# 2016 Sparks Energy 300

The 2016 Sparks Energy 300 was the ninth stock car race of the 2016 NASCAR Xfinity Series season, and the 25th iteration of the event. The race was held on Saturday, April 30, 2016, in Lincoln, Alabama, at Talladega Superspeedway, a 2.66 miles (4.28 km) permanent triangular-shaped superspeedway. The race was increased from 113 laps to 116 laps, due to a NASCAR overtime finish. In a wild finish that sparked controversy, Elliott Sadler, driving for JR Motorsports, would spin Brad Keselowski on the final lap, and earned his 11th career NASCAR Xfinity Series win, and his first of the season. To fill out the podium, Justin Allgaier, driving for JR Motorsports, and Brennan Poole, driving for Chip Ganassi Racing, would finish second and third, respectively.
The race would bring controversy on the final lap. Elliott Sadler would get Joey Logano loose in turn four, causing Logano to slide down the racetrack and hit Sadler. He would then ricochet up the racetrack, and Blake Koch, with nowhere to go, would slam into the side of Logano, making Logano go airborne. Ultimately, Brennan Poole would cross the line first, in a photo finish with Justin Allgaier. Since the caution came out before the field took the checkered flag, NASCAR reviewed the running positions when it flew. Elliott Sadler would be the official winner, since he was the driver that was leading when the caution came out. Allgaier and Poole would be credited with second and third place, respectively.

## Background

Talladega Superspeedway, nicknamed “'Dega”, and formerly named Alabama International Motor Speedway (AIMS) from 1969 to 1989, is a motorsports complex located north of Talladega, Alabama. It is located on the former Anniston Air Force Base in the small city of Lincoln. A tri-oval, the track was constructed in 1969 by the International Speedway Corporation, a business controlled by the France Family. As of 2021, the track hosts the NASCAR Cup Series, NASCAR Xfinity Series, NASCAR Camping World Truck Series, and ARCA Menards Series. Talladega is the longest NASCAR oval, with a length of 2.66 miles (4.281 km), compared to the Daytona International Speedway, which is 2.5 miles (4.0 km) long. The total peak capacity of Talladega is around 175,000 spectators, with the main grandstand capacity being about 80,000.

