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The 2021 Sparks 300 was a NASCAR Xfinity Series race held on October 2, 2021, at Talladega Superspeedway in Lincoln, Alabama. Contested over 107 laps -- shortened from 113 laps due to darkness, on the 2.66 mi (4.28 km) asphalt superspeedway, it was the 28th race of the 2021 NASCAR Xfinity Series season, the second race of the Playoffs, and the second race of the Round of 12. After "The Big One" occurred late, Brandon Brown was determined as the leader at the time of caution. The race was then called due to darkness, leading to his first career Xfinity series victory.[2]
| Race details[1] | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Race 28 of 33 in the 2021 NASCAR Xfinity Series season | |||
 Talladega Superspeedway | |||
| Date | October 2, 2021 | ||
| Location | Talladega Superspeedway in Lincoln, Alabama | ||
| Course |
Permanent racing facility 2.66 mi (4.80 km) | ||
| Distance | 113 laps, 300.58 mi (483.74 km) | ||
| Average speed | 128.486 miles per hour (206.778 km/h) | ||
| Pole position | |||
| Driver | JR Motorsports | ||
| Grid positions set by competition-based formula | |||
| Most laps led | |||
| Driver | Riley Herbst | Stewart-Haas Racing | |
| Laps | 26 | ||
| Winner | |||
| No. 68 | Brandon Brown | Brandonbilt Motorsports | |
| Television in the United States | |||
| Network | NBCSN | ||
| Announcers | Dale Earnhardt Jr, Jeff Burton, and Steve Letarte | ||
| Radio in the United States | |||
| Radio | Motor Racing Network | ||
After the race, Brown unwittingly became associated with politics when NBC Sports reporter Kelli Stavast's misstating of a crowd chant led to "Let's Go Brandon" becoming a political slogan used against U.S. President Joe Biden.
Report
editBackground
editTalladega 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
edit- (R) denotes rookie driver.
- (i) denotes driver who is ineligible for series driver points.
Qualifying
editJustin Allgaier was awarded the pole for the race as determined by competition-based formula.[3] Timmy Hill did not have enough points to qualify for the race.
Starting lineup
editRace
editRace results
editStage Results
editStage One Laps: 25
| Pos | No | Driver | Team | Manufacturer | Points |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 54 | John Hunter Nemechek (i) | Joe Gibbs Racing | Toyota | 0 |
| 2 | 10 | Jeb Burton | Kaulig Racing | Chevrolet | 9 |
| 3 | 98 | Riley Herbst | Stewart-Haas Racing | Ford | 8 |
| 4 | 22 | Austin Cindric | Team Penske | Ford | 7 |
| 5 | 20 | Harrison Burton | Joe Gibbs Racing | Toyota | 6 |
| 6 | 2 | Myatt Snider | Richard Childress Racing | Chevrolet | 5 |
| 7 | 7 | Justin Allgaier | JR Motorsports | Chevrolet | 4 |
| 8 | 19 | Brandon Jones | Joe Gibbs Racing | Toyota | 3 |
| 9 | 23 | Blaine Perkins | Our Motorsports | Chevrolet | 2 |
| 10 | 18 | Daniel Hemric | Joe Gibbs Racing | Toyota | 1 |
Stage Two Laps: 25
| Pos | No | Driver | Team | Manufacturer | Points |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 23 | Blaine Perkins | Our Motorsports | Chevrolet | 10 |
| 2 | 02 | Brett Moffitt | Our Motorsports | Chevrolet | 9 |
| 3 | 54 | John Hunter Nemechek (i) | Joe Gibbs Racing | Toyota | 0 |
| 4 | 98 | Riley Herbst | Stewart-Haas Racing | Ford | 7 |
| 5 | 7 | Justin Allgaier | JR Motorsports | Chevrolet | 6 |
| 6 | 10 | Jeb Burton | Kaulig Racing | Chevrolet | 5 |
| 7 | 20 | Harrison Burton | Joe Gibbs Racing | Toyota | 4 |
| 8 | 11 | Justin Haley | Kaulig Racing | Chevrolet | 3 |
| 9 | 22 | Austin Cindric | Team Penske | Ford | 2 |
| 10 | 9 | Noah Gragson | JR Motorsports | Chevrolet | 1 |
Final Stage Results
editLaps:
| Pos | Grid | No | Driver | Team | Manufacturer | Laps | Points | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 19 | 68 | Brandon Brown | Brandonbilt Motorsports | Chevrolet | 107 | 40 | Running |
