The NASCAR Xfinity Series continues action this weekend at Talladega Superspeedway in Alabama, with the ninth race of the 2018 season, the Sparks Energy 300.
Here’s a quick look at some interesting statistics and tidbits heading into the race.
- This is the 27th Xfinity Series race at Talladega Superspeedway. Ernie Irvan won the first race at Talladega in 1992, driving a Chevrolet.
- Martin Truex Jr. leads all drivers in Xfinity Series victories at Talladega with three – all in succession between 2004 and 2006. His three victories at Talladega are the most of any track in his Xfinity Series career (his final win in the series came there in 2006). Three other drivers – Joe Nemechek, Joey Logano and Elliott Sadler – have two wins each.
- Overall, 21 drivers have won an Xfinity Series race at Talladega. Aric Almirola became the 21st driver to win at the track when he won the 2017 race.
- Elliott Sadler is the last Xfinity Series regular to win at Talladega, when he did so in 2016. Sadler’s last fulltime season in the Cup Series came in 2010.
- Chevrolet has won 14 of 26 Xfinity Series races at Talladega. That includes the first three races at Talladega, a streak of five straight between 2003 and 2007, and the most recent win in 2016. Ford has six, Toyota has four and Pontiac and Dodge have one victory each.
- The polesitter has won the Xfinity Series race at Talladega only twice: Joe Nemechek in 1998 and Tony Stewart in 2008.
- Nemechek’s other victory, in 2000, came from 35th, the worst starting position for a race winner. Bobby Labonte started 34th before winning the 2007 race. Eight victories have come from outside the top 20 starting positions.
- Drivers who have led the most laps in an Xfinity Series race at Talladega have went on to win that race only 10 of 26 times.
- Tony Stewart holds the record for most laps led in a victory, when he led 81 of 117 laps in the 2008 race.
- Sterling Marlin holds the record for most laps led in an Xfinity Series race at Talladega without winning, when he led 58 laps of the 1994 race before finishing fourth (led with two laps remaining).
- The winner of the Xfinity Series race at Talladega has led only one lap twice – in 2009 with David Ragan and in 2016 with Elliott Sadler. Overall, winners of eight races at Talladega have led less than 10 laps of that race.
Statistics – 2018 Season and Series Overall
- Eight drivers have won races this season: Tyler Reddick, Kevin Harvick, Kyle Larson, Brad Keselowski, Joey Logano, Ryan Blaney, Ryan Preece and Christopher Bell. Reddick, Preece and Bell are the drivers that aren’t regulars on the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series circuit.
- There have been 11 consecutive Xfinity Series races in which a different driver has won a race, dating back to the 2017 fall race at Texas Motor Speedway: Erik Jones, William Byron, Cole Custer, Tyler Reddick, Kevin Harvick, Kyle Larson, Brad Keselowski, Joey Logano, Ryan Blaney, Ryan Preece and Christopher Bell.
- Kyle Busch is the last driver to win back-to-back races in the Xfinity Series, triumphing last July at Kentucky Speedway and New Hampshire Motor Speedway in consecutive weekends.
- Points leader Elliott Sadler leads the series in top fives (six), top 10s (eight) and laps completed (1,605). He has finished in the top 10 in 16 of the last 17 races, though he hasn’t won a race since 2016, when he won at Kentucky Speedway.
- Justin Allgaier and Christopher Bell lead all drivers in top threes (four).
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