Two 'Big Ones' take out XFINITY favorites at Talladega

A pair of "Big Ones" in the waning laps of Stage 1 and at the end of Stage 2 knocked several Talladega heavyweights out of contention during Saturday's NASCAR XFINITY Series race. Both also brought out the red flag.

The first, which came on Lap 20, forced William Byron, Brandon Jones and Daniel Hemric from the race -- all were running in the front pack early. Brennan Poole, who nearly won last spring on a final caution, was put one lap down.

Contact between Poole and Daniel Suarez appeared to trigger the incident, as Suarez's No. 18 and Poole's No. 48 both ended up high in the wall and careening down the track.

The second wreck, occurring on Lap 49 (the second stage concluded at Lap 50), took out front-runners Ryan Reed and Brendan Gaughan, while polesitter Blake Koch and rookie Cole Custer were involved as well. Reed had run up front all race and won the most recent restrictor-plate event this season at Daytona.

Aric Almirola raised his hand to take the blame for the seven-car wreck on Lap 49. He was attempting to push Reed forward and inadvertently got the No. 16 Ford sideways. Nine cars were affected in the first "Big One."

"I'm sorry. I tried to give him a push. My bad," Almirola radioed to his team.

After checking out OK from the infield care center, Reed voiced his frustrations.

"We had a really fast car, so that made the racing a lot more fun for us, but with this low downforce you're really at other people's mercy on how they push you," the Roush Fenway Racing driver said. "Aric got careless there and he took the blame for it, but I think it being Saturday and him not racing here that often he was a little more careless. ... I wish he would have taken a little more time, especially that early on, and give us a little more respect because we do race in the series every week. We're racing for a championship and he's not, and I feel like he owes us that respect, so I'm frustrated."

Koch leads first XFINITY practice at Talladega

Blake Koch led first NASCAR XFINITY Series practice at Talladega Superspeedway on Friday.

Full session results below:

Full schedule for Talladega

NASCAR heads to Talladega Superspeedway for Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series and NASCAR XFINITY Series events. Check out the full weekend schedule below.

Note: All times are ET
FRIDAY, MAY 5:
ON TRACK
-- 11:30 a.m.-12:25 p.m.: NASCAR XFINITY Series practice, FS1
-- 1:30-2:25 p.m.: NASCAR XFINITY Series final practice, FS1
-- 2:30-3:25 p.m.: Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series practice, FS1
-- 4:30-5:25 p.m.: Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series final practice, FS1

SATURDAY, MAY 6:
ON TRACK
-- 10:30 a.m.: NASCAR XFINITY Series Coors Light Pole Qualifying, FS1
-- 1 p.m.: NASCAR XFINITY Series Sparks Energy 300 (113 laps, 300.58 miles), FOX
-- 4 p.m.: Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series Coors Light Pole Qualifying, FOX

SUNDAY, MAY 7:
ON TRACK
-- 2 p.m.: Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series GEICO 500 (188 laps, 500.08 miles), FOX

- NASCAR

Joey Logano's crew chief suspended for two races

The No. 22 Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series team of Joey Logano was issued an L1-level penalty for violating Section 20.14.2 Rear Suspension I-4 f Truck Trailing Arm Spacers/Pinion Angle Shims) of the NASCAR Rule Book, NASCAR announced Thursday.

As a result, crew chief Todd Gordon has been fined $50,000 and suspended for two Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series races. The team has been assessed with the loss of 25 owner points and 25 driver points.

Also, the No. 11 Cup Series team on Denny Hamlin was issued a safety penalty for violating Sections 10.9.10.4 (Tires and Wheels [Note: Lug nut(s) not properly installed]) of the NASCAR Rule Book. As a result, crew chief Mike Wheeler has been fined $10,000.

In the NASCAR XFINITY Series, the No. 21 team was given a safety penalty for improperly installed lug nuts. Crew chief Danny Stockman Jr. has been fined $10,000 and has beem suspended for the next NASCAR XFINITY Series points race.

Also, the No.'s 3 and 46 NASCAR XFINITY Series teams were levied safety penalties for loose lug nuts. Crew chiefs Matt Swiderski (No. 3) and Mark Setzer (No. 460 have both been fined $5,000 each.

