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Sam Hornish Jr. started on the pole. Hornish, who finished second in the points a season ago, was making his return to the series. He made his return in style by grabbing his fifth career pole in the series. The race went green and Hornish wouldn't be able to make the most of his opportunity. With the help of Ryan Blaney, Ryan Reed was able to take the lead from the field to lead the first lap of the race and the first lap of his young career. Reed fell into line as Blaney followed him. Behind the two, the outside line and inside line were battling, but the inside was winning early. The laps started to click away in the early part of the race and the field looked calm, but it certainly wasn't. The race stayed clean without problems until lap 17 when Dakoda Armstrong had a problem occur. Armstrong was forced to come down pit road because his window net had come lose. It must be up at all times and Armstrong was forced to come down pit road so his crew could put it back into place. The action was performed quickly, but Armstrong, who came in while running in the top ten, lost a ton of time. At the front of the pack, the action was still going on and the race went a few more laps before the first caution waved on lap 28.
Debris was spotted on the track in turn 2. Tommy Joe Martins received the lucky dog. The caution brought the first stops of the race and the stops were filled with strategy. Ty Dillon, Elliott Sadler, Kasey Kahne, Chase Elliott, and others took two tires while Ryan Reed, Ryan Blaney, Sam Hornish Jr., and the rest of the lead lap drivers took four tires. After taking two tires, Ty Dillon was able to head off pit road first. With a mixed bag of strategies, it would definitely be interesting to see how the race progressed for the leaders. The race went back green and Elliott Sadler didn't let Dillon lead long as he took the lead shortly after the restart. The outside and inside lines continued to battle as the race for the lead began to heat up. Sadler moved to the bottom after the restart and Brian Scott decided to take hold of the reins for the outside line. Scott's car was flying and he was able to make his way up to the leader in a few short circuits. On lap 40, Scott was able to take the lead from Sadler. Sadler wouldn't back down and a battle for the lead began as the field continued to speed around the massive superspeedway. Scott eventually took the lead outright on lap 44 just as the first wreck of the race occurred to bring out the second caution on lap 44.
Ryan Blaney bumped James Buescher entering turn 3. Buescher slid down the track and onto the edge of the grass. He slid back onto the apron and it looked like all Buescher's problems were over, but they were just beginning. Ryan Reed, Darrell Wallace Jr., and Dylan Kwasniewski hit the apron to avoid the spinner in front of them, but they drove right into the wreck. Reed narrowly avoided Buescher while taking slight damage, but the other two weren't so lucky. Wallace and Kwasniewski piled right into Buescher. All three drivers received huge damage as they attempted to drive away. Kwasniewski's damage was too much and he stopped on track while Buescher and Wallace made it to the garage. It wouldn't matter for the trio as their chances for a win were over. Dakoda Armstrong received the lucky dog after his earlier window net problems. The caution held some more strategy on the pit stops. Ryan Blaney, Trevor Bayne, and others took fuel only while Elliott Sadler, Ty Dillon, Kasey Kahne, and others took two tires. Thanks to his fuel only stop, Blaney assumed the lead ahead of the other leaders. The race went back green and Blaney's strategy call didn't work for the moment as Brian Scott took the lead. Scott would soon find himself in a familiar battle for the lead with Elliott Sadler. Sadler and Scott battled side by side as the inside and outside lines continued to clash through all four turns. On lap 55, Sadler took the lead outright as the field thrashed behind him. In a couple of laps, the two began to battle again. After another short battle, Sadler assumed the top spot on lap 60. Just as Sadler took the lead, the first big one of the day brought out the third caution on lap 62.
Trevor Bayne bumped bumped Brian Scott in turn 3. Scott went down the track and made contact with Ryan Reed and Chad Boat, which began a melee in the third turn. Scott and Bayne went up the track and Brendan Gaughan and Ty Dillon piled into the wall and the wreck. In front of them, Kyle Larson, Robert Richardson Jr., Mike Harmon, and Reed continued to get involved in the wreck. All drivers drove away from the scene with damage ranging from slight to heavy. Eric McClure received the lucky dog. The caution brought some more stops and some more strategy. Kasey Kahne, Ryan Blaney, Elliott Sadler, and others took two tires while Sam Hornish Jr. and others took four tires. Elliott Sadler was the first to leave pit road after his strategy, but his teammate, Hornish, would have to stay a little longer. The brackets holding his windshield in place had started to come loose. Hornish's crew placed some more screws in the top of the windshield frame to hold it in place and they added some tape to ensure it stayed in place. Hornish left his stall without problems, but he would have to fight his way back to the front of the field. The race went back green and Elliott Sadler was able to hold onto the lead. Sadler held onto his spot at the front of field as the pack behind raged around the Talladega Superspeedway. Sadler looked to be in complete control, but if Talladega could tell a driver anything, it would be to not get too comfortable. Sadler maintained his spot at the front of the field until the fourth caution waved on lap 82.
