# 2014 Aaron's 312

The 2014 Aaron's 312 was the ninth car race of the 2014 NASCAR Nationwide Series season, and the 23rd iteration of the event. The race was held on Saturday, May 3, 2014, Lincoln, Alabama, at Talladega Superspeedway, a 2.66-mile (4.28 km) permanent triangle-shaped superspeedway. The race took the scheduled 117 laps to complete. On the final restart with three to go, Joe Gibbs Racing driver Elliott Sadler would manage to hold off the field to take home his 10th career NASCAR Nationwide Series series victory and his only victory of the season. To fill out the podium, Roush Fenway Racing driver Chris Buescher and JR Motorsports driver Regan Smith 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 |
| 01 | Landon Cassill | JD Motorsports | Chevrolet | Flex Seal |
| 2 | Brian Scott | Richard Childress Racing | Chevrolet | Shore Lodge |
| 3 | Ty Dillon (R) | Richard Childress Racing | Chevrolet | Bass Pro Shops, Tracker Boats |
| 4 | Jeffrey Earnhardt | JD Motorsports | Chevrolet | FW1 Wash & Wax |
| 5 | Kasey Kahne (i) | JR Motorsports | Chevrolet | Great Clips |
| 6 | Trevor Bayne | Roush Fenway Racing | Ford | AdvoCare |
| 7 | Regan Smith | JR Motorsports | Chevrolet | Ragú |
| 9 | Chase Elliott (R) | JR Motorsports | Chevrolet | NAPA Auto Parts |
| 10 | Blake Koch | TriStar Motorsports | Toyota | SupportMilitary.org |
| 11 | Elliott Sadler | Joe Gibbs Racing | Toyota | OneMain Financial |
| 14 | Eric McClure | TriStar Motorsports | Toyota | Hefty Ultimate |
| 16 | Ryan Reed (R) | Roush Fenway Racing | Ford | Lilly Diabetes |
| 17 | Tanner Berryhill (R) | Vision Racing | Dodge | National Cash Lenders |
| 19 | Mike Bliss | TriStar Motorsports | Toyota | TriStar Motorsports |
| 20 | Bubba Wallace (i) | Joe Gibbs Racing | Toyota | ToyotaCare |
| 22 | Ryan Blaney (i) | Team Penske | Ford | Discount Tire |
| 23 | Robert Richardson Jr. | R3 Motorsports | Chevrolet | Corn Board |
| 25 | John Wes Townley (i) | Athenian Motorsports | Toyota | Zaxby's |
| 28 | J. J. Yeley | JGL Racing | Dodge | JGL Racing |
| 31 | Dylan Kwasniewski (R) | Turner Scott Motorsports | Chevrolet | Rockstar, AccuDoc Solutions |
| 39 | Ryan Sieg (R) | RSS Racing | Chevrolet | RSS Racing |
| 40 | Josh Wise (i) | The Motorsports Group | Chevrolet | The Motorsports Group |
| 42 | Kyle Larson (i) | Turner Scott Motorsports | Chevrolet | Cartwheel by Target |
| 43 | Dakoda Armstrong (R) | Richard Petty Motorsports | Ford | WinField United |
| 44 | David Starr | TriStar Motorsports | Toyota | Steely Lumber Company |
| 46 | Matt DiBenedetto | The Motorsports Group | Chevrolet | The Motorsports Group |
| 51 | Jeremy Clements | Jeremy Clements Racing | Chevrolet | BRT Extrusions, All South Electric |
| 52 | Joey Gase | Jimmy Means Racing | Chevrolet | Donate Life Mississippi |
| 54 | Sam Hornish Jr. | Joe Gibbs Racing | Toyota | Monster Energy |
| 55 | Jamie Dick | Viva Motorsports | Chevrolet | Viva Motorsports |
| 60 | Chris Buescher (R) | Roush Fenway Racing | Ford | Roush Performance |
| 62 | Brendan Gaughan | Richard Childress Racing | Chevrolet | South Point Hotel, Casino & Spa |
| 70 | Derrike Cope | Derrike Cope Racing | Chevrolet | Youtheory |
| 74 | Mike Harmon | Mike Harmon Racing | Dodge | WCI Parts |
| 76 | Tommy Joe Martins (R) | Martins Motorsports | Dodge | Diamond Gusset Jeans, Land No Tax |
| 84 | Chad Boat (R) | Billy Boat Motorsports | Chevrolet | Billy Boat Motorsports |
| 85 | Bobby Gerhart | Bobby Gerhart Racing | Chevrolet | Lucas Oil |
| 87 | Joe Nemechek (i) | NEMCO-Jay Robinson Racing | Toyota | Smoke 'n Sear |
| 91 | Jeff Green | TriStar Motorsports | Toyota | TriStar Motorsports |
| 93 | Carl Long | JGL Racing | Dodge | JGL Racing |
| 98 | David Ragan (i) | Biagi-DenBeste Racing | Ford | Carroll Shelby Engine Company |
| 99 | James Buescher | RAB Racing | Toyota | Rheem |
| Official entry list |||||