NASCAR National Series News & Notes -- Talladega

Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series

Next Race: GEICO 500

The Place: Talladega Superspeedway

The Date: Sunday, May 7

The Time: 2 p.m. ET

TV: FOX, 1:30 p.m. ET

Radio: MRN, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio

Distance: 500.8 miles (188 laps); Stage 1 (Ends on lap 55),

Stage 2 (Ends on lap 110), Final Stage (Ends on lap 188)

NASCAR XFINITY Series

Next Race: Sparks Energy 300

The Place: Talladega Superspeedway

The Date: Saturday, May 6

The Time: 1 p.m. ET

TV: FOX, 12:30 p.m. ET

Radio: MRN, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio

Distance: 300.58 miles (113 laps); Stage 1 (Ends on lap 25),

Stage 2 (Ends on lap 50), Final Stage (Ends on lap 113)

NASCAR Camping World Truck Series

Next Race: Toyota Tundra 250

The Place: Kansas Speedway

The Date: Friday, May 12

The Time: 8 p.m. ET

TV: FS1, 8:30 p.m. ET

Radio: MRN, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio

Distance: 250.5 miles (167 laps); Stage 1 (Ends on lap 40), 

Stage 2 (Ends on lap 80), Final Stage (Ends on lap 167)

Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series

Richmond Winner Logano Goes For Second Straight ‘Dega Victory

Joey Logano, 26, won his first race of the season Sunday at Richmond in his 300th career start. He’ll attempt to win again in his 301st start in Sunday’s GEICO 500 at Talladega Superspeedway (2 p.m. ET on FOX, MRN and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio) – a track where he won the latest race last fall.

Logano has taken the checkered flag in the last two fall races at Talladega, but claims only two top-10 finishes at the 2.66-mile behemoth in the spring (ninth in 2009 and 10th in 2011; both with Joe Gibbs Racing). Overall the No. 22 Team Penske driver has two wins, four top fives, six top 10s and an 18.7 average finish in 16 starts at Talladega.

The Middletown, Connecticut, native’s win at Richmond put an exclamation point on his strong start to the season.  He has only finished outside the top six once in the first nine races – a 31st-place showing at Phoenix where he led a season-high 82 laps and won the first stage before wrecking out of the race.

Logano ranks fourth in the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series standings, 65 points behind leader Kyle Larson. His six playoff points are the fifth-most in the series.

Four drivers besides Logano have won in their 300th start: NASCAR Hall of Famer Rusty Wallace (Atlanta, 1993), along with active competitors Kasey Kahne (Charlotte, 2012), Kyle Busch (Texas, 2013) and Denny Hamlin (Talladega, 2014). None of them won in their 301st start.

Team Penske Hopes To Continue Hot Streak At Talladega

Joey Logano isn’t the only Team Penske driver who’s had success recently at Talladega. Brad Keselowski has combined with his Penske teammate to win four of the last five races there (Logano: fall 2015, fall 2016; Keselowski: fall 2014, spring 2016).

In fact, Keselowski is arguably the top driver in the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series at the Alabama track. In 16 career starts there, he owns four wins, six top fives, nine top 10s and an average finish of 15.4 (third-best in the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series).

Overall, Team Penske has five wins at Talladega. Richard Childress Racing and Hendrick Motorsports lead all teams with 12 wins each at the 2.66-mile track.

Talladega Tornado: Dale Jr. Readies To Make Final Mark At Top Track

Sunday’s GEICO 500 marks Dale Earnhardt Jr.’s final spring race at the Talladega Superspeedway – his top track.

Earnhardt’s six wins at Talladega rank tied with Jeff Gordon’s total for second all-time. His father, Dale Earnhardt, holds the track record with 10 victories.

In addition to his triumphs, Earnhardt has 12 top fives, 16 top 10s and a 15.4 average finish at the 2.66-mile behemoth. Among active drivers, he claims the second-best driver rating (92.0) and third-best average running position (14.4).

Earnhardt, who announced he will retire after this season, has struggled so far in his final campaign. He has one top-10 showing, a finish of fifth at Texas. He’s currently 24th in the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series standings.

Young Guns At ‘Dega

Many of the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series "Young Guns" performed well at Talladega last season and are poised to finish up front again in Sunday’s race. Last spring, four drivers currently 27 or younger finished in the top 10: Austin Dillon (third), Chase Elliott (fifth), Ryan Blaney (ninth) and Trevor Bayne (10th).

In last season’s fall Talladega race, five drivers currently 27 or younger finished in the top 12: Joey Logano (first), Kyle Larson (sixth), Dillon (ninth), Blaney (11th) and Elliott (12th).

Standings Shakeup: Larson Increases Lead, Truex Moves Into Second

There was some movement at the top of the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series standings following Sunday’s Toyota Owners 400 at Richmond – a race that set the spring track record for most green flag passes (2,495). Martin Truex Jr. jumped from third to second following his 10th-place showing. Chase Elliott dropped one spot to third after finishing 24th. The current top five features drivers from all three manufacturers: 1. Kyle Larson (Chevrolet), 2. Truex (Toyota, 40 points behind Larson) 3. Elliott (Chevrolet, -52) 4. Joey Logano (Ford, -65) 5. Brad Keselowski (Ford, -71).

Keselowski leads the series with 11 playoff points. Truex ranks tied with Jimmie Johnson for second with 10. They are followed by Larson with seven and Logano with six.

Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series, Etc.

GEICO 500 Had Most Passes For The Lead: Don’t be surprised to see a ton of passes for the lead at Talladega this weekend. A year ago in the GEICO 500, there were 213 passes for the lead throughout the race (not just counting lead changes at the Start/Finish line) – tops among all 2016 races.

