Talladega, Ala. (June 16, 2020) – If winning at Talladega Superspeedway, NASCAR’s biggest and baddest race track, isn’t enough, four drivers will have even more incentive – and 100,000 reasons – to claim their first triumph at the 2.66-mile track in the NASCAR Xfinity Series UNHINGED 300 at TALLADEGA this Saturday, June 20.
As a result of being the highest eligible finishers in last Sunday’s NASCAR Xfinity Series race at Homestead-Miami Speedway, Chase Briscoe, who won the race, along with Brandon Jones, Ross Chastain and AJ Allmendinger, will vie for the Xfinity Dash 4 Cash, a program which awards a $100,000 bonus to the highest finishing Xfinity Series regular in select races. The Dash 4 Cash initiative has thus far awarded $100,000 to Noah Gragson (Atlanta) and Allmendinger last weekend by virtue of his fourth-place effort.
In addition to the payout to drivers, Xfinity plans to make donations in each Dash 4 Cash race market that reaffirms its companywide commitment of connecting families, veterans and seniors to digital tools necessary for navigating these challenging times.
Each of the quartet will be vying for not only the extra cash but their first triumph at the iconic venue. Who has the edge? Allmendinger has the most experience at the 33-degree banked venue, but has never competed in a NASCAR Xfinity Series race at Talladega. Here’s a look at each:
- Briscoe: The 25-year-old driver of the No. 98 Ford for Stewart-Haas Racing is in his second year competing full time in the Xfinity Series. He will be making his third Talladega Superspeedway Xfinity start in the UNHINGED 300 at TALLADEGA. Briscoe’s best Xfinity finish at the venue came a year ago when he was fourth to race-winner Tyler Reddick, who took home the $100,000 Dash 4 Cash bonus. Briscoe, a winner three times in 2020, currently sits second in the championship standings, 18 behind Gragson.
- Jones: The 23-year-old Atlanta, GA native is the driver of the No. 19 Toyota for Joe Gibbs Racing. In his fifth full-time season, and third for JGR, Jones currently sits sixth in the battle for the title with a victory earlier this year at Auto Club Speedway. At Talladega, he has been stellar with a runnerup effort in the 2018 UNHINGED 300 at TALLADEGA, plus he was second in the Sugarlands Shine 250 NASCAR Gander RV and Outdoors Truck Series event in 2015.
- Chastain: The 27-year old native of Alva, FL, pilots the No. 10 Chevrolet for Kaulig Racing. Chastain, who has driven at Talladega in all three of NASCAR’s top-tier divisions, has a best result of third in the NASCAR Gander RV and Outdoors Truck Series race in 2013. However, he has struggled in the other 13 races (NASCAR Xfinity and NASCAR Cup Series) with a best finish of 12th in last fall’s Cup event. His best effort in the Xfinity Series at TSS? Sixteenth in 2016. Winless thus far in 2020, he is fifth in the championship standings, just 61 points behind leader Gragson.
- Allmendinger: The 39-year-old veteran from Los Gatos, CA, has been competing at Talladega Superspeedway since October of 2006 when he was fifth in a Gander Trucks event. Then, beginning in 2008 through 2018, he reeled off 18 NASCAR Cup Series starts at 33-degree banked venue, with a best result of fifth in spring of 2014. However, he has never started a NASCAR Xfinity Series race at NASCAR’s Most Competitive track and hasn’t competed at TSS since fall of ’18. Running a limited schedule for Kaulig Racing in his No. 16 Chevrolet, Allmendinger has competed in three races this season with a triumph at Atlanta.
The UNHINGED 300 at TALLADEGA, which starts at 4:30 p.m. CDT, will be the second race at the iconic venue on Saturday. Earlier in the day, at 1 PM CDT, the General Tire 200 for the ARCA Menards Series will take the green flag. Both events will compete without fans in attendance, but will be broadcast LIVE on FS1, MRN and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio.
The tripleheader weekend concludes on Sunday with the NASCAR Cup Series GEICO 500, which will see a return of up to 5,000 fans. NASCAR’s modified event procedures, protocols and number of attendees have been finalized with guidance from public health officials, medical experts and local, state and federal officials. In order to adhere to local social distancing guidelines, the limited number of guests will be allowed in the frontstretch grandstands/towers. In addition, there will be limited motorhome/5th-wheel camping spots available outside the track high atop the Alabama Gang Superstretch.
The offer is open exclusively on a first-come, first-served basis to fans who live within 0-150 miles of the track. To secure tickets, visit www.talladegasuperspeedway.com or call 1-877-Go2-DEGA.