## Practice
### First practice

The first practice session was held on Thursday, May 1, at 2:00 PM CST. The session would last for one hour. Trevor Bayne, driving for Roush Fenway Racing, would set the fastest time in the session, with a lap of 50.300 and an average speed of 190.378 miles per hour (306.384 km/h).
| Pos. | # | Driver | Team | Make | Time | Speed |
| 1 | 6 | Trevor Bayne | Roush Fenway Racing | Ford | 50.300 | 190.378 |
| 2 | 60 | Chris Buescher (R) | Roush Fenway Racing | Ford | 50.302 | 190.370 |
| 3 | 16 | Ryan Reed (R) | Roush Fenway Racing | Ford | 50.303 | 190.366 |
| Full first practice results |||||||

### Final practice

The final practice session, sometimes referred to as Happy Hour, was held on Thursday, May 1, at 3:30 PM CST. The session would last for one hour and 30 minutes. Tommy Joe Martins, driving for Martins Motorsports, would set the fastest time in the session, with a lap of 51.514 and an average speed of 185.891 miles per hour (299.163 km/h).
| Pos. | # | Driver | Team | Make | Time | Speed |
| 1 | 76 | Tommy Joe Martins (R) | Martins Motorsports | Dodge | 51.514 | 185.891 |
| 2 | 4 | Jeffrey Earnhardt | JD Motorsports | Chevrolet | 51.518 | 185.877 |
| 3 | 42 | Kyle Larson (i) | Turner Scott Motorsports | Chevrolet | 51.533 | 185.823 |
| Full Happy Hour practice results |||||||

## Qualifying

Qualifying was held on Friday, May 2, at 5:40 PM CST. Since Talladega Superspeedway is at least 1.25 miles (2.01 km) in length, the qualifying system was a multi-car system that included three rounds. The first round was 25 minutes, where every driver would be able to set a lap within the 25 minutes. Then, the second round would consist of the fastest 24 cars in Round 1, and drivers would have 10 minutes to set a lap. Round 3 consisted of the fastest 12 drivers from Round 2, and the drivers would have 5 minutes to set a time. Whoever was fastest in Round 3 would win the pole.
Sam Hornish Jr., driving for Joe Gibbs Racing, would win the pole after setting a time of 51.268 and an average speed of 186.783 mph (300.598 km/h) in the third round.
Two drivers would fail to qualify: Chad Boat and Derrike Cope.