30th Anniversary Of Bill Elliott’s Qualifying Record: Thirty years ago, NASCAR Hall of Famer, Bill Elliott set the NASCAR qualifying record with a 212.809 mph lap at Talladega Superspeedway. His son, Chase Elliott, will take the track in Sunday’s GEICO 500. In his first two career starts at Talladega last season, Chase finished fifth and 12th, respectively, and led a total of 36 laps. He won the Coors Light Pole Award in the 2016 spring race.

NASCAR XFINITY Series

Points Leader Elliott Sadler Returns To Talladega With Lots To Accomplish And Little To Worry About

With a little more than a race win’s worth of points (41) between himself and second-place Justin Allgaier in the NASCAR XFINITY Series standings following Richmond, Elliott Sadler can go all out in defending his 2016 win at Talladega Superspeedway in the Sparks Energy 300 this Saturday, May 6 (1 p.m. ET on FOX, MRN and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio).  

If Sadler can successfully defend his win this weekend, he will tie Martin Truex Jr. for the series-most wins at Talladega with three each. Sadler’s two Talladega wins have him tied with Joe Nemechek and Joey Logano for the second-most NXS Talladega wins all-time. He will also become just the second driver in series history to win consecutive races at Talladega, joining Martin Truex Jr. who won three straight (2004-2006).

Sadler has been one of the best at restrictor-plate tracks (Daytona and Talladega) over the last three seasons. During that time, the NASCAR XFINITY Series has run 10 restrictor plate races and Elliott Sadler (two) and Ryan Reed (two) are the only two drivers with multiple wins. Plus, earlier this season Sadler dominated the Daytona season-opener, winning the first two stages and leading a race-high 40 laps before being caught in a multi-car incident late in the race.

Sadler has made eight series starts at Talladega, posting two poles, two wins (spring of 2014 and 2016), three top fives and five top 10s. His average finish on the famed 2.66-mile track is an 11.5.

Justin Allgaier Moves To Second In Points, Takes Dash 4 Cash After Strong Performance At Richmond

Well one thing is for sure, Justin Allgaier’s pockets are lined with cash, Dash 4 Cash that is, as the JR Motorsports driver took home his second $100,000 dollar check of the season this past weekend at Richmond International Raceway, following a dominating performance in which he led 157 laps and finished second.

As a result of the stellar performance, Allgaier jumps to second in the series standings, 41 markers back from his JR Motorsports teammate and standings leader Elliott Sadler.

Allgaier will look to close the points gap between himself and the standings lead this weekend at Talladega. Allgaier has made six starts on the 2.66-mile track, posting two top fives and four top 10s. He also has the third-best average finish among championship contenders on restrictor-plate tracks over the last three seasons.

Daniel Hemric Continues To Climb The Standings; Now Up To Fourth And Looking For More At ‘Dega

Richard Childress Racing might have found themselves a diamond in the rough with Sunoco Rookie of the Year candidate Daniel Hemric, who, since Daytona (last seven races), has moved up 22 spots in the NASCAR XFINITY Series standings from 26th to fourth heading into Talladega this weekend.

A Kannapolis, North Carolina, native, Hemric is amidst a great comeback in the series points. After being caught in an incident in the season-opener at Daytona that relegated him to a 31st-place finish and a 26th-place ranking in the points, he has rallied to post two top fives, four top 10s and won a Dash 4 Cash bonus at Bristol in the process. Now the RCR youngster sits fourth in points after coming off his best finish of the season (third). 

This weekend will be Daniel Hemric’s series track debut. Though he does have some Talladega track experience, he made two NASCAR Camping World Truck Series starts at the superspeedway; posting a best finish of 11th last season.  

Ben Kennedy Signs With RCR and GMS, Makes Season Debut This Weekend At Talladega

The great grandson of NASCAR founder Bill France Sr. and grandson of Bill France Jr., Ben Kennedy, will return to NASCAR XFINITY Series competition this weekend at Talladega Superspeedway after signing a multi-race deal with Richard Childress Racing (nine races) and GMS Racing (12 more races).

Kennedy has been working for months to line the two deals up and is supremely focused on the development of his driving career.

"I'm very ready to go," said Kennedy. "It's been a long offseason for me, so it's great to know Talladega is around the corner and even better to know we’re going to Charlotte after and will have a pretty busy schedule," Kennedy said. "I'm looking forward to it."

Kennedy will strap into the No. 2 Richard Childress Racing Chevrolet Camaro this weekend with crew chief Justin Alexander calling the shots from the pit box.

His first start with GMS Racing will not be until May 27 at Charlotte Motor Speedway. GMS Racing will be expanding to a second car to accommodate Kennedy, who will be working with his former NCWTS crew chief Jeff Stankiewicz.  

