the aftermath of the 2016 Gatlinburg wildfires, SDC launched their Smokies Strong Campaign which raised money to assist Sugarlands employees and residents of Gatlinburg. In November 2017, a partnership was announced with the Appalachia Service project to fund home rebuilds for six Gatlinburg residents who were displaced during the wildfires.

    To learn more about Sugarlands’ award-winning spirits, downtown Gatlinburg distillery or MoonShare program, visit www.Sugarlands.com.

    About Talladega Superspeedway 
    Talladega Superspeedway is NASCAR’s most competitive (record 88 lead changes in 188 laps), highest banked (33 degrees), and longest track (2.66-miles), as well as the most fun and fan-friendly. Talladega offers something for everyone, including hundreds of acres of free camping, amazing kids tickets and college student prices, along with special offers for military members and first responders, and teachers and educators. The historic venue, which opened in 1969, is deemed NASCAR’s “Party Capital” thanks to the track’s infamous infield, which features the traditional Saturday Night Infield Concert presented by Wind Creek Casino and Hotel and the world-renowned Talladega Blvd., home of Friday night’s “Big One on the Blvd.” party. It’s the site of the most comfortable seats in motorsports, large ISM Vision HD video boards lining the frontstretch and endless pre-race activities for fans on race day, including special Kids VIP opportunities. For ticket information, visit www.talladegasuperspeedway.com or call 855-518-RACE (7223).

    The track, along with its parent company, International Speedway Corporation, recently announced Transformation – The Talladega Superspeedway Infield Project. The approximate $50 million redevelopment endeavor is part of ISC’s long-term capital allocation plan and reinvestment into its major motorsports complexes. The project, highlighted by a one-of-a-kind Garage Fan Zone Experience, will feature “up-close” access, interactive attractions and enhanced amenities for fans, sponsors, teams and stakeholders in the iconic Talladega infield. Full completion of the modernized project is scheduled for October of 2019. Fans can learn more about the project by visiting www.talladegasuperspeedway.com/transformation. The track, which opened in 1969, will also celebrate its 50th Anniversary next year.

  • NASCAR Reinstates Xfinity Driver Spencer Gallagher

    NASCAR Reinstates Xfinity Driver Spencer Gallagher

    On Wednesday, Spencer Gallagher was reinstated by NASCAR and is eligible to compete once again in the NASCAR Xfinity Series. Two months ago, he was indefinitely suspended for violating the substance abuse policy.

    In a press release by GMS Racing, the team announced Gallagher will return to the No. 23 Chevrolet next weekend at Kentucky Speedway. Currently, Chase Elliott is listed as the entry driver for the No. 23 car in Friday’s Xfinity race in the Coca-Cola 250 at Daytona International Speedway. Other drivers to act as substitutes during Gallagher’s absence include Johnny Sauter, Justin Haley and Alex Bowman

    “The whole GMS organization is very proud of Spencer (Gallagher) for getting reinstated after completing NASCAR’s Road to Recovery program after the results we received post-Talladega,” GMS Racing’s president Mike Beam said in that release. “Spencer will return to the No. 23 at Kentucky Speedway and then again after our agreed contracts are fulfilled.”

    NASCAR posted the article on their website around 2 p.m. on July 4 that Gallagher successfully completed the necessary requirements within NASCAR’s Road to Recovery program to be considered for reinstatement.

    Gallagher was suspended a day after his first series victory at Talladega Superspeedway earlier this season. Despite that victory, he is no longer eligible for the Xfinity Playoffs, mainly due to the failure to attempt to qualify for each race of the season. However, the No. 23 car is still eligible for an owners championship and currently sits 11th in the owners’ standings at 171 points behind the top spot.

    When Gallagher was suspended, he shared an assurance to both his fans and the NASCAR community.

    “I want to assure everyone in the NASCAR community this one-time error in judgment will never happen again.

    “I would like to say that I am sorry to all of the GMS organization for my actions, especially my team and team owner, who have worked so hard this year and have put faith in me. I also want to apologize to NASCAR, Chevrolet and my fans for letting them down. I have not upheld the behavior that is expected of me. I promise you all here and now, I will do whatever it takes to make this right.”

    Now that this is behind him, Gallagher only looks to the horizon as the team plans to have the 28-year-old back in the driver’s seat at Kentucky Speedway.