### Full qualifying results

| Pos. | # | Driver | Team | Make | Time (R1) | Speed (R1) | Time (R2) | Speed (R2) | Time (R3) | Speed (R3) |
| 1 | 54 | Sam Hornish Jr. | Joe Gibbs Racing | Toyota | -* | -* | -* | -* | 51.268 | 186.783 |
| 2 | 11 | Elliott Sadler | Joe Gibbs Racing | Toyota | -* | -* | -* | -* | 51.270 | 186.776 |
| 3 | 20 | Bubba Wallace (i) | Joe Gibbs Racing | Toyota | -* | -* | -* | -* | 51.283 | 186.729 |
| 4 | 16 | Ryan Reed (R) | Roush Fenway Racing | Ford | -* | -* | -* | -* | 52.021 | 184.080 |
| 5 | 43 | Dakoda Armstrong (R) | Richard Petty Motorsports | Ford | -* | -* | -* | -* | 52.044 | 183.998 |
| 6 | 22 | Ryan Blaney (i) | Team Penske | Ford | -* | -* | -* | -* | 52.202 | 183.441 |
| 7 | 3 | Ty Dillon (R) | Richard Childress Racing | Chevrolet | -* | -* | -* | -* | 52.253 | 183.262 |
| 8 | 60 | Chris Buescher (R) | Roush Fenway Racing | Ford | -* | -* | -* | -* | 52.326 | 183.007 |
| 9 | 99 | James Buescher | RAB Racing | Toyota | -* | -* | -* | -* | 52.369 | 182.856 |
| 10 | 2 | Brian Scott | Richard Childress Racing | Chevrolet | -* | -* | -* | -* | 52.400 | 182.748 |
| 11 | 62 | Brendan Gaughan | Richard Childress Racing | Chevrolet | -* | -* | -* | -* | 52.524 | 182.317 |
| 12 | 01 | Landon Cassill | JD Motorsports | Chevrolet | -* | -* | -* | -* | 52.561 | 182.188 |
| Eliminated in Round 2 |||||||||||
| 13 | 98 | David Ragan (i) | Biagi-DenBeste Racing | Ford | -* | -* | 51.306 | 186.645 | - | - |
| 14 | 10 | Blake Koch | TriStar Motorsports | Toyota | -* | -* | 51.531 | 185.830 | - | - |
| 15 | 25 | John Wes Townley (i) | Athenian Motorsports | Toyota | -* | -* | 51.550 | 185.761 | - | - |
| 16 | 44 | David Starr | TriStar Motorsports | Toyota | -* | -* | 51.577 | 185.664 | - | - |
| 17 | 55 | Jamie Dick | Viva Motorsports | Chevrolet | -* | -* | 51.584 | 185.639 | - | - |
| 18 | 14 | Eric McClure | TriStar Motorsports | Toyota | -* | -* | 51.588 | 185.625 | - | - |
| 19 | 19 | Mike Bliss | TriStar Motorsports | Toyota | -* | -* | 51.617 | 185.520 | - | - |
| 20 | 42 | Kyle Larson (i) | Turner Scott Motorsports | Chevrolet | -* | -* | 51.914 | 184.459 | - | - |
| 21 | 6 | Trevor Bayne | Roush Fenway Racing | Ford | -* | -* | 51.929 | 184.406 | - | - |
| 22 | 23 | Robert Richardson Jr. | R3 Motorsports | Chevrolet | -* | -* | 55.153 | 173.626 | - | - |
| 23 | 46 | Matt DiBenedetto | The Motorsports Group | Chevrolet | 50.435 | 189.868 | - | - | - | - |
| 24 | 40 | Josh Wise (i) | The Motorsports Group | Chevrolet | 51.061 | 187.540 | - | - | - | - |
| Eliminated in Round 1 |||||||||||
| 25 | 91 | Jeff Green | TriStar Motorsports | Toyota | 51.147 | 187.225 | - | - | - | - |
| 26 | 74 | Mike Harmon | Mike Harmon Racing | Dodge | 51.259 | 186.816 | - | - | - | - |
| 27 | 39 | Ryan Sieg (R) | RSS Racing | Chevrolet | 51.336 | 186.536 | - | - | - | - |
| 28 | 31 | Dylan Kwasniewski (R) | Turner Scott Motorsports | Chevrolet | 51.345 | 186.503 | - | - | - | - |
| 29 | 76 | Tommy Joe Martins (R) | Martins Motorsports | Dodge | 51.355 | 186.467 | - | - | - | - |
| 30 | 85 | Bobby Gerhart | Bobby Gerhart Racing | Chevrolet | 51.355 | 186.467 | - | - | - | - |
| 31 | 5 | Kasey Kahne (i) | JR Motorsports | Chevrolet | 51.680 | 185.294 | - | - | - | - |
| 32 | 7 | Regan Smith | JR Motorsports | Chevrolet | 51.695 | 185.240 | - | - | - | - |
| 33 | 51 | Jeremy Clements | Jeremy Clements Racing | Chevrolet | 52.139 | 183.663 | - | - | - | - |
| 34 | 28 | J. J. Yeley | JGL Racing | Dodge | 52.185 | 183.501 | - | - | - | - |
| 35 | 93 | Carl Long | JGL Racing | Dodge | 52.430 | 182.644 | - | - | - | - |
| 36 | 52 | Joey Gase | Jimmy Means Racing | Chevrolet | 52.625 | 181.967 | - | - | - | - |
| Qualified by owner's points |||||||||||
| 37 | 9 | Chase Elliott (R) | JR Motorsports | Chevrolet | 52.666 | 181.825 | - | - | - | - |
| 38 | 87 | Joe Nemechek (i) | NEMCO-Jay Robinson Racing | Toyota | 53.732 | 178.218 | - | - | - | - |
| 39 | 4 | Jeffrey Earnhardt | JD Motorsports | Chevrolet | 57.580 | 166.308 | - | - | - | - |
| Last car to qualify on time |||||||||||
| 40 | 17 | Tanner Berryhill (R) | Vision Racing | Chevrolet | 51.624 | 185.495 | - | - | - | - |
| Failed to qualify |||||||||||
| 41 | 84 | Chad Boat (R) | Billy Boat Motorsports | Chevrolet | 51.696 | 185.237 | - | - | - | - |
| 42 | 70 | Derrike Cope | Derrike Cope Racing | Chevrolet | 51.941 | 184.363 | - | - | - | - |
| Official starting lineup |||||||||||
*Time not available.