Kennedy has made just one NASCAR XFINITY Series start in his career at Iowa Speedway, where he started sixth and finished 10th.

NASCAR XFINITY Series Etc.

Monster Energy Series Drivers To Watch On Saturday: Ty Dillon, Daniel Suarez, Erik Jones, Joey Logano, Aric Almirola, and Kasey Kahne make up the six Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series regulars that will be competing in the NASCAR XFINITY Series race this weekend.

Restrictor-Plate Kings In The NXS: NASCAR Hall of Famer Dale Earnhardt and former driver/current car owner Tony Stewart lead the NASCAR XFINITY Series in wins on restrictor-plate tracks (Daytona and Talladega) with eight wins each. Joey Logano leads all active drivers in the NASCAR XFINITY Series with three; followed by Elliott Sadler and Ryan Reed with two each.

Whoa, That Was Close! Top Five Closest NXS MOVs At ‘Dega: The 1999 Talladega Superspeedway race is tied with the 1996 Milwaukee event as the two closest finishes in the NASCAR XFINITY Series since the inception of electronic scoring in 1993 at 0.002. Here are the five closest margin of victory finishes at Talladega Superspeedway in the NXS: 1999 (0.002); 1994 (0.008); 2009 (0.030); 2012 (0.034) and 2007 (0.052).

Sunoco Rookie Of The Year Update: William Byron continues to hold the rookie standings lead following Richmond, but Daniel Hemric closed Byron’s points lead from 17 markers following Bristol down to just five after Richmond. Cole Custer (-28) in third, Matt Tifft (-32) in fourth and Spencer Gallagher (-37) in fifth have their work cut out for them if they want to catch Byron.

NASCAR Camping World Truck Series

Kansas Speedway Rundown

With the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series two weeks away from racing at Kansas Speedway, below are some quick facts on the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series at Kansas.

Races: 16

Pole Winners: 12

Youngest Pole Winner: Erik Jones (05/08/2015 – 18 years, 10 months, 8 days)

Oldest Pole Winner: Ron Hornaday Jr. (05/02/2010 – 51 years, 10 months, 12 days)

Race Winners: 15

Youngest Winner: William Byron (05/06/2016 – 18 years, 5 months, 7 days)

Oldest Winner: Mike Skinner (04/27/2009 – 51 years, 9 months, 30 days)

Races Won from Pole (or 1st Starting Position): 2

Last Race Won from the Pole (or 1st Starting Position): Kyle Busch (05/09/2014)

Race Record: Matt Crafton 139.857mph (05/08/2015)

Qualifying Record: Erik Jones 179.396mph (05/08/2015)

The NASCAR Camping World Truck Series hits the track next for the Toyota Tundra 250 at Kansas Speedway on Friday, May 12 (8:30 p.m. ET on FS1, MRN and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio).

Bell Climbing NASCAR Ladder - Will Run Handful Of NASCAR XFINITY Series Races

Joe Gibbs Racing announced Monday that NASCAR Camping World Truck Series driver Christopher Bell will drive seven NASCAR XFINITY Series races during the 2017 season.

Bell will make his NASCAR XFINITY Series debut in the JGR No. 18 Toyota Camry in the Hisense 300 on May 27 (1 p.m. ET on FS1, PRN and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio) at Charlotte Motor Speedway.

He will then drive the No. 20 Toyota Camry for JGR for two races; June 24 at Iowa Speedway and Sept. 8 at Richmond International Raceway.

He will finish out his last four NASCAR XFINITY Series races piloting the No. 18 Toyota Camry at Kansas Speedway on Oct. 21, Texas Motor Speedway on Nov. 4, Phoenix International Raceway on Nov. 14 and the finale at Homestead-Miami Speedway on Nov. 18.

This will be the third NASCAR series that Bell has competed in during his racing career and second NASCAR national series.

In 2015, Bell raced in two NASCAR K&N Pro Series West races and finished a season-best second at Iowa Speedway.

That same year, Bell ran in seven NASCAR Camping World Truck Series races for Kyle Busch Motorsports and won his first career NASCAR national series race at Eldora Speedway.

In 2016, Bell started 23 NASCAR Camping World Truck Series races for Kyle Busch Motorsports, where he won one race (Gateway Motorsports Park), scored nine top fives and 17 top 10s. Bell made the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series playoffs in his Sunoco Rookie season and made it to the Championship 4 at Homestead-Miami Speedway.

Bell has been at it again this season in the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series. Through three races in 2017, Bell has one win (Atlanta), two top fives and three top 10s with 201 laps led.

NASCAR Camping World Truck Series Rookie Report

Heading into Kansas Speedway next weekend for the Toyota Tundra 250, below is a look at how the Sunoco Rookie of the Year contenders have performed through three races this season:

Kaz Grala: Grala remains in the lead for the Sunoco Rookie of the Year Award thanks to his season-opening win at Daytona International Speedway. The GMS Racing driver currently sits fifth in the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series points standings and will look to extend his lead in the Sunoco Rookie battle at Kansas.

