# 2017 Sparks Energy 300

The 2017 Sparks Energy 300 was the ninth stock car race of the 2017 NASCAR Xfinity Series season and the 26th iteration of the event. The race was held on Saturday, May 6, 2017, in Lincoln, Alabama at Talladega Superspeedway, a 2.66 miles (4.28 km) permanent triangle-shaped superspeedway. The race took the scheduled 113 laps to complete. At race's end, Aric Almirola, driving for Biagi-DenBeste Racing, would take the lead with four to go and defend fiercely to win his third and to date, his only win of the season. To fill out the podium, Elliott Sadler of JR Motorsports and Joey Logano of Team Penske would finish second and third, respectively.

## Background

Talladega Superspeedway, originally known as Alabama International Motor Superspeedway (AIMS), 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. The track is a tri-oval and was constructed in the 1960s by the International Speedway Corporation, a business controlled by the France family. Talladega is most known for its steep banking and the unique location of the start/finish line that's located just past the exit to pit road. The track currently hosts the NASCAR series such as the NASCAR Cup Series, Xfinity Series and the Camping World Truck Series. Talladega is the longest NASCAR oval with a length of 2.66-mile-long (4.28 km) tri-oval like the Daytona International Speedway, which also is a 2.5-mile-long (4 km) tri-oval.

### Entry list

* (R) denotes rookie driver.
* (i) denotes driver who is ineligible for series driver points.
| # | Driver | Team | Make | Sponsor |
| 0 | Garrett Smithley | JD Motorsports | Chevrolet | Flex Seal |
| 00 | Cole Custer (R) | Stewart-Haas Racing | Ford | Haas Demo Day |
| 1 | Elliott Sadler | JR Motorsports | Chevrolet | OneMain Financial |
| 01 | Harrison Rhodes | JD Motorsports | Chevrolet | Flex Tape |
| 2 | Ben Kennedy (R) | Richard Childress Racing | Chevrolet | Rheem |
| 3 | Ty Dillon (i) | Richard Childress Racing | Chevrolet | Bass Pro Shops, Tracker Boats |
| 4 | Ross Chastain | JD Motorsports | Chevrolet | G&K Services |
| 5 | Michael Annett | JR Motorsports | Chevrolet | Pilot Flying J |
| 6 | Bubba Wallace | Roush Fenway Racing | Ford | Globe Life |
| 7 | Justin Allgaier | JR Motorsports | Chevrolet | Hellmann's |
| 07 | Ray Black Jr. | SS-Green Light Racing | Chevrolet | Double D Meat Co. |
| 8 | Jeff Green | B. J. McLeod Motorsports | Toyota | Truckwork |
| 9 | William Byron (R) | JR Motorsports | Chevrolet | Liberty University |
| 11 | Blake Koch | Kaulig Racing | Chevrolet | LeafFilter Gutter Protection |
| 13 | Mark Thompson | MBM Motorsports | Toyota | Phoenix Air |
| 14 | J. J. Yeley | TriStar Motorsports | Toyota | Superior Essex |
| 16 | Ryan Reed | Roush Fenway Racing | Ford | Lilly Diabetes |
| 18 | Daniel Suárez (i) | Joe Gibbs Racing | Toyota | Peak |
| 19 | Matt Tifft (R) | Joe Gibbs Racing | Toyota | Wastebits |
| 20 | Erik Jones (i) | Joe Gibbs Racing | Toyota | Reser's Fine Foods |
| 21 | Daniel Hemric (R) | Richard Childress Racing | Chevrolet | Blue Gate Bank |
| 22 | Joey Logano (i) | Team Penske | Ford | Discount Tire |
| 23 | Spencer Gallagher (R) | GMS Racing | Chevrolet | Allegiant Air |
| 24 | Scott Lagasse Jr. | JGL Racing | Toyota | JGL Racing Young Guns |
| 25 | Chris Cockrum | Chris Cockrum Racing | Chevrolet | Advanced Communications Group |
| 28 | Dakoda Armstrong | JGL Racing | Toyota | WinField United |
| 33 | Brandon Jones | Richard Childress Racing | Chevrolet | Nexteer |
| 39 | Ryan Sieg | RSS Racing | Chevrolet | Holley's Home Furnishings, Alabama Soda & Abrasive Blasting |
| 40 | Timmy Hill | MBM Motorsports | Dodge | MBM Motorsports |
| 42 | Tyler Reddick | Chip Ganassi Racing | Chevrolet | Broken Bow Records, Jason Aldean "They Don't Know" |
| 48 | Brennan Poole | Chip Ganassi Racing | Chevrolet | DC Solar |
| 51 | Jeremy Clements | Jeremy Clements Racing | Chevrolet | RepairableVehicles.com |
| 52 | Joey Gase | Jimmy Means Racing | Chevrolet | Sparks Energy, Donate Life |
| 62 | Brendan Gaughan | Richard Childress Racing | Chevrolet | South Point Hotel, Casino & Spa |
| 74 | Mike Harmon | Mike Harmon Racing | Dodge | Veterans Motorsports Inc. |
| 78 | B. J. McLeod | B. J. McLeod Motorsports | Chevrolet | Truckwork, Triple R Containers |
| 88 | Kasey Kahne (i) | JR Motorsports | Chevrolet | Armour 150 Years |
| 89 | Morgan Shepherd | Shepherd Racing Ventures | Chevrolet | Visone RV, Racing with Jesus |
| 90 | Martin Roy | King Autosport | Chevrolet | Côté, Gamache Truck Center |
| 98 | Aric Almirola (i) | Biagi-DenBeste Racing | Ford | Fresh From Florida |
| 99 | David Starr | BJMM with SS-Green Light Racing | Chevrolet | Whataburger |
| Official entry list |||||