  • Spencer Gallagher Issued Indefinite Suspension for Substance Abuse

    Spencer Gallagher Issued Indefinite Suspension for Substance Abuse

    NASCAR officials announced Wednesday morning that driver Spencer Gallagher has been indefinitely suspended from NASCAR for violating the sanctioning body‘s substance abuse policy.

    Gallagher recently won his first career NASCAR Xfinity Series race at Talladega on Saturday afternoon in the No. 23 GMS Racing Chevrolet with a last lap pass on competitor Tyler Reddick. Later that week, Gallagher violated Section 19 of the 2018 NASCAR rule book, which discusses NASCAR’s zero-tolerance substance abuse policy. According to a press release by NASCAR, Gallagher has been indefinitely suspended from participating in any sanctioned event.

    He has agreed to participate in the Road to Recovery Program, a requirement before he is eligible to be cleared to race again.

    The Las Vegas native is not the first to be suspended for substance abuse.  AJ Allmendinger was one of the more recent stories of failing NASCAR’s random drug test back in 2012. Allmendinger was racing for Penske Racing in the No. 22 Ford in the NASCAR Monster Energy Cup Series at the time. He pled not guilty, but went on to complete NASCAR’s recovery program and was reinstated back into the series. He returned to Penske in the Xfinity Series in 2013, and raced full-time for JTG Daugherty Racing. In 2014, he won his first career race at the Cup level at Watkins Glen.

    Gallagher released the following statement shortly after the breaking news. “I recently have had a positive result in a NASCAR drug screen which has violated NASCAR’s substance abuse policy. I want to assure everyone in the NASCAR community this one time error in judgement will never happen again. I am taking the steps to enroll in the Road to Recovery program supported by NASCAR. I would like to say that I am sorry to all of the GMS organization for my actions, especially my team and team owner, who have worked so hard this year and have put faith in me. I also want to apologize to NASCAR, Chevrolet and my fans for letting them down. I have not upheld the behavior that is expected of me. I promise you all here and know, I will do whatever it takes to make this right.”

    Mike Beam, president of GMS Racing, issued this as part of a team statement: “GMS fully supports NASCAR’s policy on substance abuse and we do not condone this type of behavior. First and foremost, our entire organization wants to apologize to NASCAR, our sponsors, teammates and fans due to this policy violation.

    “A substitute driver will be announced at a later date.”

    Additionally, Gallagher and GMS Racing are no longer eligible for the Dash 4 Cash field this week at Dover International Speedway. Ryan Sieg, driver of the No. 39 RSS Racing, will replace Gallagher after finishing sixth at Talladega.

    “Hate the circumstances but just got word from NASCAR we are in the Dash 4 Cash at Dover,” Sieg shared on Twitter later in the morning.

    Gallagher has made 49 starts in the Xfinity Series and an additional 59 starts in the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series. He has five top-five finishes and 22 top-10 finishes combined across both series.

  • Logano ends winless drought at Talladega

    Logano ends winless drought at Talladega

    TALLADEGA, Ala. — Through the escape hatch with steering wheel in hand, Joey Logano hi-fived his crew, then turned around let out a roar of victory.

    “Ford teamwork did it today, not only with the Team Penske Fords, but all of the Fords out there,” Logano said. “We worked really well together and we got a blue oval in victory lane, so so proud of that. So proud to get this Shell Pennzoil team back in victory lane.

    “It feels so good to be back in victory lane. There’s no feeling like this. Whoah, it feels so good.

    “It’s been quite the weekend. It was a long time coming. We’ve been getting consistent and scoring points, but the win was just around the corner.

    “Man, it feels so good. Gosh, I don’t have to worry about the whole Playoffs thing anymore. We’re in! God, it just feels really good.”

    With no serious threat from the outside line to contend with in the closing laps, Logano held off Kevin Harvick and Kurt Busch during the 18-lap run to the finish to score his 19th career Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series victory in 337 starts.

    Kurt Busch, Chase Elliott, Harvick and Ricky Stenhouse Jr. rounded out the Top-five.

    “We just needed the assistance from behind,” Busch said. “The 17 car was strong. All the Fords were great today. I was hoping he would get to us on the back straightaway so we could go on offense on the front to go win it but it just didn’t materialize. I wanted to stay with Harvick, my teammate, and navigate around the 22 but everyone behind kind of broke off and was racing too hard and nobody got that big head of steam to try to push through and break apart the 22’s lead.”