### Entry list

* (R) denotes rookie driver.
* (i) denotes driver who is ineligible for series driver points.
| # | Driver | Team | Make | Sponsor |
| 0 | Garrett Smithley (R) | JD Motorsports | Chevrolet | Instalco |
| 01 | Ryan Preece (R) | JD Motorsports | Chevrolet | G&K Services |
| 1 | Elliott Sadler | JR Motorsports | Chevrolet | OneMain Financial |
| 2 | Austin Dillon (i) | Richard Childress Racing | Chevrolet | Rheem |
| 3 | Ty Dillon | Richard Childress Racing | Chevrolet | Bass Pro Shops |
| 4 | Ross Chastain | JD Motorsports | Chevrolet | Flex Seal |
| 05 | John Wes Townley (i) | Athenian Motorsports | Chevrolet | Jive Communications |
| 6 | Bubba Wallace | Roush Fenway Racing | Ford | Kleen Performance |
| 07 | Ray Black Jr. (R) | SS-Green Light Racing | Chevrolet | Scuba Life |
| 7 | Justin Allgaier | JR Motorsports | Chevrolet | Breyers |
| 10 | Jeff Green | TriStar Motorsports | Toyota | TriStar Motorsports |
| 11 | Blake Koch | Kaulig Racing | Chevrolet | LeafFilter Gutter Protection |
| 13 | John Jackson | MBM Motorsports | Toyota | Florida Waterfront, Card Merrill |
| 14 | Benny Gordon | TriStar Motorsports | Toyota | VSI Racing |
| 15 | Travis Kvapil | Rick Ware Racing | Ford | Lilly Trucking, CarportEmpire.com |
| 16 | Ryan Reed | Roush Fenway Racing | Ford | Lilly Diabetes, American Diabetes Association |
| 18 | Matt Tifft (i) | Joe Gibbs Racing | Toyota | NOS Energy Drink |
| 19 | Daniel Suárez | Joe Gibbs Racing | Toyota | Arris |
| 20 | Erik Jones (R) | Joe Gibbs Racing | Toyota | GameStop |
| 22 | Joey Logano (i) | Team Penske | Ford | Discount Tire |
| 24 | Brandon McReynolds | JGL Racing | Toyota | Redneck Riviera, JGL Young Guns |
| 25 | Chris Cockrum | Chris Cockrum Racing | Chevrolet | Advanced Communications Group |
| 28 | Dakoda Armstrong | JGL Racing | Toyota | WinField |
| 33 | Brandon Jones (R) | Richard Childress Racing | Chevrolet | Okuma |
| 39 | Ryan Sieg | RSS Racing | Chevrolet | Sparks Energy |
| 40 | Carl Long | MBM Motorsports | Dodge | Phoenix Air, Schaeffer's Racing Oil |
| 42 | Justin Marks | Chip Ganassi Racing | Chevrolet | Katerra |
| 43 | Jeb Burton | Richard Petty Motorsports | Ford | J. Streicher |
| 44 | J. J. Yeley | TriStar Motorsports | Toyota | Zachry |
| 48 | Brennan Poole (R) | Chip Ganassi Racing | Chevrolet | DC Solar |
| 51 | Jeremy Clements | Jeremy Clements Racing | Chevrolet | Kevin Whitaker Chevrolet, BRT Extrusions |
| 52 | Joey Gase | Jimmy Means Racing | Chevrolet | Sparks Energy, Donate Life Alabama |
| 62 | Brendan Gaughan | Richard Childress Racing | Chevrolet | South Point Hotel, Casino & Spa |