Noah Gragson: Gragson skyrocketed in the Sunoco Rookie of the Year points standings from seventh all the way to second after a top-five finish at Martinsville Speedway. The fourth-place finish was the best NASCAR Camping World Truck Series finish of his young career. The Kyle Busch Motorsports driver will be looking for his first career win at Kansas.

Chase Briscoe: Briscoe has had a consistent start to his Sunoco Rookie season – scoring three-consecutive top 25s to start his NASCAR Camping World Truck Series career. The Brad Keselowski Racing driver is currently third in the Sunoco Rookie of the Year points standings.

Grant Enfinger: Enfinger currently sits fourth in the Sunoco Rookie of the Year points standings and has had a strong start to the 2017 NASCAR Camping World Truck Series season. He’s finished top-17 or better through three races this season and has led four laps. If the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series playoffs began today, the ThorSport Racing driver would own the final playoff spot.

Cody Coughlin: ThorSport Racing and Sunoco Rookie driver Cody Coughlin has been a wizard in place differential during his first full-time NASCAR Camping World Truck Series season. He owns an average finish this season of 15.3, with an average place differential of +4.7. Coughlin is fifth in the Sunoco Rookie of the Year standings.

Wendell Chavous: Chavous has started out strong in his Sunoco Rookie season, scoring three top 25s through three races in his first full-time NASCAR Camping World Truck Series season with Premium Motorsports. Chavous sits sixth in the Sunoco Rookie of the Year points standings.

Austin Cindric: Brad Keselowski Racing driver Austin Cindric has had a bumpier start to his first full-time season in the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series. He has two top-25 finishes through three races and sits seventh in the Sunoco Rookie of the Year point standings. He will look to get back on track at Kansas.

Stewart Friesen: Canadian-born Stewart Friesen currently sits seventh in the Sunoco Rookie of the Year points standings and has two-consecutive top 25s. The rookie is in his first full-time NASCAR Camping World Truck Series season with Halmar-Friesen Racing.

Justin Haley: Haley sits ninth in the Sunoco Rookie of the Year points standings in his first season with GMS Racing. He’s raced in one NASCAR Camping World Truck Series race this season and finished 26th at Martinsville Speedway.

Action Sports Star Travis Pastrana Returns To NASCAR

Action sports icon Travis Pastrana will team up with Niece Motorsports for select NASCAR events during the 2017 season.

Pastrana participated in a NASCAR XFINITY Series and NASCAR Camping World Truck Series Test at Charlotte Motor Speedway Tuesday.

He is set to drive in the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series at Las Vegas Motor Speedway on Saturday, Sept. 30 in the Las Vegas 350 (8 p.m. ET on FS1, MRN and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio).

Pastrana couldn’t be more excited in his return to NASCAR and was particularly excited to jump into NASCAR Camping World Truck Series action, "NASCAR is something that challenges me. I've done a lot of work over the past couple of years to try and improve my pavement skills. I'm racing my first full year of Rally since 2010, and I'm fresh off my first win in over a year, so it's really exciting to be able to get behind the wheel again and see what we can do in the Truck Series."

Pastrana has run two career NASCAR Camping World Truck Series races – most recently in 2015 – when he finished 16th at Las Vegas Motor Speedway in the Rhino Linings 350.

He has run in 42 career NASCAR XFINITY Series races, including a full-time season in 2013 with Roush Fenway Racing.

NASCAR Wire First Person Feature: Brad Keselowski shares the secret to success at Talladega

By Brad Keselowski
NASCAR Wire Service

Some drivers relish Talladega. Some drivers hate it.

I still remember this time—it was probably 2003—and there was this video game called "NASCAR Racing 2003 PC." And I would run it and have a great time. There was this online community, and we would race all kinds of different tracks.

It was a lot of fun, but there weren’t a lot of great drivers. I wasn’t a Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series driver then, but I was a decent online racer. We’d go to all these different tracks. We’d go to a Bowman Gray or a Dover or a Michigan, and I had a blast with that. But you’d only get maybe five or 10 guys who were any good, and the rest were intimidated, so it was almost like it was too easy.

So this online league I was racing with started this thing where we would race on Tuesday nights, and we had this series where we would race on superspeedways, and like 80 to 100 people would show up and race it. Talladega was two of the races, and my bother (Brian) and I would race on it together. I remember winning those races and thinking, ‘That’s so cool to beat all these guys’ and kind of almost falling in love with Talladega online.

And so the first time I went there, it was a little bit of a shellshock being in a pack for real. It was a lot different from being in a pack on a damn computer—I can tell you that right now. But the moves and the techniques and all those things are really similar, and when you can slow it down and think of it as a giant chess match, where things aren’t just happening—they’re happening because you want them to, it starts to breed a lot of confidence in you. You feel comfortable at those tracks. And that why I’m looking forward to Sunday’s GEICO 500 at Talladega (2 p.m. ET on FOX).