    “I thought our NAPA Chevy was good,” Elliott said. “It wasn’t, I don’t think, as fast as we’ve been previously at the restrictor plate tracks, but I feel like it was a solid car. I got to the end and those guys around me were working together so much. I thought for sure one of them wanted to win a little worse than what they did. They were being very patient with one another and I was surprised by that. If it was me, I feel like I would have wanted to try or do something. Those guys weren’t having it. I was trying to move forward and make a lane and push and they were not interested in advancing. So, it could have been a lot worse, so we’ll move on to Dover.”

    “We had a really good Bush Ford,” Harvick said. “We got the handling a lot better there after the first run of the race when it was pushing really bad and loose in the corners and through the tri-oval. They did a good job adjusting the car. The 41 pulled out sooner than I thought he would there and we wound up getting hung out. All in all it was a really good day. I am happy to finish the race. It is a good day for the guys. We can tweak on one finally rather than having to rebuild one.”

    “I just wasn’t sure what to do there,” Stenhouse said. “I knew the 9 was going to try to get by us and we are all trying to get a win there. The 22 was in a great position. When we got two-wide behind him it didn’t slow him down much. We weren’t ever really gaining on him. It was a lot of fun out there today. I made a few mistakes on pit road and we caught some good cautions to keep us on the lead lap. I thought the racing was good. The cars were super tough to drive. They were sliding around everywhere which was fun. I think that made for a good race throughout the runs and the stages and the different strategies that we had. All in all it was a fun weekend and I had fun on the boulevard with all the fans. I appreciate all of them coming out. I really wanted to win on Dale Sr.’s birthday. That would have been really cool.”

    David Ragan, Aric Almirola, Alex Bowman, Ryan Newman and Daniel Suarez rounded out the Top-10.

    RACE SUMMARY

    Kevin Harvick led the field to the green flag at 2:26 p.m. As was the case in the previous day’s XFINITY Grand National Series race, the lead cars merged into a single-file line (but on the bottom in today’s race). Harvick and the Fords (and Martin Truex Jr.) broke up the single-file train when they pitted on Lap 13, and handed the lead to Alex Bowman. He and the four-car, eventually 14-car, lead pack held a lead of over 30 seconds, over the, at one point, 15-car peloton (main group). Darrell Wallace Jr. acquired the lead from him on Lap 39. He and the Chevrolets pitted on Lap 43, and the lead cycled to Brad Keselowski, who drove on to win the first stage.

    Back to green on Lap 61, Brad Keselowski fell to the bottom line to be in front of teammate Joey Logano, which allowed William Byron and the outside line to advance past him to take the lead on Lap 62. Keselowski got pushed past Byron and back to the lead the following lap. He and the Fords, along with Daniel Suarez, pitted on Lap 67, followed by the Toyotas and most of the Chevrolets the next lap. The lead cycled to Matt DiBenedetto.

    A multi-car wreck on the backstretch brought out the caution on Lap 71. DiBenedetto pitted under the caution, handing the lead to Joey Logano.

    The race restarted on Lap 78. As Jimmie Johnson pulled the outside line up to the front, Denny Hamlin jumped in front. Then on the 97, he went to pass Logano on the outside going into Turn 1. Logano threw the block, but Hamlin dove to the open space on the bottom, and took the lead. Hamlin held court on the high side for five laps, but jumped to the bottom when Kurt Busch pulled the inside line back up. Paul Menard took up the reigns of the top line and ran side-by-side with Hamlin for the lead for three laps (starting on Lap 104), before pulling ahead, with the Penske Fords in tow, and winning the second stage.

    Byron exited pit road with the race lead and led the field back to green with 72 laps to go. Harvick didn’t get going on the restart and the outside lane fell back to fifth. Ricky Stenhouse Jr. jumped to the outside to takeover the top line, but kicked Harvick out of line in the process. With 65 to go, Kurt Busch jumped to the high side and powered by Byron exiting Turn 2 to take the lead, just edging out Byron at the line, with 63 to go. Ryan Blaney made contact with Byron going into Turn 1, killing the momentum of the bottom line. With 60 to go, the entire field was in a single-file line against the wall.

    Debris on the frontstretch brought out the caution with 60 to go. Stenhouse took fuel only and exited the pits with the lead.