## Race results

| Fin | St | # | Driver | Team | Make | Laps | Led | Status | Pts | Winnings |
| 1 | 2 | 11 | Elliott Sadler | Joe Gibbs Racing | Toyota | 117 | 40 | running | 48 | $58,020 |
| 2 | 8 | 60 | Chris Buescher (R) | Roush Fenway Racing | Ford | 117 | 1 | running | 43 | $48,925 |
| 3 | 32 | 7 | Regan Smith | JR Motorsports | Chevrolet | 117 | 20 | running | 42 | $35,675 |
| 4 | 13 | 98 | David Ragan (i) | Biagi-DenBeste Racing | Ford | 117 | 0 | running | 0 | $26,025 |
| 5 | 1 | 54 | Sam Hornish Jr. | Joe Gibbs Racing | Toyota | 117 | 0 | running | 39 | $35,900 |
| 6 | 38 | 87 | Joe Nemechek (i) | NEMCO-Jay Robinson Racing | Toyota | 117 | 0 | running | 0 | $27,825 |
| 7 | 34 | 28 | J. J. Yeley | JGL Racing | Dodge | 117 | 1 | running | 38 | $26,625 |
| 8 | 12 | 01 | Landon Cassill | JD Motorsports | Chevrolet | 117 | 0 | running | 36 | $25,975 |
| 9 | 16 | 44 | David Starr | TriStar Motorsports | Toyota | 117 | 5 | running | 36 | $25,350 |
| 10 | 21 | 6 | Trevor Bayne | Roush Fenway Racing | Ford | 117 | 0 | running | 34 | $26,475 |
| 11 | 36 | 52 | Joey Gase | Jimmy Means Racing | Chevrolet | 117 | 1 | running | 34 | $25,100 |
| 12 | 19 | 19 | Mike Bliss | TriStar Motorsports | Toyota | 117 | 0 | running | 32 | $24,975 |
| 13 | 15 | 25 | John Wes Townley (i) | Athenian Motorsports | Toyota | 117 | 0 | running | 0 | $18,800 |
| 14 | 29 | 76 | Tommy Joe Martins (R) | Martins Motorsports | Dodge | 117 | 0 | running | 30 | $18,625 |
| 15 | 7 | 3 | Ty Dillon (R) | Richard Childress Racing | Chevrolet | 117 | 3 | running | 30 | $25,150 |
| 16 | 39 | 4 | Jeffrey Earnhardt | JD Motorsports | Chevrolet | 117 | 0 | running | 28 | $24,575 |
| 17 | 18 | 14 | Eric McClure | TriStar Motorsports | Toyota | 117 | 0 | running | 27 | $24,250 |
| 18 | 5 | 43 | Dakoda Armstrong (R) | Richard Petty Motorsports | Ford | 117 | 0 | running | 26 | $24,325 |
| 19 | 37 | 9 | Chase Elliott (R) | JR Motorsports | Chevrolet | 117 | 3 | running | 26 | $23,975 |
| 20 | 27 | 39 | Ryan Sieg (R) | RSS Racing | Chevrolet | 117 | 0 | running | 24 | $24,550 |
| 21 | 6 | 22 | Ryan Blaney (i) | Team Penske | Ford | 116 | 2 | running | 0 | $23,850 |
| 22 | 31 | 5 | Kasey Kahne (i) | JR Motorsports | Chevrolet | 111 | 0 | crash | 0 | $17,520 |
| 23 | 33 | 51 | Jeremy Clements | Jeremy Clements Racing | Chevrolet | 111 | 1 | crash | 22 | $23,370 |