| 70 | Derrike Cope | Derrike Cope Racing | Chevrolet | Buddy's Home Furnishings, Ice-Aid |
| 74 | Mike Harmon | Mike Harmon Racing | Dodge | National Multiple Sclerosis Society |
| 78 | B. J. McLeod (R) | B. J. McLeod Motorsports | Ford | Triple R Containers LLC |
| 85 | Bobby Gerhart | Bobby Gerhart Racing | Chevrolet | Lucas Oil |
| 88 | Chase Elliott (i) | JR Motorsports | Chevrolet | Armour Vienna Sausage |
| 89 | Morgan Shepherd | Shepherd Racing Ventures | Chevrolet | Shepherd Racing Ventures |
| 90 | Mario Gosselin | DGM Racing | Chevrolet | BuckedUp Apparel, David Johnson's Auto |
| 93 | Josh Reaume | RSS Racing | Chevrolet | RSS Racing |
| 97 | Ryan Ellis | Obaika Racing | Chevrolet | Vroom! Brands |
| 98 | Aric Almirola (i) | Biagi-DenBeste Racing | Ford | Fresh from Florida |
| Official entry list |||||

## Practice
### First practice

The first practice session was held on Friday, April 29, at 10:30 AM CST. The session would last for 55 minutes. Bubba Wallace, driving for Roush Fenway Racing, would set the fastest time in the session, with a lap of 49.768, and an average speed of 192.413 mph (309.659 km/h).
| Pos. | # | Driver | Team | Make | Time | Speed |
| 1 | 6 | Bubba Wallace | Roush Fenway Racing | Ford | 49.768 | 192.413 |
| 2 | 16 | Ryan Reed | Roush Fenway Racing | Ford | 49.783 | 192.355 |
| 3 | 3 | Ty Dillon | Richard Childress Racing | Chevrolet | 49.920 | 191.827 |
| Full first practice results |||||||

### Final practice

The final practice session was held on Friday, April 29, at 12:30 PM CST. Matt Tifft, driving for Joe Gibbs Racing, would set the fastest time in the session, with a lap of 52.639, and an average speed of 181.918 mph (292.769 km/h).
| Pos. | # | Driver | Team | Make | Time | Speed |
| 1 | 18 | Matt Tifft (i) | Joe Gibbs Racing | Toyota | 52.639 | 181.918 |
| 2 | 3 | Ty Dillon | Richard Childress Racing | Chevrolet | 52.756 | 181.515 |
| 3 | 33 | Brandon Jones (R) | Richard Childress Racing | Chevrolet | 53.098 | 180.346 |
| Full final practice results |||||||

## Qualifying

Qualifying was held on Saturday, April 30, at 9:30 AM CST. Since Talladega Superspeedway is at least 2 miles (3.2 km), the qualifying system was a single car, single lap, two round system where in the first round, everyone would set a time to determine positions 13-40. Then, the fastest 12 qualifiers would move on to the second round to determine positions 1-12.
Matt Tifft, driving for Joe Gibbs Racing, would win the pole after advancing from the preliminary round and setting the fastest lap in Round 2, with a lap of 52.857, and an average speed of 181.168 mph (291.562 km/h).
Josh Reaume, Derrike Cope, and Mike Harmon would fail to qualify.