## Practice
### First practice

The first practice session was held on Friday, May 5, at 10:30 AM CST, and would last for 55 minutes. Blake Koch of Kaulig Racing would set the fastest time in the session, with a time of 49.722 and an average speed of 192.591 miles per hour (309.945 km/h).
| Pos. | # | Driver | Team | Make | Time | Speed |
| 1 | 11 | Blake Koch | Kaulig Racing | Chevrolet | 49.722 | 192.591 |
| 2 | 62 | Brendan Gaughan | Richard Childress Racing | Chevrolet | 49.732 | 192.552 |
| 3 | 2 | Ben Kennedy (R) | Richard Childress Racing | Chevrolet | 49.784 | 192.351 |
| Full first practice results |||||||

### Second and final practice

The second and final practice session, sometimes referred to as Happy Hour, was held on Friday, May 5, at 12:30 PM CST, and would last for 55 minutes. Brandon Jones of Richard Childress Racing would set the fastest time in the session, with a time of 52.381 and an average speed of 182.814 miles per hour (294.211 km/h).
| Pos. | # | Driver | Team | Make | Time | Speed |
| 1 | 33 | Brandon Jones | Richard Childress Racing | Chevrolet | 52.381 | 182.814 |
| 2 | 11 | Blake Koch | Kaulig Racing | Chevrolet | 52.508 | 182.372 |
| 3 | 21 | Daniel Hemric (R) | Richard Childress Racing | Chevrolet | 52.623 | 181.974 |
| Full Happy Hour practice results |||||||

## Qualifying

Qualifying was held on Saturday, May 6, at 9:30 AM CST. Since Talladega Superspeedway at least 2 miles (3.2 km) in length, 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.
Blake Koch of Kaulig Racing would win the pole, setting a time of 52.188 and an average speed of 183.490 miles per hour (295.299 km/h) in the second round.
B. J. McLeod was the only driver to fail to qualify.