    Back to green with 55 to go, Stenhouse powered ahead of Hamlin exiting Turn 2. He tried to throw the block on Suarez, but got himself kicked out of line, handing the lead back to Hamlin. Logano jumped to the high-side to try and pass Hamlin with 51 to go. When Keselowski jumped up to join him up high, they powered by Hamlin exiting Turn 4 and Logano took the lead with 49 to go. Keselowski got under his teammate to fight for the lead, but it ended with 43 to go when the Fords and Hamlin pitted. The rest pitted the following lap, and the lead cycled back to Logano.

    During that cycle, Hamlin served a pass through for speeding, and a stop and go penalty for speeding during his pass through.

    Caution flew with 32 to go for Timmy Hill blowing his engine in Turn 4.

    The race restarted with 29 to go.

    A 14-car wreck in Turn 4 brought out the caution with 23 to go, setting up the run to the finish.

    Back to green with 18 to go, the outside line faded quickly. With 12 to go, it regained momentum enough that Chase Elliott jumped to the high side and pulled the line up to fifth. With 10 to go, Stenhouse jumped to the high line, but Elliott juked to the bottom, and Stenhouse followed suit. Two laps later, the leaders merged into the bottom lane. Aric Almirola tried frantically to reform the outside line, but he couldn’t pull the field up to Logano, who held off Harvick and Kurt Busch’s attempt to break out of line to pass him and score the victory.

    NUTS & BOLTS

    The race lasted three hours, 16minutes and 47 seconds, at an average speed of 152.489 mph. There were 25 lead changes among 16 different drivers, and six cautions for 29 laps.

    Kyle Busch leaves Talladega with a 30-point lead over Logano.

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  • Sadler rallies from penalty to claim Dash 4 Cash at Talladega

    Sadler rallies from penalty to claim Dash 4 Cash at Talladega

    TALLADEGA, Ala. — If you went by Elliott Sadler’s post-race photo op after he collected $100,000 in the NASCAR XFINITY Grand National Series Dash 4 Cash, you’d think it was just a run of the mill afternoon. What the race results don’t tell you, however, was that he rallied from a speeding penalty that put him a lap down to finish fifth.

    “That’s an up and down day, for sure,” Sadler said. “We came from the back to fourth in five laps. We won the second stage. Then when the No. 42 (John Hunter Nemechek) wrecked when we went to pit under green, I sped up to avoid him clipping us. Obviously it costed us and we lost a lap from the penalty. My team never gave up and we came back to get another top-five finish and win the Xfinity Dash 4 Cash for a second week in a row. We have the OneMain Financial 200 next weekend and we’ll do all we can to win the $100,000 prize there too.”

    For most of the Sparks Energy 300 at Talladega Superspeedway, it was a run of the mill event for Sadler. He started the day second and rode there for most of the first stage. Coming to the line to start the final lap of the stage, Sadler broke out of line to make his move on race leader Daniel Hemric, but nobody went with him and he finished the stage in eighth.

    Elliott Sadler leads Ryan Reed and Spencer Gallagher, coming to the conclusion of the second stage of the NASCAR XFINITY Grand National Series Sparks Energy 300 at Talladega Superspeedway. Photo: Stephanie McLaughlin/SpeedwayMedia.com

    After a five-car wreck on the backstretch brought out the caution on Lap 31, he opted not to pit and assumed the race lead, which he held for the remainder of the second stage. He exited the pits second, but took it back on the restart on Lap 57.

    As Sadler slowed down on the apron to enter pit road, John Hunter Nemechek out-braked and shot right past him, running over an area covered in water and spinning out. Sadler sped up to avoid hitting Nemechek and slowed down as he traveled down pit road, as NASCAR rules state you’re required to do if you must use pit road to avoid an accident. But because he pitted for service, which NASCAR has stated that you can’t do if forced to use pit road to avoid an accident, NASCAR posted him for speeding.

    TALLADEGA, Ala. – APRIL 28: Elliott Sadler, driver of the #1 OneMain Financial Chevrolet, celebrates winning the Dash 4 Cash after the NASCAR Xfinity Series Sparks Energy 300 at Talladega Superspeedway on April 28, 2018 in Talladega, Alabama. Photo: Josh Hedges/Getty Images

    Sadler fell to 34th in the running order, and worked his way to 20th when Hemric’s shredded tire and wall hit in the tri-oval brought out the caution with seven laps to go. He took the wave-around to get back on the lead lap, and car after car running out of fuel bumped him up to 14th on the final restart. It allowed him to bump-draft with teammate Justin Allgaier up to a fifth-place finish, past Christopher Bell to claim the Dash 4 Cash at Talladega.

