While the trucks had a break in the schedule, NASCAR’s Xfinity and Cup teams headed to the chaos of superspeedway racing in Talladega. The two races had very different feels, with the Cup race somehow being void of the infamous usual wreck known as “The Big One”.
Xfinity Series | AG-PRO 300
#27-Jeb Burton: The Jordan Anderson Racing driver is known for having a knack for superspeedway racing. Burton’s skill combined with JAR’s superspeedway program provided yet another strong run. While there is a scoring issue that denied a win, Burton’s Chevrolet hung towards the front, and finished second with seven laps led at various times during the race.
#31-Blaine Perkins: Following in teammate Burton’s footsteps, Blaine Perkins also had a strong day in Talladega. Starting 31st, Perkins survived the chaos and brought his JAR Chevrolet home in 7th. Since Perkins joined JAR this season to drive the #31 Chevrolet, Perkins has one other top ten finish at COTA.
#07-Patrick Emerling: I have to preface this selection by saying Emerling is indeed a hometown Buffalo-area driver for myself, but that has little bearing on this choice.
Emerling enters his second season behind the wheel of the #07 Chevrolet, with mixed results. Talladega provided a strong shot in the arm to the team, with Emerling finishing 12th after starting 28th. Emerling also has a 10th place finish in the season opener at Daytona.
Cup Series | Jack Link’s 500
#4-Noah Gragson: Gragson has had an up and down first season with Front Row Motorsports. The Ford driver however had a strong performance in Talladega, with Gragson grabbing his first top five finish of the year, finishing 4th. Both Gragson, and Front Row as a team are known for their superspeedway performance. This was also Gragson’s first top ten finish since COTA.
#71 Michael McDowell: Former Front Row driver McDowell joined Spire Motorsports this season to start a new chapter in his career. While the season has been somewhat of a roller coaster finish-wise for the Spire driver, Talladega showed what the team is truly capable of. Starting in the top fifteen, McDowell led 10 laps and finished 11th.
#41 Cole Custer: Custer returned to the Cup Series this season, joining the rebranded Haas Factory Team to drive their Fords. Custer’s return has somewhat gone cold ten races in, but Talladega let the team show some redemption with Custer finishing 13th. Custer’s previous best finish this season came with a 21st in the Daytona 500.