### Full qualifying results

| Pos. | # | Driver | Team | Make | Time (R1) | Speed (R1) | Time (R2) | Speed (R2) |
| 1 | 11 | Blake Koch | Kaulig Racing | Chevrolet | 52.465 | 182.522 | 52.188 | 183.490 |
| 2 | 88 | Kasey Kahne (i) | JR Motorsports | Chevrolet | 52.498 | 182.407 | 52.296 | 183.112 |
| 3 | 21 | Daniel Hemric (R) | Richard Childress Racing | Chevrolet | 52.636 | 181.929 | 52.491 | 182.431 |
| 4 | 2 | Ben Kennedy (R) | Richard Childress Racing | Chevrolet | 52.748 | 181.542 | 52.493 | 182.424 |
| 5 | 33 | Brandon Jones | Richard Childress Racing | Chevrolet | 52.582 | 182.116 | 52.529 | 182.299 |
| 6 | 7 | Justin Allgaier | JR Motorsports | Chevrolet | 52.748 | 181.542 | 52.640 | 181.915 |
| 7 | 3 | Ty Dillon (i) | Richard Childress Racing | Chevrolet | 52.761 | 181.498 | 52.646 | 181.894 |
| 8 | 22 | Joey Logano (i) | Team Penske | Ford | 52.521 | 182.327 | 52.650 | 181.880 |
| 9 | 9 | William Byron (R) | JR Motorsports | Chevrolet | 52.777 | 181.443 | 52.676 | 181.791 |
| 10 | 20 | Erik Jones (i) | Joe Gibbs Racing | Toyota | 52.747 | 181.546 | 52.678 | 181.784 |
| 11 | 16 | Ryan Reed | Roush Fenway Racing | Ford | 52.701 | 181.704 | 52.884 | 181.076 |
| 12 | 48 | Brennan Poole | Chip Ganassi Racing | Chevrolet | 52.607 | 182.029 | 53.338 | 179.534 |
| Eliminated in Round 1 |||||||||
| 13 | 00 | Cole Custer (R) | Stewart-Haas Racing | Ford | 52.781 | 181.429 | - | - |
| 14 | 1 | Elliott Sadler | JR Motorsports | Chevrolet | 52.800 | 181.364 | - | - |
| 15 | 28 | Dakoda Armstrong | JGL Racing | Toyota | 52.813 | 181.319 | - | - |
| 16 | 42 | Tyler Reddick | Chip Ganassi Racing | Chevrolet | 52.839 | 181.230 | - | - |
| 17 | 62 | Brendan Gaughan | Richard Childress Racing | Chevrolet | 52.884 | 181.076 | - | - |
| 18 | 18 | Daniel Suárez (i) | Joe Gibbs Racing | Toyota | 52.925 | 180.935 | - | - |
| 19 | 19 | Matt Tifft (R) | Joe Gibbs Racing | Toyota | 52.928 | 180.925 | - | - |
| 20 | 23 | Spencer Gallagher (R) | GMS Racing | Chevrolet | 52.945 | 180.867 | - | - |
| 21 | 5 | Michael Annett | JR Motorsports | Chevrolet | 52.953 | 180.840 | - | - |
| 22 | 6 | Bubba Wallace | Roush Fenway Racing | Ford | 53.102 | 180.332 | - | - |
| 23 | 98 | Aric Almirola (i) | Biagi-DenBeste Racing | Ford | 53.170 | 180.102 | - | - |
| 24 | 24 | Scott Lagasse Jr. | JGL Racing | Toyota | 53.421 | 179.255 | - | - |
| 25 | 4 | Ross Chastain | JD Motorsports | Chevrolet | 53.490 | 179.024 | - | - |
| 26 | 13 | Mark Thompson | MBM Motorsports | Toyota | 53.527 | 178.900 | - | - |
| 27 | 25 | Chris Cockrum | Chris Cockrum Racing | Chevrolet | 53.557 | 178.800 | - | - |
| 28 | 74 | Mike Harmon | Mike Harmon Racing | Dodge | 53.642 | 178.517 | - | - |
| 29 | 0 | Garrett Smithley | JD Motorsports | Chevrolet | 53.663 | 178.447 | - | - |
| 30 | 39 | Ryan Sieg | RSS Racing | Chevrolet | 53.772 | 178.085 | - | - |
| 31 | 14 | J. J. Yeley | TriStar Motorsports | Toyota | 53.776 | 178.072 | - | - |
| 32 | 99 | David Starr | BJMM with SS-Green Light Racing | Chevrolet | 53.836 | 177.874 | - | - |
| 33 | 89 | Morgan Shepherd | Shepherd Racing Ventures | Chevrolet | 54.090 | 177.038 | - | - |
| Qualified by owner's points |||||||||
| 34 | 07 | Ray Black Jr. | SS-Green Light Racing | Chevrolet | 54.139 | 176.878 | - | - |
| 35 | 52 | Joey Gase | Jimmy Means Racing | Chevrolet | 54.164 | 176.796 | - | - |
| 36 | 90 | Martin Roy | King Autosport | Chevrolet | 54.318 | 176.295 | - | - |
| 37 | 40 | Timmy Hill | MBM Motorsports | Dodge | 54.359 | 176.162 | - | - |
| 38 | 01 | Harrison Rhodes | JD Motorsports | Chevrolet | 54.378 | 176.101 | - | - |
| 39 | 51 | Jeremy Clements | Jeremy Clements Racing | Chevrolet | 54.394 | 176.049 | - | - |
| Champion's Provisional |||||||||
| 40 | 8 | Jeff Green | B. J. McLeod Motorsports | Toyota | 54.523 | 175.632 | - | - |
| Failed to qualify |||||||||
| 41 | 78 | B. J. McLeod | B. J. McLeod Motorsports | Toyota | - | - | - | - |
| Official qualifying results |||||||||
| Official starting lineup |||||||||

