Written by: Adrian Beecher
Talladega, AL – In round 1 of qualifying, Daniel Hemric ran the fastest lap with a 50.640-second lap. Just missing the top 12 was Christopher Bell, who ran a 51.283-second lap, which was only 0.023-seconds slower than Cole Custer, who was the final qualifier of the first round, stealing the 12th and final spot for round 2.
In the 2nd and final round of the day, Hemric once again ran the fastest lap, this time faster than the first round, running a 50.559-second lap. Points leader Elliott Sadler came in with the 2nd fastest time, running 0.168-seconds slower than Hemric. This is the 2nd pole of the year for Hemric after winning qualifying at Texas Motor Speedway.
Winning the pole at Talladega usually doesn’t tell the story of who will win. In fact, the last time the Xfinity pole winner won the race at Dega was Tony Stewart back in 2008. You can watch all the action unfold with the green flag for the 2018 Sparks Energy 300 at Talladega Superspeedway droping at 3:00 pm ET.
Dash 4 Cash Contenders
Sadler is the highest qualifying Dash 4 Cash contender at Dega Saturday. Matt Tifft is the 2nd highest qualifying contender and will start in the 10th position. Running only 0.017-seconds slower was Austin Cindric who will start in the 11th position. Christopher Bell is the final contender for this weekend’s Dash 4 Cash and will start back in 13th after just barely missing the 2nd round.
Spark Energy 300 at Talladega Starting Lineup
Provided by NASCAR Statistics - Sat, April 28, 2018 @ 12:33 PM Eastern
Driver Date Time Speed
Track Race Record: Mark Martin 04/26/97 01:50:32 168.937
Pos Car Driver Team Time Speed
Row 1: 1 21 Daniel Hemric South Point Hotel & Casino Chevrolet 50.559 189.402
2 1 Elliott Sadler OneMain Financial Chevrolet 50.727 188.775
Row 2: 3 23 Spencer Gallagher Allegiant Chevrolet 50.762 188.645
4 42 John H. Nemechek Fire Alarm Services Inc Chevrolet 50.810 188.467
Row 3: 5 5 Michael Annett Pilot Flying J Chevrolet 50.814 188.452
6 7 Justin Allgaier TradeMark Nitrogen Chevrolet 50.885 188.189
Row 4: 7 3 Shane Lee Childress Vineyards Chevrolet 50.914 188.082
8 9 Tyler Reddick # Armour Chili Chevrolet 50.929 188.026
Row 5: 9 11 Ryan Truex Bar Harbor/Sea Watch International Chevrolet 51.030 187.654
10 2 Matt Tifft KCMG Chevrolet 51.106 187.375
Row 6: 11 22 Austin Cindric # Fitzgerald Glider Kits Ford 51.123 187.313
12 00 Cole Custer Haas Automation Ford 51.322 186.587
Row 7: 13 20 Christopher Bell # Rheem Toyota 51.283 186.729
14 60 Ty Majeski Ford Ford 51.309 186.634
Row 8: 15 19 Brandon Jones XYO Networks Toyota 51.322 186.587
16 98 Chase Briscoe Ford Ford 51.341 186.518
Row 9: 17 28 Dylan Lupton thinQ Technology Partners Ford 51.411 186.264
18 35 Joey Gase Sparks Chevrolet 51.452 186.115
Row 10: 19 16 Ryan Reed Drive Down A1C Lilly Diabetes Ford 51.549 185.765
20 18 Noah Gragson(i) Switch Toyota 51.653 185.391
Row 11: 21 36 Alex Labbe # Can-Am/Wholey/Cyclops Gear Chevrolet 51.699 185.226
22 39 Ryan Sieg Alabama Soda & Abrasive Repairs Chevrolet 51.733 185.104
Row 12: 23 15 Joe Nemechek(i) Fleetwing/D.A.B. Constructors Chevrolet 51.752 185.036
24 51 Jeremy Clements RepairableVehicles.com Chevrolet 51.844 184.708
Row 13: 25 01 Vinnie Miller # JAS Expedited Trucking LLC Chevrolet 51.946 184.345
26 4 Ross Chastain Flex Seal Chevrolet 51.989 184.193
Row 14: 27 38 JJ Yeley Josh Roberts Trucking & Repairs Chevrolet 52.002 184.147
28 8 Tommy Joe Martins Toyota 52.036 184.026
Row 15: 29 78 BJ McLeod JW Transport LLC Toyota 52.090 183.836
30 76 Spencer Boyd # Grunt Style Chevrolet 52.195 183.466
Row 16: 31 90 Josh Williams Star Tron Star Brite/Sleep Well Chevrolet 52.216 183.392
32 45 Josh Bilicki # Prevagen Toyota 52.276 183.182
Row 17: 33 24 Kaz Grala # NETTTS Ford 52.300 183.098
34 0 Garrett Smithley FAME-USA.org Chevrolet Owner Points
Row 18: 35 93 Jeff Green C2 Freight Resources Chevrolet Owner Points
36 40 Chad Finchum # Smithbilt Homes Toyota Owner Points
Row 19: 37 52 David Starr Whataburger Chevrolet Owner Points
38 66 Timmy Hill CrashClaimsR.Us Toyota Owner Points
Row 20: 39 55 Jennifer Jo Cobb(i) Swampdaddy Crawfish/Driven2Honor.org Owner Points
40 74 Mike Harmon Horizon Transport Dodge Owner Points
Did Not Qualify: # 89 Morgan Shepherd.
(i) Ineligible for driver points in this series