### Full qualifying results

| Pos. | # | Driver | Team | Make | Time (R1) | Speed (R1) | Time (R2) | Speed (R2) |
| 1 | 18 | Matt Tifft (i) | Joe Gibbs Racing | Toyota | 53.008 | 180.652 | 52.857 | 181.168 |
| 2 | 19 | Daniel Suárez | Joe Gibbs Racing | Toyota | 53.075 | 180.424 | 52.951 | 180.846 |
| 3 | 2 | Austin Dillon (i) | Richard Childress Racing | Chevrolet | 53.371 | 179.423 | 53.051 | 180.506 |
| 4 | 20 | Erik Jones (R) | Joe Gibbs Racing | Toyota | 53.254 | 179.817 | 53.092 | 180.366 |
| 5 | 3 | Ty Dillon | Richard Childress Racing | Chevrolet | 53.337 | 179.538 | 53.136 | 180.217 |
| 6 | 62 | Brendan Gaughan | Richard Childress Racing | Chevrolet | 53.307 | 179.639 | 53.270 | 179.763 |
| 7 | 16 | Ryan Reed | Roush Fenway Racing | Ford | 53.528 | 178.897 | 53.479 | 179.061 |
| 8 | 22 | Joey Logano (i) | Team Penske | Ford | 53.626 | 178.570 | 53.552 | 178.817 |
| 9 | 1 | Elliott Sadler | JR Motorsports | Chevrolet | 53.629 | 178.560 | 53.599 | 178.660 |
| 10 | 44 | J. J. Yeley | TriStar Motorsports | Toyota | 53.664 | 178.444 | 53.679 | 178.394 |
| 11 | 48 | Brennan Poole (R) | Chip Ganassi Racing | Chevrolet | 53.642 | 178.517 | 53.869 | 177.765 |
| 12 | 43 | Jeb Burton | Richard Petty Motorsports | Ford | 53.617 | 178.600 | 53.910 | 177.629 |
| Eliminated in Round 1 |||||||||
| 13 | 11 | Blake Koch | Kaulig Racing | Chevrolet | 53.676 | 178.404 | - | - |
| 14 | 88 | Chase Elliott (i) | JR Motorsports | Chevrolet | 53.735 | 178.208 | - | - |
| 15 | 6 | Bubba Wallace | Roush Fenway Racing | Ford | 53.737 | 178.201 | - | - |
| 16 | 33 | Brandon Jones (R) | Richard Childress Racing | Chevrolet | 53.770 | 178.092 | - | - |
| 17 | 98 | Aric Almirola (i) | Biagi-DenBeste Racing | Ford | 53.844 | 177.847 | - | - |
| 18 | 7 | Justin Allgaier | JR Motorsports | Chevrolet | 53.881 | 177.725 | - | - |
| 19 | 14 | Benny Gordon | TriStar Motorsports | Toyota | 53.926 | 177.577 | - | - |
| 20 | 42 | Justin Marks | Chip Ganassi Racing | Chevrolet | 53.949 | 177.501 | - | - |
| 21 | 24 | Brandon McReynolds | JGL Racing | Toyota | 53.955 | 177.481 | - | - |
| 22 | 28 | Dakoda Armstrong | JGL Racing | Toyota | 54.034 | 177.222 | - | - |
| 23 | 89 | Morgan Shepherd | Shepherd Racing Ventures | Chevrolet | 54.066 | 177.117 | - | - |
| 24 | 05 | John Wes Townley (i) | Athenian Motorsports | Chevrolet | 54.114 | 176.960 | - | - |
| 25 | 90 | Mario Gosselin | DGM Racing | Chevrolet | 54.125 | 176.924 | - | - |
| 26 | 01 | Ryan Preece (R) | JD Motorsports | Chevrolet | 54.241 | 176.545 | - | - |
| 27 | 10 | Jeff Green | TriStar Motorsports | Toyota | 54.361 | 176.156 | - | - |
| 28 | 07 | Ray Black Jr. (R) | SS-Green Light Racing | Chevrolet | 54.416 | 175.978 | - | - |
| 29 | 4 | Ross Chastain | JD Motorsports | Chevrolet | 54.436 | 175.913 | - | - |
| 30 | 25 | Chris Cockrum | Chris Cockrum Racing | Chevrolet | 54.438 | 175.907 | - | - |
| 31 | 40 | Carl Long | MBM Motorsports | Dodge | 54.445 | 175.884 | - | - |
| 32 | 13 | John Jackson | MBM Motorsports | Toyota | 54.496 | 175.719 | - | - |
| 33 | 85 | Bobby Gerhart | Bobby Gerhart Racing | Chevrolet | 54.587 | 175.426 | - | - |
| Qualified by owner's points |||||||||
| 34 | 51 | Jeremy Clements | Jeremy Clements Racing | Chevrolet | 54.716 | 175.013 | - | - |
| 35 | 0 | Garrett Smithley (R) | JD Motorsports | Chevrolet | 55.037 | 173.992 | - | - |
| 36 | 97 | Ryan Ellis | Obaika Racing | Chevrolet | 55.151 | 173.632 | - | - |
| 37 | 52 | Joey Gase | Jimmy Means Racing | Chevrolet | 55.285 | 173.212 | - | - |
| 38 | 39 | Ryan Sieg | RSS Racing | Chevrolet | 55.484 | 172.590 | - | - |
| 39 | 78 | B. J. McLeod (R) | B. J. McLeod Motorsports | Ford | 55.513 | 172.500 | - | - |
| 40 | 15 | Travis Kvapil (i) | Rick Ware Racing | Ford | 55.911 | 171.272 | - | - |
| Failed to qualify |||||||||
| 41 | 93 | Josh Reaume | RSS Racing | Chevrolet | 54.659 | 175.195 | - | - |
| 42 | 70 | Derrike Cope | Derrike Cope Racing | Chevrolet | 54.675 | 175.144 | - | - |
| 43 | 74 | Mike Harmon | Mike Harmon Racing | Dodge | 55.107 | 173.771 | - | - |
| Official qualifying results |||||||||
| Official starting lineup |||||||||

