The NASCAR Xfinity Series drivers took on one of the biggest tracks on the NASCAR circuit on Saturday afternoon at Talladega Superspeedway.
In what is normally expected to be an exciting race, but Saturday’s event was normally tamed to some standards and we didn’t see all that much action. Of course, you don’t want to see “The Big One” or any other accidents, but that was not the case for this race.
However, the Unhinged 300 was based on green flag runs and building up momentum for those runs and making sure the drivers time them right.
In the end, the trio of Kaulig Racing drivers Justin Haley, Ross Chastain, and AJ Allmendinger timed those runs perfectly when the checkered flag came out, as fans at home saw Haley take the victory after Chastain and Allmendinger gave him the push he needed to keep the other drivers behind.
Though, some of the other Xfinity Series regulars saw their day get cut short due to late race accidents, or not having the “right person” to work with.
Here are this week’s Power Rankings following the Unhinged 300
- Justin Haley- Haley has not had the luck he’s needed to perform to his expectations, ever since racing resumed in May. A 29th place DNF outing at Charlotte, 17th at Bristol, and 13th at Homestead. Though, Haley had to change his mindset and come to Dega with a positive outlook, as the racing can change in instant but also give anyone a chance if you’re in the right position. The Indiana native did find himself in the right position on the last lap, as his Kaulig Racing teammates (Allmendinger and Chastain) were behind him to help get the victory for the team. The victory couldn’t come at a better timing, as Haley noted he is ride searching for next year. The win was also emotional to Haley due to the almost one-year anniversary of Nick Harrison’s unexpected passing (Haley’s former crew chief). Saturday’s win will more than likely be a special one for the 21-year old in the years to come.
Previous Week Ranking- Not Ranked - Ross Chastain- Chastain continued his momentum on Saturday by placing second in the running order. The No. 11 team has had the ball rolling the last few weeks earning top five and top 10 finishes. Chastain had a strong showing at Dega, where he remained up front for the most part. He was able to get stage points in both stages, by finishing fourth and fifth, respectively. The Floridian also led a total of 16 laps throughout the going. Additionally, Chastain picked up the “Dash 4 Cash” $100,000. Not a bad day for Chastain and the No. 10 crew.
Previous Week Ranking- Not Ranked - Austin Cindric- Cindric and the No. 22 team rebounded from Homestead the previous week after finishing 10th and blowing a tire, to a third place position at Talladega. The Team Penske driver started seventh, finished fifth in Stage 1, and third in the second stage. Cindric did have a chance at the end to score the victory, but ran out of time and did not have teammates to help give him a chance, leaving Cindric a sitting duck. All in all, the No. 22 team came home with a clean race car.
Previous Week Ranking- Not Ranked - Noah Gragson- Noah Gragson had a whirlwind of a day at the superspeedway. From running at the front to getting involved in an accident on lap 106 (7 laps to go), somehow, Gragson did not get all that much damage to his No. 9 Hellman’s Garlic Sauce Chevrolet. Sure, it took him back in the running order, where the JR Motorsports driver restarted in the 20s on the final restart, but came back to a 10th place finish. The finish was probably not what Gragson was looking for after leading 19 laps, but rebounding to a top-10 finish after getting involved in a late race accident is not too terribly bad either. Things could have been much worse for the No. 9 team.
Previous Week Ranking- First - Chase Briscoe- Following his victory at Homestead last Sunday, Briscoe and the No. 98 team turned to Talladega in hopes of getting the victory, especially the run that the team has been for the last couple of weeks. For the first half of the race, Briscoe was definitely the car to beat. He finished third in Stage 1 and won the second stage. Unfortunately, on lap 78, Briscoe got caught up in a wreck, which saw the left front fender get torn off. That ultimately ruined his race as it gave an aero disadvantage, but the stage points should help erase that disappointing result.
Previous Week Ranking- Second
Fell Out
- Harrison Burton- Burton was involved in an accident on the same lap as Briscoe’s was (lap 78). Though, his damage was much more significant, as Burton was credited with a 32nd place finish. Certainly, a disappointment after scoring the victory last Saturday at Homestead. Despite that, the Joe Gibbs Racing driver did obtain stage points after placing seventh in Stage 1.
Previous Week Ranking- Third - Bradon Jones- Jones was also involved in a crash himself that occurred with 7 laps to go, after a decent showing in the first two stages (sixth in Stage 1, eighth in Stage 2). That wreck eventually cost Jones the solid showing and resulted in him finishing 16th.
Previous Week Ranking- Fourth - Ryan Sieg- Sieg’s issue came at the beginning of the race, where he had a flat tire just a few laps into the event. The Georgia native also almost took some of the field when he went up the track to avoid any more issues. Sieg eventually got back to the race, but was unable to contend for a top 10 or five finish, as he was regulated to a 30th place outing.
Previous Week Ranking- Fifth
