Nationwide Race Thread-Talladega

[DanicaFan]

Race 8 of 33

Aaron's 312

Location - Talladega Superspeedway

Course Type - 2.66 Mile Tri-Oval Track

Race Distance - 117 Laps / 311.22 Miles

Date & TV Schedule - Saturday, May 5th - Pre-Race - 3pm Eastern / Green Flag-Approx. 3:34pm Eastern - ABC

Practice Sessions -
Thursday, May 3rd -4:00-4:45pm Eastern & 5:00-5:50pm Eastern

Qualifications- Friday, May 4th -12:10pm Eastern

*Note - All times listed in Eastern Time. Talladega is 1 hour behind.


2011 Aaron's 312 Race Information

Pole Winner -Elliott Sadler - 53.331/ 179.558mph
Race Winner - Kyle Busch
Average Speed: 126.618 mph
Caution Flags: 11
Lead Changes: 56
Lead Changes Drivers: 18
Total Laps: 124

[DanicaFan]

Talladega Superspeedway

Track Length - 2.66 miles
Banking -Turns 1 & 2 -33 degrees
Turn 3 - 32.4 degrees
Turn 4 -32.5 degrees
Tri-Oval -16.5 degrees
Backstraight -3 degrees

[DanicaFan]

Entry List..

1. #1 Kurt Busch
2. #01 Mike Wallace
3. #2 Elliott Sadler
4. #3 Austin Dillon
5. #4 Danny Efland
6. #5 Dale Earnhardt Jr.
7. #6 Ricky Stenhouse Jr.
8. #7 Danica Patrick
9. #08 Tim Andrews
10. #10 Jeff Green
11. #11 Brian Scott
12. #12 Sam Hornish Jr.
13. #14 Eric McClure
14. #15 Jeffrey Earnhardt
15. #18 Joey Logano
16. #19 Tayler Malsam
17. #20 Ryan Truex
18. #22 Brad Keselowski
19. #23 Robert Richardson Jr.
20. #24 Benny Gordon
21. #30 James Buescher
22. #31 Justin Allgaier
23. #33 Kevin Harvick
24. #38 Brad Sweet
25. #39 TBA
26. #40 Erik Darnell
27. #41 Timmy Hill
28. #42 Josh Wise
29. #43 Michael Annett
30. #44 Mike Bliss
31. #46 Chase Miller
32. #47 Scott Speed
33. #50 TJ Bell
34. #51 Jeremy Clements
35. #52 Kevin Lepage
36. #54 Kyle Busch
37. #70 Johanna Long
38. #74 Mike Harmon
39. #75 Blake Koch
40. #81 Jason Bowles
41. #87 Joe Nemechek
42. #88 Cole Whitt
43. #89 Morgan Shepherd
44. #99 Kenny Wallace

[rustyfan]

Gotta say I'm pretty super excited for this race as it's the first Nationwide race from Talladega I'll be able to watch live on TV

[DanicaFan]

A couple changes to the entry list..

#39 car will be driven by Josh Richards
#24 car will be driven by John Wes Townley instead of Benny Gordon

[Clive Brown]

But DanicaFan, what we are all awaiting with bated breath is your prediction as to where Her Ladyship will finish!

[DanicaFan]

Originally Posted by Clive Brown

But DanicaFan, what we are all awaiting with bated breath is your prediction as to where Her Ladyship will finish!

She is going to win this race!

[DanicaFan]

Weather at Talladega today is rain. It should clear out by this afternoon so they can get the practice in tonight. Temperature is in the 70's.

Weekend Forecast

[rustyfan]

Originally Posted by DanicaFan

She is going to win this race!

Considering it's Talladega, the big Powerball Lottery of NASCAR, and the fact that she's been quite good at Daytona (although she's had a bit of bad luck and the results don't exactly show it) she very well could win the race

[gomick]

I agree, she has as good a chance as anyone at this track... Will probably dominate too

[DanicaFan]

Well, the rain cancelled out the qualifying. They will run a practice session today instead of qualifying. So the starting line-up was made by owner points...

Starting line-up..