## Race results

Stage 1 Laps: 25
| Pos. | # | Driver | Team | Make | Pts |
| 1 | 98 | Aric Almirola (i) | Biagi-DenBeste Racing | Ford | 0 |
| 2 | 22 | Joey Logano (i) | Team Penske | Ford | 0 |
| 3 | 7 | Justin Allgaier | JR Motorsports | Chevrolet | 8 |
| 4 | 20 | Erik Jones (i) | Joe Gibbs Racing | Toyota | 0 |
| 5 | 11 | Blake Koch | Kaulig Racing | Chevrolet | 6 |
| 6 | 5 | Michael Annett | JR Motorsports | Chevrolet | 5 |
| 7 | 62 | Brendan Gaughan | Richard Childress Racing | Chevrolet | 4 |
| 8 | 88 | Kasey Kahne (i) | JR Motorsports | Chevrolet | 0 |
| 9 | 14 | J. J. Yeley | TriStar Motorsports | Toyota | 2 |
| 10 | 39 | Ryan Sieg | RSS Racing | Chevrolet | 1 |
Stage 2 Laps: 25
| Pos. | # | Driver | Team | Make | Pts |
| 1 | 7 | Justin Allgaier | JR Motorsports | Chevrolet | 10 |
| 2 | 3 | Ty Dillon (i) | Richard Childress Racing | Chevrolet | 0 |
| 3 | 88 | Kasey Kahne (i) | JR Motorsports | Chevrolet | 0 |
| 4 | 98 | Aric Almirola (i) | Biagi-DenBeste Racing | Ford | 0 |
| 5 | 20 | Erik Jones (i) | Joe Gibbs Racing | Toyota | 0 |
| 6 | 22 | Joey Logano (i) | Team Penske | Ford | 0 |
| 7 | 42 | Tyler Reddick | Chip Ganassi Racing | Chevrolet | 4 |
| 8 | 5 | Michael Annett | JR Motorsports | Chevrolet | 3 |
| 9 | 19 | Matt Tifft (R) | Joe Gibbs Racing | Toyota | 2 |
| 10 | 2 | Ben Kennedy (R) | Richard Childress Racing | Chevrolet | 1 |
Stage 3 Laps: 63
| Fin | St | # | Driver | Team | Make | Laps | Led | Status | Pts |
| 1 | 23 | 98 | Aric Almirola (i) | Biagi-DenBeste Racing | Ford | 113 | 13 | running | 0 |
| 2 | 14 | 1 | Elliott Sadler | JR Motorsports | Chevrolet | 113 | 0 | running | 35 |
| 3 | 8 | 22 | Joey Logano (i) | Team Penske | Ford | 113 | 16 | running | 0 |
| 4 | 4 | 2 | Ben Kennedy (R) | Richard Childress Racing | Chevrolet | 113 | 5 | running | 34 |
| 5 | 10 | 20 | Erik Jones (i) | Joe Gibbs Racing | Toyota | 113 | 5 | running | 0 |
| 6 | 19 | 19 | Matt Tifft (R) | Joe Gibbs Racing | Toyota | 113 | 0 | running | 33 |
| 7 | 21 | 5 | Michael Annett | JR Motorsports | Chevrolet | 113 | 6 | running | 38 |
| 8 | 6 | 7 | Justin Allgaier | JR Motorsports | Chevrolet | 113 | 24 | running | 47 |
| 9 | 18 | 18 | Daniel Suárez (i) | Joe Gibbs Racing | Toyota | 113 | 1 | running | 0 |
| 10 | 40 | 8 | Jeff Green | B. J. McLeod Motorsports | Toyota | 113 | 18 | running | 27 |
| 11 | 31 | 14 | J. J. Yeley | TriStar Motorsports | Toyota | 113 | 0 | running | 28 |
| 12 | 30 | 39 | Ryan Sieg | RSS Racing | Chevrolet | 113 | 1 | running | 26 |
| 13 | 22 | 6 | Bubba Wallace | Roush Fenway Racing | Ford | 112 | 0 | running | 24 |
| 14 | 7 | 3 | Ty Dillon (i) | Richard Childress Racing | Chevrolet | 112 | 4 | running | 0 |
| 15 | 2 | 88 | Kasey Kahne (i) | JR Motorsports | Chevrolet | 112 | 18 | running | 0 |
| 16 | 35 | 52 | Joey Gase | Jimmy Means Racing | Chevrolet | 112 | 0 | running | 21 |
