Aric Almirola wins Xfinity Series race at Talladega

TALLADEGA, Ala. (AP) — Aric Almirola earned the third Xfinity Series victory of his career Saturday by holding off a hard-charging pack in the closing laps at Talladega Superspeedway.

He knew just minutes into practice at Talladega that he had a Ford capable of winning.

“We ran about 10 laps in practice and I said, ‘Put it on jack stands. We’re ready to go. This thing is fast,’” Almirola said.

The car was indeed fast, and Almirola used a fuel-only stop to earn his first series victory since Daytona last year.

A caution for debris set up a restart with 11 laps remaining, and they were frantic at the front of the field. Justin Allgaier, Joey Logano, Elliott Sadler and Almirola all made plays for the Saturday win. Allgaier gave up the lead to Logano on a Logano crossover move, but Almirola got by him.

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Almirola had to drive using his rearview mirror to fend off attacks for the lead from every lane. Sadler gave it one last push at the finish line, but Almirola held on for the victory in a Ford.

“I made a mistake inside the car coming to the white that probably cost me a shot at winning the race. I should know better,” Sadler said after his second-place finish.

Logano was third, followed by Ben Kennedy in fourth, then Erik Jones, Matt Tifft and Michael Annett.

“Man we were so close, aggravating,” Logano said. “The draft is so crazy and different. The runs come so quick and it’s hard to block them. You have to physically block them with your car and it’s really tight.”

Allgaier slipped to eighth.

“When you are the lead car, you are trying to do everything you can to hold everyone off,” Allgaier said.

JR Motorsports retained its hold at the top of the Xfinity Series standings as Sadler, Allgaier and William Byron are 1-2-3 for Dale Earnhardt Jr.’s team.

PHOTOS: Notable wrecks at Talladega Superspeedway through the years

SPARKS ENERGY 300 RESULTS

Saturday from the 2.66-mile Talladega Superspeedway (starting position in parentheses):

1. (23) Aric Almirola, Ford, 113.

2. (14) Elliott Sadler, Chevrolet, 113.

3. (8) Joey Logano, Ford, 113.

4. (4) Ben Kennedy, Chevrolet, 113.

5. (10) Erik Jones, Toyota, 113.

6. (19) Matt Tifft, Toyota, 113.

7. (21) Michael Annett, Chevrolet, 113.

8. (6) Justin Allgaier, Chevrolet, 113.

9. (18) Daniel Suarez, Toyota, 113.

10. (40) Jeff Green, Toyota, 113.

11. (31) JJ Yeley, Toyota, 113.

12. (30) Ryan Sieg, Chevrolet, 113.

13. (22) Darrell Wallace Jr., Ford, 112.

14. (7) Ty Dillon, Chevrolet, 112.

15. (2) Kasey Kahne, Chevrolet, 112.

16. (35) Joey Gase, Chevrolet, 112.

17. (37) Timmy Hill, Dodge, 112.

18. (32) David Starr, Chevrolet, 112.

19. (25) Ross Chastain, Chevrolet, 112.

20. (16) Tyler Reddick, Chevrolet, 112.

21. (29) Garrett Smithley, Chevrolet, 112.

22. (38) Harrison Rhodes, Chevrolet, 112.

23. (15) Dakoda Armstrong, Toyota, 112.

24. (12) Brennan Poole, Chevrolet, 111.

25. (28) Mike Harmon, Dodge, 110.

26. (13) Cole Custer, Ford, 95.

27. (39) Jeremy Clements, Chevrolet, Electrical, 55.

28. (26) Mark Thompson, Toyota, Engine, 55.

29. (11) Ryan Reed, Ford, Accident, 49.

30. (17) Brendan Gaughan, Chevrolet, Accident, 49.

31. (1) Blake Koch, Chevrolet, Accident, 49.

32. (36) Martin Roy, Chevrolet, Accident, 49.

33. (27) Chris Cockrum, Chevrolet, Accident, 49.

34. (24) Scott Lagasse Jr., Toyota, Accident, 48.

35. (33) Morgan Shepherd, Chevrolet, Fuel Pump, 32.

36. (9) William Byron, Chevrolet, Accident, 32.

37. (5) Brandon Jones, Chevrolet, Accident, 20.

38. (3) Daniel Hemric, Chevrolet, Accident, 20.

39. (20) Spencer Gallagher, Chevrolet, Accident, 20.

40. (34) Ray Black II, Chevrolet, Engine, 7.

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Race Statistics

Average Speed of Race Winner: 139.065 mph.

Time of Race: 2 hours, 9 minutes, 41 seconds.

Margin of Victory: 0.142 seconds.

Caution Flags: 5 for 20 laps.

Lead Changes: 27 among 13 drivers.

Lap Leaders: B. Koch 0; K. Kahne 1-5; B. Kennedy 6-10; B. Koch 11; K. Kahne 12-13; D. Suarez 14; K. Kahne 15; J. Logano 16-19; A. Almirola 20-27; M. Annett 28-33; T. Dillon 34-37; J. Logano 38-46; E. Jones 47; J. Allgaier 48-51; G. Smithley 52; J. Allgaier 53-58; E. Jones 59; A. Almirola 60; K. Kahne 61-70; E. Jones 71; J. Green 72-89; R. Chastain 90; J. Allgaier 91-104; J. Logano 105-106; E. Jones 107; J. Logano 108; E. Jones 109; A. Almirola 110-113.

Leaders Summary (Driver, Times Lead, Laps Led): J. Allgaier 3 times for 24 laps; J. Green 1 time for 18 laps; K. Kahne 4 times for 18 laps; J. Logano 4 times for 16 laps; A. Almirola 3 times for 13 laps; M. Annett 1 time for 6 laps; B. Kennedy 1 time for 5 laps; E. Jones 5 times for 5 laps; T. Dillon 1 time for 4 laps; R. Chastain 1 time for 1 lap; G. Smithley 1 time for 1 lap; B. Koch 1 time for 1 lap; D. Suarez 1 time for 1 lap.