NASCAR Xfinity Series at Talladega 2015: Full Schedule, Standings and Preview
Big, race-changing crashes are seemingly lurking around every corner at Talladega Superspeedway, and the NASCAR Xfinity Series' top drivers will look to avoid getting swept up in them when they take part in the Winn Dixie 300 Saturday.
Enjoying success at Talladega requires skill like any other track, but there is also an element of luck involved. Being at the wrong place at the wrong time has been known to ruin drivers' days at Talladega over the years, but simply avoiding wrecks is often good enough to register a top-10 finish or better.
With Xfinity Series regulars battling for position in the standings and Sprint Cup drivers simply looking to win, the amount of tension on the track Saturday figures to be palpable, and that could lead to some explosive moments.
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Prior to the Winn Dixie 300 at Talladega, here is a rundown of everything you need to know in order to enjoy one of the Xfinity Series' most chaotic races.
Where: Talladega Superspeedway in Talladega, Alabama
When: Saturday, May 2, at 3 p.m. ET
Watch: Fox
Live Stream: NASCAR.com
Winn Dixie 300 Schedule
| Friday, May 1 | 11:30 a.m. | Practice | Fox Sports 1 |
| Saturday, May 2 | 11 a.m. | Qualifying | Fox Sports 1 |
| Saturday, May 2 | 3 p.m. | Winn Dixie 300 | Fox |
Current Standings
| 1 | Ty Dillon | 3 | Leader |
| 2 | Chase Elliott | 9 | -8 |
| 3 | Chris Buescher | 60 | -11 |
| 4 | Darrell Wallace Jr. | 6 | -25 |
| 5 | Regan Smith | 7 | -41 |
| 6 | Brendan Gaughan | 62 | -49 |
| 7 | Elliott Sadler | 1 | -49 |
| 8 | Ryan Reed | 16 | -50 |
| 9 | Brian Scott | 2 | -50 |
| 10 | Daniel Suarez | 18 | -53 |
Drivers to Watch
Elliott Sadler
There may be no more interesting driver in the running for the Xfinity Series title than Elliott Sadler. The 40-year-old veteran enjoyed a great deal of success on the Sprint Cup circuit with three career wins, but he is now battling it out with the young guns at NASCAR's second level of competition.
The driver of the No. 1 car is currently seventh in the standings and 49 points behind leader Ty Dillon, but a solid finish at Talladega could lead to a quick ascent.
Sadler has a ton of experience at Talladega, and while the results have been somewhat mixed, he won last year's Xfinity Series race at the Alabama-based track from the No. 2 starting position. According to SpeedwayMedia.com, Sadler has fond memories of that victory, but he isn't willing to rest on his laurels:
"The OneMain Financial team celebrated in victory lane at this race last year. We ran up front, bouncing back and forth in the top-five positions all afternoon and in the closing laps I was able to hold off the field and cross the finish line first. It was such an awesome weekend. The best part was landing at home and my wife and kids had congratulations signs waiting for me. Talladega is always a fun race to watch as a fan, because you never know how the race will end. But as a driver, Talladega can be one of the most frustrating races, because you can never predict what will happen. Hopefully the No. 1 OneMain Financial Ford Mustang will be up front again and we can celebrate in victory lane as a back-to-back winner.
"
Talladega lends itself to some surprising winners due to the amount of randomness involved, and while Sadler is certainly no slouch, few expected him to come out on top last year.
Sadler isn't going to sneak up on anyone this year, though, as the defending winner is always a marked man. Provided the experienced driver can keep his car clean and stay in the running throughout, however, he has a legitimate chance to repeat.
Joey Logano
Despite being one of the best drivers the Sprint Cup Series has to offer, Joey Logano still chooses to run Xfinity Series races with relative regularity. He has two wins and two top-five finishes in four starts thus far, and he has a great chance to add another victory to his resume Saturday.
Logano is still searching for his first career Sprint Cup win at Talladega, but he did win this race on the Xfinity circuit in 2012, so he certainly knows his way around the track. The 24-year-old driver will undoubtedly be determined to set himself up for success ahead of Sunday's Sprint Cup race, and that should lead to a fine Xfinity result as well.
When Logano competes in the Xfinity Series, he is often dominant. That was the case when he led every lap en route to a victory at Bristol a couple of weeks ago, but it will be extremely difficult for him to repeat that feat at Talladega, according to Matt Nelson of The Times of Trenton:
With that said, Logano is experienced and savvy enough at this point in his career to find ways to enter Victory Lane even when his car isn't necessarily dominant.
Xfinity Series regulars presumably take pride in running with and beating the big boys, so Logano will have a target on his car to some degree, but he is so talented that it shouldn't impact the manner in which he runs the race.
Regan Smith
Like Sadler, Regan Smith is a driver with fairly extensive Sprint Cup experience who is attempting to build himself back up in the Xfinity Series. With four career wins, including one at Talladega in 2013, he is doing precisely that.
The 31-year-old native of Cato, New York, is enjoying a strong year thus far with three top-five finishes, which is good for fifth place in the standings. He has some work to do in order to move up, as he trails the leader by 41 points, but he is moving in the right direction.
In fact, Smith believes that it is only a matter of time before he and the No. 7 team take the checkered flag:
If Smith is going to win a race, then Talladega ranks among his best opportunities. In addition to his win there two years ago, he registered a third-place finish in 2014. Smith has seemingly figured out how to thrive on the superspeedway, and that will serve him well Saturday.
While it is easy to forget about a driver like Smith with young stars such as Dillon, Chase Elliott and Chris Buescher thriving, don't be surprised if he manages to guide the JR Motorsports Chevrolet to Victory Lane this weekend.
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