    “Coming down to the end, I knew the 22 (Austin Cindric) was gonna restart second, and the 20 (Bell) was behind him. So I knew I was racing both of those guys, but the 22 had damage. So I’m thinking in my head ‘I either need to get to the third lane or the first lane, as quick as I can, not in the same lane that they’re in.’ Then the 22 ran out of gas. Then I knew it was just the 20. And I was trying to get the third lane going, because I thought the 20 was in the middle. Then Justin (Allgaier) made a great move to the middle. Then the 20 moved to the top, and kind of opened up the middle. So I went with Justin. So I was just racing the 20 there at the end. So when we got by them, I just stayed behind Justin and kept bumping him, bumping him, going ‘Man, wherever we finish, we finish, but I don’t need to fan out here and create a distraction and then the 20 come back and beat us, because I knew we couldn’t win the race at that point, off of (Turn) 4. So you’re very aware, I am at least, of who I’m racing and where they’re at, especially at Talladega.”

    Sadler leaves Talladega with a 40-point lead over teammate Tyler Reddick.

  • Gallagher steals victory on final lap at Talladega

    Gallagher steals victory on final lap at Talladega

    TALLADEGA, Ala. — Spencer Gallagher wasn’t one of the primary contenders all day. He didn’t win a stage, nor did he lead more than one lap. But that one lap was the one that mattered, when all was said and done.

    “This is a day that I’ll remember for the rest of my life. Today was the culmination of what we at GMS Racing have worked for for years. We brought an incredible race car to the track. These guys put it together amazingly well, between GMS Racing and GMS Fab. We had very good speed all day here, and anybody who knows what they’re talking about will tell you that’s going to be a big deciding factor coming down to the end at a place like this. We had a good starting spot (on the restart). I think everybody kind of got pre-occupied with trying to side-draft each other up high, going into (Turn) 3 there. And if y’all are going to leave half a race track, I’m going to take it. Thank you very much! So then when we got side-by-side, I just knew I had to get clear of Tyler (Reddick) going into Turn 1. That was going to decide the race. I was able to stay close to him, getting in. Give him a good side-draft, breakaway from him, get a little momentum, get myself clear. From there, it’s block until you either get wrecked or see the checkers. And fortunately, we found the latter option.”

    As the field was coming to take the green flag in overtime, race leader Austin Cindric, who had inherited the lead a lap prior when Justin Allgaier’s car sputtered in Turn 1 with a lack of fuel, sputtered in the tri-oval with a lack of fuel. Tyler Reddick, who would’ve restarted on the bottom of Cindric, led the field to the green.

    Gallagher got to his inside coming down the backstretch, side-drafted him to get alongside and pass Reddick to score his first career NASCAR XFINITY Grand National Series victory.

    Brandon Jones, Allgaier, Noah Gragson and Elliott Sadler rounded out the Top-five.

    Ryan Sieg, John Hunter Nemechek, Reddick, Cole Custer and Garrett Smithley.

    RACE SUMMARY

    Daniel Hemric led the field to the green at 3:27 p.m. He led the stage from start to finish. Sadler broke out of line coming to the final lap of the first stage, but few others did, allowing Hemric to win the stage with ease.

    Back to green on Lap 31, it didn’t stay as such the whole second stage. Caution flew two laps later for a two-car wreck on the backstretch.

    Restarting on Lap 42, Ryan Reed drove past Hemric on the outside, down the backstretch to take the lead. Elliott Sadler left Hemric out to dry exiting Turn 4 to take second. And on the next lap, he took the race lead and won the second stage.

    The race restarted on Lap 57. Sadler and most of the lead cars pitted with 38 laps to go. John Hunter Nemechek tried to out-brake him onto pit road, but spun out after running over water and wound up in the grass. He got the car going and the race stayed green. Sadler sped up to avoid hitting Nemechek, and was forced to serve a pass through penalty for speeding.

    Justin Allgaier, who didn’t pit during this cycle, assumed the race lead. As Reddick in ninth, the first car in the running order who pitted under the final cycle, ran nearly a lap behind, Allgaier stayed in the line of a group of lapped cars. Hemric hit the wall in the tri-oval with seven to go, setting up the run to the finish.