Eric McClure had a tire problem in turn 3. He went to the top of the track and broke loose. He spun towards the bottom of the track and managed to save it on the edge of the grass. McClure had to come to pit road without damage, but with a flat tire that needed replacing. Ty Dillon received the lucky dog. The caution brought the final pit stops of the race for the leaders and a final dose of strategy calls. Regan Smith, Ryan Sieg, Kasey Kahne, Chase Elliott, and others took fuel only while Elliott Sadler, Ryan Blaney, and others took two tires. Regan Smith was the first driver off pit road after taking fuel only. The race went back green and Smith was able to hold onto the lead. Just a few laps after the restart, Kasey Kahne and Chase Elliott, Smith's teammates, moved into second and third, respectively. The JR Motorsports teammates led the charge on the bottom and the outside line was not in contention as the fastest Chevrolets on track drove away. Just as the race moved into a rhythm, the fifth caution of the race waved on lap 98. Trevor Bayne left some debris on the frontstretch of the track after losing his front tires. Bayne pulled down pit road with heavy damage from the lost tires and it looked like he would be in trouble as the race approached the conclusion. None of the drivers received the lucky dog. The caution brought some drivers at the back of the lead lap down pit road. Sam Hornish Jr., Landon Cassill, and the lead lap drivers behind them came down pit road. It would be interesting to see how this moved worked for them as the race was within twenty laps of being complete.
The race went back green and Regan Smith took the outside line. As he crossed the line for the restart, he moved down in front of his JR Motorsports teammate, Kasey Kahne, to keep the momentum going. Unfortunately for them, a duo of underfunded drivers were coming. David Starr, with help from Mike Bliss, flew past the Chevrolets and Starr took the lead. He fell into line in front of Smith and Kahne and it looked like an underdog might be close to victory. Starr's stint out front wouldn't last long as the sixth caution waved on lap 107. Chase Elliott and a few other drivers caused a stack up at the front of the field. Jeremy Clements bumped Chad Boat on the backstretch after the field slowed. Boat sailed down the track and piled into the inside wall hard. He slid back up the track, but he slid back down again and rolled to a stop. The front of Boat's car was destroyed after the huge hit and his race was definitely over. Trevor Bayne received the lucky dog to gain one of this two lost laps back. The field lined back up and David Starr was still the leader of the event with good drivers all around him. The race went back green and Starr looked to hold onto the lead. Ryan Blaney's car was too powerful and he blistered past Starr for the lead. Quickly, Elliott Sadler moved to the front ahead of Blaney and one of the oddest moments of the race brought out the seventh and final caution on lap 111.
Seconds after Elliott Sadler took the lead on lap 111 on the backstretch, Ryan Blaney made a charge at Sadler. He got too close to Sadler and the two made contact. Blaney went sailing up the track and into the outside wall. Chase Elliott went down on Jeremy Clements as he hit Blaney. Clements sailed up into the outside wall hard as Kasey Kahne slammed into the back of Blaney and caught fire quickly. Kahne, Clements, and Blaney managed to drive away from the scene for a short distance with heavy damage while Sadler and Elliott continued on in the race with slight damage. Trevor Bayne received the lucky dog and made his way back onto the lead lap. Because of the debris around the turn, NASCAR decided to throw the red flag. Elliott Sadler took control of the lead with Chris Buescher second, David Ragan third, and Regan Smith following behind in fourth. The drivers came to a stop in turn 3 for the red flag and they sat for a few moments contemplating the finish of the event. After a short delay, the field lined up for what would be the final time and it would be an unforgettable three laps.
The field lined up with Elliott Sadler on the inside line and Chris Buescher to his outside. David Ragan followed behind Sadler and Regan Smith followed behind Buescher. The race went back green and immediately the four cars started to battle. Neither Sadler nor Buescher took the outright lead as the field maneuvered behind them. The four car breakaway entered turn 3 and exited 4, still without the lead decided. They crossed the line for two laps to go. Buescher and Sadler were still battling as the field bumped and banged behind them. Sadler began to make his way in front of Buescher as the field approached turns 3 and 4 for the second to last time. Sadler looked in control with David Ragan continuing to push him as the field crossed the line for the white flag. Sadler blocked through turns 1 and 2 and the field thundered down the backstretch. No winning moves were being made as the number eleven remained the leader. Sadler cruised through turns 3 and 4 one final time as David Ragan looked to make the move behind him. Regan Smith started to pour water out of the overflow as the field flew through the trioval. Sadler held off the entire pack and he was able to take the win in style. It was Sadler's first win of 2014 and now, he has the momentum for another chance to take the Nationwide title.