| 17 | 37 | 40 | Timmy Hill | MBM Motorsports | Dodge | 112 | 0 | running | 20 |
| 18 | 32 | 99 | David Starr | BJMM with SS-Green Light Racing | Chevrolet | 112 | 0 | running | 19 |
| 19 | 25 | 4 | Ross Chastain | JD Motorsports | Chevrolet | 112 | 1 | running | 18 |
| 20 | 16 | 42 | Tyler Reddick | Chip Ganassi Racing | Chevrolet | 112 | 0 | running | 21 |
| 21 | 29 | 0 | Garrett Smithley | JD Motorsports | Chevrolet | 112 | 1 | running | 16 |
| 22 | 38 | 01 | Harrison Rhodes | JD Motorsports | Chevrolet | 112 | 0 | running | 15 |
| 23 | 15 | 28 | Dakoda Armstrong | JGL Racing | Toyota | 112 | 0 | running | 14 |
| 24 | 12 | 48 | Brennan Poole | Chip Ganassi Racing | Chevrolet | 111 | 0 | running | 13 |
| 25 | 28 | 74 | Mike Harmon | Mike Harmon Racing | Dodge | 110 | 0 | running | 12 |
| 26 | 13 | 00 | Cole Custer (R) | Stewart-Haas Racing | Ford | 95 | 0 | running | 11 |
| 27 | 39 | 51 | Jeremy Clements | Jeremy Clements Racing | Chevrolet | 55 | 0 | electrical | 10 |
| 28 | 26 | 13 | Mark Thompson | MBM Motorsports | Toyota | 55 | 0 | engine | 9 |
| 29 | 11 | 16 | Ryan Reed | Roush Fenway Racing | Ford | 49 | 0 | crash | 8 |
| 30 | 17 | 62 | Brendan Gaughan | Richard Childress Racing | Chevrolet | 49 | 0 | crash | 11 |
| 31 | 1 | 11 | Blake Koch | Kaulig Racing | Chevrolet | 49 | 1 | crash | 12 |
| 32 | 36 | 90 | Martin Roy | King Autosport | Chevrolet | 49 | 0 | crash | 5 |
| 33 | 27 | 25 | Chris Cockrum | Chris Cockrum Racing | Chevrolet | 49 | 0 | crash | 4 |
| 34 | 24 | 24 | Scott Lagasse Jr. | JGL Racing | Toyota | 48 | 0 | crash | 3 |
| 35 | 33 | 89 | Morgan Shepherd | Shepherd Racing Ventures | Chevrolet | 32 | 0 | fuel pump | 2 |
| 36 | 9 | 9 | William Byron (R) | JR Motorsports | Chevrolet | 32 | 0 | crash | 1 |
| 37 | 5 | 33 | Brandon Jones | Richard Childress Racing | Chevrolet | 20 | 0 | crash | 1 |
| 38 | 3 | 21 | Daniel Hemric (R) | Richard Childress Racing | Chevrolet | 20 | 0 | crash | 1 |
| 39 | 20 | 23 | Spencer Gallagher (R) | GMS Racing | Chevrolet | 20 | 0 | crash | 1 |
| 40 | 34 | 07 | Ray Black Jr. | SS-Green Light Racing | Chevrolet | 7 | 0 | engine | 1 |
| Failed to qualify ||||||||||
| 41 | | 78 | B. J. McLeod | B. J. McLeod Motorsports | Toyota | | | | |
| Official race results ||||||||||

## Standings after the race

| | Pos | Driver | Points |
| | 1 | Elliott Sadler | 330 |
| | 2 | Justin Allgaier | 301 (-29) |
| | 3 | William Byron | 252 (–78) |
| | 4 | Bubba Wallace | 235 (–95) |
| | 5 | Daniel Hemric | 229 (–101) |
| | 6 | Michael Annett | 224 (–106) |
| | 7 | Matt Tifft | 216 (–114) |
| | 8 | Ryan Reed | 206 (–124) |
| | 9 | Blake Koch | 202 (–128) |
| | 10 | Brennan Poole | 193 (–137) |
| | 11 | Dakoda Armstrong | 174 (–156) |
| | 12 | Cole Custer | 165 (–165) |
| Official driver's standings ||||