You’ve still got to get over the wrecks and the big packs and all those things you know you’re susceptible to. You still have to get over that, and that’s a tough challenge, but the moves to me are like a game of chess, and I enjoy that game.

Learning the moves is like anything else in life. How do you learn to ride a bicycle? Sometimes you bust your ass. Sometimes you learn by watching somebody else and what they can do. What’s interesting about Talladega is that it seems like every year—or maybe every three or four years—a new move comes out that no one has ever thought of, no one has executed before.

That’s what made Dale (Earnhardt) so special there. He was always creating the new moves. Because of that, he was always a step ahead. I think that continues to happen now. The great racers at Talladega are the ones that can innovate and create a new move that nobody knows how to defend. And that’s really, really tricky. It takes a lot of research, a lot of timing, a lot of work, a lot of study. But some of it’s just intuition and learning the hard way, too.

I guess what I’m trying to say is, like anything else in life, there’s a lot of ways you can learn. You can learn the hard way. Sometimes you learn because you just have a natural talent at it, or sometimes you learn from studying. I think it’s really all three.

In my first win in the No. 2 Miller Lite car, when I broke the draft on the final lap, someone else had made that move, but they made it at a time that wasn’t critical to the outcome. Going into that race, I had that move planned, but not until the end when the timing was most beneficial. That won that race, and now that move is defunct.

You always think you’ve found the next move, but you never know until the race is over, and it either worked or it didn’t. But I can’t tell you what it is—it’s a trade secret.

I think it goes in waves. I think you have a year or two where it’s like nothing’s clicking, and you get frustrated. Then you find a new move, find a new technique, and things start to click, and you feel like you’re in charge and dominant. And then everybody eventually catches up to those moves, or those moves are made irrelevant by rules changes and so forth, and you have to find a new one.

I think there’s a bit of an ebb and flow to it. At this point in time, we have a series of moves that are pretty strong, that have put us in a position to win a lot of plate races at Team Penske with a lot of things that Joey (Logano) and I have learned and worked on together.

But those moves eventually will become irrelevant. There will be something different. Hopefully, it will last a long time, but history shows it won’t. That’s OK. I look at probably the last three years on the plate tracks, and I feel like Joey and I have been the most successful, and we hope to continue that.

As told to Reid Spencer of the NASCAR Wire Service.

Simon Pagenaud wins IndyCar race at Phoenix

By JOHN NICHOLSON
AP Sports Writer

AVONDALE, Ariz. (AP) -- Simon Pagenaud appeared to be on cruise control after taking a big lead when a caution flag caught the other leaders on pit road in the Verizon IndyCar race Saturday night at Phoenix International Raceway.

The Frenchman had a different view from the cockpit as he closed in on his first oval victory.

"Those were the longest 50 laps of my life," Pagenaud said. "I have a button on my wheel that tells me how many laps were left. I kept pressing it. It was stressful. The car was phenomenal."

The defending series champion grabbed the lead when Team Penske teammate Will Power pitted on the 137th lap, and the caution came out seconds later when Takuma Sato hit the wall in the fourth turn.

"We were a little bit lucky there with the caution," Pagenaud said, "But we were in that position because we were able to stretch it (fuel) out."

Pagenaud not only ended up with the lead, but had lapped cars between his Chevrolet and the other four lead-lap cars. Power cut Pagenaud's lead to 3 seconds with 40 laps to go before the winner pulled away to win by over 9 seconds in front of about only 7,000 fans at the mile oval.

Pagenaud took the season points lead with his 10th career victory. Penske drivers led all 250 laps - Pagenaud 116, pole-sitter Helio Castroneves 73, Power 59 and Josef Newgarden 2 - en route to the team's record-extending 189th series victory.

"This is incredible. This is my best win," Pagenaud said. "You need to be so strategic to win on an oval and today was the perfect day. I couldn't be any happier."

Power had his first podium finish of the year.

"We just got caught out by a yellow," the Australian said. "We just had a wait there. It made a bad race of it."

JR Hildebrand finished third in another Chevy for Ed Carpenter Racing, and Castroneves was fourth for Penske. Scott Dixon, the winner last year, was a lap down in fifth in Chip Ganassi Racing's Honda.

"Chevy had a leg up on us here and they showed that tonight," Dixon said. "We tried to keep our nose clean, but just didn't have anything for them tonight. "

Hildebrand returned after missing the Alabama event last week because of a broken left hand. He was hurt after late contact with Mikhail Aleshin in Long Beach, California.

"At the end, we might have had the best car on the track," Hildebrand said. "It's a great result heading into May."

Aleshin didn't finish a lap Saturday, losing control and spinning in the second turn to start a wreck that collected fellow Honda drivers Marco Andretti, Sebastien Bourdais, Graham Rahal and Max Chilton.