| 24 | 4 | 16 | Ryan Reed (R) | Roush Fenway Racing | Ford | 108 | 29 | running | 21 | $25,670 |
| 25 | 40 | 17 | Chad Boat (R) | Vision Racing | Chevrolet | 107 | 0 | crash | 19 | $23,570 |
| 26 | 24 | 40 | Josh Wise (i) | The Motorsports Group | Chevrolet | 91 | 0 | engine | 0 | $22,920 |
| 27 | 17 | 55 | Jamie Dick | Viva Motorsports | Chevrolet | 87 | 0 | running | 17 | $22,795 |
| 28 | 26 | 74 | Mike Harmon | Mike Harmon Racing | Dodge | 86 | 0 | crash | 16 | $16,670 |
| 29 | 9 | 99 | James Buescher | RAB Racing | Toyota | 86 | 0 | running | 15 | $22,520 |
| 30 | 20 | 42 | Kyle Larson (i) | Turner Scott Motorsports | Chevrolet | 78 | 0 | running | 0 | $16,595 |
| 31 | 3 | 20 | Bubba Wallace (i) | Joe Gibbs Racing | Toyota | 74 | 0 | running | 0 | $22,595 |
| 32 | 22 | 23 | Robert Richardson Jr. | R3 Motorsports | Chevrolet | 63 | 0 | engine | 12 | $22,170 |
| 33 | 10 | 2 | Brian Scott | Richard Childress Racing | Chevrolet | 61 | 10 | crash | 12 | $22,135 |
| 34 | 11 | 62 | Brendan Gaughan | Richard Childress Racing | Chevrolet | 61 | 1 | crash | 11 | $22,100 |
| 35 | 28 | 31 | Dylan Kwasniewski (R) | Turner Scott Motorsports | Chevrolet | 43 | 0 | crash | 9 | $22,055 |
| 36 | 30 | 85 | Bobby Gerhart | Bobby Gerhart Racing | Chevrolet | 31 | 0 | engine | 8 | $14,730 |
| 37 | 35 | 93 | Carl Long | JGL Racing | Dodge | 14 | 0 | electrical | 7 | $20,695 |
| 38 | 25 | 91 | Jeff Green | TriStar Motorsports | Toyota | 4 | 0 | vibration | 6 | $14,661 |
| 39 | 23 | 46 | Matt DiBenedetto | The Motorsports Group | Chevrolet | 3 | 0 | vibration | 5 | $14,525 |
| 40 | 14 | 10 | Blake Koch | TriStar Motorsports | Toyota | 1 | 0 | vibration | 4 | $14,425 |
| Failed to qualify |||||||||||
| 41 | | 84 | Chad Boat (R) | Billy Boat Motorsports | Chevrolet | | | | | |
| 42 | | 70 | Derrike Cope | Derrike Cope Racing | Chevrolet | | | | | |
| Official race results |||||||||||

## Standings after the race

| | Pos | Driver | Points |
| | 1 | Chase Elliott | 339 |
| 1 | 2 | Elliott Sadler | 338 (-1) |
| 1 | 3 | Regan Smith | 336 (-3) |
| 1 | 4 | Trevor Bayne | 308 (–31) |
| 1 | 5 | Ty Dillon | 308 (–31) |
| | 6 | Brian Scott | 277 (–62) |
| | 7 | Brendan Gaughan | 250 (–89) |
| | 8 | James Buescher | 244 (–95) |
| 5 | 9 | Chris Buescher | 229 (–110) |
| | 10 | Ryan Reed | 225 (–114) |
| Official driver's standings ||||