    NUTS & BOLTS

    The race lasted two hours, 17 minutes and 44 seconds, at an average speed of 133.258 mph. There were 12 lead changes among 11 different drivers, and five cautions for 29 laps.

    Sadler leaves Talladega with a 40-point lead over Reddick.

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  • Toyota MENCS Talladega Post-Qualifying Report

    Toyota MENCS Talladega Post-Qualifying Report

    Toyota Racing Post-Qualifying Quotes

    Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series (MENCS)

    Talladega Superspeedway – April 28, 2018

    TOYOTA STARTING POSITIONS

    1st, Kevin Harvick*

    2nd, Kurt Busch*

    3rd, MARTIN TRUEX JR.

    4th, DENNY HAMLIN

    5th, Chase Elliott*

    6th, ERIK JONES

    14th, DANIEL SUÁREZ

    19th, KYLE BUSCH

    31st, DJ KENNINGTON

    37th, GRAY GAULDING

    *non-Toyota driver

     

    TOYOTA QUOTES

    MARTIN TRUEX JR., No. 78 Bass Pro Shops/ 5-hour ENERGY Toyota Camry, Furniture Row Racing

    Starting Position: 3rd

    How did your car feel in qualifying?

    “It feels okay, I think for us the big deal is that the last couple restrictor plate races we’ve qualified really poorly. Came here with a little more effort on trying to have a faster race car and hopefully qualify good, stay up front and stay out of the wrecks. So far, so good. The guys did a really nice job. Those two guys on the front row (Kevin Harvick and Kurt Busch) absolutely smoked us, but third is pretty good so we’ll take that. It’s a big jump from the last couple times here.”

    How much do you plan to stick with your Toyota teammates that are starting near you?

    “Any time you can get around guys you’re comfortable with, it’s good to have that experience and that’s most of it is just trusting them in the draft and knowing that they’re not going to put you in a really vulnerable position. We’ll try to take care of each other and keep the Toyotas up front, hopefully out of trouble and race for the win at the end.”

    Were you able to tell any difference with the new restrictor plate?

    “Not really, by yourself it’s hard to really tell a lot. It’s not that much slower – four or five tenths by yourself, which you can barely feel that. The big test will be tomorrow when we get out there drafting in the pack and see what these drive like. I’ve been hearing a lot of guys not really happy with the way their cars are driving and I thought ours was just okay, but we made some improvements. Hopefully that will play into our favor.”

    DENNY HAMLIN, No. 11 FedEx Express Toyota Camry, Joe Gibbs Racing

    Starting Position: 4th

    How do you feel about the qualifying effort?

    “Really good qualifying effort, especially the second time around. We picked up a couple tenths and that’s pretty good. We’re pretty happy with that and we’ll be in the top-four so that’s a good run for us and we’ll see what the draft brings tomorrow.”

    What makes you one of the strongest plate racers?

    “I’ve just avoided a lot of wrecks, that’s it. So much of it is survival and we’ve just been pretty fortunate to miss some of the wrecks that we have. Pretty happy with this car and hopefully we have the same success that we’ve always had.”

    ERIK JONES, No. 20 XYO Network Toyota Camry, Joe Gibbs Racing

    Starting Position: 6th

    How did the car handle during your qualifying lap?
    “It was good, the car seemed like I had really good speed and looks like we ended up sixth. So that’s good for us, I mean we thought we had pretty good speed in practice and it’s definitely a little bit better than we thought we were gonna qualify. Hopefully the XLY Camry drives just as good for the race tomorrow and fortunately got a good spot to start up front.”

    What will be your approach to tomorrow’s race in Talladega?
    “Well I think staying up front, I think that’s really the only way to go about these races. You just try to stay up front and stay ahead of some of the trouble. So hopefully we can do that this time and stay out of the mess; make it to the end of the race,  at least have a shot to go after a win.”

  • Harvick Takes Pole Position at Talladega

    Harvick Takes Pole Position at Talladega

    TALLADEGA, Ala. — A part failure by his teammate almost ruined the day for Kevin Harvick. But when he went back out, he topped the chart. When he pulled his car into victory lane to celebrate winning the Busch Pole Award, he was hugging crew chief Rodney Childers like he’d just won the race.

    “It’s just a huge credit to the team and Roush-Yates Engines, and everybody who works on all the super-speedway stuff to make it what it is. Made some huge improvements.”