1. #2 Elliott Sadler
2. #6 Ricky Stenhouse Jr.
3. #33 Kevin Harvick
4. #18 Joey Logano
5. #3 Austin Dillon
6. #38 Brad Sweet
7. #30 James Buescher
8. #12 Sam Hornish Jr.
9. #22 Brad Keselowski
10. #43 Michael Annett
11. #88 Cole Whitt
12. #54 Kyle Busch
13. #31 Justin Allgaier
14. #19 Talyer Malsam
15. #44 Mike Bliss
16. #87 Joe Nemechek
17. #7 Danica Patrick
18. #20 Ryan Truex
19. #01 Mike Wallace
20. #99 Kenny Wallace
21. #51 Jeremy Clements
22. #11 Brian Scott
23. #4 Danny Efland
24. #70 Johanna Long
25. #81 Jason Bowles
26. #24 John Wes Townley
27. #40 Erik Darnell
28. #41 Timmy Hill
29. #14 Eric McClure
30. #08 Tim Andrews
31. #1 Kurt Busch
32. #10 Jeff Green
33. #5 Dale Earnhardt Jr.
34. #23 Robert Richardson Jr.
35. #50 TJ Bell
36. #39 Josh Richards
37. #52 Kevin Lepage
38. #89 Morgan Shepherd
39. #46 Chase Miller
40. #42 Josh Wise
41. #47 Scott Speed
42. #74 Mike Harmon
43. #15 Jeffrey Earnhardt

Did Not Qualify

#75 Blake Koch

[rustyfan]

Nice to have two Earnhardts in the field to cheer for

[The Original Instag8or]

Rooting for Jeffrey? LOL.

He is much more Kerry than he is Grandpa or Uncle Junior.

[FIRE]

Didn't he switch to GrandAm this season?

[fieldodreams79]

Getting ready to go...

I can recall several of these at 'dega involving a 25 plus car pile up, resulting in about a dozen guys competing for the win. It's hot down here today and about to get hotter.

[FIRE]

Ten-Tenths chat:
http://tentenths.com/chat/index.php

[rustyfan]

Originally Posted by The Original Instag8or

Rooting for Jeffrey? LOL.

He is much more Kerry than he is Grandpa or Uncle Junior.

He's still an Earnhardt. Period.

As for the race, a tad too much tandem drafting going on for my liking. I guess the teams have started to find ways around NASCAR's new rules already.

[rustyfan]

First attempt at a GWC ended with a multi-car crash towards the end of the backstretch. Eric McClure had a very hard head-on crash into the wall. The safety crew has cut off the roof of the car to get him out.

Update - Good news, Eric McClure is concious and talking to the safety crew.

Update 2 - Repairs are underway to fix the SAFER barrier while Eric McClure is being airlifted to hospital.

Update 3 - Red flag has been lifted. GWC # 2 coming up.

[rustyfan]

Congrats to Joey Logano who wins at Talladega, having timed his slingshot to perfection and stealing the win from Kyle Busch.

[marcus]

Any updates on Eric McClure , that looked really nasty , Hope he is ok

[rustyfan]

I've looked around a bit and all sites, forums etc I've checked report the same thing, that "the extent of his injuries was not immediately available".

What remained of McClure's car after the safety crew had removed him:

[Paradise City]

McClure was talking which was good to hear. It was breathtaking last lap from Logano, a driver I don't rate that highly and still don't tbh.

It is an art to win that event and the skill within the body of the race is to not tip the tandem partner into a spin. It strikes me as high-speed Tour de France type of stuff.

[rustyfan]

From Eric McClure's Facebook page (via Jayski.com): "Eric is awake and alert. He has pain in the right arm and leg. He's going to be bruised and sore for a while but should be okay. They are keeping him in the hospital overnight for observation."

Sounds like he thankfully escaped serious injuries from that vicious looking crash

[fieldodreams79]

I know I say it a lot, but McClure's wreck before safer barriers would probably end up as worst case scenario. Glad is "OK" because that was as nasty as I have ever.

[Purist]

Well, when these cars hit a less protected barrier, they do tend to shed parts, and sometimes big parts, which can really help the driver.

Elliott Sadler found that corner of guard rail at Pocono in 2010, but what was good news for him was that the impact dislodged the engine from the car, reducing the energy being carried by the part of the car he was in.

Steve Grissom had that evasive maneuver that went wrong at Atlanta in 1997, with the impact against the inside wall ejecting some of the contents on the rear end, including the gas tank. So, that dissipated some of the energy going with him, and removed the principle fire hazard from his immediate vicinity.

Ugly as the incidents may appear, as long as the car doesn't immediately stop, and the driver doesn't subsequently suffer a hard hit to his door, there is a very reasonable chance that the driver will come out alright. It also helps that they finally figured out that seatbelt label issue a while back.

One thing this incident does reinforce for me is that belted-together tire barriers seem like a much better solution for crashes at steep impact angles.