## Race results

| Fin | St | # | Driver | Team | Make | Laps | Led | Status | Pts |
| 1 | 9 | 1 | Elliott Sadler | JR Motorsports | Chevrolet | 116 | 1 | Running | 44 |
| 2 | 18 | 7 | Justin Allgaier | JR Motorsports | Chevrolet | 116 | 0 | Running | 39 |
| 3 | 11 | 48 | Brennan Poole (R) | Chip Ganassi Racing | Chevrolet | 116 | 5 | Running | 39 |
| 4 | 34 | 51 | Jeremy Clements | Jeremy Clements Racing | Chevrolet | 116 | 7 | Running | 38 |
| 5 | 6 | 62 | Brendan Gaughan | Richard Childress Racing | Chevrolet | 116 | 1 | Running | 37 |
| 6 | 3 | 2 | Austin Dillon (i) | Richard Childress Racing | Chevrolet | 116 | 7 | Running | 0 |
| 7 | 2 | 19 | Daniel Suárez | Joe Gibbs Racing | Toyota | 116 | 2 | Running | 35 |
| 8 | 1 | 18 | Matt Tifft (i) | Joe Gibbs Racing | Toyota | 116 | 21 | Running | 0 |
| 9 | 14 | 88 | Chase Elliott (i) | JR Motorsports | Chevrolet | 116 | 7 | Running | 0 |
| 10 | 17 | 98 | Aric Almirola (i) | Biagi-DenBeste Racing | Ford | 116 | 0 | Running | 0 |
| 11 | 20 | 42 | Justin Marks | Chip Ganassi Racing | Chevrolet | 116 | 0 | Running | 30 |
| 12 | 35 | 0 | Garrett Smithley (R) | JD Motorsports | Chevrolet | 116 | 0 | Running | 29 |
| 13 | 15 | 6 | Bubba Wallace | Roush Fenway Racing | Ford | 116 | 0 | Running | 28 |
| 14 | 19 | 14 | Benny Gordon | TriStar Motorsports | Toyota | 116 | 0 | Running | 27 |
| 15 | 26 | 01 | Ryan Preece (R) | JD Motorsports | Chevrolet | 116 | 0 | Running | 26 |
| 16 | 10 | 44 | J. J. Yeley | TriStar Motorsports | Toyota | 116 | 0 | Running | 25 |
| 17 | 29 | 4 | Ross Chastain | JD Motorsports | Chevrolet | 116 | 0 | Running | 24 |
| 18 | 12 | 43 | Jeb Burton | Richard Petty Motorsports | Ford | 116 | 0 | Running | 23 |
| 19 | 16 | 33 | Brandon Jones (R) | Richard Childress Racing | Chevrolet | 116 | 36 | Running | 24 |
| 20 | 5 | 3 | Ty Dillon | Richard Childress Racing | Chevrolet | 116 | 0 | Running | 21 |
| 21 | 38 | 39 | Ryan Sieg | RSS Racing | Chevrolet | 116 | 0 | Running | 20 |
| 22 | 4 | 20 | Erik Jones (R) | Joe Gibbs Racing | Toyota | 116 | 0 | Running | 19 |
| 23 | 21 | 24 | Brandon McReynolds | JGL Racing | Toyota | 116 | 0 | Running | 18 |
| 24 | 13 | 11 | Blake Koch | Kaulig Racing | Chevrolet | 116 | 1 | Running | 18 |
| 25 | 40 | 15 | Travis Kvapil (i) | Rick Ware Racing | Ford | 116 | 0 | Running | 0 |
| 26 | 24 | 05 | John Wes Townley (i) | Athenian Motorsports | Chevrolet | 116 | 0 | Running | 0 |
| 27 | 8 | 22 | Joey Logano (i) | Team Penske | Ford | 115 | 19 | Running | 0 |
| 28 | 25 | 90 | Mario Gosselin | DGM Racing | Chevrolet | 115 | 0 | Running | 13 |
| 29 | 28 | 07 | Ray Black Jr. (R) | SS-Green Light Racing | Chevrolet | 115 | 0 | Running | 12 |
| 30 | 31 | 40 | Carl Long | MBM Motorsports | Dodge | 115 | 0 | Running | 11 |
| 31 | 7 | 16 | Ryan Reed | Roush Fenway Racing | Ford | 113 | 8 | Running | 11 |
| 32 | 32 | 13 | John Jackson | MBM Motorsports | Toyota | 112 | 0 | Running | 9 |
| 33 | 33 | 85 | Bobby Gerhart | Bobby Gerhart Racing | Chevrolet | 111 | 0 | Running | 8 |
| 34 | 22 | 28 | Dakoda Armstrong | JGL Racing | Toyota | 82 | 0 | Electrical | 7 |
| 35 | 36 | 97 | Ryan Ellis | Obaika Racing | Chevrolet | 81 | 0 | Engine | 6 |
| 36 | 39 | 78 | B. J. McLeod (R) | B. J. McLeod Motorsports | Ford | 39 | 0 | Engine | 5 |
| 37 | 30 | 25 | Chris Cockrum | Chris Cockrum Racing | Chevrolet | 30 | 0 | Accident | 4 |
| 38 | 37 | 52 | Joey Gase | Jimmy Means Racing | Chevrolet | 30 | 0 | Accident | 3 |
| 39 | 23 | 89 | Morgan Shepherd | Shepherd Racing Ventures | Chevrolet | 27 | 1 | Rear Gear | 3 |
| 40 | 27 | 10 | Jeff Green | TriStar Motorsports | Toyota | 2 | 0 | Suspension | 1 |
| Failed to qualify ||||||||||
| 41 | | 93 | Josh Reaume | RSS Racing | Chevrolet | | | | |
| 42 | | 70 | Derrike Cope | Derrike Cope Racing | Chevrolet | | | | |
| 43 | | 74 | Mike Harmon | Mike Harmon Racing | Dodge | | | | |
| Official race results ||||||||||

## Standings after the race

Drivers' Championship standings
Pos
Driver
Points
1
1
Elliott Sadler
314
1
2
Daniel Suárez
314 (-0)
3
Ty Dillon
281 (–33)
3
4
Justin Allgaier
280 (–34)
1
5
Brendan Gaughan
279 (–35)
2
6
Brandon Jones
273 (–41)
2
7
Erik Jones
263 (–51)
8
Brennan Poole
251 (–63)
1
9
Bubba Wallace
229 (–85)
1
10
Ryan Reed
221 (–93)
11
Jeb Burton
201 (–113)
12
Ryan Sieg
197 (–117)
Official driver's standings
Note: Only the first 12 positions are included for the driver standings. :