When Elliott Sadler made the jump to Nationwide competition in 2011, the goal was a championship. One Nationwide championship and Sadler would return to the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series mountain. In 2011 and 2012, he came up just short of beating Ricky Stenhouse Jr. to take that title. He jumped to Joe Gibbs Racing for 2013 and Sadler was unable to take the win at all and he finished a decent third in the points standings, but he was looking for more. In 2014, he has started the season off okay, but this win will definitely boost his confidence. After the race, Sadler was within a single point of the championship lead and it wouldn't be surprising to see him standing tall in Homestead with a championship in his hands. Chris Buescher did what a rookie is supposed to do at Talladega. He stayed clean and somehow managed to take a very good second place finish at a treacherous track. Regan Smith couldn't follow up his February Daytona win with a Talladega win, but he came home third. David Ragan battled to a fourth place finish where one season ago he took an upset victory in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series. Sam Hornish Jr.'s well documented return to the Nationwide Series brought him a fifth place finish. Like usual, the underdogs followed behind these drivers in droves. The unusual was the struggle for regular drivers battling for the title. Chase Elliott's recent momentum was shot down with a nineteenth place finish in his second NASCAR Nationwide Series race on the restrictor place tracks. Elliott's rather disappointing finish, coupled with Sadler's win, made the points battle even closer. Sadler is now within a point of Chase Elliott as the rest of the regulars follow behind. After a very action packed Talladega event, the Nationwide Series will take a weekend off before heading to Iowa Speedway for a Sunday afternoon marquee race. Will Trevor Bayne win his second straight Iowa spring race, will a Nationwide regular shine in a stand alone event, or will a Nationwide championship pursuer make his way to the front of the battle for the title? We will have to wait two weeks to find this out and a whole lot more.
(More Stats Down Below!)
Cautions:
1st Caution: Lap 28- Debris was spotted in turn 2 of the track.
2nd Caution: Lap 44- Ryan Blaney sent James Buescher for a spin in turn 3. Buescher slid to the apron and Ryan Reed, Darrell Wallace Jr., and Dylan Kwasniewski made contact with him.
3rd Caution: Lap 62- Trevor Bayne sent Brian Scott down the track in turn 3. Scott hit Chad Boat and Ryan Reed before slamming the outside wall. Brendan Gaughan, Ty Dillon, Mike Harmon, Kyle Larson, and Robert Richardson Jr. also piled into the wreck.
4th Caution: Lap 82- Eric McClure had a tire problem in turn 3 and went for a spin down the track.
5th Caution: Lap 98- Trevor Bayne left some debris on the frontstretch after losing both front tires.
6th Caution: Lap 107- Jeremy Clements bumped Chad Boat on the backstretch in a stack up and Boat slammed the inside wall hard.
7th Caution: Lap 111- Ryan Blaney made contact with Elliott Sadler entering turn 3 and Blaney sailed up the track. Chase Elliott made contact with Blaney and Jeremy Clements piled into the outside wall after contact with Elliott. Kasey Kahne was also involved after hitting Blaney and catching on fire.
Lucky Dogs:
1st Caution: Tommy Joe Martins
2nd Caution: Dakoda Armstrong
3rd Caution: Eric McClure
4th Caution: Ty Dillon
5th Caution: None
6th Caution: Trevor Bayne
7th Caution: Trevor Bayne
Top 5 Finishers:
1st: Elliott Sadler
2nd: Chris Buescher
3rd: Regan Smith
4th: David Ragan
5th: Sam Hornish Jr.
Notables Not in Top 5:
10th: Trevor Bayne
15th: Ty Dillon
19th: Chase Elliott
21st: Ryan Blaney
22nd: Kasey Kahne
29th: James Buescher
30th: Kyle Larson
31st: Darrell Wallace Jr.
33rd: Brian Scott
34th: Brendan Gaughan
35th: Dylan Kwasniewski
Credits:
-My Own Notes
-Statistics:
http://www.nascar.com/en_us/nationwide-series/leaderboard/leaderboard-live.html
http://www.nascar.com/en_us/nationwide-series/lapbylap/view-all-laps.html?intid=lapbylap_lapbylapleaderboard_08292013
http://www.nascar.com/en_us/nationwide-series/standings.live.html
http://racing-reference.info/race/2014_Aarons_312/B
-Image:
http://www.gannett-cdn.com/-mm-/7511422403735b270a622a6d450d1ed9fffc638c/c=0-0-2089-1573&r=x404&c=534x401/local/-/media/USATODAY/USATODAY/2014/05/03//1399156660000-5-3-14-elliott-sadler.jpg
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