"I turned and the rear just went sideways," Aleshin said.

Bourdais won the opener in St. Petersburg, Florida, and took the points lead into the night.

"I was just along for the ride. Nothing I could do," Bourdais said. "It's just a shame."

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SILVER CROWN

Bobby Santos won the USAC Silver Crown series' first race at the track since 2009.

"Coming back here was a huge deal," Santos said.

Santos, from Franklin, Massachusetts, started from the pole in the DJ Racing Chevrolet and took the lead for good with eight laps left in the 100-mile race. He has seven career victories.

"I had to work for this one," Santos said. "No time to sit down in the seat."

Two-time series champion Kody Swanson was second, followed by David Byrne and Davey Hamilton. Only six of the 17 cars were running at the finish.

Chris Windom missed a chance to become the second series driver to win four straight races, finishing 13th after blowing an engine. He drove Patrick Lawson's No. 2 car after cutting a tire and hitting the wall Friday in practice in his own Kazmark Racing machine.

Windom won the season-opening race April 2 at Terre Haute Action Track after closing last year with victories at Du Quoin State Fairgrounds and Eldora Speedway.

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UP NEXT

IndyCar heads to Indianapolis Motor Speedway for the IndyCar Grand Prix road race May 13 and the Indianapolis 500 on May 28.

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More AP racing: http://racing.ap.org

Dalton Sargeant laps entire field in ARCA race at Salem

SALEM, Ind. (AP) -- Dalton Sargeant lapped the entire field Sunday in a dominating victory in the ARCA Racing Series event at Salem Speedway.

Sargeant rallied to get back on the lead lap on the high-banked 0.555-mile oval, then pulled away for his second career victory in the stock-car series. He became the first ARCA winner to lap the field since David Stremme in 2006 at Michigan International Speedway. "My crew chief, Chad Bryant, just kept reiterating, `Take your time. Just race the race track.' And it paid off," Sargeant said. "This is definitely a difficult race. Our No. 77 Big Tine Cunningham Ford was amazing. I'm looking forward to Talladega."

Gus Dean was second in a Toyota, and Kyle Weatherman third in a Chevrolet.

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More AP racing: http://racing.ap.org

Joey Logano charges from the back to win at Richmond

By Reid Spencer
NASCAR Wire Service

RICHMOND, Va. – It took Joey Logano all afternoon to drive from the back of the field to the front in Sunday’s Toyota Owners 400 at Richmond International Raceway.

Logano started from the rear after a post-qualifying transmission change, but when the checkered flag waved after Lap 400, the driver of the No. 22 Team Penske Ford was at the head of the field, having held off a banzai charge from teammate Brad Keselowski during a 19-lap green-flag run.

Logano took the lead for the first time on Lap 384, after restarting behind six cars that had stayed out on old tires under caution for Ryan Blaney’s contact with the Turn 3 wall on Lap 377. On fresh rubber, Logano made short work of the cars in front of him and passed series leader Kyle Larson for the top spot with 16 circuits left.

Keselowski had a faster car, having led 110 laps, but he also had more difficulty getting through traffic after the final restart. By the time Logano took the checkered flag, Keselowski had narrowed his teammate's straightaway lead to roughly three car-lengths before running out of time.

The 26-year-old from Connecticut won his 18th race in his 300th start in the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series. It was his first victory of the season and his second at Richmond.

Logano and Keselowski had stayed out under the penultimate caution on Lap 367 and appeared vulnerable to the Joe Gibbs Racing Toyotas of Denny Hamlin and Kyle Busch until NASCAR called the final yellow five laps after the restart on Lap 377.

Of the cars that came to pit road on Lap 378, Logano was first off and lined up behind the six cars that stayed out—those of Larson, Ricky Stenhouse Jr., Chris Buescher, Martin Truex Jr., David Ragan and Cole Whitt. Busch drew a penalty for a commitment line violation and went to the rear of the field, eliminating one of the contending cars.

"The caution came out," Logano said of the final yellow. "The boys had a great stop which gave us good track position to pass the cars that stayed out. We were able to have a good start, work our way past those cars and tried to take off the best I could. I knew the 2 (Keselowski) was so much faster than everybody, and I had to get out there as quick and as far as I could.

"He was on his way to catch me. I think he was catching me a couple tenths a lap. That was all I had inside the car, and I burned them up early trying to go. I’m proud of the effort of the team. We executed under pressure today and brought a car home that was a fifth-to-10th-place car to Victory Lane."

For his part, Keselowski was philosophical about the way the race unfolded.

"I was just hoping for another restart or the race to get extended for another 10 laps," Keselowski said. "I think we had a ton of long-run speed today. That short run at the end...half the field came, half the field didn’t. I just got stuck in a lane of cars that didn’t go.

"By the time I did, he (Logano) had a whole straightaway on me. I got it down to a couple of car-lengths at the end. All and all, I’m happy for Team Penske with the 1-2 finish. We’ll take it and move on."