| 2 | 7 | 19 | Brandon Jones | Joe Gibbs Racing | Toyota | 107 | 38 | Running |
| 3 | 1 | 7 | Justin Allgaier | JR Motorsports | Chevrolet | 107 | 44 | Running |
| 4 | 6 | 18 | Daniel Hemric | Joe Gibbs Racing | Toyota | 107 | 34 | Running |
| 5 | 29 | 31 | Jordan Anderson (i) | Jordan Anderson Racing | Chevrolet | 107 | 0 | Running |
| 6 | 8 | 11 | Justin Haley | Kaulig Racing | Chevrolet | 107 | 34 | Running |
| 7 | 14 | 10 | Jeb Burton | Kaulig Racing | Chevrolet | 107 | 44 | Running |
| 8 | 2 | 22 | Austin Cindric | Team Penske | Ford | 107 | 38 | Running |
| 9 | 3 | 1 | Josh Berry | JR Motorsports | Chevrolet | 107 | 28 | Running |
| 10 | 40 | 07 | Joe Graf Jr. | SS-Green Light Racing | Chevrolet | 107 | 27 | Running |
| 11 | 17 | 39 | Ryan Sieg | RSS Racing | Ford | 107 | 26 | Running |
| 12 | 26 | 48 | Jade Buford | Big Machine Racing Team | Chevrolet | 107 | 25 | Running |
| 13 | 23 | 23 | Blaine Perkins | Our Motorsports | Chevrolet | 107 | 36 | Running |
| 14 | 24 | 92 | Josh Williams | DGM Racing | Chevrolet | 107 | 23 | Running |
| 15 | 39 | 52 | Joey Gase | Jimmy Means Racing | Ford | 107 | 22 | Running |
| 16 | 38 | 17 | J. J. Yeley | B. J. McLeod Motorsports | Chevrolet | 107 | 21 | Running |
| 17 | 33 | 26 | Santino Ferrucci | Sam Hunt Racing | Toyota | 107 | 20 | Running |
| 18 | 18 | 44 | Tommy Joe Martins | Martins Motorsports | Chevrolet | 107 | 19 | Running |
| 19 | 35 | 17 | Garrett Smithley | SS-Green Light Racing with Rick Ware Racing | Chevrolet | 107 | 18 | Running |
| 20 | 25 | 47 | Kyle Weatherman | Mike Harmon Racing | Chevrolet | 107 | 17 | Running |
| 21 | 32 | 36 | Alex Labbé | DGM Racing | Chevrolet | 107 | 16 | Running |
| 22 | 11 | 54 | John Hunter Nemechek (i) | Joe Gibbs Racing | Toyota | 107 | 0 | Running |
| 23 | 30 | 5 | Matt Mills | B. J. McLeod Motorsports | Toyota | 106 | 14 | Running |
| 24 | 15 | 51 | Jeremy Clements | Jeremy Clements Racing | Chevrolet | 104 | 13 | Running |
| 25 | 9 | 20 | Harrison Burton | Joe Gibbs Racing | Toyota | 101 | 22 | Accident |
| 26 | 16 | 02 | Brett Moffitt | Our Motorsports | Chevrolet | 101 | 20 | Accident |
| 27 | 13 | 98 | Riley Herbst | Stewart-Haas Racing | Ford | 101 | 25 | Accident |
| 28 | 34 | 66 | Jason White | MBM Motorsports | Ford | 101 | 9 | Accident |
| 29 | 31 | 0 | Jeffrey Earnhardt | JD Motorsports | Chevrolet | 93 | 8 | Accident |
| 30 | 4 | 9 | Noah Gragson | JR Motorsports | Chevrolet | 88 | 8 | Accident |
| 31 | 10 | 2 | Myatt Snider | Richard Childress Racing | Chevrolet | 88 | 11 | Accident |
| 32 | 37 | 90 | Caesar Bacarella | DGM Racing | Chevrolet | 88 | 5 | Accident |
| 33 | 22 | 6 | Ryan Vargas | JD Motorsports | Chevrolet | 88 | 4 | Accident |
| 34 | 36 | 74 | C. J. McLaughlin | Mike Harmon Racing | Chevrolet | 88 | 3 | Accident |
| 35 | 27 | 78 | Mason Massey | B. J. McLeod Motorsports | Toyota | 88 | 2 | Accident |
| 36 | 20 | 15 | Bayley Currey (i) | JD Motorsports | Chevrolet | 73 | 0 | Driveshaft |
| 37 | 21 | 4 | Landon Cassill | JD Motorsports | Chevrolet | 50 | 1 | Engine |
| 38 | 12 | 8 | Sam Mayer | JR Motorsports | Chevrolet | 24 | 1 | Accident |
| 39 | 5 | 16 | A. J. Allmendinger | Kaulig Racing | Chevrolet | 24 | 1 | Accident |
| 40 | 28 | 61 | David Starr | Hattori Racing Enterprises | Toyota | 20 | 1 | Engine |
| Official race results | ||||||||
Race statistics
edit- Lead changes: 33 among 17 different drivers
- Cautions/Laps: 5 for 21
- Time of race: 2 hours, 4 minutes, and 55 seconds
- Average speed: 128.486 mph (206.778 km/h)
References
edit- ^ "Entry List". jayski.com. September 29, 2021. Retrieved October 1, 2021.
- ^ "Brandon Brown scores emotional Xfinity playoff race at Talladega - NBC". NASCAR Talk | NBC Sports. 2021-10-02. Retrieved 2021-10-14.
- ^ Tomlinson, Joy (2021-09-29). "Justin Allgaier Holds Pole For Xfinity Race At Talladega". www.frontstretch.com. Retrieved 2021-10-14.