    Harvick earned his 22nd career Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series pole with a final round lap of 49.247 seconds and 194.448 mph.

    His first run cut short when he ran over debris left by teammate Aric Almirola, who’d spun out after a piece of the left-rear end broke in Turn 1. Further inspection revealed the debris punctured his left-rear tire.

    But NASCAR gave him a new left-rear tire (which is allowed, at their discretion) and he turned the fastest lap in the first round, at 49.291 and 194.275 mph.

    Kurt Busch will start second, followed by Martin Truex Jr., Denny Hamlin and Chase Elliott in the Top-five.

    “I have never been on the pole for a plate race,” Busch said, “and I wanted to check that off the list. Thank you, Doug Yates. We wouldn’t be in this position if we didn’t have great horsepower. That is the fun part of our qualifying, showcasing the talent of the engine builder and the way these guys build the aero package. To have two Stewart-Haas cars on the front row is great. We would have loved to gotten the pole but outside pole is great and I am proud of our Monster Energy Ford.”

    Erik Jones, Ricky Stenhouse Jr., Clint Bowyer, Joey Logano and Brad Keselowski round out the Top-10 starters.

    Alex Bowman and David Ragan round out the 12 drivers that made the final round.

    Forty cars will start tomorrow’s race.

    Nobody failed to make the event.

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  • McMurray Barrel Rolls and Tops Chart in Final Practice

    McMurray Barrel Rolls and Tops Chart in Final Practice

    *THIS STORY HAS BEEN UPDATED TO NOTE THAT NASCAR HAS CHANGED THE SIZE OF THE RESTRICTOR PLATES IN THE CUP CARS THIS WEEKEND, FOLLOWING JAMIE MCMURRAY’S WRECK.

    TALLADEGA, Ala. — Outside the infield care center at Talladega Superspeedway, Jamie McMurray stood by the guard rails and watched a replay of the backstretch barrel roll that sent him to the care center.

    “I think that we blew a left-rear tire. I don’t know. That’s what it sounded like. I heard the tire start to come apart, and you’re kind of along for the ride. The car, I think it turned to the right and then kind of back to the left. Obviously, I was in the front of that draft. Once it starts rolling, you don’t have any control. You can’t tell what’s up and what’s down. You’re spinning so fast. I was just thankful. Honestly, the whole time it’s flipping, I was like ‘Just please land the right way up so I can get out.’ You just never know if there’s going to be a fire. We literally had only run like four or five laps. You know you have a full tank of fuel. To get out upside-down, I’ve never done that. But it’s a challenge when you watch guys try to do that. So I was thankful that the car landed on all four.”

    McMurray had only completed five laps in final Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series practice, when he suffered a left-rear tire failure, spun-out and got airborne. Compounding the matter, Ryan Newman t-boned him just as he was getting airborne, sending him rolling right over the front of Newman’s car and landing on the hood of his car.

    McMurray rolled over two and a half times before the catch fence stopped him, accelerating his roll down the apron until he came to a halt.

    Along with Newman, Ty Dillon and Daniel Suarez collected damage.

    McMurray’s barrel roll wreck prompted NASCAR to reduce the size of the restrictor plates in the Cup cars this weekend from 7/8th’s of an inch to 55/64th’s of an inch.

    Ironically, McMurray ended the session at the top of the chart, with a time of 46.947 and a speed of 203.975 mph.

    Dillon, Suarez, Erik Jones and Martin Truex Jr. rounded out the Top-five.

    First practice results

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  • Ty Dillon Fastest in First Practice

    Ty Dillon Fastest in First Practice

    TALLADEGA, Ala. — Ty Dillon topped the chart in first Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series practice at Talladega Superspeedway. The driver of the No. 13 Germain Racing Chevrolet was the fastest with a time of 47.182 and a speed of 202.959 mph.

    He took over the top spot at the tail-end of the session, while running in a nine-car pack.

    Following him were Daniel Suarez and Kyle Busch at a time of 47.247 and a speed of 202.680 mph, Denny Hamlin at 47.249 and 202.671 mph and Ryan Newman, at 47.257 and 202.637 mph.

    Martin Truex Jr., Erik Jones, Austin Dillon, Jimmie Johnson and Alex Bowman rounded out the Top-10.

    Hamlin posted the fastest 10 consecutive lap average at a speed of 198.109 mph.

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