Virginia native Denny Hamlin ran third, but his No. 11 Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota couldn’t match the speed of the Team Penske Fords. Ricky Stenhouse Jr. recovered from a brush with the Turn 3 wall to come home fourth on older tires, holding off fifth-place Kevin Harvick over the final green-flag run.

Notes: Dale Earnhardt Jr. finished 30th in his first race following his announcement of retirement from the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series at the end of the season. Hendrick Motorsports teammate Jimmie Johnson pinched Earnhardt’s No. 88 Chevrolet into the outside wall on Lap 343 to cause the sixth caution. "I had no clue anybody was out there—my apologies," Johnson said on his team radio… Stenhouse posted his second top five of the season, matching his result at Phoenix… Kurt Busch continued to have electrical problems with his No. 41 Ford. His air-conditioning failed, even though the team had replaced the unit before the race. Busch nevertheless rallied to finish eighth after falling a lap down and getting it back as a "lucky dog" under the fifth caution.

Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series Race - Toyota Owners 400

Richmond International Raceway

Richmond, Virginia

Sunday, April 30, 2017

               1. (5) Joey Logano, Ford, 400.
               2. (15) Brad Keselowski, Ford, 400.
               3. (16) Denny Hamlin, Toyota, 400.
               4. (4) Ricky Stenhouse Jr., Ford, 400.
               5. (6) Kevin Harvick, Ford, 400.
               6. (10) Jamie McMurray, Chevrolet, 400.
               7. (13) Ryan Newman, Chevrolet, 400.
               8. (9) Kurt Busch, Ford, 400.
               9. (25) Aric Almirola, Ford, 400.
               10. (3) Martin Truex Jr., Toyota, 400.
               11. (17) Jimmie Johnson, Chevrolet, 400.
               12. (11) Daniel Suarez #, Toyota, 400.
               13. (29) Trevor Bayne, Ford, 400.
               14. (18) Kyle Larson, Chevrolet, 400.
               15. (8) Clint Bowyer, Ford, 400.
               16. (7) Kyle Busch, Toyota, 400.
               17. (23) Chris Buescher, Chevrolet, 400.
               18. (21) Danica Patrick, Ford, 400.
               19. (30) David Ragan, Ford, 400.
               20. (38) Austin Dillon, Chevrolet, 400.
               21. (28) Landon Cassill, Ford, 400.
               22. (19) Kasey Kahne, Chevrolet, 400.
               23. (1) Matt Kenseth, Toyota, 400.
               24. (14) Chase Elliott, Chevrolet, 400.
               25. (26) Paul Menard, Chevrolet, 400.
               26. (24) Ty Dillon #, Chevrolet, 400.
               27. (36) Cole Whitt, Chevrolet, 400.
               28. (32) Matt DiBenedetto, Ford, 400.
               29. (27) Michael McDowell, Chevrolet, 399.
               30. (12) Dale Earnhardt Jr., Chevrolet, 398.
               31. (31) Gray Gaulding #, Toyota, 398.
               32. (34) * Corey LaJoie #, Toyota, 396.
               33. (33) Reed Sorenson, Chevrolet, 395.
               34. (37) * Timmy Hill(i), Chevrolet, 393.
               35. (35) Jeffrey Earnhardt, Chevrolet, 392.
               36. (2) Ryan Blaney, Ford, Accident, 378.
               37. (22) AJ Allmendinger, Chevrolet, 333.
               38. (20) Erik Jones #, Toyota, Accident, 4.

Average Speed of Race Winner:  93.685 mph.
Time of Race:  3 Hrs, 12 Mins, 08 Secs. Margin of Victory:  0.775 Seconds.
Caution Flags:  9 for 53 laps.
Lead Changes:  18 among 8 drivers.
Lap Leaders:   M. Kenseth 1-163; B. Keselowski 164-204; M. Kenseth 205; D. Hamlin 206-228; K. Harvick 229-237; B. Keselowski 238-251; K. Harvick 252; D. Hamlin 253-286; B. Keselowski 287-319; R. Newman 320-344; K. Harvick 345; B. Keselowski 346-357; Kyle Busch 358; B. Keselowski 359-360; D. Hamlin 361-362; B. Keselowski 363-370; J. Logano 371-378; K. Larson 379-383; J. Logano 384-400.
Leaders Summary (Driver, Times Lead, Laps Led):  M. Kenseth 2 times for 164 laps; B. Keselowski 6 times for 110 laps; D. Hamlin 3 times for 59 laps; J. Logano 2 times for 25 laps; R. Newman 1 time for 25 laps; K. Harvick 3 times for 11 laps; K. Larson 1 time for 5 laps; Kyle Busch 1 time for 1 lap.
Stage #1 Top Ten: 20,42,78,4,11,2,31,1,14,22
Stage #2 Top Ten: 2,20,4,11,42,31,1,14,13,22